American Popular Expressions "N"

                                     

      

(a) nail in one's coffin: an activity that is dangerous and brings a person closer to death. Horatio passed his friend, Bill, a cigarette and said, "Here's another nail in your coffin."
name the time: decide on a good time to meet. You want to meet me tonight at Rupert's Bar? Sure. Just name the time.
(a) needle in a haystack: something is very difficult to find, especially because the size is so small compared to the thing it's lost in. Finding my lost house key at the Mall of America is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.
needless to say: something is obvious; everyone knows this. Carl wears the same t-shirt every day. Needless to say, he's not very imaginative when it comes to clothing.
never give a sucker an even break: if you can fool someone, don't give him a fair chance to gain something back, such as money. After winning over $1000 in a poker game, Lou was asked if he'd like to play again next week. He replied, "Sorry, never give a sucker an even break."
never hear the end of it: people will talk about a situation again and again; something kind of bad happens and everyone knows it. If his girlfriend beats him at pool, he'll never hear the end of it from her.
(a) new lease on life: a new opportunity to live one's life. After surviving a heart attack, he feels like he has a new lease on life.
(a) new man: a good feeling that comes from a change to one's appearance or from a beneficial experience. With a shave and a haircut, Dennis will feel like a new man.
nip it in the bud: to stop something before it starts. Jennifer is in love with a guy who spent time in prison for robbery. Her father is going to try to nip thatrelationship in the bud.
no can do: I can't do something; something isn't possible. A: Can I borrow $20? B: Sorry. No can do. I don't get paid until next week.
no hard feelings: it's okay; I'm not feeling any anger towards you. Okay, I understand why you don't want to work with our company any more. There are no hard feelings.
no ifs, ands, or buts: no excuses; something must be done. This report must be finished by this afternoon--no ifs, ands, or buts.
no love lost: hatred; a bad relationship hasn't gotten better. There's been no love lost between them after all these years. They still dislike each other.
no man is an island: you can't be totally independent of other people; everyone needs help at sometime in his or her life. Rob attributes all of his success to himself and no one else, but no man is an island.
none of your business: don't ask questions about something that doesn't concern you. When Sarah was asked to name the man who got her pregnant, she said, "It's none of your business."
no news is good news: if nothing has changed and you don't hear anything from anyone, then everything must be okay. A: I wonder if their plane arrived safely in Miami. B: No news is good news.
no pain, no gain: you have to work hard in order to receive some kind of a benefit. (this expression originates with the sport of weightlifting.) You're going to have to spend more hours every week studying English if you want to improve. I know it's difficult, but no pain, no gain.
no sweat: no problem. A: Can you help me move this couch? B: Sure, no sweat.
no strings attached: no conditions are set upon receiving a benefit; you can get something for free or for a very low cost. This website is completely free. There are no strings attached.
not bad: okay; good. A: Do you like the appetizer? B: Yeah, it's not bad.
not for all the tea in China: no; no way; something is not agreed to. She won't marry the man her parents chose for her for all the tea in China.
nothing ventured, nothing gained: if you don't try to do something, you will never realize the benefit; it's necessary to take risks and chances. When Reza's friends warned her of the risks of opening a bakery, she replied, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
not if you paid me: I do not want to do this; under no circumstances will I agree. You couldn't make me wake up early if you paid me.
no time like the present: the time to do something is right now. Rather than wait until tomorrow to plan our trip, we should do it now. There's no time like the present.
not the only fish in the sea: not the only person available for a relationship. Julie thinks she's hot, but she's not the only fish in the sea.
not too shabby: pretty good (This expression is usually used as an understatement.) Wow! Look at that Ferrari! Not too shabby.
no use crying over spilled milk: it's not a good idea to get mad or angry about something that has happened in the past; what's done is done. Don't worry about the car. It was just a little accident. Besides, there's no use crying over spilled milk.
nuts and bolts: essential parts; the necessary pieces of something. Vince might not know everything about how a computer operates, but at least he understands the nuts and bolts.

American Popular Expressions "M"

                                     

make a fool of oneself: to do something that is kind of stupid. Jorge made a fool of himself at the party by drinking too much and falling down drunk.
make a good impression: to do well and be noticed by other people. Graciela made such a good impression on her boss, she was promoted to a better position after just two months.
make a mountain out of a molehill: to cause trouble over a small problem; to make a big deal out of something that isn't very important. The people complaining about their neighbors' fence are making a mountain out of a molehill.
make a pig of oneself: to eat or consume too much. Try not to make a pig of yourself when the pizza arrives. We need to save some for people who are coming to the party later.
make a run for it: run away from or run to something. If Harry makes a run for it, he'll be able to catch his flight.
make a statement: do something or wear something that expresses a person's thoughts and ideas, sometimes politically. Joe felt he was making a statmentwhen he got his tatoo fifteen years ago, but now he wishes he could just get rid of it. Is a tatoo a good way to make a statement?
make conversation: to talk and socialize; talk for the sake of talking. Brenda was just trying to make conversation when she mentioned Ingrid's hat, but Ingrid took it the wrong way and got mad.
make ends meet: make enough money to pay basic expenses such as rent, food, phone, utilities, etc. Christine is working an extra job on the weekends to help make ends meet.
make fun of someone: to laugh at someone; to say mean things that hurt another person's feelings. When Glen arrived at the party wearing a tuxedo and hat, everyone made fun of him.
make one's hair stand on end: to cause fear; The fear of the devil makes his hair stand on end.
make one's mouth water: to cause a person to salivate when thinking about food; water collects in the mouth due to hunger or thirst. The smell of fried chicken and french fries made my mouth water.
make peace with (someone): reconcile; to form an agreement that ends a dispute. After years of fighting, the two countries made peace with each other.
make the best of it: to try to turn a bad situation into something good. The company that her husband works for transferred him to a small town in the midwest. She's not happy with the move, but she's trying to make the best of it.
make up for lost time: to spend time with family and friends after a long absence. After two years in Iraq, he's trying to make up for lost time with his daughters.
make up one's mind: decide; to make a decision. Christine is trying to make up her mind about what she should major in in college.
(the) man in the street: the average person (it can be a man or a woman, but the expression uses the word "man"). Ask the man in the street what he thinks about the economy and he might tell you that it keeps him awake at night.
march to a different beat: to do something that is different from what other people are doing; to be unique. Everyone accepts the fact that Luis marches to a different beat, so they're not too surprised by his eccentric behavior.
(a) matter of life and death: a situation is so serious that a person's life may depend on the outcome. 911 calls are answered immediately because sometimes they involve a matter of live and death.
meat and potatoes: a person's main source of income; the most important part of something. Helping customers find things in the store is the meat and potatoes of this position.
(the) meter is running: payment is expected for time spent doing something. I hesitate to call my lawyer sometimes because the meter is running as soon as he picks up the phone and says "hello."
(a) method to one's madness: a reason why a person looks crazy or behaves in an unusual manner. Curt looks like a weirdo, but there's a method to his madness. No one ever bothers him when he travels through dangerous neighborhoods.
mind one's own business: don't worry about what other people do; pay attention to your own life--not the lives of others. Many of the neighbors want to know why a beautiful woman like her hasn't gotten married yet, but they should just mind their own business.
misery loves company: an unhappy person wants to share that unhappiness with someone who is experiencing the same problem. Harold had hoped that someone would be in the office this afternoon to help him take care of all this work, but everyone left. Misery loves company.
money is no object: it doesn't matter how much something costs. Walter told his kids that money was no object when they were on vacation.
more bang for the buck: to get more for your money; your money buys more of a particular thing. You can get more bang for the buckif you wait to place your order during happy hour. happy hour: a time at restaurants and bars when food and drink specials are available--usually in the late afternoon.
more fun than a barrel full of monkeys: something is a lot of fun (sometimes this expression is used with sarcasm). Watching a room full of four-year-old children is more fun than a barrel full of monkeys.
more power to you: here's to your success; I hope you get what you want. A: I'm hoping to be a professional DJ some day. B: Really? That's great. More power to you.
more than one way to skin a cat: there's more than one way to do something; there's more than one solution to a problem. The Johnsons tried to improve their home's energy efficiency by adding insullation to the attic, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.
(the) more the merrier: the larger the group, the greater the possibility for having a good time. A: Do you mind if I join your group? B: No, of course not. The more the merrier. merry: happy
much ado about nothing: to Warnings on TV about a big blizzard and three feet of snow turned out to be much ado about nothing.