Black MEANING: think of everything or judge everything as either good or bad EXAMPLE: ” He tries to see everything in black and white although he knows this is impossible.” black out EXAMPLE: 1. During the war people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so that the enemy aircraft could not see them. black sheep (of the family) EXAMPLE: The man is the black sheep in his family and is the only member who has not had a successful career and life. in the black EXAMPLE: The company has been in the black since they began to adopt many new ideas to cut costs. Blue to appear/happen out of the blue EXAMPLE: 1. “My brother suddenly appeared out of the blue yesterday. We hadn’t seen him for years.” to blue pencil something EXAMPLE: ”Reports on the mistreatment of the political prisoners were blue pencilled by the authorities” a blue-eyed boy EXAMPLE: ”John is a real blue-eyed boy. The team manager always gives him special treatment. It isn’t fair to the rest of us.” EXAMPLE: “It came like a bolt from the blue that they are getting divorced.” to look / feel blue EXAMPLE: “Things are looking blue for Tom these days. His wife has left him.” blue in the face EXAMPLE: “I told him he was making a mistake until I was blue in the face but he wouldn’t listen.” once in a blue moon EXAMPLE: ”My brother only rings home once in a blue moon. I wish he would ring our parents more often” men/boys in blue EXAMPLE: “Let’s get out of here! The boys in blue are coming.” Brown to be browned off EXAMPLE: I’m browned off with this place. There is nothing to do here. Colourless to be colourless EXAMPLE: “Nothing he said stands out in my memory. I’m afraid he’s a dull, colourless man.’ to be off colour “She’s a little off colour today because she was up very late last night and had too much to drink!.” to give/lend colour to EXAMPLE: ” The broken window on the ground floor lent colour to her story that MEANING: a report that is exaggerated or biased. “I read the government’s highly coloured report on the great state of the health services.” to see someone in his true colours EXAMPLE: ”’As soon as he made a fuss about returning her money, I saw him in his true colours.” to show oneself in one’s true colours EXAMPLE: “‘When he lost his temper at the party, he showed himself in his true colours” with flying colours EXAMPLE: “We were all expecting him to fail, but he passed with flying colours.” to paint in bright/dark colours EXAMPLE: “My brother pretended he was doing well financially and painted his life there in the brightest colours.” Green to be green EXAMPLE: He is rather green and doesn’t have enough experience to drive the large piece of machinery yet. green with envy EXAMPLE: I was green with envy when I heard that she would be going to London for a month while I had to stay and work. give someone the green light EXAMPLE: We were finally given the green light to begin setting up the new project. get the green light EXAMPLE: We got the green light to go ahead with the new advertising campaign. grass is always greener on the other side EXAMPLE: He realized that the grass is always greener on the other side when he saw that his new job wasn’t perfect and had its own problems too. green belt EXAMPLE: The city has a policy of increasing the green belt around the city. green thumb EXAMPLE: She has a green thumb and is able to grow one of the best gardens in our neighbourhood. Golden a golden opportunity This is a golden opportunity to make a business deal with that big company. a golden handshake EXAMPLE: The company chairman received a huge golden handshake on retiring. a golden boy EXAMPLE: “David Beckham is the golden boy of English soccer” Pink tickled pink EXAMPLE: She was tickled pink that you made the effort to go and visit her when you were in town. Red to be shown the red card EXAMPLE: “The accountant was shown the red card for hiding company money.” to be in the red EXAMPLE: ”I am overdrawn again. I hate being in the red.” to catch someone red-handed EXAMPLE: ” The manager caught the new employee red-handed taking money out of the box.” to look through rose-coloured/tinted spectacles EXAMPLE: “It annoys me that she sees everything through rose-coloured spectacles, but to see red EXAMPLE: “John saw red when he saw his girlfriend laughing with another guy.” red tape EXAMPLE: “I want to start a new business but the red tape involved is very frustrating.” to see the red light EXAMPLE: “When the doctor warned his patient that further drinking would damage his liver, the man saw the red light and quit.” paint the town red EXAMPLE: ” When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out and paint the town red.” roll out the red carpet EXAMPLE: When Nelson Mandela visited Washington, they rolled out the red carpet and gave him a great welcome. a redneck “Our new co-worker is a real redneck. He doesn’t seem to know anything about life.” Silver the silver screen EXAMPLE: Valentino was one of the earliest stars of the silver screen. White as white as a sheet EXAMPLE: You look like you’ve just seen a ghost. Your face is as white as a sheet. white elephant EXAMPLE: The new stereo that he bought is a white elephant and he doesn’t need it at all. white as a ghost EXAMPLE: My sister became white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window. a white lie EXAMPLE: I told my boss a white lie and said that I was sick yesterday when actually I wasn’t. a white-collar worker EXAMPLE: “The recession has hit factory workers (blue-collar workers) much harder than white-collar workers.” Yellow yellow-bellied EXAMPLE: He is a yellow-bellied coward and never is willing to fight for what is right. a yellow streak EXAMPLE: He has a yellow streak running down his back and is not a good person to expect to support you when things become difficult. | |
| Category: Idioms | Added by: Teacher_Koce (2015-11-12) | |
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