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for once: this one time, for only one time
- For once I was able to win a game of golf against Steve, who is a much better player than I am.
- Dad, for once would you please let me drive the new car?
to go off: to explode; to sound as an alarm; to leave suddenly without explanation
- The accident happened when a box of firecrackers went off accidentally.
- For what time did you set the alarm clock to go off tomorrow morning?
- Vince went off without saying good-bye to anybody; I hope he wasn't angry.
to grow out of: to outgrow, to become too old for; to be a result of
- He still bites his nails now and then, but soon he'll grow out of the habit.
- The need for the salary committee grew out of worker dissatisfaction with the pay scale.
to make the best of: to do the best that one can in a poor situation
- If we can't find a larger apartment soon, we'll just have to make the best of it right here.
- Even though the Martinez family is having financial problems, they make the best of everything by enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
to cut off: to shorten by cutting the ends; to disconnect or stop suddenly
- The rope was two feet longer than we needed, so we cut off the extra length.
- The operator cut our long-distance phone conversation off after two minutes.
to cut out: to remove by cutting; to stop doing something
For the second definition, the idiom is usually separated by the pronoun it.
- The child likes to cut out pictures form the newspaper and to paste them in a notebook.
- He kept bothering her, so finally she told him to cut it out. However, he wouldn't knock it off until her larger brother appeared.
to blow out: to explode, to go flat (for tires); to extinguish by blowing
- On our trip to Colorado, one of the car tires blew out when it hit a large hole in the road.
- Little Joey wasn't able to blow all the candles out, so his big sister helped him.
to become of: to happen to (a missing object or person)
This idiom is always used in a clause beginning with what.
- What has become of my pencil? I had it ten minutes ago, but now I can't find it.
- I wondered what became of you. I looked around the shopping center for two hours, but I couldn't find you at all.
to shut up: to close for a period of time; to be quiet, to stop talking
The second definition of this idiom is impolite in formal situations.
- During the hurricane, all the store owners shut their shops up.
- Bob's sister told him to shut up and not say anything more about it.
- The student got into big trouble for telling his teacher to shut up.
have got: to have, to possess
- Curtis has got a bad cold. He's sneezing and coughing a lot.
- How much money have you got with you right now?
have got to: must
- She has got to go to Chicago today to sign the contract papers.
- I have to be back home by two o'clock or my wife will feel ill at ease.
to keep up with: to maintain the same speed or rate as
- Frieda works so fast that no one in the office can keep up with her.
- You'll have to walk more slowly. I can't keep up with you.
on the other hand: however, in contrast
- Democracies provide people many freedoms and privileges. On the other hand, democracies suffer many serious problems such as crime and unemployment.
- My sister takes after my father in appearance. On the other hand, I take after my mother.
to turn down: to reduce in brightness or volume; to reject, to refuse
- Please turn down the radio for me. It's too loud while I'm studying.
- Laverne wanted to join the military but the recruiting officer turned her application down because Laverne is hard of hearing in one ear.
fifty-fifty: divided into two equal parts
- Let's go fifty-fifty on the cost of a new rug for our apartment.
- The political candidate has a fifty-fifty chance of winning the election.
to break in: gradually to prepare something for use that is new and stiff; to interrupt
- It is best to break a new car in by driving it slowly for the first few hundred miles.
- While Carrie and I were talking, Bill broke in to tell me about a telephone call.
- Peter, it's very impolite to cut in like that while others are speaking.
a lost cause: a hopeless case, a person or situation having no hope of positive change.
- It seems that Charles will never listen to our advice. I suppose it's a lost cause.
- The police searched for the missing girl for two weeks, but finally gave it up as a lost cause.
- Children who have committed several crimes as teenagers and show no sorrow about their actions are generally lost causes.
above all: mainly, especially
- Above all, don't mention the matter to Gerard; he's the last person we should tell.
- Sheila does well in all her school subjects, but above all in mathematics. Her math scores are always over 95 percent.
to do without: survive or exist without something; With prices so high now, I'll have to do without a new suit this year.
- As a traveling salesperson, Monica can't do without a car.
- It's a shame that so many poor people in the world have to go without basic necessities of life such as nutritious food and suitable shelter.
according to: in the order of; on the authority of
- The students on the football team were ranked according to height, from shortest to tallest.
- According to my dictionary, you are using that word in your essay incorrectly.
to be bound to: to be certain to, to be sure to
This idiom is used when the occurrence of an event seems inevitable or unavoidable.
- We are bound to be late if you don't hurry up.
- With the economy improving now, their business is bound to make more money this year.
for sure: without doubt
- In the dark, I couldn't tell for sure whether it was Polly or Sarah who drove by.
- I now for certain that Gene will move back to Washington next month.
to take for: to perceive or understand as
This idiom is usually used when someone is mistakenly perceived. A noun or pronoun must separate the idiom.
- Because of his strong, muscular body, I took him for a professional athlete. As it turns out, he doesn't play any professional sports.
- What do you take me for --- a fool? I don't believe what you're saying at all.
to try out: to test, to use during a trial period
- You can try out the new car before you decide to buy it.
- I can let you try the computer out for a few days before you make a decision.
to tear down: to destroy by making flat, to demolish
- The construction company had to tear down the old hotel in order to build a new office building.
- The owners had to tear the house down after it burned down in a fire.
to tear up: to rip into small pieces
- Diedre tore up the letter angrily and threw all the pieces into the trash can.
- He told the lawyer to tear the old contract up and then to prepare a new one.
to go over: to be appreciated or accepted
This idiom is usually followed by the adverb well. (I Lesson 6 this idiom has the meaning to review, as in the second sentence of the second example below.)
- The teacher's organized lessons always go over well with her students.
- The comedian's jokes weren't going over well; the audience wasn't laughing much at all. I think that the comedian should go over his material more carefully before each act.
to run out of: to exhaust the supply of, not to have more of
- We ran out of gas right in the middle of the main street in town.
- It's dangerous to run out of water if you are in an isolated area.
at heart: basically, fundamentally
This idiom is used to describe the true character of a person.
- James sometimes seems quite unfriendly, but at heart he's a good person.
- The Fares often don't see eye to eye, but at heart they both love each other very much.
about to: ready to, just going to
- We were about to leave the house when the phone rang.
- I'm sorry that I broke in. What were you about to say?
to bite off: to accept as a responsibility or task
This idiom is often used when one accepts more responsibility than one can handle alone. It is usually used in the form to bite off more than one can chew.
- When I accepted the position of chairman, I didn't realize how much I was biting off.
- When James registered for 18 units in his last semester at college, he bit off more than he could chew.