Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
drive under the influence
or
DUI
to drive while drunk or drugged; the citation for driving under the influence. Generally expressed in the progressive tense (verb +
-ing
). ♦
You can lose your license for
driving under the influence. ♦
After getting three
DUIs,
they finally took his license away from him.
ride someone’s bumper (
or
tail)
or
tailgate
to drive too close to the car ahead, often carelessly or deliberately ♦
You should slow down, you’re
riding that woman’s bumper. ♦
The car behind me is
tailgating.
I wish he’d move back!
run a light (
or
stop sign)
to fail to stop at a red light or stop sign ♦
Hey, that car just
ran a
red
light! ♦
Drivers talking on cell phones are more likely to
run stop signs
and
red lights.
run (
or
drive) someone off the road
to force someone to drive off the road by pulling into his or her lane ♦
That big rig
ran me
right
off the road. ♦
No one was hurt when their car was
driven off the road
by a reckless driver.
Traffic
Heavy traffic
(a lot of cars on the road) always occurs at
rush hour
(the hour of the day when people are going to or from work).
Rush-hour
traffic moves slowly or
comes to a standstill
(stops completely). Traffic accidents and roadwork can also cause traffic to move slowly, which can be described by these idioms, all of which are verbs:
to creep along
to inch along
to move at a snail’s pace
Slow-moving traffic and too many cars on the road cause these traffic situations, expressed as nouns:
a traffic jam
a (traffic) snarl
a tie up
bumper-to-bumper traffic
The expressions
to tie up
traffic and
to hold up
traffic mean to cause traffic to be slow or stopped, as shown in these examples:
Watching the Road
Keeping one’s eyes on the road
(watching and paying attention to the road and traffic while driving) is basic advice to all drivers.
Watch the road
is another way to say “Pay attention to your driving.”
Using cell phones, looking at maps, and having other distractions cause drivers to
take their eyes off the road
(not watch or pay attention to the road).
Not looking where one is going
(not watching the roadway) is a risky but common road hazard. When traffic ahead slows or stops, one may have to
slam on one’s brakes
or
hit the brakes
(apply the brakes hard and suddenly) to avoid an accident.
Following are some common idioms to describe types of accidents:
fender bender
(n)
a small accident, usually with no injuries, where the cars may receive minor dents or scratches (literally where only the car fenders are bent or damaged) ♦
It was just a
fender bender
, but I was pretty upset anyway.
♦
There were a lot of
fender benders
out there on the road today during rush hour.
head-on collision
(n)
a serious accident where two cars crash into each other while going in opposite directions, where two cars hit head on, or front to front ♦
Sadly, both drivers died in the
head-on collision. ♦
We had to drive off the road to avoid a
head-on collision!
hit and run
(n, adj)
an accident where the driver who caused the accident leaves the scene of the accident, to escape punishment (literally to
hit
someone and
run
away) ♦
They caught the
hit-and-run
driver because someone saw his license number and called the police.
♦
He went to prison for
hit and run.
rear-end
(v)
to crash into the back of the car ahead; often put in the passive form,
to
be rear-ended.
♦
She had to wear a neckbrace after being
rear-ended. ♦
Don’t follow too closely, you might
rear-end
that car ahead.
run into
(v)
to hit another car or an object with one’s car ♦
His car
ran into
a tree when he drifted off the road.
♦
Watch out! You almost
ran into
that car!
sideswipe
(v)
to drive so close to another car that one causes an accident or denting and scratching of the car ♦
We were
sideswiped
today, but luckily no one was hurt.
♦
He
sideswiped
a number of cars before the cops pulled him over.
CHAPTER 8
LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ’ROUND:
ROMANCE
Does “Love make the world go ’round?” Yes, according to the vast number of romance novels sold each year, the popularity and box-office success of love stories in film, and the prevalence of love themes in all genres of music. Love is a hot topic, and almost everyone is interested in finding love. As you might expect, there are hundreds of idioms that relate to the topic of love. This chapter includes over 200 common idioms and expressions, both old and new, that are used to talk about love and lovers.
Is It Really Love?
In the English language there is only one small word to describe all varieties of affectionate feelings of the heart, and that word is simply
love.
There is mother’s love (and father’s), brotherly love (and sisterly), self-love, puppy love, first love, true love, love at first sight, unrequited love, tough love, and more. The following are lots of words—idioms and expressions—that people use to express the love they may be feeling.
Infatuation
These idioms and expressions mean to like someone romantically, or to like someone a lot.
be interested (in)
(adj)
to want to know someone better, to want to date or have a relationship with someone ♦ Are
you
interested in
anyone right now?
♦
He
’s interested in
her, but I think she just wants to be friends, nothing more.
be attracted to
(adj)
to feel a physical or emotional attraction to someone ♦
I
’m
really
attracted to
a guy in my class.
♦
What kind of men
are
you
attracted to? ♦
She’s a nice person, but I’m not very
attracted to
her.
have chemistry
(v)
to feel a strong attraction, to get along very well from the start; usually refers to an inner feeling people have about someone they’ve just met ♦
We
had
strong
chemistry
right away.
♦
We dated a few times, but there
was no chemistry.
have a thing for
(v)
to be attracted to, to care a lot about; sometimes used to express more serious or romantic feelings ♦
I definitely
have a thing for
her. She’s great!
♦
We’ve
had a thing for
each other for a long time.
hit it off
(v)
to get along well, to have fun together. Refers to one’s experience when first meeting someone or on the first few dates; often phrased
hit it off well
or
didn’t hit it off well.
♦
They
hit it off
immediately.
♦
We e-mailed each other for a month, but when we finally met, we didn’t
hit it off
very well.
♦
I’m surprised how well they
hit if off;
they’re very different.
Getting Serious
When two people begin to
get serious
(get more romantic; begin a relationship), they may not be ready to say
the L word
— love. Instead, people often say one of these:
sweet on
(adj)
to be enamored, to care about a lot ♦
I think you’re
sweet on
him. Am I right?
♦
He must
be sweet on
you; he’s always calling.
crazy about (
or
for)
(adj)
to be enamored, to think another person is wonderful ♦
They argue a lot, but you can see that they’re
crazy about
each other.
♦
He
’s been crazy for
her since the day he met her.
have a crush on
(v)
to be infatuated or enamored with.
A crush
may be short-lived, and one may have a crush on a pop star, actor, or teacher. The term is associated with teenagers, but it is also used playfully with people of all ages. ♦
I
had a
big
crush on
you in high school.
♦
The guys all
have a crush on
their cute new science teacher, Ms. Webber.
♦
My dad likes to tease. He tells my mom, “I think I
have a crush on
you.”
dig someone
(v)
to like a lot, to be enamored ♦
We’re not in love, but we really
dig each other. ♦
I
dig you.
You’re totally cool!
A
Fool for Love
If you’re a
fool for love,
you’ll do anything for the person you love. When love becomes an obsession, one might be
lovesick
(so much in love that one feels sick or is unable to act in a normal way). Here are a few other expressions for this condition:
be hung up on
(adj)
to be obsessed with another person; to be lovesick ♦
She’s so
hung up on
him that she can’t see his faults.
♦
I don’t like his new girlfriend very much, but he’s really
hung up on
her.
have it bad for
(v)
to be seriously obsessed with someone; to think about someone and want to be with her or him all of the time; to be lovesick ♦
I really
had it bad for
him until he lied to me.
♦
Those two really
have it bad for
each other. They’re so dependent, it’s unhealthy.
sprung
(adj)
to be totally infatuated with someone, to be smitten ♦
Man, she’s so cute. I’m totally
sprung! ♦
You say that you don’t care about him, but you’re
sprung.
I can tell.
whipped
or
whupped
(adj)
literally to be beaten or to badly lose a competition, to be submissive or controlled by one’s love interest, to be willing to do anything for one’s love. This idiom is generally used by men to imply that another man is controlled by his girlfriend or wife, but can be said by and about women. Usually said playfully; slang. ♦
Looks like you’re
whipped.
You’ll do anything he wants.
♦
Okay, I admit it. I
’
m in love and completely
whupped.
The
Real Thing
When it’s truly love, people say “it’s
serious,
it’s
the real thing.
” The most common thing to say is, “I’m
in love,
” or more passionately “I’m
madly in love!”
The following are a number of other ways to describe
being in love.
These expressions use the verb
fall,
implying that one has lost one’s balance; that it has happened accidentally:
fall in love
(v)
to begin to feel love for someone. This expression is often used with the preposition
with
as in the first example. ♦
I think I’m
falling in love
with you.
♦
I like her, but I’m not going to
fall in love.
fall (for)
(v)
to fall in love, to be very enamored with someone ♦
You always
fall
for people who aren’t good for you.
♦
She’s a great gal. A lot of men have
fallen for
her.
Grammar Note:
When this idiom is used without the preposition
for,
it’s generally put in a past tense, and may be used with the adverb
hard
as in this example: “He’s
fallen hard
this time.”
These idioms refer to finding the perfect match, the one person who is right for you:
be the one
the right partner, the one to marry ♦
After the first few dates, she knew he
was the one. ♦
He believes that she’s
the one,
but I think she’s going to break his heart.
find the one
(v)
to find the right partner, the one to marry ♦
I haven’t
found the one
yet.
♦
Well, guys, my bachelor days are almost over; I’ve
found the one.
find Mr. Right
(v)
to find the right or perfect person ♦
She thinks she’s
found Mr. Right,
but I don’t trust Internet romance.
♦
I’ve spent half my life trying to
find Mr. Right.
Note:
Typically, this idiom is said as
Mr. Right,
but one could also say
Ms. Right.
Here are a few other expressions that mean it’s love:
steal someone’s heart
(v)
to cause someone to fall in love ♦
He’s smart, handsome, and funny, and he’s
stolen my heart. ♦
I’m going to do everything I can to
steal her heart.
be head over heels in love
(adj)
to be completely enamored, to be madly in love, to fall in love suddenly; often phrased to
fall head over heels.
♦
They just met and already they’re
head over heels in love. ♦
Sounds like he’s
fallen head over heels.
Types of Love
Because there is only one word in English for love, adjectives are added to specify the type of love. The following expressions all refer to romantic love:
puppy love
(n)
infatuation between school-age kids or teens, or, jokingly, a similar type of infatuation between older people ♦
They’re too young to be serious; it’s just
puppy love.
young love
(n)
said of one’s first boyfriend or girlfriend or very young people who think they are in love; implies innocence and wonder ♦
Those two look so happy together. Ah,
young love
is wonderful!
first love
(n)
the first person one falls in love with ♦
People say that you never forget your
first love.
love at first sight
(n)
the act of falling in love the first time one sees someone ♦
It was
love at first sight,
and we’re still in love 50 years later.
Note:
This idiom is also used to express a strong liking for a material object such as a car or house when one sees it for the first time, for example: “When we saw the house, it was
love at first sight.
We knew that we would buy it.”
true love
(n)
a genuine feeling of romantic love; often said playfully ♦
Ah,
true love.
It makes everything seem perfect.
♦
I’m telling you, this isn’t a little fling! This is
true love!
unrequited love
(n)
love that is not reciprocated, not returned; a one-way love ♦
Many songs and poems are written about
unrequited love. ♦
She called her friends to talk because she was suffering from a case of
unrequited love.
Words of Love
Following are a few expressions for
love talk
— saying romantic things to someone:
those three little words
the phrase “I love you” ♦
I’m waiting for her to say
those three little words.
sweet nothings (in one’s ear)
romantic, intimate talk; usually phrased to
whisper sweet nothings
♦
They whispered
sweet nothings
to each other as they sat in the corner of a cozy restaurant.
♦
When they hugged, she whispered
sweet nothings
in his ear
.
The One You Love
What to call the one you love? There are plenty of endearments to choose from. The most common terms are simply
girlfriend
and
boyfriend
, though some older adults use
man friend
and
lady friend.
Note:
Female friends often call each other
girlfriend,
but male friends don’t call each other
boyfriend,
which is only used for a romantic partner. To avoid any confusion, platonic friends often say
my female friend
or
my male friend.
Terms of endearment often suggest sweetness, such as
Sugar, Honey, Honey Bun, Sweetheart, Sweetie,
and
Sweetie Pie.
Other terms make the love object into an infant or heavenly being:
Baby, Babe
,
Darling,
and
Angel
.
Sometimes people describe or introduce their romantic partner as
my man
or
my woman, my guy
or
my girl.
Here are some idioms used to describe or introduce one’s love interest.
Grammar Note:
These terms are generally preceded by a word that shows possession, such as:
my, your, John’s, his sister’s,
and so on.
old man
and
old lady
(n)
working-class slang for boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife. This idiom was more common in the ’60s and ’70s than it is today. ♦
My
old man
drives a truck.
♦
Get your
old lady
and come on over to our house on Sunday.
Note:
My old man
is also a common slang reference for father.