eat humble pie- be humbled, admit one`s error and apologize
eg. Our boss was forced to eat humble pie after everyone realized that he had made the wrong budget estimate for next year.
eat one`s cake and have it too- use or spend something and still keep it
eg. He refuses to give up anything and always wants to eat his cake and have it too.
eat one`s words- take back something one has said, admit something is not true
eg. I told my boss that I would be leaving but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay.
egg on- urge someone on
eg. Many people at the soccer game were egged on by the drunken fans.
finger in the pie- participate in something that is happening
eg. He always tries to keep his finger in the pie so that he can control everything.
full of beans- feel energetic, in high spirits
eg. She is full of beans tonight and doesn`t want to stop talking.
gravy train- a job or work that pays more than it is worth
eg. For many years his job was a real gravy train but now the company has become very strict and will not pay overtime.
half-baked- not thought out or studied carefully
eg. He has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail.
hand to someone on a silver platter- give a person something that has not been earned
eg. His education was handed to him on a silver platter and now he is very spoiled and selfish.
hard nut to crack- something or someone difficult to understand or do
eg. He is a very serious person and is a very hard nut to crack.
(get or) have egg on one`s face - be embarassed
eg. He has egg on his face because everyone knows that he was sick at the party.
hit the sauce- drink alcohol - usually regularly
eg. I think that she has begun to hit the sauce since her husband lost his job.
hot potato- a question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle
eg. The issue of building the nuclear power plant is a real hot potato for the local town council.
in a nutshell- briefly, in a few words
eg. We went to the meeting and they told us in a nutshell what would be happening to everyone next year. |