Idioms/Expressions
"James forgot to finish the project, so he threw his teammate under the bus by blaming her for the delay."
Throw someone under the bus – To betray or blame someone, usually to protect oneself.
"She’s as busy as a bee with all her projects this semester."
Comparing someone’s level of activity to a bee’s, suggesting they are very busy.
"His room is a disaster zone."
This means his room is very messy, comparing it to a place hit by a disaster.
"Oh, great! Another pop quiz—just what I needed."
This sarcastic response suggests they’re not actually happy about the quiz.
"If the bus leaves at 7:45 a.m. and you need 20 minutes to walk to the bus stop, what time should you leave home to catch the bus on time?"
6:55 AM
"After their argument, Maya decided to ghost Alex, ignoring all his messages."
Ghost someone – To suddenly cut off all communication with someone.
"The toddler clung to her mother like glue in the crowded store."
Suggesting the toddler is sticking closely to her mother.
"The world is a stage, and we are all actors."
This metaphor suggests that life is like a play, and we all have roles to play.
"Oh, sure, because I totally have all the free time in the world."
Sarcasm to express frustration at being asked to do something extra
"If your class starts at 1:00 p.m. and it takes 15 minutes to get from lunch to your classroom, what time do you need to leave the cafeteria?"
12:45 PM
"Even though the new club members didn’t know each other well, the group leader planned fun activities to break the ice."
Break the ice – To make people feel more comfortable in a social situation.
"His hands were as cold as ice after being outside in the snow."
Comparing the temperature of his hands to ice, emphasizing they were very cold.
"She’s a shining star in her class."
This means she is outstanding or exceptional in her class.
"Yeah, right. I’d love to wake up at 5 a.m. every day.
this sarcastic response implies they wouldn’t enjoy waking up that early.
"If you have a 45-minute assignment and it’s currently 4:30 p.m., what time will you finish if you start right now?"
5:15 PM
"I shouldn’t have asked Liam to keep that secret—he spilled the beans within an hour!"
Spill the beans – To reveal secret information, often accidentally.
After the long practice, the athlete was as hungry as a bear."
Comparing his hunger to a bear’s, suggesting he was extremely hungry.
"He has a heart of stone."
This means he is emotionally cold or unfeeling.
"Wow, you’re a real genius for locking your keys in the car."
Sarcastically calling someone a “genius” when they’ve done something clumsy.
"You need to be at your appointment at 2:00 and it's a 15 min drive. What time should you leave?"
1:45 PM
"Maria is really good at art, so anything she touches seems to turn to gold."
Turn to gold – When someone is successful with everything they try.
"With all her knowledge, she’s as wise as an owl."
Comparing her wisdom to that of an owl, suggesting she is very wise.
"The classroom was a zoo during free time."
This means the classroom was very chaotic or noisy, comparing it to the wildness of a zoo.
"Oh, fantastic! Another email from my least favorite person."
This sarcastic statement implies they aren’t thrilled to receive that email.
"You need 30 minutes to get ready in the morning. If you want to leave by 8:15 a.m., what’s the latest time you should start getting ready?"
7:45 AM