American Popular Expressions

                                       

keep a low profile: try not to be noticed by others; avoid drawing attention to oneself. Darryl decided to keep a low profilewhen he first joined the company and spent a lot of time in his cubicle.
keep an eye on (something or someone): watch to prevent theft of a thing or injury to a person. You have to keep an eye on your kids while they're swimming. I try to keep an eye on the news in order to make financial decisions.
keep a straight face: try not to smile or laugh. It's hard to keep a straight face when in the presence of clowns; however, many children find them to be kind of scary.
keep (someone) company: to spend time with someone; to be with another person. Rhonda knows that her mother is lonely after the death of her father, so she keeps her mother company on the weekends.
keep your eye on the ball: try to achieve your goal; do what you have to do to. If you don't keep your eye on the ball, you're not going to be successful.
keep your mouth shut: to be quiet and not say anything. Bobby has to learn how to keep his mouth shut because he says a lot of things that hurt other people's feelings.
keep to oneself: to isolate oneself from other people; to avoid communicating with others; to have private feelings and thoughts. Unlike other people in our class, Mary keeps to herself and doesn't talk to the other students.
keep up with the Joneses: to have things that your neighbors have; not to fall behind in acquiring material wealth. It's hard to keep up with the Joneseswhen you're out of a job.
kick the bucket: die Arnold was living a very good life until he kicked the bucket. (caution: this is a very informal expression and some people might take offense in the use of it.)
kill two birds with one stone: to achieve two goals with one action. Growing vegetables provides fresh food and is an interesting hobby thereby killing two birds with one stone.
knight in shining armor: a person who provides help to another person, usually a man who helps a woman. This is a reference to the days of medieval chivalry. Although not everyone likes Brett because he's not a very nice person, he's Mary's knight in shining armor.
knock it off: stop it; quit doing that. (This is a command similar to "Stop it" and "Quit it." Emily and Taylor were fighting with each other until their father told them to knock it off.
knock one's socks off: to make a good impression on someone; to like something or someone very much. The Thai food at that restaurant will knock your socks off.
knock the living daylights out of (someone): to hit someone very hard. Dick "The Bruiser" Kelly knocked the living daylights out of his opponent in last night's fight.
know better: to understand the difference between right and wrong. Jimmy likes to eat sand but that's only because he doesn't know better.
know one's place: to understand how you fit within an organization; to know who you are in a social setting. Knowing your place within a company will make it easier to get along with coworkers.
know one's stuff: to know your subject well; to be professional and knowledgeable. Professor Jenkins really knows his stuff when it comes to computers and the internet.
know the ropes: to know how to do a particular job. (similar to "learn the ropes.") Until you know the ropes around here, you're going to have to spend extra in getting the right information from other people.
know where one stands: to understand one's relationship with other people or within an organization. James thinks he knows where he stands with Crystal, but he's not completely sure how much she likes him.

American Popular Expression "J"

                                    

join the club: now you know how I feel. (This expression is used when someone describes a new experience to someone who has already had the same experience.) A: I lost my job last week and now I have to find a new job fast. B: Really? Well, join the club. I've been unemployed for the last four months.
jump all over someone: to express anger at someone; to quickly become angry and yell or shout. Lisa jumped all over me because I said something about her hair.
jump at the chance: to see an opportunity and act on it; to take advantage of a good situation. Tanya jumped at the chance to move to the United States from Ukraine.
jump in with both feet: to do something eagerly; to feel a sense of excitement in doing something. Ron jumped in with both feet when he started his new job even though he didn't always understand what he was doing.
jump the gun: to start something too early; to begin at an unfair advantage. Terri and Jim want to get married, but they're only 18 years old and just out of high school. It seems like they're jumping the gun.
jump to a conclusion: to believe something is true without considering all the facts. Everyone thought Troy killed his wife, but it turns out they jumped to a conclusion too quickly. His neighbor was the murderer.
(the) jury is still out: no decision has been made; an opinion or conclusion is still being formed on a matter. The jury is still out as to whether or not human beings have what it takes to live peacefully with each other without resorting to military conflict.
just a minute: wait; hold on. (This expression is also used when someone sees something that is surprising) Just a minute! This girl looks really familiar to me. Where have I seen her before?
just for the record: a statement of fact that reveals an important truth; truth for the sake of truth--but not necessarily publicly stated. Can you tell me the real reason you want to leave this company? I need to know--just for the record.
just one of those things: something that is difficult to explain. No one knew how Martha could so easily drown in just a few feet of water. It was just one of those things.
just what the doctor ordered: something that makes you feel good (in most cases, this does not really involve a doctor.) A ten-day vacation to Hawaii is just what the doctor ordered. I need to relax.

American Popular Expressions "I"

                               

I beg your pardon: excuse me. A: Would you two stop making so much noise please? We can't hear the movie. B: I beg your pardon. We didn't realize we were so loud.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again: if you fail or don't do a good job at something, you can't quit.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it: if something is working, don't try to improve it, no matter how old it might be. (the English grammar in this expression is not correct: ain't broke) A: Wow, this machine needs some new parts. B: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If worst comes to worst: if a situation gets really bad, there's a solution or something else that can be done. Brandon is a terrible cook, but he wants to make breakfast. If worst comes to worst, they can always go out for breakfast at a restaurant.
If you can't beat them, join them: if you can't prevent people from doing something you don't like, be a part of the group. George was angry that everyone was partying on company time, but then he said to himself, "If you can't beat them, join them."
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen: if you don't like the situation you're in, then get out of it. A: I'm tired of being a supervisor. There's too much stress involve. B: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Ignorance is bliss: not knowing something is true can sometimes be a good thing. If you don't know the truth or the facts, you won't get in trouble.
in a pinch: in an emergency; at a time when necessary action must be taken. Bob can't always rely on his car to get to work because it breaks down a lot, so in a pinch sometimes he rides his bike.
in good condition / in good shape: This old car is in very good condition.
in good spirits: happy; cheerful. She's in very good spirits today because it's Friday and she doesn't work on the weekend.
in no time at all: very fast; quick. Just wait. The train will be here in no time at all.
in one's own best interest: something is good for you even if you don't like it. Eating all of her broccoli is in her own best interest, but she hates it.
in one's own world: alone in one's thoughts; separate from other people. He's such a deep thinker that he gets lost in his own world.
in one's pocket: to control another person, usually through love, power, or money. He's so in love with her, she has him in her pocket.
in one's shoes: to see the world from another person's position. It's not fair to criticize her unless you're able to stand in her shoes.
in over one's head: to do something that beyond a person's experience or abilities. He's training for a fight with another martial arts expert, but everyone thinks he's in way over his head.
in the ballpark: a good guess; an close estimate. We didn't pay full price for the house but your guess of just under $300,000 is in the ballpark.
in the blink of an eye: very fast. The shot given by the nurse will hurt a little, but it will be over in the blink of an eye.
in the driver's seat: in control of a situation. He's never comfortable unless he's in the driver's seat.
in the lap of luxury: very rich; to be surrounded by wealth. After making millions of dollars in real estate, he's living in the lap of luxury.
in the long run: over a long period of time. They have had many disagreements during their 40-year marriage, but in the long run they've been able to get along very well together.
in the running: in competition with others; a candidate for a position. She's in the running for a top managerial position within the company.
in the same league: in the same position; to be as skilled as others. He's not in the same league as ordinary supervisors. He's very, very good at managing his workers.
in this day and age: now; in modern times. In this day and age, many downtown plazas display art and sculpture.
I guess so: to say "yes," however not willingly; to agree to something after some consideration. A: Can I borrow your car? B: Well..... I guess so.
It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings: something isn't finished although the event is coming to a conclusion. A: It looks like Brazil is going to lose the soccer match. B: It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.
it stands to reason: that makes sense; that's reasonable. It stands to reason that walking around outside in the cold rain without a coat, a hat, or an umbrella might make you sick.
it takes some getting used to: you have to do something again and again before you like it or understand it. Fly fishing isn't as easy as fishing with worms. It takes some getting used to.
It takes one to know one: if you say something negative about a person, you yourself might have that same negative quality; it's easier to recognize faults in other people if you have those same faults. A: You're a thoughtless, selfish person. B: Oh yeah? Well, it takes one to know one.
it's no use: There's no way to fix this problem. I can't do anything about this. This is impossible. "It's no use! I can't get this remote control to work."