English Slang Idioms (283)

"When I went to court, the judge told me that if I ever showed up in his courtroom again I would be going to jail. The threat of going to jail was more than enough to make me ......... my ways. I don't drink anymore and the only reason I got into fights was because I was too drunk all the time," Roy said to Hank.
build
sow
mend
increase

"For a new deck, you are ......... at about $1,500 or so," the contractor told Bill and Jane.
staring
blinking
eyeing
looking

"It is very hard to install a shower stall that is built out of multiple panels. It is hard enough to get them lined up properly, not to ......... getting the glue spread out right on the backs of them without breaking the thin plastic of the panels," Chris said to Derrick.
mention
tolerate
remark
vocalize

"I have to warn you, this job is stressful. The last person who worked as a manager for the Federal Employee Program had a ......... breakdown," Andy said to Mike.
brain
thought
nervous
stomach

The soldiers started having a contest at work for fun. Unfortunately they were caught ......... around by the First Sergeant who not only ordered them to get to work but made them all do more pushups and sit-ups than any of them wanted to do.
wandering
messing
slapping around
leaning

After being reprimanded by the manager for giving a customer the incorrect price for some plants that cost the company $50, Ian said, "I realized I messed ......... and I know what I did wrong. I can assure you that it won't happen again." Luckily, the boss was placated after that statement.
off
back
up
over

He didn't want to take the dog on the hike. She wanted the dog to get some exercise. They found some ......... ground and decided to take the dog for a walk and then go on the hike.
equality
same
divided
middle

Chris knew that the nursery was getting their unique succulent plants from a dealer in Chico, California. He knew that the nursery marked the succulents up so that they could make a profit. One day, he found a telephone number for the man in Chico in one of the plants he purchased. He called the number and made an appointment to meet with the dealer directly. If Chris could buy the plants directly from the dealer, he could eliminate the ......... and save himself some money.
package deal
middle man
messenger
missing link

"We have to get some order here. We can't have all of the kids ......... around the park unsupervised. We need to keep them in a relatively-tight group so we can keep an eye on them," the teacher said to her assistant when they took their class on a field trip to the zoo.
milling
bouncing
jaunting
skipping

He thought back on the major ......... of his life: graduating college, getting out of the army, getting married, buying his first house and starting his first career-oriented job. He thought when one is depressed, it is good to remind oneself of all the things he or she has accomplished in the past.
milestones
grave stones
metronomes
novels