American Idioms and Expressions

Rake (someone) Over The Coals Idiom

This database is a comprehensive collection of all the American idioms and slang available. American Idioms are many and varied. We hope you enjoy our collection. We are adding more all the time. .

rake (someone) over the coals What does rake (someone) over the coals mean?	to scold/reprimand someone	My boss raked me over the coals when he heard about the lost sales report.
	Some Random Idioms
joined at the hip What does "joined at the hip" mean?	two people spend all their time together	The two boys are joined at the hip and never spend any time apart.

off the cuff What does "off the cuff" mean?	to not prepare in advance what one will say	My father made a few remarks off the cuff when he was accepting the award from his company.
end up (doing something or going somewhere) What does "end up (doing something or going somewhere)" mean?	to do something that one had not planned to do, to go somewhere one had not planned to go	We ended up going to a restaurant after the movie last night.
cave in What does " cave in" mean?	to weaken and be forced to give something up	The company caved in to the union`s demand for more money.
down to earth What does "down to earth" mean?	to be sensible and practical	My mother is very down to earth.
put a bug in (someone`s) ear (about something) What does "put a bug in (someone`s) ear (about something)" mean?	to give someone a hint or an idea about something	My friend put a bug in my ear about going to France and I cannot stop thinking about it.
take (someone's) pulse What does "take (someone's) pulse" mean?	measure the frequency of the beats of a person's pulse	The ambulance driver took the pulse of the woman in the car accident.
cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face What does "cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face" mean?	to make things worse for yourself by trying to harm someone or something else	The man cut off his nose to spite his face when he became angry and quit his job.

like a bump on a log What does "like a bump on a log" mean?	unresponsive	The boy spent the morning at home like a bump on a log.
frankenfood What does "frankenfood" mean?	genetically engineered or modified food
through thick and thin What does "through thick and thin" mean?	through all difficulties and troubles, through good times and bad times	The woman's husband is always ready to help her and supports her through thick and thin.
sweat it out What does "sweat it out" mean?	to wait patiently until something bad or unpleasant ends	We had to sweat it out with no food while our car was being repaired. Throat Idioms
straight up What does "straight up" mean?	forthwith; upright; earnest
for the time being What does "for the time being" mean?	temporarily, for now, for awhile	We really need a new car but for the time being we will continue to use our old one.

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