Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (30 page)
Hard Work and Determination
The ideal of
The American Dream
is that no matter how poor or disadvantaged you are, you can achieve material success through hard work and determination. Of course, in reality, the opportunity to reach this dream is greatly helped or hindered by economic and societal factors.
Make an Honest Effort
and Related Idioms
To
make an effort
means to try and to
make an honest effort
means to try very hard with earnest intentions. Here are some examples:
- Anyone who
makes an honest effort
in this class will get a passing grade. - He’s our newest employee, but he’s
making an honest effort
to learn the business, and the boss is very pleased.
Here are some other idioms that mean to make an honest or good effort, even if one is not successful in the end:
give it the old college try
give it one’s best (shot)
do one’s best
Here are a few examples:
- I don’t know yet if I passed the bar exam, but I sure
gave it the old college try. - I can’t promise that the report will be finished by tomorrow, but I’ll
give it my best shot!
[See also
do one’s best
in Appendix I.]
Sweat Blood
and Related Idioms
Here are a number of expressions that mean to work very hard to accomplish something:
sweat blood (over something)
to work extremely hard, often with a lot of anxiety ♦
The work crews were
sweating blood
to clean up the mess from the hurricane before tourist season began.
♦
I’ve
sweated blood
over this doctoral dissertation, and it’s finally finished.
work like a dog
to work very hard doing difficult physical labor or menial work ♦
You’ll
work like a dog
if you open a restaurant.
♦
He
worked like a dog
to finish the new roof before the winter storms came.
Grammar Note:
Work like a dog
is a simile (a comparison using the word
like
or
as
).
work one’s hardest
to work very hard and to do one’s best job. This expression is often followed by a verb in the infinitive form. ♦
We’re
working our hardest
to complete the construction before the holidays.
♦
I don’t think that he’s
working his hardest
to find a job. He should have found one by now.
work one’s butt off
a slang expression meaning to exhaust oneself working very hard. Sometimes used when one’s work was not appreciated or successful. This expression is often followed by a verb in the gerund form (verb +
-ing
). ♦
Those kids
worked their butts off
getting ready for their drama production.
♦
He
worked his butt off
for the election campaign, and never received any thanks.
knock oneself out
to exhaust oneself working very hard; to do one’s very best work. This expression is often followed by a verb in the gerund form (verb +
-ing
). ♦
We
knocked ourselves out
getting ready for our big family reunion.
♦
This meal is fabulous. You really
knocked yourself out.
pull out all the stops
to use every effort and resource to accomplish something; to not hold back. Alludes to pulling out all the stops on an organ, that is, opening up all the organ pipes, to create the largest sound. ♦
The city
pulled out all the stops
in planning for the winter Olympic Games.
♦
This is the biggest and most important contract the company has ever had, so we’re
pulling out all the stops
to get the job done.
[See
work one’s fingers to the bone
and
have one’s nose to the grindstone
in Chapter 13.]
Burning the Midnight Oil
and Related Idioms
Here are some expressions that mean to work long hours:
burn the midnight oil
to work late at night; work past midnight. Alludes to an oil lamp that is still lit at midnight so that one can continue working. ♦
When I was in law school, I would
burn the midnight oil
every night.
burn the candle at both ends
to work at a pace that is impossible to sustain; to work so hard that physical or mental health suffers. ♦
You’re going to get sick if you continue
burning the candle at both ends.
You need some rest.
work 24/7
to work most of the time or a lot of overtime; implies working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ♦
We’ve been working
24/7
to finish making the costumes in time for the show.
♦
This new job has him
working 24/7.
When he’s not at work, he’s home on the computer or on his cell phone doing business.
[Also see
24/7
in Chapter 15.]
Dogged Determination
and Related Idioms
Many things are accomplished by
dogged determination
(stubborn determination, firm purpose, or resolve). A person’s strong determination can be described with one of these expressions that use the word
set.
Here,
set
means to be firmly fixed on, unmoving.
be dead set on
to be determined to do something or determined that something will happen. This expression is often followed by a verb in the gerund form (verb +
-ing
). ♦
She
is dead set on
getting into medical school, and she’s working hard to make it happen.
♦
They
are dead set on
taking that bicycle trip, even though George has arthritis.
set one’s sights on
to establish a goal or have a firm goal ♦
He has
set his sights on
New York University, and he says that he won’t go to any other college.
♦
Once she’s
set her sights on
something, she goes out and gets it. Nothing stops her from reaching her goal.
set (
or
put) one’s mind to
to put all of one’s concentration and effort toward something; to have a focused determination ♦
Whatever he
sets his mind to,
he can accomplish.
♦
I can pass the TOEFL exam if I
set my mind to
it and prepare myself.
No Matter What
and Related Idioms
The following expressions, which can all be used interchangeably, show solid determination when faced with some obstacles or temptation:
no matter what
♦
I quit smoking last month, and
no matter what,
I’m not going to start again.
one way or another
♦ One way or another
we’re going to take a vacation this year.
come what may
♦ Come what may,
I’ll find a way to finish my education.
come hell or high water
♦ Come hell or high water,
this project must be finished before the end of the fiscal year.
Opportunity
When
opportunity
knocks
or
comes along
(presents itself), you should take it—or
answer the door
. Sometimes people say that an opportunity
landed
or
fell into their lap
, meaning that they did not have to look for it or try to cultivate the opportunity. It simply came unexpectedly, by chance. Here’s an example:
- The opportunity to become theater director just
fell into my lap
when the former director quit.
Another way to describe this situation is to say that you
were in the right place at the right time
, meaning that you just happened to be there and available when an opportunity presented itself. This expression is sometimes used when people are modest about their accomplishments, as the following example shows:
- Many of my co-workers were qualified for the position, but I was just
in the right place at the right time,
and I got the job.
It can also be used to imply that a person was lucky to get an opportunity, or that he or she may be underqualified:
- We needed to hire a manager right away, and Brian was
in the right place at the right time.
Get a Chance
and Related Idioms
If you
get a chance
at something, that means that you have an opportunity. When an opportunity, an advantage, or special consideration is offered by someone, you might use a passive form, saying “I was
given the chance.”
Here are some examples of
get a chance
showing the active and the passive form:
- I hope I
get a chance
at that management position. - We’ve
given
him three
chances,
but he continues to come to work late. Now we have to fire him.
Note:
Get a chance
can also mean to find the time to do something, as in, “When I
get a chance,
I’ll put these photos into a scrapbook.”
Following are more expressions that mean to give someone an opportunity or introduce someone to a situation that might be advantageous:
hand something on a silver platter
to give an opportunity or reward that a person hasn’t had to work for. This expression is often phrased passively as to
be handed something on a silver platter,
meaning to receive or obtain something very easily or by special privilege. Alludes to the silver platter that a servant uses to pass something to a wealthy employer. ♦
They
handed
him the CEO position
on a silver platter
because his uncle is president of the company
♦
Don’t expect opportunities to be
handed
to you
on a silver platter. Y
ou have to work hard and be prepared.
get someone into something
to introduce someone to and involve someone in something; to get someone accepted or admitted ♦
She
got him into
rock climbing, and now he’s a climbing instructor.
♦
My dad
got me into
the company that I work for because he knows the owner.
Grammar Note:
Saying
I got into (something)
means that one became interested or involved in something, but it does not imply that one was offered or received a special opportunity.
turn someone on to something
to introduce someone to or influence someone’s interest in something. Sometimes phrased passively as to
be turned on to something,
but the expression is usually put in the active form when the meaning is “given an opportunity.” ♦
My instructor
turned me on to
the archaeological project, and I’ve worked there ever since.
♦
I want to
turn you on to
an organization that may be willing to give you a grant for your research.
Types of Opportunities
The following are a few idioms that are all used to describe an opportunity that is rare, may not come again, and is fantastic:
golden opportunity
♦
This new job is my
golden opportunity
to travel, take photographs, and get paid for it!
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
♦
To visit the gorillas deep in the jungles of Africa is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
the opportunity of a lifetime
♦
She’s been offered a position with the Bolshoi Ballet. It’s the
opportunity of a lifetime,
and something she’s dreamt of.
Jump at the Chance
and Related Idioms
Seeing an opportunity and quickly taking it is often described with one of the following expressions:
jump at the chance
♦
If I get an opportunity to work overseas,
I’ll jump at the chance.
go after it
♦
When you see an opportunity, you have to
go after it.
Don’t wait until it’s gone.
go for it
♦
You like the house, and it’s a good price. If I were you, I’d
go for it.
take (
or
grab) it
♦
It’s a great opportunity.
Grab it
before someone else does!
Note:
In the expressions above, the preposition
it
is substituted for a previously mentioned noun. If the noun has not been mentioned, one would say, for example, “You should
go after
the management position” or “I’d
grab
the opportunity if I were you.”
Lose the Chance
and Related Idioms
In contrast to
jumping at the chance
, if you wait too long, or aren’t ready when an opportunity comes along, you’ll
lose
or
miss the chance
or
opportunity.
Here are some examples:
- He submitted his application after the deadline, so he
lost the opportunity
to get financial aid this semester. - Darn! We
missed the chance
to buy concert tickets to see Jewel. They sold out yesterday.