Australia Network - Nexus - English Bites Library - Common Expressions

call it a day

If you call it a day, you decide to stop doing something.

I know we haven't finished, but I'm getting too tired to concentrate properly. Let's call it a day.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But now one long-standing partnership is coming to an end. Caller James Reid has decided to call it a day: rounding up dancers and a young family is all a bit much.

call the shots

To call the shots is to be in control.

I'm not the one who calls the shots around here.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Coordinating part of a 40-man track-laying team, the West Australian calls the shots on what to do when things go wrong.

cannot hold a candle to

Someone or something that cannot hold a candle to someone or something else is not nearly as good as the person or thing they are being compared to.

Women play great tennis, but they can't hold a candle to the top male players.

cap off

complete; provide the final piece that pleases

Some people say a glass of wine caps off the perfect meal.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

And to cap off the living canvas, one hundred and fifty artless critics.

capture the imagination

Something that captures the imagination is something that makes you very interested or fascinated by something.

Digital technology has captured the imagination of a generation.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Tales of terror like those from the Port Arthur convict settlement, captured the imagination of Michael Phillips from an early age.

cark it

Cark it is slang. It means to die.

My goldfish carked it.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

If I were to cark it, they'd have somebody come to the house and say well Mrs Pharo hasn't answered the phone or we don't know where she is, could you check?

carry the can

To carry the can is to acept the blame or responsibility for something.

It's not fair that only teachers are expected to carry the can for the poor performance of the students.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Broomrape is not a problem for us as farmers, it is everyone else's problem but we are the ones carrying the can.

cash cow

A cash cow is an excellent source of income. It’s something that can be relied on to always makes lots of money.

The gambling industry has become a cash cow for governments in Australia.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

The Tasmanian Government is looking to these areas as a cash cow and not really taking their responsibilities for management of the areas very seriously.

cash in

make money from; turn to advantage

Let’s cash in on the property boom and sell our house now.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Having had this event thrust on them by the gods, Ceduna is cashing in on its moment in the shade.

cat got your tongue

To ask someone has the cat got your tongue? is the same as asking 'why don't you say something?'.

What's up - has the cat got your tongue?

catch on

become popular

Using mobile phones has really caught on in the last decade.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Michael Noad has discovered that while the males sing a common tune, any variation that proves a hit with the females will quickly catch on.

catch on

realise something; notice something

It took me a while to catch on.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

According to an Adelaide University study, parents are often slow to catch on when their child is depressed.

catch up with

meet with people you know and talk to them

I must catch up with my old school friends.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

While Rob Gilfillan guides the young kids across the Burleigh Heads sand and then along the scenic route his daughters use the squad to catch up with friends…

cat's whiskers

The cat's whiskers refers to the best thing, person or idea.

He thinks he's the cat's whiskers

caught red-handed

To be caught red-handed is to be caught in the act of doing something wrong.

He was caught red-handed taking money from the till.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

We haven't actually caught anybody red-handed, as it were. We've had reports of vandalism and disturbance to the site, and in each case we followed those up.

caught the eye

attracted the attention

Her performance caught the eye of the producer.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

The research and development of Paul's violins caught the eye of the Shanghai Violin Company, China's biggest producer of violins.

caught up in

To be caught up in something is to be involved against your will.

How did we get caught up in this mess?

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Clive Linnett's concerns are shared by many other farmers, who fear they're caught up in something more than drought.

championed by

supported and promoted by

The fight to save the environment is championed by many famous people.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

...many Greek and Italian families continued to grow and process fruit for pickling and for oil -- mainly for their own use -- and since the '80s, the oil and pickled olives market has been growing, championed by hobby farmers and food lovers.

chances are

it's likely

Chances are that the government will win the election.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But chances are Dave's no ordinary plesiosaur.

change the face

change dramatically; make it look very different

The writings of Karl Marx changed the face of politics.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

If it could be done, then it would be a tremendous breakthrough that would change the face of science.

chequered history

A chequered history is a varied history - the combination of the good, bad, interesting and unusual things that have happened to something or somebody.

This old house has had a chequered history.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But for all its chequered history, it's the stories told by the pictures in the collection that are the most fascinating.

child's play

very easy

Driving an automatic car is child's play.

chip in

To chip in is to contribute or help.

Are you going to chip in to help buy a present for Sue who's retiring next week?

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

The Lions Bay Rotary Club in Adelaide, which specialises in reconditioning electric wheelchairs for charity, chipped in when they heard of Danielle's need.

chip off the old block

Saying that someone is a chip off the old block is to say that they are very like one of their parents.

He's gone into politics like his father. He's a chip off the old block.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Martin is literally a chip off the old block and carries on the family tradition not just by chopping, but by manufacturing top quality racing axes.

churn out

make in rapid succession

This production line churns out a thousand bottles a day.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

The horses are in tip-top condition and, back in town, the milliners are working day and night to churn out as many hats as they can in what they call their 2-month money making season.

clean up your act

The phrase clean up your act means to change and start behaving in a way that other people find acceptable.

You need to clean up your act and get a job.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I thought if we get three of four kids that come along and since they come along clean their act up it would be great but the amount of kids and quality of kids that come along, it just blows me away.

clocked up

To clock up means to reach a particular total.

I just clocked up ten thousand kilometres in my car.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

In one case there was a young person who had clocked up 600 SMS text messages in a day.

close on

nearly; almost

The oldest hen is close on ten years old.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I've been in the Mushroom Shop for about six years and the family's been in the Market for close on 31 years.

close up

Something that is close up is in a position that is very near to you.

You need to see the picture close up to appreciate all of the detail.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

It's a very long way to come but through having a facility like this you get to see someone like Roger McGuinn from The Byrds play solo shows, like Jimmy Webb play solo shows, some of the great music writers and it's fantastic to see legends like that really close up.

close-knit

bound together by close social ties; friendly and intimate; tending to keep together

Our family is very close-knit.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Stargazers the world over might be saddened by the damage to this historic observatory but the close-knit local community of astronomers is already talking about once again looking towards the heavens from Mount Stromlo.

cocked his snoot

To cock your snoot is to show your lack of respect for something. Literally, cocking your snoot is making the rude gesture of putting your thumb to your nose and waggling your fingers.

He cocked his snoot at authority by not wearing school uniform.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

We liked the way he cocked his snoot at convention.

cold fish

A cold fish is someone who is unfriendly or shows little emotion.

I tried to get to know him better, but he's a cold fish.

come about

Something that comes about happens.

I don't know when my promotion will come about.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I’m a designer and it all came about - I didn’t know what I wanted to do and left working for a big company to, much to my parents’ disgust, to go back and study the arts as a furniture designer/maker, which then ended up leading into doing restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, cafes, retail shops, everything.

come across

encounter; find

We were in the park when we came across a huge spider.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I came across a dump, a kampong dump, just 10 minutes from where I was staying and it was literally all glass, and the glass had come from buildings that had been demolished previously.

come across as

appear to be; give the impression of being

We want our presenter for the new show to come across as warm and friendly.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

They want you to come across as a real person.

come full circle

To come full circle is to return to the position from which you started.

Fashion has come full circle and my old shoes are trendy again.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

They were one of the first acts I saw down here, and they actually recorded for the record company, so the chap who'd signed them, a guy called Adam, dragged me down to see them at The Basement, brought me in the back and sat and saw them and they were fantastic, and amazingly in some ways the wheel's come full circle because they re-formed just this year and did a couple of amazing shows here...

come home to roost

Something that comes home to roost is the usually unpleasant consequence of a decision made a long time ago.

The decision to save money by not treating the house for termites came home to roost when they discovered the damage the insects had caused only a few years later.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

For professional abalone diver John Lashmar, simply harvesting the strictly regulated sea snail has been his own road to good fortune for almost 30 years, but now an abundance of farmed abalone is changing the world market as never before.
It's really come home to roost now. Like, a few years ago, when the product started coming in to the market, people were concerned about it, but I think it's really hit home now.

come on side

To come on side means to support someone.

It took a while, but the bank eventually came on side.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

The town's development board also came on side.

come out of the closet

To come out of the closet means to publicly admit something that has been kept secret.

He came out of the closet and admitted he was gay.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Now that he's come out of the closet his passion for classical music has been renewed with a vengeance.

come out of the woodwork

To come out of the woodwork is to appear suddenly in unexpected numbers.

When I won a lot of money, all sorts of old friends came out of the woodwork.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

And when we had the World Cup and Italy won, it was really awesome. A lot of Italians come out of the woodwork.

come to grips

begin to understand and deal with a problem

We have to come to grips with the problem of unemployment.

Another form of this expression is get to grips.

I'm going to try to get to grips with English tenses.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

It's hard for the whole community to come to grips with it, there's quite a long healing process after anything like this and the best thing of the lot is for people to talk about it.

come to light

Something that comes to light becomes know or is revealed.

He'll be in trouble when his criminal past comes to light.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

There were rumours such that the bridge was moving when workmen were working on it, that concrete were moving, that rivets were popping, that bolts were coming undone. These are the sort of things that have been coming to light, you know, amongst the press particularly as they have been talking to workmen.

come to pass

happen

I'm starting to think that the new bridge will never come to pass.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

That threat hasn't come to pass.

come to the crunch

To come to the crunch is to reach the critical moment or test that determines an issue.

When it came to the crunch in the big game, he wasn't as good a player as we thought.

come to the party

To come to the party is to do what is expected or wanted, often by making a contribution of money.

What we need is a new sponsor to come to the party.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

We want a nice grandchild off him and he'll not come to the party.

comes down to

is mainly about; can be reduced to

His argument really comes down to one point.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I think there is no limit to what we may be able to do. It really comes down to a surveillance issue within sport; it comes to an ethic issue in sport.

comes in handy

is useful and needed

The money I got for my tax return will come in handy.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

We’ve just picked up your standard stubby holder, which always comes in handy. You cannot have enough stubby holders.

comes into its own

Something that comes into its own shows how good or useful it is in a particular situation.

A motorbike really comes into its own in a traffic jam.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But research comes into its own when it’s applied, and at the University of Adelaide, they’re putting the finishing touches to a motorbike that runs on biofuel.

comfort zone

If you are in a comfort zone then you are relaxed and content. You find things are too easy.

We should get out of our comfort zone and go camping.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

We include it because we like to get kids out of their comfort zone and for the socialisation process as well.

conked out

Something that has conked out has broken down or stopped working.

The car has conked out again.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I think he just got lucky and probably a kangaroo had conked out down amongst the willows and he grabbed its bone, a shin bone, and used it on the bats.

consigned to history

Something that is consigned to history is something you can only know about by reading history books or visiting museums. It's something that is not used anymore or something that has been destroyed.

Eventually landline telephones will be consigned to history.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

These three historic homes on MacKinnon Parade are about to be consigned to history themselves.

cooling-off period

A cooling-off period is a period after a sale. During this time, a customer can change their mind, and get out of the contract.

There is a cooling-off period when you buy a house.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

There'll be a 3-day cooling-off period.

cop this

Cop this is a slang term meaning to put up with or suffer.

I'm not going to cop this anymore.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Well, I got told I had to get off the green if I didn't put that bowls cloth in a pocket and I thought this is ridiculous, and this is when I first started, and I thought 'Oh god, do I have to cop this?'

cotton on

begin to understand; realise

He just won't cotton on to the idea that I don't like him.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But then once I explain the symbology of the image, people start to get it, and children really get it quickly, you know, they cotton on, they go 'Yeah, oh, OK'…

A similar expression is catch on

cough up

(informal) give, usually reluctantly

He finally coughed up the money he owed me.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

The Housing Department coughed up $20,000 for tools and, three years on, it's an undeniable success.

count for little

are not regarded as important; not worth much

Human lives count for little in times of war.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But this 57-year-old grandmother has learnt that enthusiasm and life experience count for little if you're over 45 and looking for a job

count on

depend on; expect

I count on my car starting everyone morning.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

At least Ted Davies and those along the Darling River can count on a water supply again.

count the cost

feel or regret the effects of a bad mistake or disaster

I'm still counting the cost of quitting my old job.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Perhaps we don't need to have this invasive species, and doing everything that we can to keep it out now is a far better thing than counting the cost at some later time.

crack down

To crack down means to act forcefully to stop something.

The police are going to crack down on vandalism in the area.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

The Government's already announced it's cracking down on so-called fighting dogs.

crack of dawn

The crack of dawn is sunrise, or very early in the morning.

I had to be up at the crack of dawn to catch my plane.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

They're here at the crack of dawn, tilling the soil, growing a lot of herbs and vegetables which you can't buy commercially, and there's a lot of really weird and interesting plants growing here in this garden.

crack the code

solve the code; find the answer

It took me ages to crack the code.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

If they can crack the code we may end up with more than just everlasting colour.

crash hot

good; excellent

His work is not really crash hot.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

What do you think of these new bikinis?
I think they're really crash hot.

cream of the crop

the very best

Only the cream of the crop play in a symphony orchestra.

This expression is often shortened to the cream as in this story.

We were addressing the larger flow of those persons, not just the cream.

creature comforts

Creature comforts are the things that make life easier and more comfortable - like having a comfortable place to live, or expensive food or a nice car.

I hate camping because I miss my creature comforts.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I would say I wasn't very prepared to start living in a different country away from home, away from all the creature comforts...

cropping up

appearing

New houses are cropping up everywhere in my suburb.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

It was a time when probation stations were cropping up around the State and being hailed as a revolutionary solution to the old system of assignment where convicts were allocated to free settlers.

cross your fingers

To cross your fingers is to try to stop bad luck and hope that things will go well.

We've done all we can, so now we just cross our fingers and hope it will work.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

These scientists say it's a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained and all they can do now is cross their fingers.

cross your mind

If something crosses your mind, you think about it for a short time.

It crossed my mind that he was lying.

crying out for

If someone is crying out for something they really want it or need it.

The outer suburbs are crying out for more public transport.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

With an accredited abattoir up and running, Phil Gee predicts that Australia could export more than 25,000 processed camels a year to markets crying out for the meat.

culture shock

Culture shock is the unhappiness and unease caused by not understanding a different society with different expectations.

I felt some culture shock when I went overseas to study.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

I think initially they find the culture shock. Because, well, in English classes back at home, they can only learn so much about the actual culture.

cup of tea

thing that you like

Working on the weekends is not my cup of tea.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Being a pilot for the Royal Flying Doctor Service is different to a lot of aviation's jobs. It's not everyone's cup of tea.

cut any ice

To cut any ice is to impress or influence someone

Street marches don't cut any ice with this government.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But that doesn't cut any ice with people who have come from country cities here who are not used to walking.

cut corners

To cut corners is to not do things properly but in the quickest and easiest way.

If you cut corners the quality of your work suffers.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Right through the ages, there have been police that have cut corners when they're under pressure.

cut price

cheap

They're offering cut price fares to Singapore.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

But it's not <>cut price in the sense of any corners cut and so there's a lot of emphasis put on making sure that the academic standards are absolutely equivalent.

cut short

Something that is cut short is ended before it should be.

My favourite TV show was cut short by the power blackout.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Because the average age of women joining is 27, there's a fear their careers will be cut short as they have a family.

cutting edge

new; leading the way

He's working on some cutting edge research.

This is how the expression is used in one of our stories:

Our cutting edge photonics technology is old hat for Mother Nature.


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