Go Fly a Kite! (and Other Sayings We Don't Really Mean) »

People use idioms (ID-ee-umz) every day. These are sayings and phrases with meanings that are different from the actual words. Some idioms seem silly. Many of them don't make much sense ... at first. This book will help you understand some of the most common idioms. It will tell you how you might hear a saying or phrase. It will tell you what the saying really means. All of these sayings and short phrases-even the silly ones-are an important part of our language!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away     4
An ax to grind     4
Back to square one     5
Beat around the bush     6
Beggars can't be choosers     6
Behind the scenes     7
Below the belt     7
Bite the bullet     8
Bolt from the blue     8
Burning the midnight oil     9
Bury the hatchet     9
Catch-22     10
Caught red-handed     11
A chip on your shoulder     11
Dead as a doornail     12
Down the hatch     12
Easy as falling off a log     13
Face the music     14
A flash in the pan     14
Full of beans     15
Go fly a kite     15
Have your cake and eat it too     16
Ignorance is bliss     17
Keep a stiff upper lip     17
Make ends meet     18
Miss the boat     18
On cloud nine     19
Out of the blue     19
Pit stop     20
Pull your hair out     20
Read the riot act     21
A shot in the dark     21
Spill thebeans     22
Through the grapevine     22
Turn the tables     23
A wet blanket     24
X marks the spot     24