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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

wildcat strike:    a strike spontaneously arranged by a group of workers

Example:  

The garbage men’s union went on a wildcat strike, and the trash has been piling up all week.

wolf in sheep’s clothing:    a person who pretends to be good but really is bad

Example:  

Lester may seem like a nice guy at first, but I’m telling you – he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

throw someone to the wolves:    send someone into danger without protection

Example:  

Do you think your friendship with Dave will save your job?  He wouldn’t hesitate to throw his own grandmother to the wolves, so you can bet he’s not going to lose any sleep over your situation.

turn tail:    run away from trouble or danger

Example:  

When the school bully heard that Jack was taking karate lessons, he turned tail and didn’t harass him anymore.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

take the bull by the horns:    stop avoiding a problem and take action

Example:  

Well, I’m not fond of yard work, but let’s just take the bull by the horns and get it done.

talk until the cows come home:        talk for a long time

Example:  

It’s been over ten years since Mom saw Aunt Jean, and they stayed up all night talking till the cows came home.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

straw that breaks the camel’s back:    a small trouble which follows other troubles and makes one become angry or do something

Example:  

Mr. Jones is a patient teacher, but when Steve came late for class for the eighth time this month, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

tail between one’s legs:    feel beaten, ashamed (after a scolding etc.)

Example:  

Widow Douglas gave the boys such a talking-to when their baseball broke her window that they all went home with their tails between their legs.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

smell a rat:    be suspicious, feel that something is wrong

Example:  

The accountant knew he smelled a rat when he examined the books and found some money was missing from the bank account.

straight from the horse’s mouth:    directly from the person or place where something began

Example:  

Did you know that Jack and Mary are moving to Georgia next month?  I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

sacred cow:    a person or thing that is never criticized or changed even if it should be

Example:  

Until the politicians deal with the sacred cow of entitlement programs, the US will not solve its debt problem.

scaredy-cat:    someone who is easily frightened (used by children)

Example:  

Why are you such a scaredy-cat?  It’s just a little old spider!

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

ride herd on:    watch closely and control someone

Example:  

Jane is a competent adult – you don’t have to ride herd on her to make sure she finishes the project on time.

road hog, ball hog, etc.:    someone who takes more than his share of the item

Example:  

Nobody wants Sam on their team because he’s such a ball hog.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

rat (out) on:    desert or betray someone

Example:  

Although the teacher threatened all the boys with punishment if they didn’t tell who pulled the prank, they stuck together and refused to rat on Mark.

rat race:    rushing around, confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose

Example:  

Someday I’m going to save enough money to retire to Montana and get away from the rat race.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

put the cart before the horse:    do things in the wrong order

Example:

Tom and Becky have been dating for only a month, and she’s already picked out her wedding dress?  Isn’t that putting the cart before the horse?

rain cats and dogs:    rain very hard

Example:  

You might as well wait before you go on your walk – it’s raining cats and dogs right now.

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Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

play cat and mouse with someone:    tease or fool someone

Example:  

The spy movie was suspenseful because of the way the hero played cat and mouse with the double agent.

put all one’s eggs in one basket:    to rely too much on a single thing

Example:

One of the cardinal rules of investing is not to put all your financial eggs in one basket.

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