IDIOMS AND PHRASES
Across The Board: In relation to all categories, for everyone.
Sentence – Whatever the cultural background one characteristic went right across the board: the desire to evangelise.
Across The Pond: On or to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Sentence – Tourist numbers from across the pond have dropped dramatically.
Act High and Mighty: Be arrogant, presume that one is better than others.
Sentence – How can you act so high and mighty after all the mistakes you’ve made?
Act Of Congress: Hard to get, said of authorization.
Sentence – It’s like you have to have an act of Congress before the city council will pay to fix the roads in this town.
Act One’s Age: To be mature, not childish.
Sentence – I’m glad that Sarah is so committed to her studies, but sometimes I wish she would act her age and go out with her friends a bit.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words: One’s character and intentions are shown more accurately by one’s actions than by one’s words.
Sentence – Paul made all sorts of promises when he was on the campaign trail. However, actions speak louder than words, so we’ll see how many of those promises he actually keeps.
Achilles’ Heel: The weak point of an otherwise powerful person or organization.
Sentence – I’m a good student, but I know I won’t score high enough on the scholarship test because math is my Achilles’ heel.
Add Fuel To The Fire: Worsen already existing tension.
Sentence – The debate was going poorly for the senatorial candidate, and his strikingly uncouth comments simply added fuel to the fire.
Add Insult To Injury: Compound a defeat with humiliation or mockery.
Sentence – First, the basement flooded, and then, to add insult to injury, a pipe burst in the kitchen. My car barely started this morning, and to add insult to injury, I got a flat tire in the driveway.
After One’s Own Heart: Similar in a pleasing way.
Sentence – Michelle is very tech-savvy and loves to code—just like me! She’s a woman after my own heart.
After The Fact: Too late; after something is completed or finalized.
Sentence – Bob only realized he had been scammed after the fact, when he received a bank statement full of fraudulent charges.
After The Lord Mayor’s Show (UK): Anticlimactic; occurring after something impressive.
Sentence – We were expecting a great match after our brilliant win last week, but our team played so poorly that it was a bit of an after the Lord Mayor’s show.
Against The Clock: Forced to hurry to meet a deadline.
Sentence – We left later than we were supposed to, so it was a race against the clock to get to the airport on time.
Against The Grain: Contrary to one’s natural inclinations.
Sentence – Don’t cut that wood against the grain, or it will be rough around the edges.
Against The Run Of Play: A typical of the way a game has been going.
Sentence – Brazil dominated the game, but Japan secured a draw with a late goal against the run of play.
Age Before Beauty: Something said by a younger woman to an older one, for instance allowing her to pass through a doorway.
Sentence – Chuck held the door open for Tim, motioned for him to go ahead, and said, “Age before beauty.”
Agree To Disagree: Accept or set aside a disagreement.
Sentence – After their discussion about politics intensified, Fred and Sue had to agree to disagree before it impacted their friendship.
Agreement In Principle: In a negotiation, an agreement in which not all details have been worked out.
Sentence – There was an agreement in principle that the government would cover the cost of building a new school, but so far we haven’t seen a clear proposal on how this would be accomplished.
