Idioms Builder

I don’t think he’s ready to be the CFO. He’s only 36 years old and still _____ behind the ears.

He asked for a raise but I wouldn’t give it to him. We can easily find someone else to do the job. Guys like him are a _____ a dozen.

Despite all of her success, she remained a humble, _____ -to-earth person.

I grew up on the wrong side of the _____. Nothing was given to me and I had to work extremely hard for everything I have. 

Kurt worked in sales for several years but he decided he wasn’t cut _____ for it. He went back to school and became a nurse.

I didn’t get John’s offer in writing, but he is a man of his _____ and I know I can trust him.

He’s a young, up-and- ______ member of the Democratic party.

I’m not much of a morning person. I’m more of a night _____.

No way would I pay $10,000 for this car. You can’t take advantage of me like that. I wasn’t born ______.

Tom is a bit of a hot-_____. He loses his temper easily and jumps down people’s throats.

Saying Luke likes soccer is an understatement. He eats, sleeps, and ______ it.

I hears she’s tough as _____ during negotiations. She always gets her way.

Martin’s brothers and sisters are doctors and lawyers. I guess you could say he’s the black ______ of the family. He’s a drummer in a rock band.

He comes from a _____ collar, working-class background.

Jake’s grandfather was a millionaire. Jake was born with a _____ spoon in his mouth.

There’s a rumor that layoffs are coming. Management wants to get rid of all the dead _____.

Stan isn’t very social. He tends to _____ to himself instead of talking to other people.

Being a _____ -shot Hollywood producer has really changed him. He’s become a bit full of himself.

I was such a happy-go- _____ kid. There was nothing to worry about.

It’s tough to find someone more kind and generous than Christine. She’d give you the shirt off her_____.

Mark doesn’t have a lot of experience, but we see the potential in him. He’s a diamond in the _____.

Don’t trust anyone in this business. Most of these people are two- _____ liars.

Five years ago he was a great soccer player. Now he’s past his _____.

Carter acts tough, but on the inside he has a heart of _____.

Mike’s a first- _____ architect who has won the respect and admiration of his peers.

Elizabeth is applying to law schools right now. Her father was a famous defense attorney. It seems like she wants to follow in his _____.

I tried to convince him to use social media, but he’s set in his _____ and doesn’t want to consider it.

When she made the investment some people thought she was _____ of her mind, but she turned out to be right.

You’ll really like the new manager. He’s a real class _____.

Bart is a chip off the old _____. He has his father’s winning smile and calm voice.

Dan’s starting to be successful as a writer. He’s really _____ places.

He got to the top by being a yes _____. He just echoes what upper management says.

Kate’s the spitting _____ of her mother. They almost look like twins.

There are three candidates running for office. It looks like a close race between two of them. The third candidate is a dark _____. If he wins, everyone will be shocked.

Mr. Young isn’t a Johnny-come- ______ to the industry. He’s been in the field for three decades.

It’s hard to put my finger on what I didn’t like about him, but something about him _____ me the wrong way.

Some people think it’s unfair that people who commit white- _____ crime tend to serve lighter sentences than other criminals.

Andrew is exceptionally ambitious. He’s not content with being second in command. He wants to be top _____.

The scandal made him the laughing _____ of the whole nation. The story was on the news for weeks.

I know that top movie critics loved the film, but what does the average _____ think of the movie?

I tend to be very honest and forthcoming with people. I’m an open _____.

Replacing Steven will be tough. He was the best personal assistant I’ve ever had. Everyone else I’ve worked with can’t hold a _____ to him.

Any accountant worth his _____ should be able to file these forms for you.

He’s old and not as sharp as he used to be. People say he’s washed _____.

When Molly left Manhattan to practice family law in a rural town, she felt like a big fish in a small _____.

Benny always wears his _____ on his sleeve. Some people think he should do a better job at hiding his emotions.

All of our interns were fairly good, but only one of them stood out in the ______.

48. Just like his father, Greg is a public accountant and spends his free time fishing and watching football. I guess the apple doesn’t _____ far from the tree.

Everyone in my department is from the United States except for me. Sometimes I feel like the _____ man out.

Ever since Christian wasn’t given the promotion he’s had a chip on his ______.

I don’t think now is the right time to talk about this project. Let’s put it on the _____ burner for now and we can revisit it next week.

Hi, Paul. Long time, no _____. How have you been?

My French isn’t that great, and our clients were speaking a mile a _____. I only understood about half of the conversation.

I was working on the presentation and all of a sudden I realized it was 7:30. I was so involved in what I was doing that I completely lost _____ of time.

Susan had a dead-end job for years. She told me she’s been working hard to make up for _____ time.

I’ve been jogging before work. It’s hard waking up at the crack of _____, but I feel much healthier and have more energy.

I’m too tired to be productive. Let’s call it a _____ and go home.

We don’t have to make a decision today, but sooner or _____ we’re going to have do decide.

How do you find the ____ to volunteer when you have such a demanding job and a family?

We’re in the desert. It only rains here once in a blue _____.

I can’t believe you still have a newspaper subscription. Why don’t you _____ with the times and get a digital subscription?

In college, I always waited until the last _____ to complete my assignments.

I’ve always felt comfortable here. From _____ one, I knew this was the right place for me.

It took Immigration ten months to process Kim’s application for a work visa. She was frustrated, but better late than _____, right?

Your English is fine. You just need to have some patience and keep working hard. Remember, Rome wasn’t _____ in a day.

Deciding to leave town for the weekend was a spur of the _____ decision. We just got in the car and drove to the beach.

The car was expensive but it has great gas mileage. It’s going to save me money in the long _____.

We don’t have the funding for this project right now. We’re going to have to put it on _____ for now.

My next meeting isn’t for another hour. I have some _____ to kill. Do you want to get a cup of coffee?

I’ve been pressed for _____ all week. We have an important deadline this Friday.

By the time I found out my favorite band was in town, the concert had already sold out. I completely missed the _____.

It was a race against the _____ to finish the construction project before the rainy season.

I almost missed my flight to London. I got to the gate in the nick of _____. Had I arrived five minutes later, I would have missed it.

I think we need to move on and talk about something else. Otherwise, the two of them will be arguing until the _____ come home.

Part of my success is due to hard work and perseverance, but I owe a lot of my success to being in the right _____ at the right time.

Only time will _____ if the policy change was a good idea. It’s impossible to know right now if it was the right decision.

It’s only a matter of time before they fire him. His _____ are numbered.

Eventually, we’re going to need to move into a bigger house, but for the time _____ we have enough space.

We have to make a decision now. The offer will be off the table tomorrow. It’s now or _____.

_____ clockwork, John wakes up at 6:30 a.m. and reads the newspaper.

The semester ended last week and I don’t go back to school until September. I feel like I have all the time in the _____.

High school was a lot of fun for Becky. She had the time of her _____.

The two candidates have been campaigning for months. Now comes the moment of _____. Today everyone in the state will vote for in the gubernatorial election.

Medical professionals say there’s no time to _____ and that we must act now to stop this epidemic.

I often wait until the last minute to finish my assignments. I feel like I often do my best work at the eleventh _____.

I’m feeling a bit under the _____ today. I think I’m getting a cold.

It was a bad car accident, and Martin was really shaken _____ for a few days afterwards.

Our supplier sent us the wrong laptops and we’re going to have to wait another two weeks to get the ones we ordered. Our supervisor is not a _____ camper right now.

He’s always so calm, but one day he completely _____ off the handle and started screaming at people.

It was the first time I had ever been interviewed on TV and I really got a _____ out of it. I can’t wait to do it again.

Liz said she felt like a _____ out of water in Tokyo. She’s used to living in a rural area.

I didn’t want to miss work for three days, but what could I do? I was as sick as a _____.

On the weekend we play football in a local league. After a long week of work, it’s important to let off a little _____.

After the first round of layoffs, everyone in the building was a little _____ edge.

Getting some recognition during the meeting really made my _____.

On Friday, Kate was still a little jet-lagged. She looked completely spaced _____ at breakfast.

It’s just a little setback. Don’t get upset about it. Keep your ____ up and work through it.

Dexter quit smoking and started a new diet. He says he’s turning over a new _____.

This is totally unacceptable. I’m going to call customer service and give them a _____ of my mind.

When I got my internship, I was disappointed. I’d had my heart _____ on getting an internship at another company, but it didn’t work out.

You have plenty of money saved for retirement. You could lose half your money in the stock market and still be _____ pretty.

When I found out we lost the contract, I had a sinking _____ in the pit of my stomach.

What’s Mary’s problem today? Did something happen, or did she just get up on the wrong _____ of the bed?

I had some _____ in my stomach before the presentation, but everything went just fine.

Normally he’s 100% reliable. I don’t know why he’s been so _____ his game lately.

Sometimes I have trouble writing but other times I get _____ the zone and effortlessly write for hours.

The speaker wasn’t very good and everyone looked _____ to tears during his talk.

It was just a suggestion. You don’t need to bite my ____ off about it.

I don’t think I’m in the _____ for pizza. Let’s order Chinese food instead.

I wonder what Kevin did to offend Jeffrey. Jeffrey gave him the cold _____ this morning. He didn’t say a word to him.

The Christmas season always puts me in _____ spirits. It’s such a wonderful time of year.

I waited on hold for almost 20 minutes. It was really trying my ______.

I don’t know if I want to attend the event or not. I’m _____ the fence about it.

I was really bummed _____ about it raining during my vacation, but it was still relaxing.

Did you see the news about the government official who embezzled million of dollars? The government corruption in this country really makes my blood _____.

I was just trying to give some constructive criticism. You didn’t have to jump down my _____ like that.

After winning the sales contest, Paula felt on top of the _____.

Most people thought he was guilty. When the not-guilty verdict was announced, many people were up in _____.

It’s important to seem confident and relaxed. Even if you feel awful about what happened, don’t hang your _____ in front of your team.

In the waiting room, everyone was on pins and _____ while they waited to hear if Don would be okay.

Burt was on cloud _____ after he won the new car in the raffle.

I could tell by the angry look on her face that she had a _____ to pick with me.

I’ve never been so happy. I feel like I’m walking on _____.

I know the place is a mess, but don’t get all _____ out of shape. I’ll straighten things up in a minute.

My consulting business didn’t make money the first two years, but fortunately we’re in the _____ this year.

Our profits weren’t very good this year. We’re not quite in the _____, but our profits are almost negligible.

I just found out we could have gotten the same product for half the price. I can’t believe they ripped us _____ like that.

I don’t know if the price he quoted you is fair. I’m not sure what the _____ rate is for private English classes.

The company paid for my airfare and the hotel, but I still had quite a few out of _____ expenses.

I agree that we need to make secondary education more affordable, but I don’t think that the taxpayers should be the ones to pick up the _____.

Sam tried to _____ a living as a writer, but he was never successful enough to make it a full-time career.

Some recent college graduates are working two jobs just to make ends _____.

Many people _____ broke trusting Bernie Madoff with their money.

It’s a very good insurance policy, but it cost us an _____ and a leg.

I like the iPhone, but I think you can get more bang for your _____ with other brands of smartphones.

Yes, saving for retirement is important, but you don’t want to have to _____ pennies and worry about every dollar you spend.

We’re willing to pay top _____ to fill this position with a qualified candidate.

Last week a rare stamp sold for $250,000. I guess some people have more _____ than sense.

This change is going to be tough because we’re used to having two incomes. We’re just going to have to tighten our _____ and reduce our standard of living.

These are really important clients with deep _____. Let’s make sure we impress them.

There weren’t many tourists here this year and many of the restaurants and cafes are struggling just to _____ even.

I’m looking for a reliable PC that won’t _____ the bank.

I’m not sure what it costs to lease an office in the downtown area. To give you a ballpark _____, I’d say about $15,000 per month. (two possible answers)

They’re not extremely wealthy, but they are definitely well _____.

Airlines frequently jack up the ______ of tickets during the holiday season.

It’s very valuable. It’s worth its weight in _____.

After losing his job, Stan was down and _____.  He lost his house and narrowly avoided living on the street.

He served some time in jail, but now he’s trying to get a job and make an honest _____.

I’m trying to teach my 20-year-old son to be responsible with money and to live _____ his means.

Paying for a gym membership and then not using it is stupid. Don’t you want to get your money’s ______?

After years of saving, they finally have a _____ egg for retirement.

Trying to make a living as an artist didn’t work out for Travis. He’s moving back in with his parents until he gets back on his _____.

We can’t just throw _____ at this problem and expect to resolve it. We’re going to need a real strategy.

That’s a really nice tie. How much did it _____ you back?

Right now the family is living from hand to _____ off of what their father makes as a construction worker.

I had to pay my car insurance bill this month and the water heater in my house broke. I’m a little strapped for _____ right now.

Kevin’s totally broke. He doesn’t have two nickels to _____ together.

During the Gold Rush, many people moved west hoping to strike it _____.

Some companies have a slush _____ for paying off government officials.

Carrie _____ a killing in the stock market last year. She’s either really good or really lucky.

These tuition prices are outrageous. Students shouldn’t have to pay _____ the nose just to get a decent education.

I had to work hard for years to get where I am. I wasn’t born with a silver _____ in my mouth.

Unfortunately, if you want to do business here, you’re going to have to pay some people _____. Bribes are a part of doing business here.

They paid him with a briefcase full of cold, _____ cash.

Sure, the flight is cheap but they nickel and ____ you to death with small charges for everything.  You even have to pay for your drinks and snacks during the flight.

There isn’t a lot of regulation in this industry. It’s _____ beware.

In the past, many men didn’t like it if their wives were the ones bringing home the _____ and providing financially for the family.

Some corporations only care about the almighty _____, but I get the sense that this place is different.

In your culture, do the bride’s parents typically foot the _____ for the wedding?

Drug cartels often grease the _____ of government officials to avoid being arrested.

Let’s hope the Olympics is good for the economy. The taxpayers are already a couple of billion dollars ____ the hole.

Allen really needed the money, so he sold his website ____ peanuts.

I’ve made bad investments before, but I’ve never _____ my shirt like I have on this deal.

I thought my insurance policy was going to cover this, but unfortunately it looks like I’m going to have to cough ____ the money.

It’s hard to overestimate how much potential he has. The sky’s the _____, really.

The job interview couldn’t have possibly gone better. It’s _____ the bag.

He started out working in the warehouse and ended up the CEO of the company. It’s a classic rags to _____ story.

Sandra closed all three deals she was working on. She’s batting a _____ this week.

I wanted to make some extra money and get some exercise, so I killed two _____ with one stone and started a dog walking business.

Our client interviewed me to test my technical knowledge. It was easy. I passed with flying _____.

I knew that being bilingual would help put me _____ of the pack.

We had a great meeting with a prospective client today. We really knocked it out of the _____.

I’m not sure Jim is going to get the job, but most people think he’s the clear front _____ and the most qualified candidate.

It’s a self-help book that has taken the world _____ storm.

Our developers say that they have _____ headway on the new software release.

When I finally became a senior analyst, I felt like I was on top of the ______.

We need people who can _____ to the occasion and be leaders during these difficult times.

Police couldn’t find the suspect until an anonymous informant saved the ____ by informing police of the suspect’s whereabouts.

Five years ago people thought he’d never be a serious presidential candidate, but he’s since _____ a comeback.

I remember when our operations manager was an intern here.  He’s certainly come a long ____.

Five contractors submitted proposals, but only one _____ the cut.

I’ve made a big sale every day this week. I’m really _____ a roll right now.

Caroline has shown a lot of promise as a graphic designer. She’s definitely _____ places.

After winning several high-profile cases, John was riding _____ and had established himself as one of the top defense attorneys in the city.

I heard Martin just bought a new beach house in an exclusive community. He’s really moving up in the _____.

After years of minimal success, J.K. Rowling hit pay ____ with the Harry Potter series.

Mary’s not just a little bit better than her peers. She can _____ circles around them.

A relatively unknown soccer player scored five goals yesterday. I guess every ____ has its day.

We only had one day to prepare for our presentation. Somehow, we did really well. I have no idea how we were able to pull it _____.

Amazon stays _____ of the curve by constantly innovating.

Jim has much less experience than most of his peers, but so far he’s been able to hold his _____. He’s doing about as well as anyone.

Do you think he’ll be able to live ____ to the high expectations that management has for him?

He really _____ the jackpot with that investment. It’s tripled in value this year.

It’s going to be an uphill battle, but we’ll figure out a way to do it. When there’s a _____, there’s a way.

I’m going to practice my speech for a couple of hours tonight. You know what they say, practice makes _____.

The first two candidates we interviewed weren’t right for the job. Let’s hope that the third time’s the _____ and that the next candidate has the right profile.

Wilson is going to inherit his father’s company one day. He _____ it made. He’s guaranteed to be wealthy.

I was happy to get my foot in the door with a respected company, and they were happy that I was willing to work long hours. It was a win- _____ situation.

It’s obvious Ken is having trouble planning a party for 50 people. He’s definitely in over his _____.

I’ve never been the type of person who throws in the _____ when things get tough. I’m not a quitter.