Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook

BOOK: Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook
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CONTENTS

Part I: Introduction

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Idioms

What Is an Idiom?

The Idioms in This Book

Part II: Idioms for Everyday Activities and Occasions

Chapter 2: Family Matters: Family, Home, and Life Stages

Family and Friends

Home Sweet Home

Ages and Life Stages

Chapter 3: Caring for the Body: Eating, Sleeping, and Grooming

Eating and Enjoying Food

Food and Food Preparation

Sleeping and Waking

Personal Hygiene and Grooming

Chapter 4: Health Matters: Good Health, Illness, and Addiction

Physical Health and Well-Being

Illness and Poor Health

Safety

Bad Habits and Addictions

Chapter 5: Nose to the Grindstone: School and Work

School-Related Idioms

Work-Related Idioms

Chapter 6: Peanuts and Dough: Money

Making Money

Having Money

Saving Money

Spending Money

Losing Money and Going Broke

Owing Money and Paying Debts

The High Cost of Living

Chapter 7: Taking It Easy: Entertainment, Leisure, and Travel

Out on the Town

At the Movies

Live Entertainment

The Bar and Club Scene

Leisure

Transportation

Chapter 8: Love Makes the World Go ’Round: Romance

Is It Really Love?

Dating

In a Relationship

Tying the Knot

Getting Lovey-Dovey

Relationship Trouble

Breaking Up

Chapter 9: Common American Phrases and Slang Expressions

Common Greetings

Polite Expressions and Niceties

Understanding

Yes, No, Maybe

Responses That Mean Okay or I Don’t Care

Agree to Disagree

Believe It or Not

Slowing Down and Speeding Up

Stop Doing That!

Good News, Bad News

Way to Go!

That’s Life

Part III: Idioms for Expressing Emotion, Character, Success, and Failure

Chapter 10: Emotions

Happiness and Contentment

Sadness and Melancholy

Staying Calm and Cool

Nervousness and Anxiety

Anger

Fear

Envy and Jealousy

Resentment and Revenge

Shame and Guilt

Chapter 11: Character Traits

Idioms That Express Generosity

Idioms That Express Selfishness

Idioms That Express Compassion

Idioms That Express Cold-Heartedness

Idioms That Express Honesty

Idioms That Express Dishonesty and Deception

Idioms That Express Independence and Self-Sufficiency

Idioms That Express Dependency

Idioms That Express Sociability

Idioms That Express Shyness and Introversion

Chapter 12: Success, Failure, and Luck

Success

Hard Work and Determination

Opportunity

Creativity

Failure

Good Luck and Bad Luck

Part IV: Idioms by Key Words

Chapter 13: Body Idioms

Idioms with Head, Neck and Shoulders

Idioms with Face, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Mouth

Idioms with Back, Stomach, and Gut

Idioms with Arms, Hands, and Fingers

Idioms with Legs, Feet, and Toes

Chapter 14: Color Idioms

Red

Blue

Yellow

Green

Pink

Brown

Black

Gray

White

Golden

Silver

Multicolored

Color

Chapter 15: Number Idioms

One, Two, Three

First, Second, Third . . .

Nonsense Numbers

Number Combinations

Chapter 16: Negative Word Idioms

No

None

Not

Never

Nothing

Chapter 17: Question Word Idioms

Idioms That Use What

Idioms That Use When

Idioms That Use Where

Idioms That Use Who

Idioms That Use Why

Idioms That Use How

Part V: Phrasal Verbs

Chapter 18: Using Phrasal Verbs

What Is a Phrasal Verb . . . and What Isn’t

Mastering Phrasal Verbs

The Big Role of Little Prepositions

Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Using Active and Passive Voice with Phrasal Verbs

Chapter 19: Two-Word Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs with On and Off

Phrasal Verbs with In and Out

Phrasal Verbs with Up and Down

Common Phrasal Verbs Using With

Common Phrasal Verbs Using Without

Common Phrasal Verbs with For

Common Phrasal Verbs with Away

Phrasal Verbs with Under and Over

Phrasal Verbs with Around

Phrasal Verbs with Through

Chapter 20: Three-Word Phrasal Verbs

What Is a Three-Word Phrasal Verb and What Isn’t?

Three-Word Verbs Ending with Of

Three-Word Verbs Ending with On

Three-Word Verbs Ending with To

Three-Word Verbs Ending with With

Appendix I: Expressions with Do, Fix, Have, Make, and Take

Housework Idioms with Do and Make

Money Idioms with Have and Make

Appointment Idioms with Have and Make

Conversation Idioms with Have and Make

Food Idioms with Fix, Make, and Take

Time Off Idioms with Have and Take

Illness Idioms with Have and Take

Hair Idioms with Do and Fix

Talking about Time

Using the Phone

Performing

More Idioms with Do

More Idioms with Have

More Idioms with Make

More Idioms with Take

Appendix II: Differences between American Idioms and British Idioms

Idioms with Different Prepositions

Idioms with Different Verbs

Idioms with Different Nouns

Idioms with Very Different Wording

Caution! Differences to Watch Out For

Index

Webster’s New World™ American Idioms Handbook

Copyright © 2003 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8700. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4447, E-mail:
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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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ISBN: 978-0-7645-2477-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“No man [or woman] is an island. . . .” And this was well proven during the monumental adventure of writing
Webster’s New World American Idioms Handbook.
The support, encouragement, and exceeding competence of family, friends, colleagues, and editors gave me the impetus and much-needed assistance to write this book.

First, I must thank Acquisitions Editor Roxane Cerda for inviting me to the task, and for her mastery in getting the project rolling. She handled all of the initial details and follow-up with her usual skill, ease, and aplomb. It was a great pleasure working with you again, Roxane. (And thanks for that terrific list of idioms!)

Secondly, I thank the heavens for sending Project Editor Ben Nussbaum. His expertise and cool-headed management of this project made all the difference. I’m very grateful for his commonsense advice and keen take on what makes for clear reading. His skill, dedication, and easy-going manner greatly contributed to the successful and timely completion of this book. Ben, as editors go, “you rock!”

Copy Editor Mark Enochs did an expert job, along with Ben, editing this formidable manuscript, and clarifying many a vague and awkward line. Thanks, Mark. And thanks also to Jan Zunkel, Bethany André, and Blair Pottenger, who participated in editing portions of the manuscript. Also thanks to the entire production crew who put it all together.

Warm thanks to my colleagues who assisted me in so many ways. First and foremost, I’m very grateful to Lori Colman for her invaluable commitment of time and energy researching idioms, writing innumerable definitions and sample sentences, and offering suggestions. I couldn’t have done it without you . . . and that’s a fact! To Patricia Sullivan, Lynn Clausen, and Joyce Flager, who reviewed portions of the manuscript, I greatly appreciated your expert feedback and your help clarifying technical points and locating errors. Many thanks to Peggy Miles, “grammarian extraordinaire,” to editor Wallace Baine for movie slang, and to Sarah Phelan, my “British idioms consultant,” who helped set me straight on a host of Britishisms.

I gratefully thank my Generation X “language consultants” Forrest, Josh, Sid, Skye, Larson, and Betsy. And I’m equally grateful to Dottie Yingling, the coolest 90 year old around, for enlightening me on slang from The Greatest Generation. My fabulous friends gave their unflagging support, inspiration, and encouragement, as well as idiom book loans, slang suggestions, “The Story of English,” and late-night chats. Much gratitude and thanks to Deborah Abbott and Rebecca Tavish, to Chuck Ernst (my computer hero) and Joanne Tanner, to Sharon Webber, Adrienne Zihlman, and finally to Joyce Flager and Jan Fitzgerald for putting their foot down on Christmas Day and making me turn off the computer.

And lastly, on the home front, I’m very thankful for the enduring support and encouragement of my son Joshua Harris, who helped sustain my spirit, made me laugh, and saw that I took a break now and again. And who, along with pal Sid, brought me lively idioms “from the street,” and from the kitchen, innumerable steaming cups of tea. Awesome, you guys. Thanks!

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