Master the Hidden Meanings of English Idioms

"Don't underestimate Maria in contract negotiations; she's a very smart cookie."

"Despite breaking her ankle during the second mile, she finished the marathon—she's one tough cookie."

"Yes, Virginia, there really are honest contractors who finish projects on time and under budget."

"While the alarm bells were blaring, the head surgeon remained as cool as a cucumber."

"The engineer revised the blueprints twice to ensure they would pass muster with the city building inspectors."

"Sending him to negotiate the peace accord was a mistake—he acted like a bull in a china shop."

"We can't postpone the server migration any longer; we just have to bite the bullet and do it tonight."

"Medical students routinely burn the midnight oil during exam week."

"We wanted the birthday party to be a complete surprise, but Uncle Dave spilled the beans."

"After preparing for months, the driving exam was a piece of cake."

"You should take rumors on social media with a healthy grain of salt."

"We were going to announce the new feature next Monday, but the marketing preview let the cat out of the bag."

"If you think accusing the junior developer will fix the database corruption, you're barking up the wrong tree."

"The host told a funny self-deprecating story to break the ice at the start of the conference."

"I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, so I will work from home and rest my throat."

"Upgrading our cloud infrastructure was urgent, but the enterprise license cost an arm and a leg."

"Sarah hit the nail on the head when she pointed out our poor onboarding process was causing user churn."

"My brother lives in Tokyo, so we only get to see each other once in a blue moon."

"The contractor cut corners on the foundation, leading to serious structural cracks five years later."

"Ever since receiving her medical school acceptance letter, she has been floating on cloud nine."

"He was feeling down in the dumps after his favorite podcast was cancelled."

"Her colleagues were green with envy when she landed the chief creative officer role at age 28."

"Let's touch base on Thursday afternoon before we submit the final pitch to the client."

"I don't need exact invoice pennies today; just give me a ballpark figure for the server migration."

"The initial prototype failed the pressure test, so it's back to the drawing board for the design team."

"The Olympic stadium became a multimillion-dollar white elephant after the games concluded."

"The independent film was a dark horse that ended up winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards."

"Our neighborhood mechanic is the salt of the earth; he always fixes elderly residents' cars for free."

"Even when resigning from a difficult job, it's wise not to burn bridges with your former managers."

"My co-founder and I don't always see eye to eye on UI design, but we share the same ethical principles."

"Sit down and spill the tea about what happened at the awards gala last night."

"Even after ten years of stage acting, I still get butterflies in my stomach right before opening night."

"By agreeing to direct three plays in one semester, she bit off more than she could chew."

"We lost the account, but it's no use crying over spilt milk; let's focus on winning the next RFP."

"Nobody wanted to mention the CEO's sudden resignation, but it was the giant elephant in the room."

"Following that anonymous tip sent the investigative team on a six-week wild goose chase."

"As a backcountry camper attending a black-tie ballroom gala, Mark felt like a total fish out of water."

"I can drop off the package on my way to the grocery store and kill two birds with one stone."

"I didn't believe the merger rumors until I heard them straight from the horse's mouth—the CEO himself."

"Let me play devil's advocate for a moment: what happens if our key cloud supplier raises prices by 40%?"

"After ten years of bitter artistic rivalry, the two painters finally buried the hatchet and held a joint exhibition."

"If you keep burning the candle at both ends, your immune system will collapse."

"She spent fifteen years climbing the corporate ladder from junior copywriter to vice president."

"You have practiced this violin solo for three months; go out there and break a leg!"

"Restoring that 1968 Shelby Mustang must have cost a pretty penny."

"From the moment they met at the bookshop, Liam was head over heels in love."

"The investor got cold feet at the last minute and withdrew his funding term sheet."

"After accidentally sending confidential payroll numbers to the public channel, he had to face the music with HR."

"It's past midnight and we have an early flight tomorrow, so I'm going to hit the sack."

"As a rule of thumb, emergency savings should cover between three and six months of living expenses."

"I heard through the grapevine that our department is moving to the newly renovated downtown campus."

"Polling indicates that roughly fifteen percent of independent voters remain on the fence."

"Announcing your pregnancy at someone else's wedding is the ultimate way to steal the bride's thunder."

"Take an umbrella and rain boots; it is raining cats and dogs outside."

"Losing my corporate banking job was a blessing in disguise because it prompted me to launch my bakery."

"His seven-year-old granddaughter is the absolute apple of his eye."

"We have fixed the three main security vulnerabilities, so let's call it a day and get dinner."

"If you continually exaggerate server downtime, people will assume you are crying wolf."

"The international trade treaty looks promising on paper, but the devil is in the details."

"At eighty-five years old, he still runs three miles every morning and is fit as a fiddle."

"The exterior of the diner looked rundown, but the pasta was Michelin-star quality—never judge a book by its cover."

"I know you didn't get the role, but keep your chin up—there are three more auditions next week."

"The fraud investigators left no stone unturned in their forensic examination of the banking ledgers."

"To make a long story short, we missed our connecting flight and ended up taking a scenic train across the Alps."

"Waking up at 5:00 AM for winter rowing practice is brutal, but no pain, no gain."

"When David volunteered to work the Saturday shift, it let me off the hook."

"We don't know what time the thunderstorm will pass, so let's just play it by ear for dinner plans."

"Don't worry, your car wasn't towed—I was just pulling your leg!"

"I hate to rain on your parade, but the hotel we booked is undergoing heavy construction all weekend."

"He was so obsessed with pixel margins that he couldn't see the forest for the trees—the entire app navigation was broken."

"They have been steadfast friends through thick and thin for over forty-five years."

"I can't believe our summer vacation is already over; time flies when you are having fun."

"Quantum entanglement is a mind-bending physics concept that is hard to wrap your head around."