A
Steve's car is in A-1 condition after all the repairs.
A-1- excellent or superior
The mayor got on the bandwagon to improve lighting in the city parks.
(to join/ to get on) the bandwagon: following the crowd; joining a cause that is currently popular:
When it comes to writing a good paper, Hilda can't hold a candle to Jill.
candle- [not able to hold a candle to]: someone/something that doesn't have value when compared to someone/something else: (used with a negative only)
Our instructor always plays devil's advocate to see if we're sure of our opinions.
the devil's advocate - one who argues the opposite side of a subject in order to show more/different information
Robert had to eat crow and apologize for all the bad things he said about Pam.
[to eat crow] to apologize; to admit one is wrong
The salesman says this remote control is as easy to use as ABC.
easy to accomplish, solve, or use
Don't let Jim's shouting frighten you; (his) bark is worse than his bite.
(one's) bark is worse than one's bite: not as mean as one appears
Eva initially disagreed with the report but eventually
caved in and agreed to sign it.
OR
She said she wouldn't sign it, but she caved.
to cave in / to cave: to weaken and be forced to surrender
Give George the dirty work of finishing the reports.
dirty work - very hard, tiring work:
I wasn't prepared to answer the judge's questions, so felt behind the eight ball for a few minutes.
(behind) the eight ball: in an unpleasant situation or awkward position
Speeding is going to turn out to be his Achilles' heel.
an Achilles' heel - a weak area that can lead to
destruction
I had nothing to do with that project getting canceled; (you're) barking up the wrong tree.
[to bark up the wrong tree] to look for a solution in the wrong place
He was a chicken and didn't go mountain climbing with us.
chicken [a chicken]: a coward
There was a disconnect somewhere between the manager and the supervisors, so no one ever got the correct word.
a disconnect - a failure to communicate properly
because of a misunderstanding.
The computers are down. I need copies of the report immediately. I'm at the end of my rope.
[at the end of one's rope] having no more
patience; exhausted emotionally
With his love for reading, he is a man after [my] own heart.
after [one's] own heart -liking someone because
of similar interests:
Dan became a basket case after the tragic accident.
a basket case - a person who is mentally and/or
emotionally shattered
Bobby has a chip on (his) shoulder about the way he was treated as a kid.
[to have a chip on one's shoulder]: to be retaining anger because of past mistreatment
Lena dropped the ball and forgot to tell us about the meeting.
[to drop the ball] to make a mistake that stops progress
No other film director pushes the envelope quite the way Quentin Tarantino does.
an envelope- [to push the envelope]: to test the boundaries of what is acceptable or normal
We'll be ahead of the game if we can get all the tanks ready by 0800.
ahead of the game - having a gain or a profit;
being better than was expected:
That new officer is on the ball.
[on the ball] paying attention and doing things very well
Rob is chomping at the bit wanting to know what he
to chomp at the bit - to wait nervously
Since Plan B didn't work at all, let's go back to the
drawing board.
(back to) the drawing board: planning again because the first effort failed
I couldn't eat everything at lunch; I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach.
[eyes being bigger than one's stomach]: when
one takes more food than can be eaten