Franco Giordano

House and Home Idioms

1) there wasnt a dry eye in the house Something that you say which means that all the people in a particular place were very sad about what they had seen or heard and many of them were crying. She began to talk about her son who had died and by the end of her speech there wasn't a dry eye in the house. 2) a halfway house Something which combines the qualities of two different things. It's sort of a halfway house between classical music and pop 3) a house of cards An organization or a plan that is very weak and can easily be destroyed. The organization that looked so solid and dependable turned out to be a house of cards. 4) bring the house down [for a performance or a performer] To entertain people very successfully, so that they laugh or clap for a long time. Karen's act brought the house down. She really brought down the house with her comedy. 5) eat (someone) out of house and home To ruin (someone, esp one's parent or one's host) by consuming all his food. The entire football team came over and ate poor Tilda out of house and home. 6) get on like a house on fire To be in an extremely speedy manner. Tickets were sold like a house on fire. informal have a very good and friendly relationship Gary and my Aunt Janice got on like a house on fire.

7) put/get (one's) house in order Make necessary reforms The Americans need to put their own economic house in order. 8) not give sb house room To refuse to become involved with someone or something, because you do not like them or approve of them. A respectable organization shouldn't be giving house room to a bunch of bigoted fanatics. 9) on the house If food or drink is on the house in a bar or restaurant, it is provided free by the owner. I went to a restaurant last night. I was the ten thousandth customer, so my dinner was on the house. 10) go (all) round the houses Take an unnecessarily long time to get to the point. Theres no need to go all round the houses, just tell me straight out whats wrong. 11) people who live in glass houses (shoudnt thrown stones) You should not criticize other people for having the same faults that you have. Jill: Richard sure was drinking a lot at the office party. Jane: I noticed you had quite a few cocktails yourself. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. 12) be as safe as houses (British & Australian) To be very safe Don't worry, I've locked your bicycle in the shed - it's as safe as houses

13) charity begins at home You should take care of family and people close to you before you worry about helping others. If you really want to make the world a better place, start by being polite to your sister. Charity begins at home 14) be close to home If a subject is close to home, it affects you in a personal way, and it can upset you if someone says something unpleasant about it. His comments about working mothers were a bit close to home for me. 15) down-home (American) Down-home things are simple and typical of life in the countryside (always before noun). It's a diner with down-home American cooking where you can take all the family. He's a folksy, down-home sort of guy 16) An Englishman's home is his castle. (British old-fashioned)

Something that you say which means that British people believe they should be able to control what happens in their own homes, and that no one else should tell them what to do there. An Englishman's home is his castle. The government has no right to interfere in our private lives! 17) hearth and home Your family and home His first loyalties are to hearth and home 18) home is where the heart is Something that you say which means that your true home is with the person or in the place that you love most. I've had a lovely time visiting you, but home is where the heart is, and I think it's time I went back. (literary)

19) a home from home (British) - also a home away from home (American & Australian) A place where you feel as comfortable as you do in your own home. I visit Australia so often, that it's become a home from home for me. 20) a home truth If you tell someone a home truth, you tell them an unpleasant fact, usually something bad about themselves (usually plural). It's time someone told that boy a few home truths about his behaviour. 21) the home stretch The last part of a long or difficult activity. We've been working on the project for six months, but we're in the home stretch now. 22) be home and dry (mainly British) also be home and hosed (Australian) To have completed something successfully I've just got one more report to write and I'll be home and dry 23) be home free (American & Australian) To be certain to succeed at something because you have finished the most difficult part of it. Once you leave the expressway and cross the bridge, you're home free, we're the third house after the bridge. 24) be nothing much to write home about To not be especially good or exciting. The food was OK, but nothing to write home about 25) bring sth home to sb To make something more clearly understood, usually said about something that is difficult or unpleasant Her visit to the war memorial brought home to her the suffering the war had caused.

26) hit/strike home To be understood completely and have a strong effect. Her tearful expression made it clear that his nasty remarks had struck home 27) keep the home fires burning To keep your home pleasant and in good order while people who usually live with you are away, especially at war. They relied on their wives and sweethearts to keep the home fires burning when they marched off to war. 28) make yourself at home Please make yourself comfortable in my home. (Also a signal that a guest can be less formal.) Bill: I hope I'm not too early. Bob: Not at all. Come in and make yourself at home. 29) play away from home (British & Australian informal) To have sex with someone who is not your usual partner (usually in continuous tenses) How did you discover that your husband was playing away from home? 30) the home straight (British & Australian) (also) the last part of a long or difficult activity. We can't give up now we're on the home straight 31) Whats sth when its at home? (British & Australian informal) Request to simplify the language, avoid fancy titles, etc. Something that you say when you want to know what something is or who someone is. -Im an italian cuisine delivery expert. -Whats that when it is at home? -A pizza boy. 32) pick up your marbles (and go home) (American) To suddenly leave an activity you have been involved in with other people, because you do not like what is happening.

If you don't like the way we do things around here, well, you can pick up your marbles and leave. 33) home in (on someone or something) To aim directly at someone or something. She came into the room and homed in on the chocolate cake. 34) If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen If the pressures of some situation are too much for you, you should leave that situation. (Somewhat insulting; implies that the person addressed cannot tolerate pressure.) Alan: I didn't think being a stockbroker could be so stressful. Fred: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. 35) everything but the kitchen sink (humorous) A lot of different things, many of which you do not need. We were only going away for the weekend, but Jack insisted on taking everything but the kitchen sink. Also: almost all that you can imagine of something. Here's a website that simply has everything but the kitchen sink 36) kitchen sink Describes plays, films and novels that are about ordinary people's lives. a kitchen-sink drama. 37) bedroom eyes If someone has bedroom eyes, they look as if they are interested in sex. He told me I had bedroom eyes 38) elbow room The freedom to do what you want to do. The President should be given as much elbow room as he needs to solve these international problems 39) a glass ceiling

Opinions of people in a company which prevent women from getting such important positions as men. The problem for women in broadcasting is the glass ceiling. Women rise but not to the top. 40) hit the ceiling / roof (informal) To become very angry and start shouting. If I'm late again he'll hit the roof. 41) a roof over your head Somewhere to live. We didn't have any money, but at least we had a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs 42) go through the roof If the level of something, especially a price, goes through the roof, it increases very quickly. As a result of the war, oil prices have gone through the roof 43) raise the roof To make a loud noise by shouting, clapping or singing. They finished the set with their current hit and the audience raised the roof 44) the roof caves / falls in If the roof caves/ falls in, something very bad suddenly happens to you. For the first six years of my life I was happy. Then my father died and the roof caved in. 45) down the toilet (British, American & Australian informal) If something goes down the toilet, it is wasted or spoiled. After the drug scandal, his career went down the toilet. 46) a night (out) on the tiles UK informal

To enjoy yourself at night by going out to nightclubs, parties or bars.

I was out on the tiles last night and I've got such a headache this morning. 47) go out (of) the window If a quality, principle or idea goes out of the window, it does not exist any more Then people start drinking and sense goes out of the window. 48) by / through the back door Not in a direct, official, or honest way. He accused the government of privatizing the health service through the back door 49) be at death's door To be nearly dead. Don't exaggerate, it was only flu - you were hardly at death's door. 50) close / shut the door on sth To eliminate an opportunity for someone or something. The board of directors shut the door on me, and there was no further opportunity for me to pursue. 51) never darken your door again (old-fashioned) (informal)

If you tell someone never to darken your door again, you mean you never want to see them again. Did her father really tell you never to darken his door again? How melodramatic. 52) push at an open door To achieve what you want easily because a lot of people agree with you or help you (usually in continuous tenses). The campaigners are pushing at an open door because most local residents support their campaign against the new road. 53) a revolving door (mainly American)

The movement of people from one organization or activity to another, especially from government jobs to private companies (often + between)

Congress has tightened regulations to slow down the revolving door between government and industry 54) beat a path to somebody's door To be very eager to speak to someone and do business with them. Put that ad in the paper and you'll have half the town beating a path to your door 55) behind closed doors Something done in private or secretely. The United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors in New York 56) open new doors To give someone new opportunities (sometimes + for/ to ). The success of that film opened new doors for him. Early results show that the new system would open doors to disadvantaged people. 57) king of the castle (British) also king of the hill (American)

the most successful or most powerful person in a group of people. Jamie Spence was king of the castle yesterday when he beat the defending champion in the third round. 58) a skeleton in the/your cupboard in the/your closet (American) an embarrassing secret If you want to be a successful politician, you can't afford to have too many skeletons in your cupboard 59) cupboard love (British & Australian) (British & Australian) also a skeleton

Love that you give in order to get something from someone I suspected all along it was just cupboard love, and what she really liked about

him was his car. 60) the corridors of power The highest level of government where the most important decisions are made. His laziness became a legend in the corridors of power.