The following idioms and expressions use ‘game’. Each idiom or expression has a definition and two example sentences to help understanding of these common idiomatic expressions with ‘game’:

Ahead of the game

Definition: To have an advantage over a situation

I need to get up early to keep ahead of the game.
Try studying thirty minutes before you go to bed to stay ahead of the game in math.

At this stage of the game

Definition: at a certain point in a process

I think you should talk to a lawyer at this stage of the game.
He feels like he’s sure to win at the stage of the game.

Fair game

Definition: Something that is allowed to take advantage of

I think it’s fair game to enter that market.
She told me her friend wasn’t fair game.

Fun and games

Definition: Enjoyable activities

You know working at a newspaper isn’t all fun and games.
Let’s make sure to enjoy the fun and games before we leave.

Game that two can play

Definition: Used generally to refer to a negative tactic that someone could also use to compete

You know that’s a game that two can play. If you try it, I’ll do the same to you.
She doesn’t realize that she’s playing a game that two can play. It will come back to bite her.

Give the game away

Definition: Reveal a secret

If I tell you our plans, I’ll give the game away.
He gave the game away when he said that he had been in New York on business.

Name of the game

Definition: The type of activity mentioned

Winning at any cost is the name of the game in finding a job these days.
Do you really think that being completely dishonest is the name of the game?

New ball game

Definition: A new situation

I think we’ve just entered a whole new ball game with that deal!
Remember that Chicago is completely new ball game. It’ll be very challenging.

The game is up

Definition: The situation is lost and has a negative outcome

I realized the game was up and packed my bags to come home and start again.
She told him the game was up and that she was moving out.

A) Complete the following sentences by adapting the word given in brackets.

1) Naomi and Kurt have three children. Naomi also has a daughter from a previous ________ . (marry)

2) The film was so ________ . You knew exactly how it was going to end. (predict)

3) The goverment is concerned about the significant rise in ________ . (homeless)

4) It has been ________ proven that stroking a cat can lower your blood pressure. (scientific)

5) Thanks to the large ________ from her grandmother Paula was able to buy a villa in the south of France. (inherit)

6) In the UK it is ________ to sell cigarettes to children under 16. (legal)

7) You can ________ your tea with honey instead of sugar. (sweet)

You need to _______ the final point of the presentation. It’s rather confusing. (clear)

9) The film turned out to be a big ________ . It was really quite boring. (disappoint)

10) The ________ between the city’s two football teams is often quite fierce. (rival)

B)

1) Lizzy has just won a ________ to a world-renowned university. (scholar)

2) It’s ________ arguing with them. They are not going to change their mind. (point)

3) You will need your parents’ _______ if you want to go on the school trip. (permit)

4) It’s a wonderful restaurant. Great food and excellent service. We _______ recommend it! (high)

5) Thank you so much for the flowers. It’s very ________ of you. (thought)

6) Sarah speaks perfect French as she spent much of her __________ in Canada. (child)

7) I’ve ________ my wallet. Have you seen it anywhere? (place)

Don’t forget to ________ the modem when you have finished using it. (connect)

9) Ben sulks like a child when he doesn’t get his own way. He’s so ________ . (mature)

10) Oliver’s CV is truly _______ . He’s bound to get the job. (impress)

The correct answers are:

1) marriage

2) predictable

3) homelessness

4) scientifically

5) inheritance

6) illegal

7) sweeten

clarify

9) disappointment

10) rivalry

B)

1) scholarship

2) pointless

3) permission

4) highly

5) thoughtful

6) childhood

7) misplaced

disconnect

9) immature

10) impressive

Here is some work related vocabulary!

Hiring and firing

take on = hire someone: “They’re taking on more than 500 people at the canning factory.”

get the boot = be fired: “She got the boot for being lazy.”

give someone the sack = fire someone: “He was given the sack for stealing.”

give someone their marching orders = fire someone: “After the argument, he was given his marching orders.”
How do you work?

get your feet under the table = get settled in: “It only took him a week to get his feet under the table, then he started to make changes.”

burn the candle at both ends = work day and night at something: “He’s been burning the candle at both ends to finish this project.”

knuckle under = stop wasting time and start working: “The sooner you knuckle under and start work, the better.”

put pen to paper = start writing: “She finally put pen to paper and wrote the letter.”

work all the hours that God sends = work as much as possible: “She works all the hours that God sends to support her family.”

work your fingers to the bone = work very hard: “I work my fingers to the bone for you.”

go the extra mile = do more than is expected of you: “She’s a hard worker and always goes the extra mile.”

pull your weight = do your fair share of the work: “He’s a good team worker and always pulls his weight.”

pull your socks up = make a better effort: “You’ll have to pull your socks up and work harder if you want to impress the boss!”

put your feet up = relax: “At last that’s over – now I can put my feet up for a while.”
Office politics and relationships

get on the wrong side of someone = make someone dislike you: “Don’t get on the wrong side of him. He’s got friends in high places!”

butter someone up = be very nice to someone because you want something: “If you want a pay rise, you should butter up the boss.”

the blue-eyed boy = a person who can do nothing wrong: “John is the blue-eyed boy at the moment – he’s making the most of it!”

get off on the wrong foot = start off badly with someone: “You got off on the wrong foot with him – he hates discussing office politics.”

be in someone’s good (or bad) books = be in favour (or disfavour) with someone: “I’m not in her good books today – I messed up her report.”

a mover and shaker = someone whose opinion is respected: “He’s a mover and shaker in the publishing world.”

pull a few strings = use your influence for something: “I had to pull a few strings to get this assignment.”

take the rap for something = take the blame for something: “They made a mistake, but we had to take the rap for it.”

call in a favour = ask someone to return a favour: “I need a holiday – I’m going to call in a few favours and ask the others to cover for me.”

put your cards on the table = tell people what you want: “You have to put your cards on the table and tell her that you want a pay rise!”

beat around the bush = not say exactly what you want: “Tell me – don’t beat around the bush!”

sit on the fence = be unable to decide about something: “When there are arguments, she just sits on the fence and says nothing.”

pass the buck = pass on responsibility to someone else: “The CEO doesn’t pass the buck. In fact, he often says “the buck stops here!”

take someone under your wing = look after someone: “When he was taken on, Sarah took him under her wing.”

show someone the ropes = show someone how things are done: “My predecessor showed me the ropes, so I felt quite confident.”

be thrown in at the deep end = not get any advice or support: “He was thrown in at the deep end with his new job. No-one helped him at all.”

a them and us situation = when you (us) are opposed to “them”: “The atmosphere between the two departments is terrible. There’s a real them and us situation.”

Choose the correct answer:

1. a blessing in disguise
Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it meant I

a. got a much better job
b. lost my house
c. was unemployed for years

2. add insult to injury
After saying Beverly made too many mistakes, Bob added insult to injury by saying

a. they were small mistakes
b. she worked very slowly
c. her work was excellent

3. clean as a whistle
The school thought their new teacher’s record was as clean as a whistle because he hadn’t told them about

a. his arrest for drunk driving
b. his dirty bathroom
c. his cheating at cards

4. hang in there | hang on in there
My friends all called and told me to hang in there after I’d

a. left for my honeymoon
b. decided to go sky-diving
c. broken my leg in an accident

5. leave well enough alone | let well enough alone
Some staff think we need new packaging for our products, and others think we should leave well enough alone and

a. change to new packaging
b. go back to older packaging
c. keep the same packaging

6. playing with fire
People who have sex with many partners without using condoms are playing with fire because

a. they could get sick of having sex
b. they could get a disease such as AIDS
c. they aren’t married

7. quick on the trigger | quick on the draw
In business, it’s often necessary to be quick on the draw, but sometimes it’s better to

a. think carefully before doing something
b. do something faster than others
c. be slow to understand what’s happening

8. read between the lines
If you read between the lines, you will

a. know what the writer really thinks
b. be able to read a lot quicker
c. make up the story for yourself

9. under wraps
The best way to keep something under wraps is to

a. put it into the refrigerator
b. stop thinking about it
c. let as few people as possible know about it

10. You can say that again!
If someone says “You can say that again!”, it means they

a. want you to repeat what you said
b. didn’t understand what you said
c. agree with what you said

The correct answers are:

1. a
2. b
3. a
4. c
5. c
6. b
7. a
8. a
9. c
10. c

Choose the correct answer:

1.

When I arrived, Anthony __________ with his Nintendo.
A. ? was playing
B. ? has been playing
C. ? had been played
2.

The train wasn’t there. It __________ already.
A. ? had been left
B. ? had left
C. ? has left
3.

Tara is exhausted. She __________.
A. ? has been running
B. ? had been running
C. ? has running
4.

How long __________ each other when they got married?
A. ? had they known
B. ? have they known
C. ? would they know
5.

I didn’t have much to eat at lunch because __________ a lot at breakfast.
A. ? I would have eaten
B. ? I’d eaten
C. ? I was eating
6.

I __________ long when the alarm went off.
A. ? had been sleeping
B. ? hadn’t been sleeping
C. ? will have been sleeping
7.

She __________ to speak English before she arrived in America.
A. ? had learned already
B. ? will have already learned
C. ? had already learned
8.

Ram __________ good French because he had been studying for several years.
A. ? spoke
B. ? had spoken
C. ? has spoken
9.

Shakespeare would be famous even if he __________ “To be or not to be…”
A. ? had not written
B. ? had not been writing
C. ? has not written
10.

I __________ from him for ten years when I received his last letter.
A. ? didn’t hear
B. ? hadn’t been hearing
C. ? hadn’t heard

The correct answers are:

1. A
2. B
3. A
4. A
5. B
6. B
7. C
8. A
9. A
10. C

Since it’s raining today (and it won’t be the last day in Dublin this happens!), here are some idiomatic expressions with rain and other expressions starting with ‘r’

Expressions with ‘rain’

rain check

- a free ticket to an event in place of one cancelled because of rain

We received two rain checks to the baseball game after it was cancelled because of the rain.

rain check

- a promise to repeat an invitation at a later date

I didn’t have time to go to the restaurant with my friend so I took a rain check instead.

raining cats and dogs

- raining very hard

It has been raining cats and dogs all morning.

Other Expressions with ‘r’

rack one’s brains

- try hard to think or remember something

I have been racking my brains all day trying to remember his name.

raise a fuss

- make trouble, make a disturbance

The woman at the restaurant raised a fuss when her meal arrived late.

raise a hand

- do something, do one’s share, help

Nobody likes him because he will never raise a hand to help his friends.

raise Cain

- create a disturbance, cause trouble

They began to raise Cain at the dance and were asked to leave.

raise eyebrows

- cause surprise or disapproval

It really raised eyebrows when she appeared at the party unannounced.

rake in the money

- make a lot of money

His new pizza franchise has been raking in the money since it first opened.

rake someone over the coals

- scold, reprimand

His boss raked him over the coals when he heard about the lost sales report.

ram (something) down one’s throat

- force one to do or agree to something not wanted

She always tries to ram her ideas down our throats which makes us very angry.

rat out on

- desert or betray someone, leave at a critical time

His friend ratted out on him when he refused to support him in his fight with the neighborhood bully.

rat race

- endless hurried existence

He likes working for a major corporation although sometimes he finds it too much of a rat race.

raw deal

- unfair treatment

he got a raw deal when he was forced to resign from his company.

read between the lines

- find a hidden meaning in something

I know that he didn’t say it but I can read between the lines so I know what he means.

read the riot act

- give someone a strong warning or scolding

The teacher read the riot act to her students when they began to misbehave in class.

real McCoy

- the genuine thing

That new camera is the real McCoy and will let you do everything that you want.

red herring

- something that draws attention away from the matter under consideration

The issue of the pay cut is a red herring and is not related to the main issues.

red letter day

- a day that is memorable because of some important event

Saturday was a red letter day when we finally won the championship.

red tape

- excessive formalities in official transactions

There was much red tape when we went to city hall to get a business license.

regular guy

- a friendly person who everyone gets along with

The former Prime Minister was a regular guy and was well liked by most people.

rest on one’s laurels

- be satisfied with the success one has already won

He is always willing to work hard and is not the type of person to rest on his laurels.

rhyme or reason

- a good plan or reason, a reasonable purpose or explanation

Without rhyme or reason he suddenly decided to quit his job.

ride herd on

- watch closely and control

The new supervisor plans to ride herd on the people who work for him.

ride out

- survive safely, endure

We were able to easily ride out the storm at the small restaurant.

riding high

- attracting attention, enjoying great popularity

The new government has been riding high in the polls for several months now.

right away

- immediately

I forgot to bring the book today but I will go home and get it right away.

right off the bat

- immediately, from the beginning

I told him right off the bat that we didn’t need a new computer for the office.

right on

- indicates approval, “that’s right”, “yes”

He called out “right on” every time that the politician promised a new program to help unemployed people.

right out

- plainly, in a way that hides nothing

He told the new supervisor right out that he did not like him.

right under one’s nose

- in an obvious, nearby place

I found the calculator right under my nose after searching for it for an hour.

ring a bell

- remind one of something

The name doesn’t ring a bell. I’m sure I have never heard of him.

ring up

- add and record on a cash register

I went to the cash register to have them ring up the things that I had bought.

ring up

- telephone someone

You should ring up the police if you see anybody strange around your house.

rip off

- cheat, rob

I was ripped off by the mechanics at that gas station.

road hog

- a car driver who takes up more than his share of the road

My father becomes very angry at the road hogs when he is driving.

rob Peter to pay Paul

- take from one person or thing to pay another

When the government began to take money from education to pay for the medical system it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

rob the cradle

- have dates with or marry a person much younger than oneself

Everyone said that my friend was robbing the cradle when he married the young woman at his company.

rock the boat

- upset the way things are

He is a very quiet worker and never likes to rock the boat at work.

roll around

- return at a regular or usual time, come back

Every time that his birthday rolls around he has a big party.

roll in

- arrive in great numbers or quantity

The money has been rolling in since they started the new franchise.

rolling stone

- a person who does not live or work in one place

He is a rolling stone and I never know where to find him.

roll out the red carpet

- welcome an important guest by putting a red carpet down for him or her to walk on

They rolled out the red carpet when the President of France came for a visit.

roll out the red carpet

- make a big effort to greet and entertain someone

Whenever I visit my aunt in New York City she rolls out the red carpet for me.

roll up one’s sleeves

- prepare to work hard or seriously

Everyone in our club rolled up their sleeves to help prepare for the party.

rope into

- trick, persuade by pressuring someone

I didn’t want to help with the dinner but I was roped into doing it by my best friend.

rough and ready

- rough or crude but effective

The boat is rough and ready so let’s take it for a ride.

rough and tumble

- fighting or arguing in a very rough and reckless way

It was a rough and tumble meeting that we attended at the city planning office last night.

rough guess

- an approximate estimate

He made a rough guess as to how many people would come to the party.

rough up

- attack or hurt physically

The three men roughed up the bartender at the hotel and were arrested by the police.

round robin (letter)

- a letter written by a group of people with each person writing part of the letter

We sent a round robin letter to the librarian to ask for better opening hours for the library.

round robin (meeting or discussion)

- a meeting or discussion in which each person in a group takes part

We had a round robin panel discussion on what we could do to help save the environment.

round robin (tournament or contest)

- game or contest in which each player or team plays every other player or team in turn

The round robin tournament was held in order to choose the championship team for the city.

round up

- bring together, collect

We rounded up enough people to play a game of soccer last night.

rub elbows/shoulders

- be in the same place (with others), meet and mix

At the party we were able to rub elbows with many important people.

rub off

- remove or be removed by rubbing, erase

She rubbed off the writing on the whiteboard.

rub off

- pass to someone nearby, transmit to someone

Her bad habit of talking all the time has rubbed off on her husband as well.

rub out

- destroy completely, kill, eliminate

The government troops rubbed out the whole village.

rub someone the wrong way

- irritate others with something one says or does

Her lack of politeness always rubs me the wrong way.

rub something in

- continue to talk or joke about something someone said or did

I know that she made a mistake but you shouldn’t rub it in.

rule out

- decide against, eliminate

They still haven’t ruled out using him on the team for the tournament.

rule the roost

- be the dominant one in the family

She seems rather quiet but she really rules the roost in their family.

run a risk

- unprotected, open to danger or loss

You are running a great risk if you drive with him after he has been drinking.

run around

- go to different places for entertainment or to do things

We ran around all day and now we are very tired.

run around in circles

- act confused, do a lot but accomplish little

I have been running around all day but I can’t seem to get anything done.

run away with

- take quickly and secretly - especially without permission or by stealing

Someone ran away with the dictionary so now we don’t have one.

run away with

- take hold of

Their imagination ran away with them when they went to the circus. They decided that they actually wanted to join the circus.

run away with

- be much better than others, win easily

Our hometown team ran away with the football championship.

run down

- crash against and knock down

My dog was run down by a car last week.

run down

- say bad things about someone, criticize

She is always running down her friends. That is why nobody likes her.

run down

- get into poor health or condition, look bad

She has become run down since she started working at night.

run for it

- dash for safety, make a speedy escape

As soon as it started raining we ran for it and tried to get to the shelter.

run in

- make a brief visit

I ran in to see my sister at her office before I left for the weekend.

run (someone) in

- take to jail, arrest

The police ran the three boys in for questioning about the robbery.

run in the family/blood

- be a common family characteristic

Being a left-handed golfer and baseball hitter runs in our family.

run into

- add up to, total

If you decide to stay in nice hotels during your holiday it will run into a lot of money.

run into

- mix with, join with

During the hot weather the red paint on the roof ran into the white paint.

run into

- be affected by, get into

He ran into trouble when he tried to cross the border with no visa.

run into (something)

- hit something or crash into something

His car ran into the other car on the highway.

run into (someone)

- meet by chance

I ran into him when I was at the supermarket.

run into the ground

- use something more than is wanted or needed

He ran his car into the ground before he had to buy another one.

run off

- produce with a printing press or copy machine

We ran off hundreds of copies of the poster for the festival.

run off with (someone)

- go away with someone, elope

My sister ran off with her boyfriend and got married when she was quite young.

run-of-the-mill

- ordinary, usual

The restaurant was in a run-of-the-mill building but it was superb.

run out (of something)

- use up, come to an end

The car ran out of gas in the middle of the countryside.

run out

- force to leave, expel

The drug dealers were run out of town by the police.

run over

- be too full and flow over the edge

The water in the bathtub ran over the edge and got everything in the room wet.

run over

- try to go over something quickly, practice briefly

We can run over this material tomorrow before the meeting.

run over

- drive on top of, ride over

We ran over a small rabbit on the way to the meeting.

run ragged

- be tired or exhausted

She has been run ragged by her three children.

run scared

- try everything to avoid defeat as in a political campaign

The senator has been running scared in his attempt to win re-election.

run short

- not have enough, be not enough in quantity

We ran short of money during our trip to Europe.

run the gauntlet

- face a hard test or painful experience

He had to run the gauntlet of many interviews before he got the job.

run through

- spend recklessly, use up wastefully

We ran through a lot of money when we were looking for a new apartment.

run through

- read or practice from beginning to end without stopping

I usually try to run through my speech a couple of times before I have to give it.

run up

- add to the amount of something, increase

He ran up a large bill at the department store before he left for home.

run up

- pull something up on a rope

We ran up the flag early this morning before the parade started.

run up against (something)

- encounter

They ran up against many problems when they were building the freeway.

run wild

- be or go out of control

The crowd ran wild after the soccer game.

Russian roulette

- a game of chance in which one bullet is placed in a revolver, the cartridge is spun, and the player aims the gun at his head and pulls the trigger

The men in the movie played Russian roulette until one of them finally died.

Russian roulette

- a potentially dangerous situation

Putting the load of plutonium on the old ship was like playing a game of Russian roulette.

22 August 2008 - Written by Lyle

Australian English began diverging from British English shortly after the foundation of the Australian penal colony of New South Wales in 1788. British convicts sent there, including Cockneys (working class Londoners), came mostly from large English cities.

Australian English has many words considered unique to the language. One of the best known is outback, meaning a remote, sparsely populated area. The meaning of some words changed. For example, bush in Australia means either a native forest or a country area in general, but in England it refers to a small plant. Creek in Australia, means a stream or small river, whereas in the UK it means a small watercourse flowing into the sea.

Australian English makes frequent use of diminutives (shortening a word, then adding a vowel). For example: footy (Australian rules football or rugby league football), and Aussie. (Australian)

Here are some more examples of common diminutives. Try to guess their meaning.

1. It’s a nice day so let’s have a barby.
2. What do you usually have for brekky?
3. Are you busy this arvo?
4. I watched a good doco on global warming.
5. What did you get for chrissy?
6. My father is a truckie.
7. I’ll get petrol at the servo.
8. I got bitten by a mozzie.

.