American Popular Expressions

                                                   

lay down the law: to enforce rules; be strict. Our teacher laid down the law this morning and said that she wouldn't allow any more tardiness. tardy: late to class
lay (one's) hands on: get something; to be excited about getting something. Although my smart phone is just a year old, I can't wait to lay my hands on a new one.
lay (one's) cards on the table: to let someone know about resources, plans, information; to tell someone what you want to do. The XYZ Corporation laid its cards on the table buy buying some vacant land near the airport.
lay it on the line: 1. to take a risk; make a sacrifice. 2. to speak the plain truth. Bill is going to have to lay it on the line and tell his employees that they'll need to take a pay cut this summer because business is so bad.
lead a double life: to have two completely different lifestyles or contrasting situations. Tony leads a double life. During the day he's an office manager, and at night he's a professional dancer.
leave a bad taste in one's mouth: to have an unpleasant experience. That movie left a bad taste in my mouth.
leave someone hanging: to abandon someone; to leave a person without help. Everyone at work went home early and left Martin hanging all by himself.
leave no stone unturned: look everywhere; try very hard to find something. They left no stone unturned while looking for their missing son.
leave the door open: to consider an idea; to allow some new situation to happen. Cora and Rick haven't decided on whether or not to get married in the spring or the summer; they're also leaving the door open to a wedding in the fall.
(a) leopard can't change his spots: it's impossible for some people to ever change their behavior. Roy said that he wouldn't cheat on his girlfriend any more, but a leopard can't change his spots.
(the) lesser of two evils: two possibilities are both bad, but one is not as bad as the other. We first considered driving through the desert, but taking a small plane across it was the lesser of two evils.
let bygones be bygones: forget what happened; no one can change what happened in the past. Sometimes its better to just let bygones be bygones than to get angry.
let it rip: turn it on; okay; let it go; allow something to operate (this is used with machines). When I got the signal, I turned on the machine and let it rip.
let sleeping dogs lie: don't get too worried about something that has already happened, usually something bad. At first Dan's parents wanted to know what happened last night, but then they decided to just let sleeping dogs lie.
let the chips fall where they may: to do something without worrying about what happens; to state the truth for better or worse. James decided he would tell Crystal he's in love with her and then just let the chips fall where they may.
lick one's chops: to feel the urge to eat; to salivate at the prospect for food. I feel myself licking my chopswhenever I pass by the Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood and smell their food.
(the) life of the party: a person who makes a party fun; a person who is entertaining among other people. Ted was the life of the party last weekend, but now he regrets a few of the things that he did and said.
light at the end of the tunnel: the end is near; the time at which someone realizes that something is going to be finished. After working on his book for three years, Thomas is starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.
lightning never strikes twice: the possibility of something happening again is very, very rare; the odds are small. After getting lucky on a lottery ticket, Quang thought about buying another but decided against it because lighting never strikes twice.
like a chicken with its head cut off: to behave in an erratic manner; to run around without direction. (After a chicken's head is cut off, the body still has the ability to run) Rhonda has been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get the house ready for tonight's party.
like two peas in a pod: two people with similar interests; two people who are very close. Taylor and Jennifer are like two peas in a pod. They do everything together and they dress alike.
live and let live: allow something to live; respect life. I was going to kill this ugly-looking bug but then I thought, "Live and let live," so I didn't kill it.
live for the moment: to enjoy the present; not to play for the future. Jimmy really has to get a better job and stop living for the moment.
live like a king: to live a good life with material wealth and money. Walter knows that if he makes enough money right now, he'll be able to live like a king in ten to fifteen years when he retires.
lock the barn after the horse is out: to take preventive action after it's too late to prevent something bad from happening. Buying a house alarm after the burglary was like locking the barn after the horse is out, but it still made us feel safer.
long time no see: this expression is commonly used if you haven't seen a person in a long time--two months, a year, two years, etc. Hey, how's it going? Long time no see!
look a gift horse in the mouth: to question, criticize, reject, or scrutinize a gift (People look at a horse's teeth to determine its age and health). My son wasn't satisfied when I gave him my old Toyota Corolla. I told him he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
look before you leap: be careful Veejay is eager to marry Anushka, but I told him, "Look before you leap."  He shouldn't rush into marriage.
look like something the cat dragged in: to be in bad physical condition; to look sick. Doug stayed out drinking all night, and by the time he came back the next morning he looked like something the cat dragged in.
look me in the eyes: look at my eyes (this expression is usually used when someone is very serious or in a romantic mood.) I want you to look me in the eyesand tell me that you love me.
look one's age: to look younger or older than what is true. She doesn't look her age. She's actually much older than she looks.
lose one's cool: to be very angry. Todd's girlfriend really lost her coolwhen he told her he was seeing another woman.
lose one's mind: to go crazy; to have too many things to do or too many responsibilities. Harry's going to lose his mind if he doesn't find a new job.

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.