REAL ENGLISH IDIOMS [2]

Laugh all the way to the bank. To make more money than most people, especially suddenly.

Lead foot. A "heavy foot" that presses too hard on the accelerator. A fast driver.

Lemon. A poorly manufactured product that breaks down a lot more than it should.

Life passes before your eyes. A rapid review of one's history prior to death, said to happen when one is about to die, as in an accident.

Live it up. To have a good time.

Live to see tomorrow. To continue living.

Long arm of the law. The power and influence of law enforcement.

Look forward to. To anticipate something pleasurable.

Look in the eye. To look at someone directly and/or without fear.

Look like a million dollars. To look fantastic and richly dressed.

Make (someone's) day. To allow or cause something exciting and memorable to happen to someone.

Make money. To earn money.

Man! An expression about a feeling, similar to wow!

Meet your maker. To die.

Mess up. To ruin; to harm.

Miss the boat. To be too late; to lose a chance.

My head is spinning. I have too much information to think about.

Neighborhood specialists. Ones who know a specific neighborhood well.

No strings attached. Without secondary expectations or complications.

Nose to the grindstone. Working very hard.

Not long for this world. Having little time before one's death.

Off the top of one's head. Expressed without much forethought or research.

Online. On the Internet.

On your feet. Out of bed; not sick.

On your last legs. Worn out; close to death.

Open house. A time when a house or apartment is "open" for prospective buyers to visit.

Open up. To click on a message so that it can be read.

Out of it. Not thinking clearly; not paying attention.

Out of nowhere. Unexpected; with unknown origins.

Pack. To carry a weapon.

Package deal. Several things that come together for one price.

Paint the town red. To have fun and do a lot of things for evening entertainment.

Pass out. To lose consciousness temporarily.

Pay through the nose. To pay a lot for something.

Pile of work. A lot of work to do.

Priced out of the market. Not having enough money.

Pride of ownership. Home ownership that causes people to care for a home.

Pull over. To stop one's car along the side of the road.

Push the envelope. To push something beyond what is expected; to go to the limit.

Put your nose to the grindstone. To work tediously and with much effort.

Rain or shine. Steady; Regardless of obstacles.

Recharge. To revitalize oneself.

Rip off. To pay more than is necessary for something of low value.

Rise to the top. To become the most popular or most qualified.

Roll around. To arrive, as with a particular time.

Rule out. To exclude or eliminate.

Scene of the crime. The place a crime was committed or where something wrong was done.

Secondhand store. A store that sells used products, especially clothing or books.

Seeing someone. Dating someone.

Serve a purpose. To be useful.

Shades. Sunglasses.

Shoot the breeze. To pass the time by talking about nothing in particular.

Shopaholic. Someone who can't stop spending money.

Shopping spree. Outing in which one buys a lot of things all at one time.

Skyrocket. To go up in value quickly.

Slow motion. Movement that appears slower than normal, as in a slow-motion film.

Smooth operator. Someone who knows how to get what he or she wants through manipulation.

Snail mail. "Regular" mail, not e-mail.

Sort out. To go through and organize one's problems until some resolution begins to occur.

Spam. Unsolicited e-mail.

Spill the beans. To tell all that you know, usually about a secret or surprise.

Squeak out. To speak in an unnaturally high-pitched voice.

Stamp of approval. Approval from someone more knowledgeable or more experienced.

Stand a chance. Have a good possibility.

Stand to reason. To be reasonable.

Stars in your eyes. Idealization of someone or something.

Stars. Famous movie personalities; actors that are very popular.

Stay on someone's mind. To remain thought about.

Steal. Inexpensive, very cheap price.

Stick it out. To continue doing something that is difficult or uninteresting.

Stick to. To follow through on something without wasting time.

Stop by. To visit, especially for a short while.

Straighten up. To improve, especially behavior.

Surf the net. To look at different Web sites for pleasure.

Swamped. Having too much work.

Sweat buckets. To be very nervous.

Sweet talk. Flattery used to get what is wanted.

Take (someone's) advice. To listen to someone.

Take it easy. To relax.

Take my advice. To accept someone's suggestion.

Take one's time. Not to rush to finish something.

Take the bull by the horns. To take care of things in an assertive or determined fashion.

Take your breath away. Experiencing something so fast and exciting that breathing momentarily stops.

TGIF. Thank God it's Friday.

The big cheese. The most important person.

The cream of the crop. The best of a group.

The works. Everything. All of the optional extra features or ingredients.

This is your cup of tea. Something is especially suitable or enjoyable for you.

Throw one's hat in the ring. To join other candidates trying for the same position.

Throw the book at someone. To give someone the greatest punishment possible.

Ticket. A traffic citation.

Time to kill. Extra time.

To learn by heart. To memorize.

Too close for comfort. In a place where an accident almost happens.

Under the gun. Under time pressure.

Under the table. Not reported to the IRS in order to avoid paying taxes, as with money.

Upgrade. To improve with higher-quality products.

Use your noodle. To think.

Vintage store. A secondhand store that sells antique clothing.

Want in the worst way. To desire something very much.

What a deal! What a good price!

Win by a landslide. To win by a large majority.

Won't cut it. Not good enough.

Work one's tail off. To work very hard.

You're the picture of health. You look like you're healthy.

Zone out. To stare into space; to waste time doing nothing.