Idiom of the Week
Archive - January/February 2007
"The 19 other class participants would be sharp as tacks, so John knew he would have to apply himself in the same diligent way he’d worked ever since coming to the United States to attend university."
--From Take the Bull by the Horns p. 5
Sharp as a tack [or tacks] – v. tacks are short, sharp pins, so to be sharp means to quickly understand something.
• “That high school intern we’ve added to our team is sharp as a tack.”
Athletes can train all season , but the race is when the rubber meets the road and they'll learn how good they really are.
Where the rubber meets the road- n. Where the rubber meets the road refers to the tire of a vehicle on the surface of a road. It means "where it really counts." Where the rubber meets the road is the most important point for something, the moment of truth.
- Sales is where the rubber meets the road in business.
Ever since he was a boy, Roberto worked hard to keep his space spick and span.
Spick and Span- adj. Immaculately clean; spotless; something so neat and clean that it looks new and unused
- The council spends a lot of money keeping the town spick and span.
“Hey, Dad, just hang loose. With all this noise you won’t be able to hear the guys at the office anyway.”
The "shaka" hand sign is also the sign for "hang loose"
Hang loose – v. slang for “take it easy”, relax
• “The lab experiment failed, but let’s just hang loose and try to think of what went wrong.”
As a working mother, Janiece had to burn the midnight oil to get any of her own writing done.
Burning the Midnight Oil- v. To stay up late working or studying; Alludes to the oil in oil lamps.
- I've got to get this report finished by tomorrow so I guess I'll be burning the midnight oil tonight.
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