With the cost of living these days, it is difficult for young couples to build a nest egg and save for retirement.
2) Crunch The Numbers-to do mathematical work involving large amounts of information or numbers-
Civil engineering is not just about crunching numbers and solving technical matters, it requires a lot of creativity too.
3) An Itchy Palm-a strong desire for money, especially bribes-
Whenever he sees expensive luggage, the hotel doorman gets an itching palm.
4) An Empty Sack Cannot Stand Upright-one must eat in order to carry out one's duties-
Have some dinner before you go back to your research. An empty sack cannot stand upright, you know.
5) A Banner Year-a particularly good or successful period of time-
2004 was a banner year for astronomy.
6) Nickel And Dime-used to describe something that is not important, usually because it does not involve much money-
A nickel and dime dispute.
7) Be Green Around The Gills-to look ill and pale-
Some of the passengers looked kind of green around the gills after the trip!
8) Alive And Kicking-active and healthy-
I thought for sure that old dog wouldn't survive the winter, but he's still alive and kicking!
9) Test The Waters-try to find out whether something is likely to succeed-
Your idea might not be popular with people, so before you start marketing it you should test the waters.
10) Dutch Uncle-a person giving firm but benevolent advice-
He acts more like a Dutch uncle than a husband, always telling her what to do in public.
11)Steal The Limelight-draw the focus of attention to oneself at the expense of others-
The experimental car certainly stole the limelight at the motor show.
12) Bread And Butter-a person's livelihood or main source of income, something everyday or ordinary-
Their bread and butter is reporting local events.
13) Square Peg In A Round Hole-a person who does not fit in or is not comfortable with others or in a particular situation, someone who is unsuited to a certain task, position, situation, or group of people-
John was a bit of a square peg in a round hole throughout high school, but when he went to college he found all sorts of people he could relate to.
14) The Long Arm Of The Law-the broad, far-reaching power or influence of the police or legal system-
He may have eluded us for now, but he won't escape the long arm of the law for long.
15) Food For Thought-something that warrants serious consideration-
His study certainly provides food for thought, we should do more research on it.
16) Jump The Track-to veer off in very unexpected directions, to lose or change focus in surprising or bizarre ways-
The manager's speech really jumped the tracks about halfway through, shifting into a weird commentary on the nature of corporate America.
17) Train Wreck-something that fails completely or goes extremely badly-
The movie was a train wreck.
18) All Things Being Equal-if everything happens as expected-
All things being equal, I'll be at home on Tuesday.
19) Be In The Loop-to have or not have the special knowledge or power that belongs to a particular group of people-
I've been out of the loop since I changed jobs. I didn't realize Wendy and Bob had got engaged.
20) Up In The Air-uncertain, subject to change-
The whole future of the project is still up in the air.
