American English Idioms
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American English Idioms

TIT FOR TAT

-        an action in exchange for another equal action.

1. Mark criticizes Pam's clothes and
in.return she criticized has haircut. It
was tit for tat.

Similar to: pay someone back; give
someone a taste of his own medicine. The
expression may describe insults, some
harmless error or physical blows.

TO A 'T' (SUIT/FIT) (SOMEONE/
SOMETHING)

-        perfectly; exactly.

Margie tried on the dress in the
store and looked at herself in the mirror.
The dress suited her to a T.

TONGUE-IN-CHEEK, (SPEAK)

-       
 saying something other than what is truly meant; Facetious; sarcastic; insincere.

When Paul complimented his secre-
tary's work, he was being Facetious. He really meant just the opposite. He
was speaking tongue-in-cheek.

The expression describes a style of
speech.

TOP OF THE LINE, (THE)

-        the best quality; the model that is the best in a group.

I'd love to have a computer system
that is mp of the line, but I can't afford
it right now so I'll have to settle for
one that has fewer features.

Compare to: first-rate. The line
refers to a group of similar products or a
group of products all manufactured by the
same company.

TOUCH AND GO

-        precarious or uncertain; something disastrous is expected to happen one
moment and then is averted the next.

The doctor told the woman her hus-
band was out of danger now but that
it had been touch and go the night
before when he entered the hospital.

The doctor hadn't been sure whether
the man would live or die.

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

-        a course of reasoning; a succession of connected ideas.

Dianne couldn't seem to concentrate
on her work. Her mind was wander-
ing and she kept losing her train of
thought.

The expression suggests a series
of thoughts connected together in some
logical progression (not randomly), in the
same way that the cars of a train are linked
together one after another.

TROUBLED WATERS

-        emotionally rough times or an unsettled situation.

The boy has been arrested repeatedly
and has been in and out of jail for
months. He's deep in troubled waters.

The expression uses the metaphor
of rough (troubled) water.

TURN A DEAF EAR

-        to ignore someone.

The child had been whining and
crying all day. Eventually his mother
turned a deaf ear and ignored him.

Compare to: fall on deaf ears. The
two expressions are essentially synony-
mous, but whereas the request falls on deaf
ears, the person who ignores the request
turns a deaf ear.

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF

-        to change one's bad ways and begin to lead a better life.

The man promised the judge that
he was finished with his life of crime
and that he was ready to turn over a
new leaf.

The expression probably originates
from the idea of life as a book full of pages
(leaves). When one turn over a new leaf, he
leaves behind a spoiled page of his life and
turns to a fresh, clean page to start anew.

TURN THE OTHER CHEEK

-        not to retaliate; not to pay back bad behaviour with more bad behaviour.

When someone does something bad
to you, you should not retaliate. Instead you should turn the other
cheek.

Antonym: pay someone back. The
expression originates from the New Testa-
ment of the Bible, in which Jesus instructs
someone how to respond to ill treatment.

TURN THE TABLES [THE TABLES HAVE
TURNED]

-        to reverse the situation. The tables have turned means the situation has been
reversed.

Jane was poor when she started her
own business and she struggled for a
long time, but she finally turned the
tables and now she's wealthy.

TURN UP ONE'S NOSE AT
SOMETHING/SOMEONE

-        to scorn, snub, or reject something.

1. Mrs. Beasley wouldn't have any-
thing to do with her new neighbors. She thought they were too rough and
common for her. She turned up her
nose at them when they tried to make
friendly conversation. 2. The child
was so used to eating fresh vegetables
that when I tried to feed him frozen
vegetables, he turned up his nose at
them and refused to eat.

TURNING POINT

-        a critical point where a choice must be made.

Michael's heart attack was a real turn-
ing point in his life. He changed his
reckless ways and began eating better,
execising more and relaxing more.

The expression suggests a fork in
the mad where one must turn in one direc-
tion or the other, depending on which path
one chooses.