idioms (F-K)

face to face – meet someone in person (not in text or by phone)

• I like to discuss the problem face to face, not through text messages.

so far so good – everything is continuing successfully, for now

• Jack stopped wasting money. So far so good. Now he needs to save more.

first come, first served – whoever arrived first will get something first

• Arrive early for the sale because it’s first come, first served.

go with the flow – follow what most others are doing, especially to avoid conflict

• She usually goes with the flow when it comes to choosing moves.

go against the grain – do something you dislike, especially the opposite of what you would normally do

• It goes against the grain for Jack to donate to charity. He doesn’t do it often.

the graveyard shift – the period of working time which is overnight

• We have to work the graveyard shift this week.

be a guinea pig – be a person that something is tested on

• The company is looking for a guinea pig to try their new coffee.

give (someone) a hand – help someone, especially with work

• I gave my brother a hand with his project.

get the hang of (something) – learn how to do something correctly, especially with practice

• Jane got the hang of playing chess after only two games.

lose your head – suddenly become very angry

• He lost his head when the waiter spilled his drink.

break someone’s heart – make someone feel sad, especially by rejecting their love

• He broke her heart, but she still loves him.

a heart-to-heart – a serious conversation involving deep feeling or emotion

• The father had a heart-to-heart talk with his son before he left for college.

break the ice – help make a first-time meeting more relaxed

• The teacher likes to break the ice with his new students by playing a game.

add insult to injury – make a bad situation even worse by doing a second bad thing to someone

• The hotel added insult to injury when they charged me too much for a dirty room!

hit the jackpot – become successful, especially by making money

• I hit the jackpot with this new job; it pays a high salary.

you must be joking! – said to indicate that you cannot believe what a person said is serious

• You must be joking if you think I’ll pay that price for a used camera!

keep your shirt on – be calm and patient

• Keep your shirt on! I can help you in a few minutes.

know where you stand – understand how others feel about you and what they expect from you

• My friend always gives me an honest answer. I know where I stand with her.