English Slang Idioms (176)

Many home owners lost money in America when the housing market recently ......... out.
grounded
bottomed
flashed
framed

The local college football team bowled ......... their opponents in the last game with a final score of 49-7. It was a refreshing change of pace.
with
cherries
away
over

It is hard for developing countries to advance due to what some call the "......... drain." The developing country's best and the brightest are often hired to work in other countries for higher salaries than are available in their home countries. This, in turn, leaves the developing countries with less talented and smart people to help them advance.
talent
brain
winner
cream

"Don't be too hard on him for coming in dirty. Boys will be .......... They all like to get dirty at that age," Mary told Ellen.
soiled
play
dusty
boys

"I don't mind if you ride to the store on your bikes. Make sure to wear your ......... buckets, though. I don't want you getting hurt or cracking your head open," Ryan said to his two boys.
seat
egg
brain
hair

"I thought we would start figuring out our options by ......... for five minutes. Once that is complete, we will look through the list of ideas we have come up with and talk about the pros and cons of each. So what I need you to do is right down anything that comes to mind and don't stop to think whether it is a good idea or not. We will critique the ideas after the five minutes," Janice told the team.
brainstorming
drawing
painting
debating

"I have only had one hobby for years throwing pottery. However, I got kind of sick of it and decided to ......... and try new things. I am now learning how to refinish furniture and play the bass guitar," Susan told Louise.
run away
close the book
break the mold
branch out

"I decided to ......... away from the fraternity in college and make different kinds of friends. They weren't a bad group of guys but they were more interested in partying and having fun than planning a future for themselves and getting good grades," Matt told his little brother.
smash
drive
break
push

"We had a small ......... breaking ceremony before we started building the new office. We invited the new workers and their families. We had a barbecue and some beers. Then the Manager put a shovel into the ground and dug out some dirt to signify where the new office will go. It was fun," Marcie told her good friend when she asked what Marcie had done that day.
soil
location
level
ground

"As you know, we have been trying to ......... into the cell phone market without much success. However, we have a new product that we hope will make us a major competitor in that market. We are wondering if you would be able to provide the service for our new phone," Lisa told the telephone network executives.
force
walk
break
run