1. 24/7: Twenty-four hours a day; seven days a week; all the time; constantly.
My little sister
irritates me 24/7!
2. A short fuse: A quick temper. Jamie is known for his short fuse; just a few days ago he
screamed at his coach for not letting him play.
3. A taste of your own medicine: Bad treatment deservedly received for treating other people
badly. After constantly being prank-called, Julian decided to give Juan a taste of his own
medicine and ordered twenty-seven pizzas to be delivered to Juan’s house.
4. Butterflies in my stomach: To be nervous. Liam had butterflies in his stomach before he went
on stage to play the violin.
5. By the skin of your teeth: To just barely get by or make it. Lester made the dance team by the
skin of his teeth; you can tell he hasn't been dancing jazz for very long.
6. Cat got your tongue?: Can’t you speak? (Usually said to embarrass the other person). I just
saw you kissing my boyfriend. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?
7. Crying wolf: To ask for help when you don't need it. You have cried wolf so many times that
no one believes you when you're really hurt.
8. Cut someone some slack: To not judge someone too harshly. Hey. Cut me some slack. I was
really busy with my frog-hunting business last week and forgot to call. I'm sorry!
9. Down for the count: Tired; giving up; unable or unwilling to participate any longer. No, you
can’t take my dog for a walk—she’s down for the count after chasing cats all day.
10. Draw the line: To stop; to know the point where something goes from okay to not okay. Now
I draw the line at speaking in front of 34,000 people.
11. Easier said than done: Not as easy as it appears to be. You want me to come to work at 6:00
AM? Easier said than done!
12. Every cloud has a silver lining: You can find good in every bad situation.
Even though you just got fired, remember that every cloud has a silver lining—at least you
don’t have to work for that grouchy boss anymore!
13. Finding a needle in a haystack: Virtually impossible to find. Trying to get a new job these
days is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
14. Fish out of water: To be out of place. Tom felt like a fish out of water at the Star Trek
convention his new girlfriend begged him to attend.
15. Get something off your chest: To talk about something that has been bothering you for a
long time; to admit something you have done wrong.
I have to get this off my chest—I copied your answers on the SAT. Thanks for the 15th
percentile score, by the way.
16. Give it a whirl: To try something. I’ve never gone kite-boarding, but I’m prepared to give it a
whirl!
17. Go down in flames: To fail suddenly and spectacularly. The football player's career went
down in flames after the media learned he'd been losing on purpose to settle gambling
debts.
18. Go the extra mile: To make an extra effort. My dentist always goes the extra mile, offering
free back massages at the end of a stressful tooth extraction.
19. Hang in there: Be patient. Wait it out. I know you're struggling right now in school but just
hang in there. It'll get easier. I promise.
20. In the fast lane: A life filled with excitement. When Curtis turned 40, he decided he needed to
live life in the fast lane, so he quit his job as a dentist and decided to tour Europe by
motorcycle.
