Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Wise Words



Idioms with colours

to be browned off: to be bored, annoyed at something
I’m browned off with this place. There is nothing to do here.

to be colourless: to lack personality, to be boring.
Nothing he said stands out in my memory. I’m afraid he’s a dull, colourless man. 
to be off colour: to be not quite at one’s best, to feel queasy or slightly ill.
She’s a little off colour today because she was up very late last night and had too much to drink!.

to give/lend colour to: to make (an account, story, explanation, etc.) more credible or more believable.
 The broken window on the ground floor lent colour to her story that her house had been burgled

a highly coloured report: a report that is exaggerated or biased.
I read the government’s highly coloured report on the great state of the health services.

to see someone in his true colours: to understand someone’s true character, often for the first time.
As soon as he made a fuss about returning her money, I saw him in his true colours.

to show oneself in one’s true colours: to reveal one’s true nature.
When he lost his temper at the party, he showed himself in his true colours

with flying colours: with great success, with distinction.
We were all expecting him to fail, but he passed with flying colours.

to paint in bright/dark colours: to describe something in a flattering or unflattering way.
My brother pretended he was doing well financially and painted his life there in the brightest colours.

a golden opportunity: a great opportunity that might never come again
This is a golden opportunity to make a business deal with that big company.

a golden handshake: a large sum of money paid to a retiring manager or director, or to a redundant worker.
The company chairman received a huge golden handshake on retiring.

a golden boy: a young man idolized for a great skill, usually in sport.
David Beckham is the golden boy of English soccer

the silver screen: the cinema
Valentino was one of the earliest stars of the silver screen.

get gray hair: to have one's hair turn gray from stress
Our teacher is getting gray hair from stress.

a gray area: something that is not clearly defined and does not conform to an existing set of rules, neither black or white, neither one way or another way
The issue of the tax on children's toys is a gray area for the accountant.

gray matter: brains, intelligence
I wish that my friend would use his gray matter more effectively when he is making his crazy plans.
** Gray (USA) Grey (UK)

Idioms with PINK

(be)in the pink (of condition): in very good health
My grandmother was in the pink of condition when I saw her.

look at the world through rose-colored glasses: to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic
My friend always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and he does not believe that some people are dishonest.

pink slip: a termination notice from a job
I received my pink slip last week and I am looking for a new job.

see pink elephants: to see things which are not really there because they are only in your imagination
The man was seeing pink elephants according to those who listened to his story.

tickled pink: to be very pleased or delighted by someone or something
My mother was tickled pink that you visited her when you were in town.

Idioms with YELLOW

have a yellow streak (to be cowardly)
The man has a yellow streak and he will not defend you if you are having a problem.

yellow-bellied (extremely timid, cowardly)
The man is yellow-bellied and is never willing to fight for what is right.

yellow journalism  (American. Writing in newspapers that tries to get people's attention or influence their opinions by using strong language or false information)
The paper is practising yellow journalism at its worst with its scandalous stories about the Governor and his family.

code yellow (a urinary acciden, jocular word play based on a hospital’s PA announcements of various color codes)
Whoops. Code yellow. Change the sheets and the mattress.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Idioms with WHITE



(as)white as a ghost (very pale because of fear or shock or illness)
My sister became as white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.

as white as a sheet (very pale)
I felt terrible this morning and in the mirror I looked as white as a sheet.

as white as the driven snow (very white)
The fur on the dog was as white as the driven snow.

black and white (either good or bad, either one way or the other way, oversimplified)
Our boss sees everything in black and white.

carte blanche (the freedom or permission to do what you want (blanche means white in French)
The new manager was given carte blanche to change the policies in her department.

raise/wave a white flag (to indicate that you have been defeated and that you want to give up)
The soldiers raised a white flag and surrendered to the enemy.
The soldiers were waving a white flag when they surrendered to the enemy.

white elephant (a useless possession (that often costs money to maintain)

The new airport is a white elephant and nobody wants to use it.

white lie (a harmless or small lie told to be polite or to avoid hurting someone's feelings)
I told my supervisor a white lie yesterday and said that I was sick when actually I was not.

white sale (the selling of towels or sheets at a reduced price)
We went to the white sale at the department store to buy some new sheets.

white-tie event/affair (an event that requires guests to wear formal dress such as men wearing white bow ties with formal evening dress)
I attended a white-tie dinner in honor of the president of our university.

whitewash (something) to cover up or gloss over faults or errors or wrongdoing
The government was accused of trying to whitewash the scandal about the illegal money.


www.idiomconnection.com/color.htm

Idioms with RED

(as)red as a cherry (bright red)
The car was as red as a cherry after its new paint job.

as red as a poppy (bright red)
The mark on my arm was as red as a poppy.

as red as a rose (intensely red)
The morning sunrise was as red as a rose.

as red as a ruby (deep red)
The office assistant was wearing lipstick that was as red as a ruby.

as red as blood (deep red)
The stain on the carpet was as red as blood.

catch (someone) red-handed (to catch someone in the middle of doing something wrong)
The woman was caught red-handed when she tried to steal some cosmetics.

ears are red (one's ears are red from embarrassment)
My ears were red after hearing what the teacher said about me.

in the red (to be in debt, to be unprofitable)
The company has been in the red for three years now.

like waving a red flag in front of a bull (what you are doing will definitely make someone angry or upset)
Talking about the city mayor with my father is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. He hates the city mayor.

out of the red (out of debt)
Our company is finally out of the red and we are now making money.

paint the town red (to go out and party and have a good time)
When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out and paint the town red.

red-carpet treatment (to receive special or royal treatment)
I always receive the red-carpet treatment when I go and visit my aunt.

red-eye (an airplane flight that leaves late at night and arrives early in the morning)
We caught the red-eye flight last night and we are very tired today.

a red flag (a signal that something is not working properly or correctly)
The fallen trees along the road raised a red flag for the safety inspectors.

red herring (an unimportant matter that draws attention away from the main subject)
Talking about the other issue was a red herring that did not do anything to deal with today's problem.

red-hot (very hot, creating much excitement or demand)
The new video game is red-hot and many people are waiting to buy one.

red in the face (embarrassed)
I became red in the face when the teacher asked me a question.

red-letter day (a day that is memorable because of some important event)
It was a red-letter day when my sister received her graduation diploma.

red tape (excessive formalities in official business)
Many businesses complain about the red tape that they must deal with in order to get anything done with the government.

roll out the red carpet (to greet a person with great respect, to give a big welcome to someone)
The government rolled out the red carpet when the politician came to visit.

see red (to become very angry)
My boss saw red when I told him that I would not be coming to work today.
poppy                cherries

www.idiomconnection.com/color.html