Eat out of house and home Twelve-year-old Varun has a huge appetite. “You’ll eat me out of house and home,” laughed his father. This idiom can be used both literally and figuratively, and means to ruin a person by eating or using up all he...
Flat as a Pancake If you’ve ever eaten a pancake you’ll know how flat it is. When something is as flat as a pancake, it’s completely level or flat. “Why!” exclaimed Ruchika in disappointment, “There’s not a hill in sight here. The landscape is as...
Eat somebody alive Eat somebody alive means to dominate or exploit somebody. “Poor guy, he has no clue as to how to fend for himself. He’s going to be eaten alive at his new work place,” said Rahul.
End it all When Amit misused company money, he was dismissed from his job and had to face public disgrace. He decided to end it all by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. He was saved, however, by some loyal friends. To end it all is...
Enough and to spare “Never mind if you forgot your lunch-box,” Ravi told Bob. “You can eat with me. I have enough and to spare.” Apparently, Ravi’s mother had packed a lot of sandwiches. Enough and to spare means ample — more than is needed.
Eat out of a person’s hand The Kumars are worried. Their son is completely besotted by Priya, whom they consider most unsuitable. “She has him eating out of her hand,” grumbled Mr Kumar in disgust. He meant that the young man was completely submissive to...
Easy as pie If you’re fond of pie it’s not difficult to eat it. In fact, it’s easy. So when we say that something is as easy as pie, we mean it’s simple — not hard at all. “What’s so tough about learning how to...
Elbow room Mr Kumar’s office is so cramped that it hardly has any elbow room in it. This means that it does not have any space in which to move. Moreover, Mr Kumar feels that if he was given more elbow space his efficiency would...
Play it by ear This means to act without preparation according to the demands of the situation. I’ve had no time to prepare for the meeting. I’ll have to go and play it by ear. Poor Vicky’s efforts to learn the violin are at present...
End of one’s tether Mrs Kumar had house guests, an ailing baby, and no domestic help. “I’m at the end of my tether,” she confided to her mother over the telephone. What she meant was that she had reached the limit of her endurance or...
