| Jump To: M - Idioms . N - Idioms . O - Idioms M mad as a hornet - very angry He was mad as a hornet when I saw him at the meeting yesterday. main drag - the most important street in a town We spent most of Saturday evening driving up and down the main drag of the town. make a beeline for something - hurry directly somewhere When he enters the cafeteria he always makes a beeline for the dessert section. make a bundle - make a lot of money My father made a bundle on the stock market in early 1998. make a day of it - do something all day We decided to make a day of it and spend the day at the beach. make a dent in - make progress We worked hard all day but we didn`t seem to make a dent in the amount of work left to do. make a difference - cause a change in a situation It doesn`t make any difference whether he comes to the meeting or not. make a go of - succeed, produce good results Although he tried hard he was never able to make a go of his business. make a hit - be successful Her cake made a big hit at the party. make a killing - make a large amount of money Her mother made a killing on the real estate market before she retired. make a living - earn enough money to live He cannot make a living by only doing a part-time job. make a mistake - make an error He made a mistake on the math test. make a mountain out of a molehill - make a big problem out of a small one He is really making a mountain out of a molehill by worrying about his son`s problems. make a name for oneself - become well-known or famous He has made a name for himself in the field of computers. make a pass at someone - make romantic advances to a member of the opposite sex He was fired because he made a pass at one of the woman who he works with. make a point of - do or say something with a definite intent He always makes a point of visiting his aunt when he is in town. make a run for it - dash for safety, make a speedy escape He made a run for it as soon as the class finished. make away with - take, carry away The cat made away with the fish that was sitting on top of the kitchen counter. make believe - act as if something is true while one knows that it is not, pretend The children were playing make believe and pretended that they lived in a castle. make do with something - substitute one thing for another If there is no cream for the coffee, we`ll have to make do with milk. make ends meet - be able to live on the money one has It`s hard to make ends meet on his salary. make eyes at - flirt, look at a member of the opposite sex to try and attract them The boy was making eyes at the girl in his history class. make for - go toward, start i the direction of As soon as it began to become dark we decided to make for a quiet place to set up a camp. make friends - form friendships with people or animals She is shy and isn`t able to make friends easily. make fun of - ridicule The students were making fun of the girl with the short hair. make good - do what one promised to do, make something come true He made good on his promise to give everyone a raise in the new year. make hay while the sun shines - do something at the right time, not wait too long You should make hay while the sun shines and paint the house while the weather is good. (can`t) make head nor tail of something - understand, find meaning in something We couldn`t make head nor tail of what he was trying to say during his speech. make it up to someone - do something for someone to compensate for an unfulfilled promise or debt I can`t go with you to the game tonight but I will make it up to you later. make light of - treat as of little importance, minimize My friend made light of my efforts to learn how to speak and write Chinese. make of something - interpret, think of What do you make of the new manager in accounting. make merry - have fun, laugh and celebrate We decided to go to a nice restaurant and make merry for the evening. make no bones about something - make no secret, not keep from talking about something He has made no bones about the fact that he is not interested in applying for the supervisor`s job. make one`s bed and lie in it - be responsible for what one has done and therefore have to accept the bad results You are the one who decided to quit your job so you must remember that you made your bed so now you have to lie in it. make one`s blood boil - make someone very angry Every time that I see him he makes my blood boil. make one`s hair stand on end - frighten, horrify The horror movie that we rented last week really made my hair stand on end. make one`s own way - rely on one`s own abilities His father wants him to join the family business but he wants to make his own way in the world. make one`s mouth water - want to eat something because of the thought or smell of the food Looking at the menu made my mouth water. make oneself at home - act as if you were at home She is able to make herself at home when she goes to visit her friends. make oneself felt - use one`s authority He was not able to make himself felt when trying to resolve the conflict. make oneself scarce - leave quickly, go away I think that I will make myself scarce and go to the beach for the day. make out - do, progress How did you make out at your job interview yesterday? make out - understand, interpret I can never make out what he wants to say when he phones me. make out - distinguish, identify The ship captain couldn`t make out the other boat because of the fog. make out - make someone believe, show, prove He made out that he was at the library last night but I know that he wasn`t. make over - make something look different, change the style of We decided to make over our living room because we were tired of the old style. make room for someone or something - arrange space for He made room for the new computer in the spare room. make sense - seem reasonable His proposal makes absolutely no sense. make short work of something - finish quickly He made short work of the typing and has started working on the other documents. make something out - manage to see or read something I was unable to make out the sign because I didn`t have my glasses. make something up - invent (a story etc.) He made up the story about his lost wallet. make the best of - do as well as possible in a bad situation He has really made the best of his time since beginning his new job. make the grade - make good, succeed, meet a standard, qualify He wasn`t able to make the grade and join the football team. make the most of - use to the greatest advantage He made the most of his time in Europe and visited many art galleries. make the scene - be present, go to a certain place or event He decided to make the scene and go to the disco for the evening. make time - be successful in arriving at a destination in a short time We made very good time yesterday and arrived home before it got dark. make up - make something by putting things or parts together A car is made up of many different parts. make up - invent, think and say something that is new or not true She made up the story about how she got lost in the mountains. make up - do or supply something that is lacking, regain, repay I had to make up the time that I was sick by working on Saturday. make up - put on cosmetics She always wants to make up her face before she goes to the store. make up - become friends again after a quarrel They finally made up after their fight last week. make up for something - compensate for a loss or mistake I have to work hard in order to make up for the loss from the poor sales. make up one`s mind - decide I haven`t made up my mind yet about whether or not I will accept the new job. make waves - create a disturbance He is very calm and quiet at work and does`t like to make waves. make way - stand aside, move so someone can go through The truck had to go to the side of the road to make way for the ambulance. man in the street - the average or ordinary person According to what the man in the street is saying the government is not very popular. man-to-man - frank or direct I had a man-to-man talk with him about the problem last night. mark time - move one`s feet up and down to music He was marking time to the music as he was driving his car. mark time - be idle, waiting for something to happen He has been marking time for over a month now as he waits to hear about the new job. matter - be important It doesn`t matter if you can`t come here tomorrow. matter of course - the usual way, habit, rule It was done as a matter of course and nobody really thought about the results. matter of fact - something that is really true, something that can be proved As a matter of fact I saw him last night and he asked me how you were. matter-of-fact - simply telling or showing the truth, seeming not to care much The witness told about the murder in a matter-of-fact way. mean business - be serious, ready to take action He is working very hard and really means business when he says he is going to get the office organized. measure up - be equal, be of high quality The new accounting manager didn`t measure up to the previous one so we had to ask him to leave. meet someone half-way - make a compromise with someone He is very stubborn and is never willing to meet his friends half-way. meet up with - meet by accident, come upon without planning or expecting to He met up with a nice group of people in Australia when he was travelling there. melt in one`s mouth - taste very good, be delicious The pastry that she made melted in my mouth. mend one`s fences - do something to make people like you after a fight, strengthen one`s friendship or influence I made a big effort to mend my fences with my boss so that we could work together effectively. mend one`s ways - improve one`s habits She has been forced to mend her ways in order to get along better at work. mess around - play around, engage in idle activity The children were messing around in the school yard before the class began. mess up - cause trouble, spoil something He messed up his chance to get a promotion by not making much of an effort last year. middle of the road - being halfway between two different ideas, seeing good on both sides of an issue The president was elected because he was a person whose ideas were very middle of the road. mind one`s P`s and Q`s - be very careful about what one does or says You should mind your P`s and Q`s and not say anything to offend your aunt. Mind you. - I want you to notice and understand. I don`t want to work any more overtime. Mind you, if there is an emergency I will be able to work extra in that case. miss out on - lose an opportunity He missed out on the new job because he was late for the interview. miss the boat - lose an opportunity You had better hurry and get your application in or you will miss the boat on entering that new company. might as well - be somewhat preferable We might as well go home now. I don`t think he will come. mix up - confuse, make a mistake about He mixed up the video tapes and played the wrong one in front of the class. mix-up - an error, some confusion There was a mix-up at the airline ticket counter and I was given the wrong ticket. (get or become) mixed up - become confused He gets all mixed up when he tries to speak French. money to burn - have very much money, have more than is needed He has money to burn and never has to worry about working. monkey business - comical or silly actions, goofing off The kids were involved in some kind of monkey business. That was when the window was broken. monkey business - unethical, illegal or objectionable activity, cheating The company was involved in some monkey business with the tax department and have recently had to hire a lawyer to defend themselves. more and more - increasingly, increasing number More and more people are buying computers for their homes. more or less - somewhat, to some extent I like the new color more or less but it`s not great. more the merrier - the more people who join in the fun the better it will be The more the merrier he said as his sister`s friends also decided to come to the beach. morning after (the night before) - a hangover He`s not feeling well. I think it`s the morning after the night before. (not) move a muscle - don`t move even a small amount The doctor told him not to move a muscle when he was fixing his leg. move heaven and earth - try every way, do everything one can I will move heaven and earth to help you get a job with our company. move in on - take over something that belongs to another He was angry because the other salesman was moving in on his sales territory. mum`s the word - say nothing of the secret you know Don`t worry mum`s the word on the party. I won`t tell anybody. musical chairs - the transfer of a number of officers in an organization into different jobs - especially each other`s jobs They seem to be playing a game of musical chairs at the company as many people move from one position to another position. music to one`s ears - something one likes to hear When he told me that I could go to the sales convention in the summer it was music to my ears. my goodness (my God) - used to express surprise or shock etc. My goodness she said as she saw the small dog jump over the fence. N nail down - make certain, make sure I am trying to nail down the exact time that he will be able to meet with us. name is mud - a person`s reputation becomes bad, one is in trouble His name is mud now that he has been charged by the police with stealing money from his company. name of the game - the main part of a matter The name of the game is for the salesmen to sell cars and not to worry about other things. name someone after - give someone another`s name He was named after his mother`s grandfather. narrow escape - an escape with no chance of error He had a narrow escape when he almost fell from his bicycle. neck and neck - equal or nearly equal in a race or contest The two teams were neck and neck in the race to win the national championship. neck of the woods - an area or part of the country He has never been down to my neck of the woods since he was a child. needle in a haystack - something that is very hard to find Looking for the lost receipt among the thousands of other receipts is like looking for a needle in a haystack. neither fish nor fowl - something that does not belong to a definite group I don`t know where we should put those books in the library. They are neither fish nor fowl. neither here nor there - not relevant to the thing being discussed, off the subject What you are saying is neither here nor there. We are talking about our plans to move this year - not 5 years in the future. nervous Nellie - a timid person who lacks determination and courage He is a nervous Nellie and is afraid of most of the other students in the school. nest egg - money someone has saved up He has a nice nest egg in the bank so he will have no financial problems if he leaves his company. never mind - don`t worry, don`t bother If you don`t have time to pick up my laundry, never mind I will get it tomorrow. new blood - fresh energy or power, something or someone that gives new life or vigor to something She a great employee and helped us to inject new blood into our organization. new broom sweeps clean - a new person makes many changes We discovered the truth to the expression "a new broom sweeps clean" when our new boss changed everything in our organization. new deal - a complete change, a fresh start, another chance He was given a new deal by the team although the previous year he was not very good. new person - a person who has become very much better He is a new person now that he has quit smoking and quit drinking. nick of time - at the very last moment He was able to board the airplane just in the nick of time. nip and tuck - evenly matched, hard fought to the finish They were going along nip and tuck but he finally won the race in the end. nip in the bud - prevent at the start They found out about the computer problem but were able to nip the problem in the bud. no bed of roses - difficult or bad situation It is no bed of roses to have no job and a large family to support. nobody home - one`s attention is somewhere else, having a simple mind It looks like nobody`s home I thought as I tried to have a conversation with the strange man. nobody`s fool - a smart person, a person who can take care of himself She is nobody`s fool. You will not have to worry about her at all when she goes to New York. no cigar - not agreed to, refused or useless, no, certainly not I almost got the job but in the end it was no cigar. no deal - not agreed to, refused or useless, no, certainly not It was no deal I realized as I left the meeting and the other members had all said no to my plan. No dice. - No. Certainly not. No dice. I will never lend you that much money. no doubt - without doubt, surely, certainly No doubt he will be the one to win the contest again this year. no end - almost without stopping, continually The little girl cried no end when she couldn`t find her favorite doll. no end to (of) - so many or so much of, to seem almost endless, very many or very much He had no end of problems when he lived overseas for a year. no go - not agreed to, refused or useless, no, certainly not It`s no go for our plan to have three games this weekend. We can only have two of them. no great shakes - mediocre, unimportant The hotel was no great shakes and I wouldn`t recommend that you stay there if you go to Hawaii. no love lost - bad feelings, ill will There is no love lost between my father and our next door neighbor. no matter - regardless of No matter how hard that I try my tutor is never satisfied. no picnic - not pleasant, difficult It was no picnic trying to drive to the lake during the storm. nose around (about) - look for something kept private or secret, pry The secretary was nosing around in her bosses desk trying to discover what was going on. nose down - head down, bring down the nose of The pilot began to nose down the plane as it neared the airport. (have one`s) nose in something - unwelcome interest in something, impolite curiosity He always has his nose in other people`s private business where it doesn`t belong. no-show - a person who makes a reservation for something and then neither comes nor cancels it There were several no-shows at the concert last night. no sweat - easily accomplished, uncomplicated The work was no sweat. I finished it in about two hours. no sweat - no problem No sweat. I will help you all day tomorrow if you need me. not a leg to stand on - no good proof or excuse, no good evidence or defence to offer someone The company doesn`t have a leg to stand on if they try to refuse to pay you the money that they owe you. not for the world - not at any price, not for anything I wouldn`t go out on a date with that woman for the world. not give someone the time of day - dislike someone so strongly that you totally ignore them I hate her and would never even give her the time of day. nothing doing - I will not do it, certainly not, no indeed Nothing doing. I am not going to stay and work late again this evening. nothing if not - without doubt, certainly He is nothing if not punctual. He has never been late in his seven years with this company. not much of - rather bad It`s not much of a hotel but I guess it will be okay for one night. Not on your life. - definitely not. Not on your life will I give you the keys for my car. not so hot - not very good I have been feeling not so hot lately as I had a cold last week. nothing to sneeze at - something you should take seriously His new salary is nothing to sneeze at. not touch something with a ten-foot pole - consider something completely undesirable or uninteresting That class may be alright but because I hate the professor I wouldn`t touch it with a ten-foot pole. no wonder - not surprising No wonder he is so tired after staying up all night. now and then - occasionally He likes to go to that restaurant now and then. number one - oneself, one`s own interests He is always looking out for number one and will never do anything for anyone else. nurse a grudge - keep a feeling of dislike toward some person My old girlfriend is still nursing a grudge toward me even after three years. nuts about - enthusiastic about something He has been nuts about cars ever since he was a little boy. nutty as a fruitcake - very crazy The woman who lives next door to us is as nutty as a fruitcake. O oddball - a person who doesn`t act like everyone else He is an oddball and nobody at his company likes to work with him. odds and ends - various items We made games for the children from odds and ends from around the house. of age - old enough to be allowed to do something (vote,drink etc.) When he came of age we had a big party for him to celebrate. of age - fully developed, mature Fast transportation came of age when the first jets began to be used regularly. of course - as one would expect Of course you can use my car if you want to. off and on - occasionally He`s been seeing the woman off and on but I don`t think that their relationship is very serious. off balance - not prepared, unable to meet the unexpected I was caught a little off balance when he asked me to deliver the speech instead of him. off base - inaccurate He was really off base on his estimate of next year`s budget. offbeat - nonconventional, different from the usual The movie was very offbeat which is just the kind of movie that I like. off-center - different from the usual pattern, not quite like most others, odd The picture was off-center and didn`t really fit in with the rest of the photos. off-color - in bad taste, not polite, dirty He likes to tell off-color jokes which most people don`t like at all. off duty - not working, having free time The police officer was off duty when he came across the bank robbery. off guard - not alert to the unexpected It caught me off guard when she suddenly asked me to lend her $800. off one`s back - stop from bothering someone I wish he would get off my back and stop always asking me when I am going to look for another job. off one`s chest - talk about a problem to someone so that it doesn`t bother you anymore I finally talked to my friend from work and was able to get some of my problems off my chest. off one`s hands - no longer in one`s care or possession I sold my old computer and finally got it off my hands. off one`s high horse - not acting proud and scornful We got him off his high horse when he was forced to admit that he had made many mistakes related to the new product launch. off one`s rocker - crazy He must be off his rocker if he thinks that he can spend all that money and not have a problem. off the beam - wrong, mistaken What he said about the new office was right off the beam and should be ignored by everyone. off the beaten track - not well known or often used, unusual We went to a small restaurant off the beaten track last night and liked it very much. off the cuff - without preparing ahead of time what one will say, without preparation He made a few remarks off the cuff but he has never really explained in full what he wants to do. off the hook - out of trouble or free from an embarassing situation I think that I am off the hook now and won`t have to worry about the problem anymore. off the record - privately, unofficially He told the reporters off the record about the problems with the budget estimate. off the top of one`s head - from memory, spontaneously He knew all of the team`s members off the top of his head. off the wagon - begin to drink alcohol again after stopping for awhile He seems to be off the wagon again. I saw him yesterday and I am sure that he had been drinking. (as) old as the hills - very old The old building at the library is as old as the hills. old hat - old-fashioned, not new or different The job has become old hat and I am becoming a little tired of it. on a dime - in a very small space His new car has very powerful brakes and is able to stop on a dime. on again, off again (off again, on again) - not settled, changeable, uncertain The plans for the fireworks display were on again, off again because of the rainy and windy weather. on and off - intermittently, now and then It has been raining on and off since early this morning. on and on - continually, at tedious length The speech continued on and on until we finally left the gathering. on an even keel - in a well-ordered way or condition We finally got the new department running on an even keel although it took a long time. on a shoestring - with very little money He started the new company on a shoestring. on behalf of - representing a person The lawyer went to the meeting on behalf of his client. on board - on a ship, plane or similar form of transportation We had to get on board the airplane before it was able to take off. on call - available to be called out on duty He works as a computer repair man and is always on call which is very tiring. once and for all - permanently I told him once and for all that I would not take the new job. once in a blue moon - rarely I only go to that restaurant once in a blue moon. once in a while - occasionally We like Japanese food so we go to that restaurant once in a while. once or twice - a few times We went to that restaurant once or twice but we quickly became tired of it. once-over - a quick look or examination of someone or something He gave the rental car a once-over before he signed the contract. on cloud nine - very happy She has been on cloud nine ever since she decided to get married last month. on easy street - having enough money to live comfortably He has been on easy street since he sold his house and invested the money. on edge - be nervous or irritable He has really been on edge lately because of his exams. on end - seemingly endless We worked for hours on end last night but we still never finished the job. on faith - without question or proof I took it on faith that he would help me when I had a lot of extra work to do. on guard - careful, wary He has been keeping on guard since the accident last month. on hand - available I`m sorry but I don`t have any aspirin on hand at the moment. on hand - nearby, within reach Please keep your dictionary on hand in case we need to use it. on hand - present The speaker will be on hand after the lecture if you have any questions that you want to ask her. on ice - away for safekeeping or later use, aside The city decided to put the plans for a new stadium on ice until they can raise more money.. on one`s back - making insistent demands of someone, being an annoyance or bother She has been on my back all week trying to get me to finish my monthly report. on one`s chest - worrisome thoughts or feelings that one might need to share with someone else I had a long talk with my friend last night and was able to get most of my problems off my chest. on one`s coat-tails - along with someone else, as a result of someone else doing something The mayor was elected on the coat-tails of his brother who was a famous singer. on one`s feet - recovering from sickness or trouble I was sick for a couple of weeks but now I am on my feet again. on/upon one`s head - on one`s self He brought the anger on his own head and should not try and blame someone else. on one`s high horse - acting as if one is better than others, being very proud and scornful He is always up on his high horse and never bothers to think about how other people feel. on one`s/its last legs - at the end of someone/something`s strength or usefulness I think that his old car is on its last legs. on one`s shoulders - one`s responsibility Please don`t try to put the failure of his marriage on my shoulders. on one`s toes - be alert He always asks the students many questions to keep them on their toes. on pins and needles - excited, nervous Her daughter has been on pins and needles all day waiting for the contest to begin. on purpose - intentionally I think that she spilled the drink on purpose. on shaky ground - unstable, not secure His position at the company has been on shaky ground for quite some time. on the air - broadcasting or being broadcast on radio or TV That television program has been on the air for over three years now. on the ball - intelligent, able to do things well He is really on the ball and can usually get all of his work done quickly. on the bandwagon - the newest popular group or activity, joining something because many others are doing it Everybody in our company is on the bandwagon now to try and eliminate smoking in the workplace on the beam - doing well, just right or correct What he said about the tax problem was right on the beam. . on the blink - not working My stereo has been on the blink for the last few months. on the block - to be sold, for sale Our house has been on the block for over a month now. on the button - exactly on time I arrived for the meeting right on the button. on the dole - receiving welfare The area is very poor and there are many people on the dole. on the dot - right on time He always arrives for his meetings on the dot. on the edge of one`s seat - nervously and excitedly waiting I have been on the edge of my seat all day while waiting for the contest to begin. on the go - busy running around He has been on the go since early morning trying to get ready for the meeting. on the house - provided free by a business - especially a bar or restaurant The room at the hotel was not ready when we arrived so they provided us with free drinks on the house. on the level - honest He was really on the level with me when he told me about my job possibilities. on the loose - free to go, not shut in or stopped by anything The animals at the zoo were on the loose for over three hours when the zookeeper discovered their escape. on the make - trying to get some advantage - money or sexual etc. Be careful of him. He is on the make and will try and cheat you out of your money. on the mend - healing, becoming better He broke his leg last week but it is on the mend now. on the move - moving around from place to place, in motion She is in Europe and has been on the move for several months now. on the nose - just right, exactly What he said about our new boss was right on the nose. on the other hand - looking at the opposite side of a matter He is very intelligent but on the other hand he is very lazy and always gets low marks. on the Q.T. - secretly, without anyone knowing I don`t want anyone to know about my plans so let`s go over them on the Q.T. on the road - travelling (especially as a salesman or performer) Her husband is a salesman and is often on the road. on the rocks - breaking up (relationship), ruined He has been married for seven years but his relationship seems to be on the rocks now. on the same wavelength - thinking similarly about something We have been on the same wavelength for months about the need for change in the company. on the sly - so that people won`t know, secretly We went to the restaurant on the sly so that nobody would know where we were. on the spot - in a difficult or embarassing situation He was really put on the spot when the reporter asked him about the campaign donations. on the spur of the moment - on a sudden wish or decision, suddenly On the spur of the moment we went and bought some ice cream. on the tip of one`s tongue - not quite able to remember something The name of his latest movie is on the tip of my tongue. on the up and up - honest, trustworthy, sincere I decided not to work for the company because I didn`t think that it was on the up and up. on the wagon - not drinking alcohol He has been on the wagon for over seven months now. on the warpath - very angry, looking for trouble He is really on the warpath today so you should stay out of his way. on the whole - in general On the whole I think it is a good idea but I would still like to study it further. on time - at the scheduled time Our train arrived right on time. on top - in the lead He was on top of his class in the economics department. on top of - in addition to, along with On top of everything else he wants me to work on Sunday as well. on top of - managing very well, in control of We are able to keep on top of our work now that we have someone in to help us. on top of - knowing all about something, up-to-date He reads the newspaper every morning and is always on top of the latest news. one-armed bandit - a slot machine for gambling He spent the weekend with a one-armed bandit and now has no money. one foot in the grave - near death Her grandmother has one foot in the grave and is not expected to live much longer. one for the books - something very unusual or remarkable His latest complaint about noise at work is one for the books and is very stupid. one-track mind - thinking about only one thing He has a one-track mind. All he thinks about is money. one-two - any quick or decisive action that takes the opposition by surprise The salesman gave them the one-two and before they knew it they had agreed to buy the product. one up - having an advantage, being one step ahead His brother was one up on the other students because he had studied very hard. one-upmanship - ability to keep ahead of others, trying to keep an advantage I get tired of his one-upmanship and his desire to always be better than everyone else. open one`s heart - talk about one`s feelings honestly, confide in someone I opened my heart to my friend when I saw her at the restaurant last night. open secret - a secret that so many people know it is no longer a secret It is an open secret that he will be leaving the company next month. other fish to fry - have more important things to do I think he has other fish to fry and will not be content to continue with his current job. out cold - unconscious, in a faint He was out cold when the nurse went into his room to check on him. out in left field - far from the right answer What he said was totally out in left field. He has no idea what we were talking about. out in the cold - alone, not included I was left out in the cold when the rest of the class went to the movie without me. out like a light - fall asleep very quickly I was out like a light when I went to bed last night. out of - have none left The restaurant was out of fish so we had meat instead. out of breath - be tired and breathing quickly. He was out of breath after running from the station. out of circulation - not active, not joining in what others are doing He has a new girlfriend so he will probably be out of circulation for awhile. out-of-date - no longer current or in style Computers become out-of-date very quickly. out of favor with someone - not have a person`s goodwill They have been out of favor with their boss for a few months now. out of kilter - not balanced right, not in a straight line or lined up right The door handle seems to be out of kilter and doesn`t work well at all. out of line - unacceptable, not correct His proposal to go to New York was out of line. We can never accept that. out of one`s element - where one does not belong or fit in He is out of his element teaching the computer course. He doesn`t know anything at all about computers. out of one`s hair - get rid of someone who is a nuisance She finally got her children out her hair and was able to study for her exam. out of one`s shell - out of one`s silence or shyness, into friendly conversation We got her out of her shell and she decided to join in with the rest of the group. out of order - not working The public telephone was out of order. out of order - against the rules, not suitable His question was ruled to be out of order by the judge so he wasn`t able to ask it. out of place - in the wrong place or at the wrong time, improper What he said at the party was totally out of place. He should talk about it at another time. out of sorts - in a bad mood He is a little out of sorts today so maybe you should wait until tomorrow to speak to him. out of step - not in step, not keeping pace with someone The soldiers were out of step when they were marching in the parade. out of step - out of harmony, not keeping up He is out of step with the rest of the group and needs to think about what he should be doing. out of the blue - unexpectedly, from nowhere From right out of the blue he asked her if she wanted to get married. out of the frying pan and into the fire - out of one trouble and into more trouble, from something bad to something worse When he changed jobs he went out of the frying pan and into the fire. His new job is much worse. out of the question - impossible You have no money so going to Hong Kong for your holiday is out of the question. out of the way - remote, no longer an obstacle We went to an out of the way place for our first dinner together. out of the woods - out of danger, in the clear His injury was very serious and I don`t think he is out of the woods yet. out of thin air - out of nothing or from nowhere The deer seemed to jump out of thin air and onto the road. out of this world - wonderful, fantastic The new dessert that she made last weekend was right out of this world. out of tune - not in agreement, not going well together They are out of tune with what the other members of the group think. out on a limb - in a dangerous or risky position He really went out on a limb to offer his brother the job. outside of - other than, except for Outside of the weather our vacation was really quite enjoyable. out to lunch - crazy, mad He is totally out to lunch but is still a very nice person. over a barrel - in a helpless or trapped position I think that we have them over a barrel and should be able to win the contract easily. over and over - repeated many times I told him over and over that I do not want to go to that restaurant again. over one`s dead body - never, under no circumstances Over my dead body will I let him come to the party next week. over one`s head - too difficult for someone to understand The joke went over her head so we had to explain it to her. over one`s head - go to a more important person in charge, go to a higher official We didn`t receive a good answer from the official so we went over his head to talk to his boss. over the hill - past one`s prime, unable to function as one used to He thought that his friend was over the hill and shouldn`t be working so hard. over the long run - in the end, over a long period of time Over the long run he plans to expand his business and then sell it and retire. over with - at the end of, finished with When the game on television is over with we can eat dinner. own up - take the blame, admit one`s guilt The suspected murderer finally owned up to the murder of his wife. 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