English Expressions

 

Expressions to Describe Situations:

 

1.  To be hairy:  If a situation is "hairy" it is very intense and maybe even scary.

Example sentence: "It got pretty hairy in there.  Both customers were yelling at me and my boss was angry.  Luckily I talked my way out of it."




2.  A nail biter:  A situation is a "nail biter" if you don't know how it is going to turn out until the very end.  It creates a nervous feeling.

Example sentence: "That game was a real nail biter.  We didn't know who was going to win until the last second when the forward scored the last point."

3.  Mad house: A place or situation is called a "mad house" when there is no order and everyone is going crazy.

Example Sentence: "Don't go to my house when all of the kids are at home.  It is a real mad house."






4.  To go haywire: When everything starts to go wrong and chaos takes over.


Example Sentence:  "Once I dropped the glass of water on the computer everything went haywire.  The computer blew up and we lost all of the files."






5. To be hard up: To not have enough money to pay for anything that you need.

Example Sentence: "Last summer I wasn't working.  I was so hard up for cash that I had to cut the neighbors lawn to get enough money to go out."

6.  To be stuck between a rock and a hard place:  To be in a situation that is impossible to get out of.

Example sentence: "Last night I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.  At 7:00 PM I had to pick up my daughter from school and be at home for the cable guy.  I couldn't do both things at the same time.




7.  Pressure Cooker: This is a situation that is full of stress and pressure.

Example Sentence: "That meeting was a real pressure cooker.  We didn't know if we could convince the boss of our new proposal."

8.  Cakewalk: Something that is easily done.  It is an easy goal to accomplish.

Example Sentence: "Getting that job was a cakewalk.  I knew the owner of the company."




9.  Off the hook: When something is really cool or outstanding it can be described as "off the hook".

Example Sentence:  "The party was off the hook.  Everyone was going crazy and having a great time."




10.  To be down and out:  To be in a depressed and low mood.  Things are not going well for you. 

Example Sentence:  "Last year I was down and out.  My wife divorced me and I lost my job.  Nothing was going well for me."




11.  Running around like a chicken with its head cut off:  This expression describes a person who is confused and frantic and unsure of what to do next.


Example Sentence:  "The kitchen staff was running around like a chicken with its head cut off.  There were too many food orders and nobody knew what to do."




12.  A lost cause:  A situation is described as a "lost cause" when there is no hope for success. 

Example Sentence: "I tried to help him learn to play the piano, but he just won't practice.  It is a lost cause thinking that he will one day play well.

Expressions to talk about being sick or ill:

1. To come down with: To say that you have "come down" with something means that you are suffering from it.  People come down with colds or other sicknesses.

Example Sentence:  "I was going to attend the wedding, but I came down with the flu.  My doctor told me to stay in bed."






2.  To be under the weather: If you say that you are "under the weather" it means that you are not feeling well.  You are sick.

Example Sentence: "Sheila didn't make it to work yesterday.  She was feeling under the weather.  I guess she had a cold or something."

 

 

Expressions to talk about fixing things:

 

1.  To mess around with something:  If you say that you are "messing around" with a computer, or any other electronic gadget, it means that you are causally trying to fix it or figure out how it works. 

Example Sentence:  "I just bought the latest i Pod.  It has a lot of features that i don't know how to work yet.  I'll have to mess around with it later when I have some time to figure out how it works.