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Teachers > English Reference : Common Idioms

Idioms - G

- to get ahead, make some progress

She has been gaining ground in her studies, her grades are now better than last semester.

- attack in a group, get together to hurt someone

The school children tried to gang up on the boy but he ran away.

- to add gas in your car.

I will have to gas up tomorrow because my gas tank is almost on empty.

- used as an exclamation to show surprise or other strong feelings

Gee whiz! Are we really going to go to go to Disneyland for our holiday?

- get an opportunity or good deal

I got a break when he sold the car for less than it was worth.

- explain, make something understood

I had a hard time trying to get across to him the importance of taking care of his computer discs.

- receive a reading of a distant object by electronic means

We were able to get a fix on the island and got the boat safely to the harbor.

- take control of one`s feelings

He finally got a grip of himself and calmed down.

- urge or make someone do something he should do but has neglected

I`ll get after him to fix the computer as soon as he returns.get ahead

- advance or be successful

She really works hard at her job in order to get ahead.

- enjoy

I think that my father got a kick out of seeing his old school friend.

- take a good look at, see something

Get a load of that man over there with the four big dogs.

- manage

He is able to get along on very little money.

- leave

It`s late so I must be getting along now.

- have a good relationship with someone

I don`t get along very well with the new woman I work with.

- hurry up

Please get a move on. We are already over three hours late.

- tease, have fun with someone by making him or her angry

We really got a rise out of the teacher when we left the windows open while it was raining.

- go to different places, move about

He really gets around. He has been to almost every state in the United States.

- finally find time to do something

The apartment manager finally got around to fixing the bath.

- mean

I really don`t know what he was trying to get at during the meeting.

- succeed in leaving, escape

I was able to get away early from work today so I went shopping for awhile.

- go on a holiday

We want to get away from it all this summer and go and relax somewhere.

- do something very bad without being caught or punished

The child was able to get away with murder while the substitute teacher was at the school.

- do something one shouldn`t and not get caught at it

The criminal got away with the robbery and was never caught.

- hurry up, get going

Get a wiggle on. We have to arrive at the party before the other guests arrive.

- find a chance to say something when others are talking

The customer couldn`t get a word in while talking to the salesman so he decided to go to another company.

- manage to break into a conversation

I couldn`t get a word in edgewise so I left the meeting.

- return

We got back from London early yesterday afternoon.

- do something bad to someone who has done something bad to you, hurt someone in return for something

She is very angry at her boyfriend and is getting back at him by not answering the telephone.

- go slow while doing something, be late

If you get behind in the homework you will never be able to pass the course.

- support, help

They decided to get behind the main candidate when he promised to cut taxes.

- satisfy your needs or demands (usually related to money)

He is able to easily get by on his salary because he doesn`t spend a lot of money.

- become afraid at the last minute

He got cold feet and cancelled his plan to go to China.

- hurry up, start moving fast, get started

We will have to get cracking on this work if we want to finish it before dinner.

- make (someone) unhappy, cause discouragement

The long commuting time has begun to get her down so she wants to quit her job.

- get started on

Let`s get down to work so we can go home early.

- begin discussing the essential matters immediately

Let`s get down to brass tacks and begin to deal with the business at hand.

- get revenge

He seems to want to get even with him for their past problems.

- the beginning

Right from the get-go I never liked the way that the new manager acted.

- annoy someone

He has been getting my goat recently and I am tired of him.

- excite, stir up and make angry

Once he gets going he will never stop complaining.

- get possession of

When you get hold of a dictionary could you please let me see it for a few minutes.

- find a person so you can speak with him or her

I tried to get hold of him last week but he was out of town.

- start at the beginning (in hopes of future gain)

He managed to get in on the ground floor of the new company.

- contact someone

I`ll get in touch with him when I arrive in New York in August.

- adapt to a new environment or situation

He got into the swing of things after the party started.

- be in full control and possession of one`s mental faculties

He finally got it all together and applied for the job at the supermarket.

- understand, believe

He has got it through his head that he will get a job easily without really making an effort.

- go away

She told her younger brother to get lost so she could finish her homework.

- become confused

I`m sorry but I got mixed up with the dates. That`s why I came today.

- come down from or out of (a bus or train etc.)

We decided to get off the train at the station next to our regular station.

- escape a worse punishment

The criminals got off easy even though they robbed the bank.

- leave someone alone and not bother them

I wish that the supervisor would get off my back.

- get busy, start working

He should get off his butt and try and get a job so he will have some money.

- make a bad start

I got off on the wrong foot with him and our relationship never really recovered.

- make a successful beginning, go ahead

His new business never really got off the ground so he must look for another job.

- become or make angry

You shouldn`t talk to him early in the morning or you will get his dander up.

- begin, do something for the first time

He has managed to get his feet wet in the publishing business and is ready to start his own business now.

- cause people to do what you want

He always gets his own way with his younger brothers.

- hurry up, get going

Let`s hurry up and get our rear in gear before it is too late to go to a movie.

- to advance in age

He is getting on in years and is not very healthy.

- behave with arrogance

He is back on his high horse and has started giving orders to everyone.

- irritate someone

His constant complaining is beginning to get on my nerves.

- be in a bad mood

I think that she got out of bed on the wrong side this morning as she hasn`t said a word to anyone yet.

- escape a situation that one doesn`t like

I would like to get out from under my boss always watching my work.

- lose control

The going away party was beginning to get out of hand so they asked everyone to leave.

- be no longer an obstacle

He was unable to get out of the way of the truck and was injured.

- overcome a difficulty, recover from an illness or shock

She has been having a lot of trouble getting over her father`s death.

- finish, end

He wants to get his exams over with so that he can begin to relax again.

- prepare yourself

First I must get ready for work, then I will help you.

- give or throw something away, sell or destroy something, make a cold or fever disappear

I bought a new television set so I had to get rid of the old one.

- get ready to start

We are working hard to get set for her wedding ceremony.

- be fired

He got the ax last week and now has no job.

- start something

Let`s get the ball rolling and start working.

- win against, beat, defeat

He got the better of me and won the tennis match.

- become used to or learn about something

After you get the feel of the new computer it will be very easy to use.

- find out true and often bad information about someone

I think that I have finally got the goods on him and will have to talk to the police as soon as possible.

- understand clearly what is meant

I told him three times but I don`t think that he really gets the message.

- be fired or dismissed from work

I told him that if he doesn`t change his work habits he will get the sack from his job.

- start working on something

Let`s get the show on the road and begin work for the day.

- be defeated or beaten, suffer most

He got the worst of the deal when the salesman sold him the used car.

- succeed in passing an exam or ordeal

She has been having trouble gettting through her final exams.

- be understood by, make (someone) understand

I tried talking to her but I couldn`t really get through to her.

- have a chance to, be able to

I didn`t get to see her last year but maybe I will have a chance this year.

- make a good start, succeed

I tried to meet the sales manager of the company but I couldn`t get to first base.

- find out the real cause

The government is trying to get to the bottom of the financial problems in the company.

- understand the most important thing about something

We were in the meeting for three hours trying to get to the heart of the matter.

- bother someone, upset someone

She always gets under my skin although I don`t really know why I don`t like her.

- get out of bed, get to one`s feet

I decided to get up early today so that I would be able to go fishing with my friend.

- fancy dress or costume

What was that strange getup that she was wearing the other day?

- energy, enthusiasm, drive

He has lots of get-up-and-go and it is difficult to follow him around.

- be in a bad mood

He got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and won`t talk to anyone.

- become brave enough

I tried to get up the nerve to ask him about the new job.

- receive the good or bad that one deserves

He got what was coming to him when he was sent to jail for two years.

- hear about something

I got wind of the company expansion from my friend.

- learn about something kept secret

He finally got wise to the fact that they were stealing his money.

- pay attention, get busy

I told him to get with it or he would get in trouble with the boss.

- very little, (not even) the smallest chance

He doesn`t have a ghost of a chance to finish the book in time for his class.

- be good at talking

He has a real gift of the gab and is great at parties.

- make trouble for someone, tease

She was giving her boyfriend a hard time about his new haircut.

- sharing, giving and receiving back and forth between people

You must be willing to give-and-take if you want to have a good marriage.

- an open secret, a sale where items are sold very cheap

His speech was a giveaway. Now I know that he is planning to retire.

- give something to someone

I decided to give away my bicycle because I didn`t need it anymore.

- let (a secret) become known

I tried to stop her before she gave away my plans to go to Mexico for a holiday.

- keep away from, keep a safe distance from

I usually give a wide birth to my boss when he is angry.

- chase or run after someone or something

The police gave chase to the man who robbed the store.

- allow to move about or to do something with freedom

He was given free rein in his new job to do what he wanted.

- move back, retreat, stop opposing someone

He refused to give ground on his plans to change the system of office management.

- give someone his own way, stop opposing someone

The company gave in to the union`s demand for more money.

- punish, scold

He really gave it to his son when he came back late with the car.

- send out, let out, put forth

The garbage was beginning to give off a bad smell because of the hot weather.

- show guilt, show one has done wrong

She gave herself away when she said that she hadn`t seen her boyfriend but he had already said that he had met her earlier.

- surrender, stop hiding or running away

The robbers gave themselves up when the police surrounded the house.

- let oneself enjoy, not hold oneself back from

He gave himself up to enjoy the party although he was feeling sick.

- give something of great value

I would give my right arm to be able to go to Italy with the rest of the group.

- plus or minus a small amount

I think that he is about 45 years old give or take 5 years.

- give to people, distribute

We gave out more than 600 free baseball caps at the shopping center.

- fail

We went hiking last week but my legs gave out so we had to return early.

- be finished, be gone

We went on a week-long backpacking trip but our food gave out after only three days.

- let escape

She gave out a loud yell when she saw the big spider.

- cause one to stop and think

His problems should give you pause to think a little more carefully about what you do.

- be the cause of something

The problems with the heating system gave rise to a lot of other problems that we had to solve.

- help someone with something

Please give me a hand to move this piano.

- if you give someone a little they will want more and more, some people are never satisfied

If you give him an inch he will take a mile so you shouldn`t give him any more money.

- scold or become angry with someone

When I met her yesterday I really gave her a piece of my mind.

- give someone enough time and freedom to do what they want and they will make a mistake or get into trouble and be caught

Don`t worry about trying to control him. If you give him enough rope he will hang himself.

- make a promise or assurance

He gave me his word that he would meet me at the library.

- fire an employee (usually abruptly)

He gave the new employee the ax because he was always late.

- believe someone is innocent rather than guilty when you are not sure

I gave him the benefit of the doubt but I still think that he is a liar.

- be unfriendly to someone

He gave her the cold shoulder at the party.

- look or stare at someone (especially in a cold or unfriendly way)

The man in the store began to give me the eye so I left.

- give permission to go ahead with a project

He has been given the green light to begin work on the new housing plan.

- give someone the credit that they deserve

You have to give him his due. He has successfully saved the company from bankruptcy.

- escape from someone

The bank robbers were able to give the police the slip at first but they were soon caught.

- be fair (even to someone who is bad and who you dislike)

I don`t like to work with him at all as I think he is lazy. Still you have to give the devil his due because he always gets the job done.

- try very hard

Although he didn`t have enough experience he decided to apply for the job and give it his best shot.

- make a person understand by telling him very plainly or boldly

I was given to understand that I could rent an apartment very easily here.

- abandon, stop

He has decided to give up his plan to work in Hong Kong for a year.

- stop working, die

My old car finally gave up the ghost so I must buy another one.

- (don`t) stop fighting and surrender, (don`t) stop trying or hoping to do something

Please don`t give up the ship and quit this company. I am sure you still have a useful role to play.

- tell what one feels or thinks

He has begun to give voice to his feelings about the new office building.

- collapse, fail

The dam gave way and the water flooded the farmland below.

- a friendly handshake, a warm greeting

The politician spent the morning glad handing the people at the shopping center.

- try to make what is wrong or bad seem right or not important, hide

The accountant tried to gloss over the money that they lost last year.

- be busy with, start working on

He has been going about his business all morning although he is feeling sick.

- try to get

The police decided to go after the people who were speeding near the school.

- begin to do something, not wait

Let`s go ahead and start now. We can`t wait for him any longer.

- move along, continue

He invented the story as he went along.

- agree, co-operate

They went along with his idea about having a party on the weekend.

- become very excited or behave in a crazy way

He went ape when he heard about the money that I had spent.

- go from one place or person to another

We decided to go around from one shop to another until we found a good present.

- without getting anywhere, uselessly

He has been going around in circles for weeks now and still hasn`t made any progress with his essay.

- fight with, attack, argue

When I entered the room they were going at it loudly.

- fight with great strength or energy, have a bad argument

They were going at it hammer and tongs when the police came to their house.

- turn against, not be faithful to

He promised not to go back on his word about the discount tickets.

- lose all of one`s money

His company went broke so he quickly lost his job.

- two people each pay for themselves

We always go Dutch when we go on a date.

- try to get, try for

I have decided to go for the new job at the computer center.

- risk everything on one big effort, try as hard as possible

They are going for broke trying to win the new contract.

- get worse, deteriorate

Things are going from bad to worse in the company.

- a person who works hard to become successful, an ambitious person

He is a go-getter. He always works hard and has lots of money because of that.

- do something very fast or very hard, successfully

The workers were going great guns fixing the building when I saw them this morning.

- share equally

We have decided to go halves on buying a new computer.

- become damaged, stop working properly

At first everything was going well but later all the plans began to go haywire.

- decide to do (something), take part in

He is going to university and has decided to go in for medicine.

- in one`s favor

She should do very well as she has many good things going for her.

- lose one`s temper, become very angry

He went into orbit when he heard about the missing money.

- go away and quit bothering someone

She asked me to borrow some money but I told her to go jump in a lake because she never paid me back before.

- excellent and rare opportunity

The heat wave was a golden opportunity for the ice cream seller to make money.

- good quality and a cheap price

You can usually get a good deal on stereos at that discount store.

- used to show surprise (good or bad)

Good grief! It`s 6:00 and I have not finished this job yet.

- used when you lose something and you are happy about it

Good riddance he said when the computer broke down and he had to buy another one.

- used to show you are glad that someone or something has been taken or sent away

Good riddance to bad rubbish! I never liked him and I am glad that he has finally left.

- person who loses well

He is a very good sport and never complains about losing.

- leave, depart

He went off on a trip and he never even bothered to phone and say good-bye.

- explode, be ignited

The firecracker went off in his hand before he had a chance to put it down.

- begin to ring or buzz

The fire alarm started to go off just as we entered the building.

- act or speak before being ready

He always goes off half-cocked when he is at a meeting.

- give way to emotion

He went off the deep end when he saw the picture in the paper.

- fool around, not work or be serious

He has been goofing off all afternoon and has not got any work done.

- continue

The game went on for about an hour after I left.

- talk for too long

He started to go on about his problems so I finally left.

- put on, fit on

The top of the jar wouldn`t go on so I threw it away.

- do something better than someone else, do more or be better than someone

I decided to go him one better and buy a bigger present for my girlfriend.

- go or act the way one wants

He has decided to go his own way and will start his own business next year.

- make an extra effort

She went out of her way to help me when I visited her in October.

- be abandoned, go out of effect

The school dress code went out the window when the new principal took over.

- date or be dating someone

She went out with him for two years before they got married.

- examine

The accountant will come to go over the books tomorrow.

- be liked, be successful

I am sure that the party will go over well. You have done a lot of preparation for it.

- do something in excess

He really went overboard with the birthday party.

- go on dates with the same person all the time, date just one person

My sister has been going steady with the same person for two years.

- become an honest person, lead an honest life

He was in prison for awhile but has recently decided to go straight.

- be engaged in a pleasureable activity with someone else as a partner (in romance or business)

He has a thing going with computer repairs and is making a lot of extra money.

- make a thorough job of something

They really went the whole hog in their efforts to welcome the foreign visitors.

- examine or think about carefully, search

The police went through his house to look for a gun.

- experience, suffer, live through

He has been through many hard times since he lost his job.

- be allowed, pass, be agreed upon

The law finally went through Congress last week.

- be involved in changing circumstances

She has been going through many changes since her divorce.

- finish, do as planned or agreed

He has decided to go through with his plans to go back to school.

- become conceited

He new position has really gone to his head and he won`t speak to us any longer.

- lose your self-control

She went to pieces when she received the letter about her father`s death.

- deteriorate

The business has really gone to pot since he became president.

- reach a very bad state of repair

The building has gone to rack and ruin since the new owners took over.

- work fast or hard, do something with much energy

They really went to town last night and finished painting the bedroom.

- burn or be destroyed by fire, fail, not come true (dreams)

His plans to open a new restaurant have gone up in smoke since he lost his job.

- be so easy to see that it doesn`t have to be mentioned

He is a hard worker so it goes without saying that his boss is very happy with him.

- try something with little hope of succeeding, depend on something that is useless in a time of trouble

He is grasping at straws. He will never find enough money to pay next month`s rent.

- a place or thing that is far away or different seems better than what we have or where we are

She is always moving or changing jobs as she thinks that the grass is always greener on the other side.

- job that gives one a lot of money compared with what you do

The cleaning contract was really a gravy train. We only worked for 3 hours but we got paid for 8 hours.

- give money or pay for some special favor

We had to grease the border guard`s palm in order to enter the country.

- a small, cheap eating place with basic but not-so-good food

We had to go to a greasy spoon for breakfast as all the other restaurants were closed.

- be inexperienced or immature

He is a little green and doesn`t know the job very well.

- skill in making plants grow

He has a real green thumb and has a beautiful garden.

- very jealous, full of envy

The little girl was green with envy when she saw her friend`s new bicycle.

- slow down and stop (like a machine when it is turned off)

The city ground to a halt when the power went off for five hours.

- the first or best chance - especially in a business

The video store was a good investment so I was happy to get in on the ground floor.

- cause not to work, ruin something, make something go wrong

The computer printer seemed to have become gummed up just as I was about to print my resume.

- look hard for a chance to harm or defeat someone

My supervisor has been gunning for me for a long time but I don`t really know why.

- try very hard to get (prize or promotion etc.)

He has been gunning for the new sales job for a long time.

- enthusiastic, full of eagerness

She is really gung-ho about her new job at the library.

Idiom Quizzes - G

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