Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (34 page)
Here are two more idioms with
face:
show one’s face (around here)
(v)
to make an appearance, show up somewhere, often where one isn’t welcome. ♦
He’s a drug dealer, and if he
shows his face
around here, I’m going to call the police.
♦
I’ve been so busy working at home that I haven’t
shown my face
around the office for awhile.
slap in the face
(n)
an insult, either a direct or an indirect one, that usually happens when a person is feeling taken advantage of or disregarded ♦
After all the years you worked for this company, being laid off is
a slap in the face. ♦
She’s never even acknowledged all the help I gave her. What
a slap in the face!
The Eyes
The eyes are our
window on the world
, the lens from which we experience the world. Most idioms with
eye
or
eyes
refer to the ability to literally see or to figuratively see — understand, be aware.
Eyes That Are Amorous
The eyes are for looking and seeing. So, lots of idioms with the word
eye
refer to looking. The following idioms mean to look at someone with romantic or sexual interest:
make eyes at
♦
He was
making eyes at
her across the table.
give someone the eye
♦
Hey, Danny, I think she likes you. I saw her
giving you the eye.
eye someone
♦
They
eyed each other
across the room, hoping someone would introduce them.
Note:
To
eye someone
also can simply mean to look at someone with interest or attention, as in “The security guard has been
eyeing me
since I came in the store.”
[See also
catch one’s eye
later in this chapter.]
Eyes That Are Alert
The following expressions mean to watch for, to watch carefully, to notice, or to attract attention.
keep an eye out for
to watch for something, to be watchful ♦ Keep an eye out for
a parking space
.
They’re hard to find here in the city
. ♦ Keep an eye out for
your ride. You don’t want them to have to wait for you.
keep an eye on
to watch something or someone carefully; sometimes put as
keep a close eye on
♦
Could you
keep an eye on
my bag while I go to the restroom?
♦
When you’re working with the power saw, you have to
keep your eye on
what you’re doing.
Note:
People who seem able to
keep an eye on
everything at once, especially on things that someone is trying to hide, might be said to
have eyes in the back of their head.
For example: “Don’t try to sneak out for a smoke. The boss
has
eyes in the back of her head.
”
catch one’s eye
to attract one’s attention; to be noticeable; also put as to
catch someone’s eye,
meaning to try to attract someone’s attention ♦
That red jacket
caught my eye
in the store window.
♦
His big beautiful smile
caught my eye
right away.
♦
We were trying
to catch your eye
across the room, but you didn’t see us.
[See
go in with one’s eyes open
later in this chapter.]
Eyes That Are Happy
If you are happy to see someone whom you haven’t seen for awhile, you might say
You’re a sight for sore eyes,
meaning, “It’s wonderful to see you,” “It’s a joy or relief to see you.” For example
- Rachael, come in! You’re
a sight for sore eyes.
Anything that is a delight or a joy to see, and that makes you very happy, will make your
eyes light up.
For example
- When she opened the gift, her
eyes lit up.
The apple of your eye
is your favorite or most beloved person. For example
- That granddaughter of mine is
the apple of my eye!
Eyes That Are Open
To
open one’s eyes
is used in a number of expressions that have somewhat different meanings, depending on the exact wording of the idiom.
keep one’s eyes open (
or
peeled)
to be observant, watchful ♦ Keep your eyes open
and you’ll see some shooting stars up there.
♦
You’ve got
to keep your eyes open
if you don’t want to miss opportunities.
go in with one’s eyes open
to do something knowing all the possibilities; to enter a situation without being naive ♦
I lived in the house for years before I bought it, so I
went in with my eyes open. ♦
Being from racially mixed families, they’re
going into
this mixed marriage
with their eyes open.
open your eyes!
means “See the truth!” or “Stop ignoring the truth!” ♦ Open your eyes!
He’s just trying to take your money.
♦ C
an’t you see that she’s cheating on you?
Open your eyes!
have something open one’s eyes
to be made aware; to be enlightened or to understand more deeply ♦
The documentary really
opened my eyes
to the history of racial discrimination.
♦
Traveling can
open your eyes
to the world.
A Few More Eye Idioms
see eye-to-eye
to agree, to view something the same way ♦
We
see eye-to-eye
on everything, except politics.
♦
The world leaders don’t
see eye-to-eye
on the best strategy for peace.
cry one’s eyes out
to cry very hard and for a long time ♦
When she heard the news of her mother’s death, she
cried her eyes out. ♦
We
cried our eyes out
watching that movie.
one’s eyes are bigger than one’s stomach
said in reference to taking more food than one was able to eat ♦
I guess
my eyes are bigger than my stomach,
because I just can’t finish this.
♦
Your
eyes were bigger than your stomach.
You can save the rest for later.
pull the wool over someone’s eyes
to succeed in deceiving or tricking someone ♦
Don’t believe her. She’s trying to
pull the wool over your eyes. ♦
They really
pulled the wool over his eyes.
He never suspected they were embezzling.
The Ears
Most idioms with
ear
or
ears
allude to one of the common functions of the ears — to hear other people’s stories and problems.
All Ears
and Related Idioms
The ears are used for listening, so some idiomatic expressions with
ears
refer to listening attentively—or not listening at all. The following expressions mean to listen closely and attentively, to pay close attention to what someone is saying:
be all ears
to eagerly wait to hear something interesting or important ♦
So, tell me what happened! I’m
all ears.
lend an ear
to pay close attention to what someone will say ♦
If you’ll
lend an ear,
I’ll tell you how to register for this program.
prick up one’s ears
to begin to listen closely to something one hears ♦
When I heard them say your name, I
pricked up my ears.
In One Ear and Out the Other
and Related Idioms
When someone doesn’t pay attention to or heed what is being said (usually advice or instructions) people say that the information
goes in one ear and out the other.
This expression implies that the information doesn’t stay in the brain but simply passes through the head. Here are a few examples:
- I continually tell my son to hang up his clothes, but it
goes in one ear and out the other. - His doctor has advised him to quit smoking, but it just
goes in one ear and out the other.
Advice or information that
falls on deaf ears
is ignored or disregarded as if one is deaf and doesn’t hear it. Here are some examples of this expression in context:
- Any advice you give him will
fall on deaf ears.
He doesn’t want to hear it. - We told them not to invest in that risky venture, but it
fell on deaf ears.
When a person chooses not to listen, or is unwilling to heed advice or instructions, people might say that he or she
turned a deaf ear.
Here are a few examples:
- If you
turn a deaf ear
to the doctor’s warnings, you’ll end up in the hospital. - I explained the procedure, but he
turned a deaf ear,
and consequently did it wrong.
Bend Someone’s Ear
and Related Idioms
A number of idiomatic expressions with
ear
refer to talking, or rather, making someone else listen. The following two expressions mean to talk too much, to talk incessantly for a long time:
bend someone’s ear
♦
She
bent my ear
for over an hour with all her problems!
talk someone’s ear off
♦
I’ve been
talking your ear off
for 20 minutes. So tell me about yourself.
If one is hearing gossip, interesting news, or is being scolded for doing something wrong, one might say “I
got an earful
” or “I
was given an earful.”
Here are some examples:
- He
gave me an earful
about Ted and Linda’s divorce. - I really
got an earful
from mom about breaking that vase.
A Few More Ear Idioms
play something by ear
1.
to play a musical instrument without looking at the music or without formal training ♦
He can
play
almost any piece
by ear. ♦
I
play
piano
by ear
so I never learned to read music.
2.
to act without a preset plan; to improvise as a situation demands ♦
I’m not sure I want to go to that party tonight. Can we just
play it by ear? ♦
We don’t always have a set itinerary when we travel. Sometimes we just like
to play it by ear.
wet behind the ears
to be young and inexperienced, naïve. Alludes to the back of the ears as the last place to dry on a newborn calf. Often said to someone younger or much less experienced. Also put as
not dry behind the ears.
♦
Of course he’s going to make mistakes; he’s still
wet behind the ears. ♦
Hey, don’t try to give me advice. You’re still
wet behind the ears.
out on one’s ear
to be dismissed, thrown out, fired disgracefully or roughly ♦
The dean said, “You’ll
be out on your ear
if you fail any more classes.”
♦
When they caught him adding extra hours to his time card he was
out on his ear.
out of earshot
beyond hearing range; the opposite is
within earshot
♦
When the children are
out of earshot,
I’ll tell you what I bought them for Christmas.
♦
It’s a good thing that Paul was
out of earshot
when you said that about him.
dog-eared
refers to bent or turned down corners of pages in a book ♦
I loaned him the book, but it came back to me all
dog-eared. ♦
I’ve read this book so many times; that’s why it’s all
dog-eared.
The Nose
An important job of the nose is to smell things, but surprisingly few idioms allude to this function. Instead, idioms with the word
nose
allude to the nose being prominent, and therefore the body part that is closest to one’s work or something that one is investigating. Being prominent, the nose is also more vulnerable to injury than other features of the face. A number of idioms allude to this fact.
The Busy Nose
The nose sticks out a lot, or a little, on the face. So the nose is sometimes used in idioms as the most present, active, or curious body part. The following idiomatic expressions have the nose as central to the action.
have one’s nose in a book
to spend a lot of time reading; to be deeply engrossed in reading ♦
She
always has her nose in a book.
It’s impossible to have a conversation with her!
♦
You can usually find him with
his nose in a book.
He’s a real bookworm.
have one’s nose to the grindstone
to work intently; to work very hard on something. Alludes to a grindstone used to sharpen tools. This expression implies that one’s face (nose) remains close to one’s work. Also put as
keep one’s nose to the grindstone.
♦
He
had his nose to the grindstone
for weeks trying to finish that project.
♦
If you
keep your nose to the grindstone,
you’ll get good grades.
poke (
or
stick) one’s nose in someone’s business