School idioms I
I earned a "B" on my project, but my teacher said I got an "A for effort."
"A for effort" = Someone worked hard or tried a lot.
Mrs. Gomez said "Put your thinking caps on because this is a hard question!"
"Put your thinking cap on" =Think seriously or hard
Mr. Lopato said, "We need to cover a lot of ground in History today--all three chapters."
"To cover a lot of ground" = To teach or learn a lot of information
James is happy because he aced the English test.
"To ace a test" = To earn an "a"
Peter is really good at Spanish. He knows it backwards and forwards.
"To know backwards and forwards" = To know something very well
Melissa passed the math quiz with flying colors. It's her best subject.
"To pass with flying colors" = To earn a very high grade
Tommy is a bookworm. His favorite day is when we go to the library.
"Bookworm" = Someone who loves to read
Mrs. Smith told us to brainstorm ideas for our essay.
"Brainstorm" = To try to think of new ideas
Sometimes when the teacher asks a question, I draw a blank.
"To draw a blank" = Can't think of or remember an answer
Our teacher says we should work in pairs because "Two heads are better than one."
"Two heads are better than one." = Two people working together can solve a problem better than one person alone
Tom knows all the vocabulary by heart, so he did well on the test.
"Know by heart" OR "Learn by heart" = Memorize
Mr. Wong asked, "Who wants to go to the zoo for the field trip? Let's see a show of hands."
"A show of hands" = Raising hands to vote for something
No wonder Susan has a bad grade. She never cracks open a book.
"Crack open a book" = "To read a book"
I went to school with a headache today, so I wasn't on the ball.
"Not on the ball" = Not doing your best or not paying attention
I was sick for a week, so now I have to catch up on my homework.
"To catch up on" = To do work you missed
I'm mad at my friend because she's a copycat.
"Copycat" = Someone who copies other people
I have a big Science test tomorrow, so I need to hit the books.
"Hit the books" = Study hard
The Spanish test was as easy as ABC.
"As easy as ABC" = "Very easy"
Tim couldn't wrap his head around the math problem, so he asked his mom for help.
"To wrap your head around" = To understand or figure out something difficult
If Ned plays hooky again, he will be suspended.
"To play hooky" = To miss school just because you don't feel like going (Not for a good reason like being sick)
John is in trouble because he cut class yesterday.
"To cut class" = To not go to school just because you don't feel like it
Everyone calls Natalie a teacher's pet.
"Teacher's pet" = A student the other kids think is the teacher's favorite (or who tries to be the favorite)
I flunked the spelling quiz this week, but next time I will study.
"To flunk" = To fail, to get an "F"
Tina didn't study for months, so now she needs to cram for the final exam.
"To cram" = To learn a lot of information in a very short time.
Even though I wracked my brain, I couldn't remember the answer.
"To wrack your brain" = To think very hard, especially to try to remember something (NOTE: "wracked" is pronounced "racked")