Beneficial Information

"to strike out" is  to completely fail at something, including missing an opportunity for success.

The "brunt" of an impact or blow is the principle or main part of it; most of the force and damage of a blow or attack. To "bear" this is to sustain it, to be the target of it.

When things are "coming to a head,"  a confrontation or point of crisis is being reached , usually after a long period of build-up.

"turn the other cheek"  refers to  injury to one's pride through words, not physical injury.

 a white elephant is  something that is very expensive to maintain, and which provides absolutely no benefit whatsoever to the owner.

"a fat cat" is someone who is very wealthy and, as a result, is able to eat more food than necessary and otherwise enjoy a life of luxury. Thus, they resemble  fat, lazy cats that eat, sleep and do nothing useful .

Letting the cat out of the bag, is a metaphor for  revealing a secret .

 to open a can of worms  is to create or initiate a situation that will cause trouble or will simply be unpleasant.

To "pig out" is to  eat a great deal of food,  thus resembling a hungry pig.

To "wolf down" food is  to eat food quickly, without fully chewing it.

 "an eager beaver" is someone very excited and enthusiastic about doing a particular task.

To "horse around" is  to play roughly, without regard for normal limitations such as rules or safety .

 "when pigs fly" describes  an extremely unlikely event, one that will never realistically come to pass.

, to have a frog in your throat means  to be speaking with a hoarse voice.

 "a packrat," the person is being described as someone who hoards objects , finding ever more creative ways to pack the maximum amount of possessions in the space available.

 something being "fishy" describes something suspicious, to "smell a rat" is  to suspect trickery or treachery .

A "busy bee" is someone or some creature who or that  is very busy,  like an industrious worker bee.

A  paper tiger  is an expression drawn from a Chinese saying. A paper tiger may pose in a threatening way, but it is actually  completely harmless .

"The run-around." An organization gives a customer the run-around by forcing the customer to "run around" between various people, none of whom solve the problem, and none of whom take responsibility.

"A grain of salt." To take something with a grain of salt is to retain skepticism instead of believing the initial story, waiting for more evidence.

Amazon today's offer: Deal of the day Limited Time Offer:  50% Off on Robot Vacuum Cleaner "I'm having whiplash." Whiplash, literally speaking,  is neck trauma caused by a whip effect from   being involved in a car accident. Figuratively, it  means being taken by complete surprise, as if you   whip your head around so quickly (to look) that    you damage your own neck. John Academy: 97% Off on Popular Online Courses Amazon Best Seller in Appliances Amazon Best Seller in Home and Kitchen Amazon Best Seller in Office Products Amazon Best Seller in Baby Products

"Nitty gritty." Just to elaborate, this is a reference to details: particulars, small issues, and small problems. Small problems become big problems when they add up.

"Two faced." Someone is figuratively "two faced" if he or she is a hypocrite, someone who is inconsistent and who enforces rules (as an example) based on who people are, not what they have done.

"A scoop." One of journalism's most common idioms is "a scoop," meaning, an exclusive story (exclusive to one news organization) about news, that is, a new event. Therefore, "a big scoop" is a "scoop" about a big event.

"A Piece of Cake." Proverbially, something that is as hard as eating a piece of cake, is very easy. Cake is a food that, while fattening, is soft and easy to digest.

"Clear as a bell." This has become an idiom for loud and clear. 

"Inflammable." (Vocabulary) When something is inflamed, it is "in flames." When it is inflammable, it "can turn into flames," that is, it is prone to catching on fire, such as fumes from an oil truck, or methane gas. Inflammable gases can be lit by cigarettes, sparks, and so on, possibly causing an explosion such as the one that destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

"Flammable." (Vocabulary) Something prone to catching on fire, such as fumes from an oil truck, or methane gas. Confusion about the origin of the prefix "in" for the word "inflammable" led to people taking stupid risks with the idea in their heads that the word means "not flammable." (It does not.) To avoid confusion, "FLAMMABLE" is now used for warnings, meaning: Dangerous!! Prone to catching fire!!

"What's on your mind?" Whatever is "on your mind" is what you are thinking at any particular moment. 

"Kicking ass." Figuratively speaking, kicking ass is triumphing over someone else by use of some manner of force.

"Going Cold Turkey." When someone is quitting narcotics or tobacco completely, people often look pale. This makes them look like a cold, plucked turkey prepared for cooking. This gave rise to the expression, "going cold turkey."

"Cut from the same cloth." When making a suit, the jacket and trousers should be cut from the same large piece of cloth to ensure a perfect match, and avoid a mismatch of color, weave, and so forth. It thus means what is very alike; what is a perfect match.

 "Cry Wolf" is to exaggerate or lie, causing others to lose trust in you.

"In the black." Accountants using English/ American accounting methods usually record positive numbers in black ink. To be "in the black" is therefore to have a positive (black ink) number for a business' yearly profits.

"Skeleton in the closet." (Common version.) A proverbial skeleton in the closet is something that is secret and hdiden which is very damaging once revealed

"It's no secret." When someone says, "it's no secret that X is true," this means, "the fact X is true is broadly known and accepted."

"No kidding." If someone is kidding, he or she is making a joke, or otherwise not being serious. Therefore, if someone says "no kidding," it is agreeing something is true.

"Skating on thin ice." To skate on thin ice is to risk the ice breaking under a person's weight, risking hypothermia and death. Figuratively, to skate on thin ice is to do anything risky.

"Breaking Ranks." Ranks means rows and columns such as those of a military formation. To break ranks is to move out of position and to no longer act as part of the group.

"As goes (A), so goes (B)" This formulation is stating that (A) is the pivot point, the most critical part, of the fate and fortunes of (B).

"Sticking with someone." To "stick" with someone is to continue to support that person in spite of criticism, opposition, and so forth. 

"Keeping your cards close to the vest." A gambling reference, to keep your hand of cards close to your vest (or other clothing) is to make it more difficult for others to peek at your hand. Thus, it is an expression for keeping things secret.

Amazon today's offer: Deal of the day Limited Time Offer:  50% Off on Robot Vacuum Cleaner "A day late and a dollar short." This expression means, something is being done a) late, b) insufficiently strongly, and is thus completely inadequate to the task of salvaging a bad situation.  Most Popular Course:Data Science of Harvard, MIT, IBM.... 

Amazon today's offer: Deal of the day Limited Time Offer:  50% Off on Robot Vacuum Cleaner "Drawing flak." This is a reference to "flak," anti- aircraft artillery that fires air-burst shells at enemy  aircraft. This fire is itself known as "flak" (common  English usage since WWII). To draw flak, therefore,  is to draw criticism Most Popular Course:Data Science of Harvard, MIT, IBM....  John Academy: 97% Off on Popular Online Courses Amazon Best Seller in Appliances Amazon Best Seller in Home and Kitchen Amazon Best Seller in Office Products Amazon Best Seller in Baby Products

"Busting a gut." A variation of "splitting a gut" with an identical meaning in all respects. "Splitting one's sides" is also a variation (although it refers to the side abdominal muscles, not the stomach area ones).

"Splitting a gut." This is a reference to laughing so hard that a person is figuratively causing damage to his or her abdominal muscles.

"Out of left field." Similar to "out of the blue," this implies something that arrives without warning from seemingly nowhere, with no logical origin.

"Too much information." This expression is used as a rebuke/ criticism of people who are too explicit about something crude or vulgar, or simply something impolite to "spell out" (to make explicit).

Amazon today's offer: Deal of the day Limited Time Offer:  50% Off on Robot Vacuum Cleaner "Carrying the flag." To figuratively carry the flag  for  a  cause, a project, or a point of view, you become   the symbol, the focus of attention, etc., of that cause. Most Popular Course:Data Science of Harvard, MIT, IBM....  John Academy: 97% Off on Popular Online Courses Amazon Best Seller in Appliances Amazon Best Seller in Home and Kitchen Amazon Best Seller in Office Products Amazon Best Seller in Baby Products

  standard-bearer has a meaning identical to "carrying the flag"

"a sacred cow" is a thing, person, or policy that is protected as if it is holy, and thus beyond all criticism or opposition.

 To tell someone they can "bet" that something will be true, is to tell them that you are quite certain/ very certain it WILL happen. 

"For your information." This is a common phrase that means, "What I am saying is for your information." 

"Chipping In." To chip in is to contribute to a conversation without being originally part of it. 

A Heavy Hitter: Someone or something with a great deal of clout/ influence/ power.

On The Table: When a course of action is "on the table," it is available for consideration. It is one of the options available. Conversely, when an option is "off the table," it is no longer available. If an option is put on the table, it is to be considered; if it is taken off the table, it is taken out of consideration. 

"toe the line" is to follow the group position, and to not go beyond it.

"tough son of a gun" : very tough, physically but especially mentally.

"Music to my ears." (English idiom) Something that is "music to (your) ears" is something that you hear that is very positive, encouraging, and pleasing.

 "Make yourself at home." This means, make yourself as comfortable, as welcome, and as relaxed as you are in your own home.

"Mind your own business." (English Idiom) If I tell you to mind your own business, I am telling you to stay out of mine. 

"Saving (money) for a rainy day." (English Idiom) To save for a rainy day - saving money, specifically - is to save something for when the need for it is more urgent.

"To turn a blind eye." (English Idioms) To turn a "blind" eye to something is to see it, but to pretend NOT to see it; to ignore it. 

"Breathing down one's neck." To breathe down someone's neck is, figuratively, to be watching over someone so closely that the other person can feel your breath on his or her neck. This implies supervision that distracts a person, making concentration, and work, difficult.

Amazon today's offer: Deal of the day "Bridge the divide." (Also: Bridge the gap) This  means, to bring two sides closer together, overcoming  their differences (the "divide" that separates them).  This divide may be political, social, or any other  major difference between groups of persons.  Limited Time Offer:  50% Off on Robot  Vacuum Cleaner Most Popular Course:Data Science of Harvard, MIT, IBM....  John Academy: 97% Off on Popular Online Courses Amazon Best Seller in Appliances Amazon Best Seller in Home and Kitchen Amazon Best Seller in Office Products Amazon Best Seller in Baby Products

"Man up." Used as a verb, to "man up" is to act in a "manly" way, as opposed to acting in a childish or irresponsible way. To "man up" implies taking responsibility for your actions, and coping with the consequences of those actions. 

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"Don't mention it." In colloquial English, this has a polite spin to it. When being praised for something, to say, "Don't mention it," is not to shut down discussion harshly; it is to say, politely, that thanks is not necessary.

"From soup to nuts." A very American idiom meaning "From beginning to end." 

"Crocodile tears." Crocodiles were believed to shed tears that slid down into their mouths, thus making their food easy to digest. Therefore, a crocodile only cried to make eating its food - you, perhaps - easier. Thus, it represents insincerity.

"In the red." Accountants using English/ American accounting methods usually record negative numbers in red ink. To be "in the red" is therefore to have a negative (red ink) number for what would have been profits; that is, a year-on-year loss of money.  

"On the fence." A fence is a boundary dividing two fields. To be "on the fence" is to be on neither side of an argument.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." This popular expression conveys this message: "You said exactly what I would have said, had I spoken first."

Having your head in the clouds: To have your head in the clouds means that your thoughts are not on the task at hand. Your thoughts are elsewhere, as if they are floating in the clouds, not firmly planted into the soil.

 "A while back" = "some time ago," an intermediate period of time in the past

On the fritz: A temporary technical failure of an electrical device. 

Amazon today's offer: Deal of the day Limited Time Offer:  50% Off on Robot Vacuum Cleaner "Waste not, want not." (Proverb, more than idiom so just posting here) This is an old saying relying on an older reading of "want," which in this case, means "lack of something that one desires." If you waste less food, you are less hungry. John Academy: 97% Off on Popular Online Courses

 "reinvent the wheel" is to attempt to "discover" something that has already been discovered. 

through the barrel of a gun  means only one thing:  through the use of armed violence; the opposite of peaceful, lawful politics.

Amazon today's offer: Deal of the day Limited Time Offer:  50% Off on Robot Vacuum Cleaner "Welcome aboard" is an old greeting given to people  who board (get on) a boat or ship. However, it can be  figuratively used for many things other than ships! It  can be used as a fun, friendly greeting for anyone  entering a group.  Python Data Science: edX Course by IBM Data Science Certificate: Best edX Online Course by Harvard University Most Popular Course:Data Science of Harvard, MIT, IBM....  John Academy: 97% Off on Popular Online Courses Amazon Best Seller in Appliances Amazon Best Seller in Home and Kitchen Amazon Best Seller in Office Products Amazon Best Seller in Baby Products

Easier Said Than Done: An expression describing a task where success is easy to talk about, but difficult to achieve in reality.

A "basket case" is someone or something that is completely helpless and incapacitated. 

"Ain't" is a slang word for "isn't" (is not). It is NOT considered a correct word, either formally or informally, but it is used anyway.  

:" TAKE FOR">>>>To suppose to be, to mistake for.

:" TAKE FOR GRANTED">>>>(1) To suppose or understand to be true____(2) To accept or become used to ( something) without noticing especially or saying anything.

:" GO BANANAS" >>>If someone becomes emotional and starts behaving in a crazy way, they go bananas.

"LEAD ON" >>>To encourage you to believe something untrue or mistaken.

:" WORK OUT">>>>(1) To find an answer to____(2) To plan, to develop___(3)To accomplish, arrange___(4) To be efficient, get results___(5) To exercise.^^!

" NIGHT AND DAY" >>>> all the time, around the clock.

" BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL">>>> To work very late into the night.

" CRACK DOWN"___(ON SOMEONE OR SOMETHING)>>>To put limits on someone or something, to become strict about enforcing rules about someone or something.

" TAKE A CRACK AT" >>>>To try doing something

" CRACK A BOOK">>>> To open a book in oder to study

"CRACK A JOKE">>>>To make a joke, tell a joke.

 "SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS">>>to show which people in a group can do something difficult and which people cannot.

 " CATCH ONE'S BREATH" ___(1)To stop breathing for a moment because something surprises or frightens you.___(2)To rest for a moment after doing physical exercise and wait until you can breath regularly again___(3) To stop for a short time to rest and think about something.

"CATCH COLD">>>> to catch unprepared or not ready for a question or unexpected happening.

"CATCH COLD">>>> to get a common cold-weather sickness that causes a running nose, sneezing, and sometimes sore throat and fever or other symptoms.

"GOOD SEED MAKES A GOOD CROP">>>>Starting a good materials will help you get good results.

"ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER">>>>when friends are apart they like each other more.

"MAKE A BEELINE for somebody/something" >>>>to move quickly and directly toward someone or something