Spring Idioms I
Mr. Santos is a tough teacher--you never know when he's going to spring a pop quiz on us!
to spring something (on someone):
To surprise someone, especially with an unwelcome or unpleasant surprise
My dad sprang to his feet and shouted "What?!" when I told him I'd accidentally scratched his new car.
to spring to one's feet
Meaning: To stand up very quickly
Whenever someone mentions Hawaii, my family's vacation to Maui two years ago springs to mind.
to spring to mind
Meaning: This is another way of phrasing the idiom "to come to mind," meaning that something or someone makes you think immediately of something or someone else.
In 7th grade I had a lot of bad grades, but this year I'm going to turn over a new leaf by doing my homework every day.
to turn over a new leaf
Meaning: To act or behave in a better or more responsible way.
When Veronica said she was sick of the rain. her mom replied, "April showers bring May flowers."
April showers bring May flowers.
Meaning: This is not an idiom but a popular saying. It comes from a 16th century English poet, Thomas Tusser, who wrote “Sweet April showers do spring May Flowers." This is often said when someone is complaining about rainy weather.
The small beach town is quiet most of the year, but it springs to life in the summer.
to spring to life
Meaning: To suddenly start moving or to become very active or busy.
My cousins and I wanted to go fishing this weekend, but my uncle's boat just sprang a leak.
to spring a leak
Meaning: This idiom means that an object, often a boat, suddenly gets a hole in it, leading to a leak of water or air.
Joshua has had a spring in step ever since he met Maddy.
to have a spring in one's step
Meaning: idiom. If you have a spring in your step, you walk energetically in a way that shows you are feeling happy and confident.
When I asked my parents for a new phone, they told me, "Your old one is fine. Money doesn't grow on trees."
money doesn’t grow on trees
Meaning: This saying means to be careful spending money, because--unlike gathering leaves from trees--it’s not that easy to get more of it.
The first time Daniel acted up in class, his teacher gave him after-school detention to nip it in the bud.
nip it in the bud
Meaning: This means to stop something at an early stage. If you remove, or “nip,” a bud from a plant, it prevents the flower from blooming.
My mom says that if I don't give my bedroom a good spring cleaning I can't play video games this weekend.
spring cleaning
Meaning: a very thorough cleaning
Tom's dad told him "You're graduating high school this year. You need to get your head out of the clouds and start thinking about your future."
to get one's head out of the clouds
Meaning: To stop day-dreaming or fooling around and to begin taking things seriously. This idioms is also often expressed as "to have one's head in the clouds," for example: "Susanna usually has her head in the clouds, so teachers are always telling her to pay attention."
Anita is a real social butterfly; she's in three different after-school clubs and goes to parties every weekend.
social butterfly
Meaning: Someone who loves interacting with others and moves from one person to another easily, like a butterfly moves from flower to flower.
I hate Mr. Smith's History class; listening to his lectures is like watching grass grow.
like watching grass grow
Meaning: If something is described as "like watching grass grow," it is very boring.
I feel like everything in my life is coming up roses lately: I earned straight As, I just made the basketball team, and my parents said we're going to Disneyland for spring break!
Meaning:
coming up roses
If everything in your life is coming up roses, things are going very well for you! The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but it became popular in the 1950s as a line in a song from the famous musical “Gypsy.”
My best friend is going through a really hard time right now, but I told him, "Hope springs eternal. Never give up.”
Hope springs eternal.
Meaning: This means you remain optimistic no matter the odds or situation.
When I walked my dog today and felt the warm sun on my face and saw flowers blooming, I knew spring was in the air.
spring is in the air
Meaning: This idiom usually refers to physical signs of spring being perceived, such as the weather getting warmer, flowers blooming, and so on. It can also refer to a feeling of happiness during the spring season.
Jameson wants to play in the NBA one day, but since he's only 5-foot-2, I think he's probably chasing rainbows.
chasing rainbows
Meaning: Since you can’t actually reach or touch rainbows, chasing rainbows means trying to achieve something that’s not possible or not practical.
Our neighbor Mrs. Chan has a green thumb. She has the nicest garden on our street.
to have a green thumb
Meaning: This describes someone who’s talented at gardening.
That famous, gorgeous model is rumored to have a terrible personality, but every rose has its thorns.
every rose has its thorns
Meaning: “This is an ancient proverb with no known origin. It means that even someone, or something, as beautiful and seemingly perfect as a rose is not without its flaws.
When I asked my grandpa to go for a run with me, he said, "I wish I could, but I'm no spring chicken."
no spring chicken
Meaning: old (or at least not that young)
Starting in April or May, most of the students have a serious case of spring fever and can't wait for summer vacation.
spring fever
I found out Trisha was only a fair-weather friend when I told her I couldn't afford to buy us tickets to the concert.
fair-weather friend
Meaning: A fair-weather friend is one who only sticks with you when things are going well or when he or she can gain some benefit from you. The moment things become difficult, a fair-weather “friend” is suddenly nowhere to be found.
I warned my friend that the guy she met online could be just leading her down the garden path.
to lead down the garden path
Also phrased as “to lead someone on,” this idiom means to deceive or lie to someone.
I'm going to stop and smell the roses during spring break by going camping.
Meaning:
to stop and smell the roses
This means it’s time to stop stressing out and take a minute to enjoy the little things in life, especially the beauty of nature. (Studies show there is some scientific truth behind this idiom, because spending time in nature has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.)