1. IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
1. the land of milk and honey – a place where life is pleasant and easy and
people are very happy
EXAMPLE: She had always longed to travel to the United States and to see
what she imagined as the land of milk and honey.
2. lay down your life – die for
EXAMPLE: Thousands of young men laid down their lives in the war so that
we could live again.
3. a leap in the dark – an action or a risk that you take without knowing
anything about the activity or what the result will be
EXAMPLE: Government ministers are being accused of talking a leap in the
dark as they prepare to radically change the education system.
4. let your hair down – relax completely and enjoy yourself , especially after a
period when you have not been able to do so
EXAMPLE: Why don’t you let your hair down a bit?
5. lie through your teeth – tell very obvious lies without being embarrassed
EXAMPLE: The witness was clearly lying through his teeth.
6. look down your nose – behave in a way that suggests that you think that
you are better than, or that is not good enough for you
EXAMPLE – Why do you always look down your nose at people who have
less money than you?
7. be looking over your shoulder – be anxious and have the feeling that is
going to do unpleasant or armful to you
EXAMPLE: Many employees are looking over their shoulders, because jobs
are at risk and nobody knows who will be next.
8. melt in your mouth – be soft and very good to eat
EXAMPLE: They serve steaks that just melt in your mouth.
9. merge into the background – behave quietly when you are with a group of
people so that they do not notice you
EXAMPLE: Nick didn’t say anything during the meeting, and it was obvious
that he was desperately trying to merge into the background.

2. 10. put your money where your mouth is – show that you really mean what you
say
EXAMPLE: The government talks about helping disabled people, but doesn’t
put its money where its mouth is.
11. keep your nose clean – do nothing that will get into trouble with the police or
other authorities
EXAMPLE: After he came out of the prison, he was determined to keep his
nose clean.
12. nutty as a fruitcake - completely crazy
EXAMPLE: He is as nutty as a fruitcake.
13. paper over the cracks – try to hide a problem or disagreement in a way that
is temporary and not likely to be successful
EXAMPLE: These new prison reforms are just papering over the cracks.
14. go through your paces – perform a particular activity in order to show other
people what you are capable of doing
EXAMPLE: We watched the trainee waiters going through their paces.
15. make a pig of yourself– eat and drink too much, be greedy
EXAMPLE: She always makes such a pig of herself.
16. rack your brains – try very hard to think of or remember
EXAMLE: I have been racking my brains all day trying to remember his name.
17. read between the lines – find or look for a hidden or extra meaning in a
person says or writes, usually their real feelings about
EXAMPLE: Reading between the lines, it was obvious that he was feeling
lonely.
18. roll with the punches – adapt yourself into a difficult situation
EXAMPLE: Well, there’s nothing we can do to change things. We’ll just have
to learn to roll with the punches.
19. scratch your head – think hard in order to find an answer
EXAMPLE: We are all scratching our heads for an answer to the problem.
20. shoot yourself in the foot – do or say stupid which is against your own
interest
EXAMPLE: You had better prepare your argument carefully – you don’t want
to shoot yourself in the foot.

3. Republic of the Philippines
MINDORO STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
Main Camus
Alcate, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
ENGLISH FOR ESPICIFIC PORPUSES
Course Discription
Submitted to
DR. CECILIA G. SALAZAR
Director for Graduate Studies
Submitted by
MERLITO A. MARCIANO, JR.
Student
FEBRUARY 06, 2013
Date of Submission