Key words with English idioms - Lession 3: High

KEY WOReDS WITH ENGLISH IDIOMS 03
HIGH
be for the 'high jump (informal) be liable to be punished, criticized etc. severely. 
 - I shall before the high jump ifI make a mess of these export order forms again.
be get high (on something) be/get high spirited as a result of the influence of alcohol, drugs etc. 
 - Grandad won’t drink Coke. He seems to think he'll get high on it.
be in high spirits be in a lively, cheerful mood. 
 - 'You 're in high spirits today.' ~ 'Yes, I'vejust hadsome verygood news.'
be /tget on one’s high horse behave in an arrogant manner. 
 - Patrick's been on his high horse ever since he won a scholarship to Oxford.
be riding high be very successful in one’s career, especially in the eyes of others. 
 - Diana’s riding high al the moment. She’sjust been promoted and is expected to be 
 made head of department within the year.
high and dry abandoned, ignored, isolated. 
 - The car broke down, miles away from anywhere. A van took Barry to the next village to get help, so I was left high and dry until he got back.
a high flyer a person who is very ambitious in his career wishes/plans.
 - Rosemary is tryingforajob in the diplomatic service - but then she always was a 
 highflyer.
high and low everywhere possible (with look, search). 
 - Where on earth can the keys be? I've searched high and low for them!
high and mighty behaving in a superior, arrogant manner. 
 - Why is Roger so arrogant these days? What’s he got to be so high and mighty about?
in high places (friends, people) in top-level positions in government and administration; people of influence and power. 
 - 'I hear Charles is in a spot of trouble with a drunken driving charge.' 
 ~ 'Yes, but he’ll be all right. He has friends in high places.'
it’s high time (one did something) said when something must be done
without more delay.
 - If the examination’s next week, it's high time you started doing some work.
with a high hand, in a high-handed fashion/ manner in an arrogant fashion, without consideration for the wishes or opinions of others.
 - Jane deals with everyone's complaints with a very high hand. Some customers have complained about her.
SHORT
a short cut a quicker or easier way of going somewhere or doing something. 
 - Don’t take the main road, it's too far. There's a short cut behind the church and through the woods. 
 - There are no short cuts to success in becoming a good doctor, just a lot of hard work and experience.
at short notice with little warning, shortly before something has to be done, etc. 
 - You can't expect me to translate ten pages ofa difficult contract al such short notice.
be short with someone be abrupt, unfriendly. 
 - Have I done something wrong? Mrs Bellamy was very short with me.
be/run short (ofsomething) not have enough ofsomething, e.g. time, money, food, writing-paper. 
 - We’re running rather short oflime, so we had better discuss the last two points on the agenda next week.
be taken short have to make a hurried visit to a lavatory. 
 - How embarrassing to be taken short in the middle of a speech!
cut something short bring something to an end before the expected time. 
 - We got an emergency call to say that there had been an accident in the factory, so we had to art the meeting short.
fall short ofone’s hopes/expectations be inadequate, disappointing, not as much/as good as one had hoped or expected. 
 - The interview went very well, but the salary they offered me fell short ofmy expectations.
for short as an abbreviation. - His name’s Konrad Jackson, but everybody calls him 'Kojak' forshort.
have a short temper become angry easily, frequendy or quickly. 
 - Father had a short temper, so I was seldom really naughty as a child.
in short briefly, in a few words, in summary. 
 - The weather was good, the hotel was first-rate, and we had lots of fun. In short, the holiday was most enjoyable.
in short supply scarce, not enough available. 
 - Hard workers seem to be in short supply in this department. Almost everyone's taking a coffee break again.
little nothing short of... little/nothing less than... 
 - What you are suggesting we do is little short of blackmail.
make short work of something deal with something quickly. 
 - 'Are there many letters to answer?' ~ 'Only three, so we 'II make short work ofthem.'
pull something someone up short (a) stop a vehicle suddenly. 
 - This car pulled up short in front ofme, so I had to swerve and almost fell off my bicycle!
(b) interrupt someone when speaking, often in order to correct. 
 - The boss noticed immediately that I was quoting the wrong figures and pulled me up
short.
short and to the point (a speech, order, letter etc.) short, direct and clear, possibly abrupt. 
 - Don’t make the speech too long. Keep it short and to the point. 
 - What she had to say was short and to the point: she was not standing again for election.
short of something/doing something except, apart from. 
 - They say he’s capable ofanything short of murder. 
 - Short of throwing me out, he tried everything to get me to leave.
END
at the end of one’s tether in a position where one has no more patience, hope etc. left. 
 - Children ill, husband out of work, mother in hospital - Poor Annie’s at the end ofher tether.
at the end of the day when one has considered everything. 
 – I know Chris has his faults, but at the end ofthe day he's the only man who can do the job properly.
at a loose end having nothing to do, having time to waste..
 - Judy feels at a loose end, now that the term is over.
be the end (informal) the worst, the most exasperating etc. 
 - I know some people talk a lot, but Marilyn is the end. She never stops!
(not) be the end of the world (for someone) (informal) (not) be a total disaster. 
 - If I didn't get the job, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I've got another offer.
get hold of the wrong end of the stick misunderstand the meaning, intention, situation totally. 
 - No, no, I said exactly the opposite! It’sjust like Iris to get hold of the wrong end of the stick.
go off (at) the deep end (informal) lose control and become angry.
 - When father heard that I'd given up physics, he went off at the deep end.
in the end finally, at last, after other things have happened. 
 - Tâm Vy didn’t want to chair the committee, but in the end we were able to persuade her.
keep one’s end tip continue to he in good spirits even when one is sad, disappointed etc. 
 - Bad luck, Tom, but keep your end up. There will be other opportunities.
light at the end of the tunnel promise of better things (e.g. success, happiness) after a long time ofdifficulty, hardship, etc 
 - After months of hard work and no in come, there was light at the end of the tunnel. A small publisher had agreed to publish his first English course book.
never hear the end of it (informal) hear a matter talked about again and again. 
 - Her husband was so angry when she threw away his oldgardening trousers. She'll never hear the end of it!
no end of... very many/much. - Jeremy has no end of books on football.
 - There was no end of argument at the meeting last night.
on end continuously. - Bill studies for hours on end.
the end justifies the means (saying). If the aim is good, it may be achieved by any method, fair or unfair. 
 - I know I exaggerated about my past job experience at the interview, but I got the job, and after all, the end justifies the means.
the end of the line/road the point at which some activity or situation must stop (e.g. a relationship) because no further progress is possible or because it has no future etc. 
 - When Stephanie discovered that Dan was seeing another woman, she knew that if would mean the end of the line for their relationship.
to no end in vain, for nothing. 
 - She tried to convince her father that she was telling the truth, but it was all to no end. He didn’t believe her.
make (both) ends meet manage with the money one earns or has. 
 - How can anyone make ends meet on £40 a week?
tie / clear up loose ends complete small matters/jobs; attend to matters, questions, etc. that are still to be decided. 
 - I still have quite a few loose ends to tie up at the office before Igo on holiday.
THIN
as thin as a rake (a person) extremely thin. 
 – Some people can eat as many fattyfoods and sweet things as they like, and still be as thin as a rake.
be skating on thin ice be in an uncertain, risky situation. 
 - Be careful, Bob! If you make any promises, you 're skating on thin ice. We dion't know yet whether we can guarantee these prices.
disappear / vanish into thin air disappear without trace. 
 - Wherever can my Dylan motorbike be? It can’t have vanished into thin air.
out of thin air from nowhere. 
 - The story I told you about Roger didn't just come out of thin air, you know. There's some truth in it, whether you want to believe it or not.
a thin audience not many spectators. 
 - The local drama group gave a really good performance of 'Private Lives'. That a pity that there was such a thin audience on the first night.
the thin end of the wedge just the beginning of something that will develop into a much greater event, problem, scandal, etc.
 - I have the feeling that this one incident at the school is only the thin end of the wedge. The dissatisfaction among the students is likely to lead to more chaos.
a thin excuse an unconvincing excuse. 
 - So you coiild’t find your pen. Isn’t that a rather thin excuse for not doing your homework?
thin on top not having much hair, becoming bald. 
 - Dad’s a bit thin on top already. I guess he'll be bald by the time he’s 50.
a thin time a period of unpleasantness, poor health, lack of money, etc.
 - When Jack came home form abroad, he had a pretty thin time. His wife had left him; he couldn’t get work and nobody was willing to help him.
through thick and thin support or stay with someone even if there are problems or difficulties: - She has stuck with me through thick and thin. 
wear thin (informal) (a) become less and less patient:
 - I've warned you several times about being late and my patience is wearing thin. 
(b) become boring or annoying or stops being funny or effective, because it has been seen, heard, or used too much: 
 - Tony, the joke is beginning to wear thin now and a lot of us have had enough. 
 - Her standard excuse for being late was beginning to wear thin.
 to be continied