English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions

Alphabetical List - E

(Idioms E page 1:  eager beaver  →  eat crow)

eager beaver The term eager beaver refers to a person who is hardworking and enthusiastic, sometimes considered overzealous.

The new accountant works all the time - first to arrive and last to leave. He's a real eager beaver!

eagle eyes Someone who has eagle eyes see or notices things more easily than others.

Tony will help us find it - he's got eagle eyes!

in one ear and out the

other

To say that information goes in one ear and comes out the other means that it is immediately forgotten or ignored.

I keep telling him about the risks but it goes in one ear and out the other. He never listens!

keep your ear to the ground

If you keep your ear to the ground, you make sure that you are aware of all that is happening and being said.

I'll keep my ear to the ground and as soon as there are any developments I'll call you.

lend an ear If you lend an ear to someone, you listen carefully and sympathetically.I'll lend you an ear if you want to talk about it.

make your ears burn

If something makes your ears burn, you are embarrassed by what you hear, especially if the conversation is about you.

The comments I overheard made my ears burn.

music to your ears

To say that something is music to your ears means that the information you receive makes you feel very happy.

The compliments I received were music to my ears.

play it by ear This expression means to improvise or do something without preparation, according to the demands of the situation.

(music : to play by remembering the tune, without printed music.)I'm not sure what attitude we should adopt so just let's play it by ear.

turn a deaf ear

A person who turns a deaf ear to something such as a request or a complaint refuses to pay attention to it.

I tried to explain the situation to the manager but he turned a deaf ear.

earmark something

If you earmark something, you assign it to a particular person or reserve it for a specific use.

A certain number of chairs were earmarked for the conference room.

earn while you learn

This expression refers to the possibility of earning a salary while in training.

Become an apprentice and get paid while in training. Earn while you learn!

easier said than done

To say that something is easier said than done means that what is suggested sounds easy but it is more difficult to actually do it.

Put the TV aerial on the roof? Easier said than done!

easy does it! You can 'easy does it!' when you want something to be done slowly and carefully.

"Easy does it" said my husband as the sofa was carried through the hall door.

easy as pie Something that is (as) easy as pie is very easy to do."How did the English test go?" "No problem, it was (as) easy as pie!"

eat crow If you eat crow, you admit that you were wrong about something and apologize.

He had no option but to eat crow and admit that his analysis was wrong

Alphabetical List - E 

(page 2: eat dirt → eggshells)

eat dirt If you eat dirt, you are forced to accept another person's bad treatment or insulting remarks.

As a consequence of the strike, the employees had to eat dirt.

eat a horse If you say that you could eat a horse you mean that you are very hungry.

Let's get something to eat. I'm starving. I could eat a horse!

eat, sleep and breathe

something

If you eat, sleep and breathe something, you are so enthusiastic and passionate about it that you think about it constantly.

He's an enthusiastic golfer; he eats, sleeps and breathes it!

eat someone alive

If you criticize someone severely because you are angry with them, you eat them alive.

(You can also be eaten alive - bitten repeatedly -  by insects.)The boss will eat me alive if the report arrives late.

eat out of house and

home

This is a humorous way of saying that someone is eating large quantities of your food.

I stock up with food when my teenage sons invite their friends over. They'd eat you out of house and home!

eat/dip into one's savings

If you eat or dip into your savings, you spend part of the money you have put aside for future use.

I had to dip into my savings to have the car repaired.

eat out of someone's hand

If you eat out of somebody's hand, you are eager to please and will accept to do anything that person asks.

She is so persuasive that she has people eating out of her hand in no time.

eat your words

If you eat your words, you have to admit that what you said before was wrong.

After predicting disastrous results, he had to eat his words when he saw the success of the new product.

economical with the truth

To say that a person is economical with the truth means that, without actually lying, they omit important facts or give incomplete

information.The politician was accused of being economical with the truth.

edge of one's seat

Someone who is on the edge of their seat is very interested in something and finds it both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking.

Look at Bob! He's on the edge of his seat watching that rugby match!

egg someone on

If you egg someone on, you urge or strongly encourage them to do something.

She didn't really want to learn to drive but her children kept egging her on.

bad egg To refer to someone as a bad egg means that they cannot trusted.I don't my son to be friends with Bobby Smith. Bobby's a bad egg!

nest egg If you have a nest egg, you have a reserve of money which you put aside for future needs.

Our parents consider the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg for their old age.

all your eggs in one basket

If you have all your eggs in one basket, you depend on one plan or one source of income.

If you invest your savings in one bank, you'll have all your eggs in one basket.

walk on eggshells

If you walk on eggshells with someone, you are careful not to hurt or offend them.

She's so sensitive, you have to walk on eggshells with her all the time

(page 3 :  ego trip  → even keel)

ego trip If you do something primarily to draw attention to yourself and feel important or superior to others, you are on an ego trip.

His speech about creating an association to help the underprivileged was one long ego trip.

one over the eight If a person has one over the eight, they are slightly drunk.

Don't listen to him. Can't you see he's one over the eight!

elbow grease If you use elbow grease, you need energy and strength to do physical work such as cleaning or polishing.

It took a considerable amount of elbow grease to renovate the old house.

elbow room If you need some elbow room, you need more space to move.We shared a small office where neither of us had enough elbow

room.

in one's element When you are in your element, you are doing something that you do well, and you are enjoying yourself.

My brother, who is an estate agent, was in his element house-hunting for our parents.

elephant in the room

A problem that no one wants to discuss, but is so abvious that it cannot be ignored, is called an elephant in the room.

Let's face it, his work is unsatisfactory. It's an elephant in the room that we need to discuss.

eleventh hour If something happens at the eleventh hour, it happens when it is almost too late, or at the last possible moment.

Our team won after they scored a goal at the eleventh hour.

embarrassment of riches

When there is much more of something than necessary, and it is difficult to make a choice, you have an embarrassment of

riches.Our hosts presented us with an embarrassment of riches. There was

so much food that we didn't know where to start!

make ends meet If you find it difficult to pay for your everyday needs because you have very little money, it is hard for you to make ends

meet. Anne's salary is so low that she finds it hard to make ends meet.

enough said This expression is used to indicate that you completely understand the situation and you do not need any further

details.Your mother-in-law arrived unexpectedly last night? Enough said!

err on the side of caution

When uncertain about what to do, if you err on the side of caution you do more than what is adequate rather than take

any risks.When I'm not sure how much food to prepare, I tend to err on the

sideof caution and prepare far too much.

see error of ways When someone sees the error of their ways, they understand that what they are doing is wrong and accept to change their

behaviour.He talked to a counsellor who tried to make him see the error of his

ways.

in essence The term 'in essence' means 'basically', fundamentally' or 'essentially', and refers to the most important or essential

facts.In essence, lightning is a great big spark of electricity.

even keel A situation or person who stays on an even keel manages to remain calm, stable and untroubled in all circumstances.She managed to keep her life on an even keel in spite of the

difficulties.

Alphabetical List - E (page 4: even the score → eagle eyes)

even the score When a person decides to even the score, they try to get their revenge on someone who has cheated or done them harm.When Jack discovered that Bob had cheated, he was determined to even the score.

even steven Two or more people who are even stevens are equal to each other. None of them has more than the others; none is owed anything or has anything due.The two boys shared equally the money they made delivering pizzas so now they're even stevens.

every dog has its day This expression means that everyone can be successful at something at some time in their life.I didn't win this time, but I'll be lucky one day. Every dog has its day!

every nook and cranny Every nook and cranny means every possible part of a place.She searched every nook and cranny of the old town looking for antiques.

every Tom, Dick and Harry This expression means everyone or everybody.Every Tom, Dick and Harry has a credit card nowadays!

necessary evil If you say that something is a necessary evil, you don't like it but you

understand that it has to exist and be accepted.Vaccinations are a necessary evil if you want to travel.

exception proves the rule If something is different from a general belief or theory, it shows that the belief or theory is true. Most teenagers love fast food, but Ben is the exception that proves the rule - he's the only one of our children who insists on healthy food!

excuse my French This expression is used as an apology for using crude or offensive language.He's a bloody nuisance, if you'll excuse my French.

explore all avenues If you explore all avenues, you try out every possibility in order to obtain a result or find a solution.We can't say it's impossible until we've explored all avenues.

apple of your eye A person, usually a child, who is the apple of your eye is one for whom you have great affection.My grandson is the apple of my eye.

in the eye of the storm A person or organization who is in the eye of the storm is deeply involved in a difficult situation which affects a lot of people.The minister was often in the eye of the storm during the debate on the war in Iraq.

one in the eye If an event or development is an unexpected disappointment or defeat for someone, you can say that it is one in the eye for that person.My promotion was one in the eye for my ambitious colleague.

more than meets eye This expression means that something is more complicated or more interesting than it first appears.They say it's just a disagreement, but we think there's more to it than meets the eye.

eagle eyes Someone who has eagle eyes see or notices things more easily than others.Tony will help us find it - he's got eagle eyes!

(page 5 : eyes in back → eyes on stalks)

eyes in back of head

If someone has eyes in the back of their head, they are very observant and notice everything happening around them.

You need eyes in the back of your head to look after young children.

before your very eyes

If someone does something before your very eyes, they do it in front of you, without attempting to hide what they are doing.

Before my very eyes, he took the rubbish and threw it into the neighbour's garden!

cry one's eyes out If you cry your eyes out, you cry a lot and for a long time.My son cried his eyes out when he discovered his bike had been

stolen.

eyes like a hawk If you've got eyes like a hawk, you have good eyesight and notice every detail.

Of course Dad will notice the scratch on his car - he's got eyes like a hawk.

keep eyes peeled To keep one's eyes peeled means to watch out very carefully for something.

I mislaid my wedding ring at home, so I asked my children to keep their eyes peeled.

with one's eyes open

If you do something with your eyes open, you are fully aware of what you are doing.

I took on the job with my eyes wide open so I'm not complaining.

eyes on stalks If your eyes are on stalks when you look at something, they are wide open with surprise or amazement.

The child's eyes were on stalks as he watch the magician's performance.