Idioms Collected by Students:

Down in the dumps (a dump is a place to put garbage)

I lost 500 dollars on the horse races and now I am down in the dumps. To be down in the dumps means to be depressed about something, unhappy because something happened.

A close synonym is down in the mouth.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
What one person likes very much, is the worst possible thing for another person.

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

Go for it! (Teenagers use it mostly) It is a kind of encouragement to someone about any subject. So, if I decide to buy a new car, my friend might say, “Go for it!"

Let sleeping dogs lie. If someone has a bad habit and it is not too likely to change, you can say about this habit, “Let sleeping dogs lie”. (Leave it alone, forget it, it’s not worth the trouble)

Look before you leap. Think first; act second.

Could you give me a rain check on that please? If an item on sale is sold out, sometimes you can get a rain check to get it at the sale price sometime later.

You want me to take it back? Over my dead body! (This is a very strong NO. NO WAY!)

Lufthansa may take stake in Air Canada.
Stake is like some money I risk for something. It is also a piece of wood to mark property, or to mark a row of peas in my garden.

He can lose face by making a mistake and then feeling shame.

He’s all eyes for her. He’s in love!
He’s all ears to hear the gossip. It means ready to hear everything!

Individuals shouldn’t jump on the judges.
So, jump on means to criticize someone too much.

We need to get to the root of this problem. For example, “What is the root of the problem with children who do not respect adults?” This is the basic, bottom of the problem.

Did you stand up to him when he insulted you? It means to defend yourself.
Don’t let them push you around. It means not to let someone manipulate or bully you.