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Street Talk 1 - A Closer Look 2: Lesson 3

Continue exploring vocabulary, expressions, meanings, and usage from Street Talk 1 Lesson 3 in this second closer-look section.

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Street Talk 1
heads (will|are going to) roll
heads will roll
[sentence]

used to express that people are going to be punished for something, particularly by being fired

Ex: After the data leak, heads are going to roll. 
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heads up
heads up
[interjection]

used to alert someone to pay attention or to be cautious about something

Ex: Heads up!  The baseball is flying your way! 
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to [make] headway

to advance and make great progress in one's career or life

Ex: She is making headway in her new job. 
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to [hit] the nail on the head

to say or do the exact right thing in a particular situation

Ex: You hit the nail on the head when you said the problem was poor communication. 
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like a hole in the head

used to say that something is not wanted or needed at all

Ex: She already has too many shoes.  She needs another pair like a hole in the head. 
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hothead
hothead
[noun]

a reckless impetuous irresponsible person

Ex: The coach warned the hothead to control his temper. 
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off the top of {one's} head

from one's memory, without spending time to carefully consider or think

Ex: Off the top of my head, there were about forty people at the meeting. 
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over {one's} head

used to refer to something that is complicated or difficult beyond one's understanding or capability

Ex: The lecture was completely over my head. 
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sorehead
sorehead
[noun]

someone who is peevish or disgruntled

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swelled head

a sense of high self-esteem or self-importance that one has

Ex: Ever since he got promoted, he's had a swelled head. 
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to [use] {one's} [head|noodle|naggin]

to carefully consider the facts of a situation in order to understand something, make a decision, or solve a problem

Ex: Use your head before you sign anything. 
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to [eat] {one's} heart out

to feel deep sadness or disappointment, especially over a lost opportunity or unfulfilled desire

Ex: He ate his heart out after losing the chance to study abroad. 
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have (a|some) heart
have a heart
[sentence]

used to ask a person to stop their unkind or indifferent behavior and offer some help or show some sympathy instead

Ex: Have a heart—she's been standing in the rain for an hour. 
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to [get] to the (heart|bottom) of {sth}

to discover or determine the underlying cause of something, particularly an issue

Ex: The manager called a meeting to get to the bottom of the delay. 
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{one's} [heart] [go] out to {sb}

used to show one sympathizes with and feels sorry for someone else's suffering

Ex: My heart goes out to the families who lost their homes. 
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heart-to-heart
heart-to-heart
[Adjective]

describing a conversation or discussion that is honest, open, and sincere, typically between close friends or family members

Ex: We had a heart-to-heart conversation about our future together. 
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heartache
heartache
[noun]

a feeling of great sorrow or sadness usually caused by the loss of a loved one

Ex: The heartache of losing her dog made it hard to even look at his empty bed. 
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Achilles' heel

a point of weakness or vulnerability

Ex: Poor communication was the team's Achilles' heel. 
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to [cool] {one's} heels

to be forced to wait for a person or anticipate something

Ex: They made us cool our heels in the lobby for almost an hour. 
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to [drag] {one's} heels

postpone doing what one should be doing

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to [kick] up {one's} heels

to experience an enjoyable time, particularly by spending time at parties

Ex: After the exams ended, the students went out to kick up their heels. 
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to [shoot] from the hip

to not think carefully before saying something or reacting to a situation

Ex: Don't shoot from the hip in the interview; take a second to think. 
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to knuckle down

to begin to work or study hard and focus seriously on a task or goal

Ex: I need to knuckle down and study for these exams. 
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knuckle sandwich

used to refer to a punch that is hit in a person's mouth

Ex: He threatened to give the bully a knuckle sandwich. 
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to knuckle under

to submit to someone or something's authority

Ex: The police chief refused to knuckle under to the demands of the criminals. 
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knucklehead

a foolish or stupid person

Ex: You knucklehead, why didn't you charge your phone before the trip? 
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hollow leg

the capacity or ability to consume an excessive amount of food or drink, particularly alcoholic ones

Ex: After three plates of pasta, he ordered dessert; the man has a hollow leg. 
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to leg it
to leg it
[phrase]

walk

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leg to stand on

a reasoning or explanation that is deemed sufficient to justify or defend someone's actions

Ex: Without the receipts, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. 
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an arm and (a|) leg

a large sum of money

Ex: That new laptop costs an arm and a leg. 
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to [pull] {one's} leg

to joke with someone in a friendly manner by trying to make them believe something that is not true

Ex: Relax, I was only pulling your leg. 
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shake a leg
shake a leg
[sentence]

said as a way of asking someone to begin doing something or continue doing it faster than before

Ex: Shake a leg, or we'll miss the bus. 
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to [stretch] {one's} legs

to go for a walk, particularly after spending a long time sitting in one spot

Ex: After three hours on the bus, we stopped to stretch our legs. 
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to [button|zip] {one's} [lip]

to not say anything or immediately stop talking, particularly so as not to reveal a secret or make matters worse

Ex: Zip your lip before you make things worse. 
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stiff upper lip

the ability to hide one's emotions and seem calm in unpleasant or difficult situations

Ex: Her stiff upper lip helped her endure the family crisis. 
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lip
lip
[noun]

an impudent or insolent rejoinder

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lip service

an insincere offer or promise of support, assistance, etc.

Ex: The company pays lip service to diversity but never promotes anyone from minority backgrounds. 
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read my lips
read my lips
[sentence]

used to ask a person to pay attention to one's words and believe them

Ex: Read my lips: I am not paying for your mistake. 
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chopped liver

a very insignificant individual or thing

Ex: They invited everyone from the team except me.  What am I, chopped liver? 
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blabbermouth

someone who gossips indiscreetly

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down in the mouth

feeling sad or discouraged

Ex: He's been down in the mouth ever since his team lost the final. 
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to mouth off

to complain or speak loudly in an immoderate way

Ex: He mouthed off about the bad food the entire night. 
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to [run] off at the mouth

to enjoy having lengthy and non-sensical conversations with people

Ex: He can run off at the mouth for hours about nothing. 
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to [shoot] off {one's} mouth

to continuously talk about something, in a way that seems foolish or careless

Ex: He started shooting off his mouth before he knew the facts. 
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to neck
to neck
[Verb]

kiss, embrace, or fondle with sexual passion

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neck of the woods

an area that is near a place in which someone resides

Ex: If you are ever in our neck of the woods, come by for coffee. 
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a pain in the neck

a person or thing that is very annoying or troublesome

Ex: This new password system is a pain in the neck. 
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to [stick] {one's} neck out

to say or do a thing that can put one in trouble or danger

Ex: I'm going to stick my neck out and say this plan might actually work. 
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to [get] on {one's} nerves

to make someone really mad by constantly doing something that angers or annoys them

Ex: His constant whistling is really getting on my nerves. 
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to [get] on {one's} nerves

to make someone really mad by constantly doing something that angers or annoys them

Ex: His constant whistling is really getting on my nerves. 
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to [hit|strike|touch] a (raw|sensitive|) nerve

to mention or do something that causes someone to become upset or angry

Ex: His comment about money hit a raw nerve with her. 
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nervy
nervy
[Adjective]

showing or requiring courage and contempt of danger

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(as|) plain as the nose on  {one's} face

really easy to understand or notice

Ex: It was as plain as the nose on his face that he was lying. 
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hard-nosed
hard-nosed
[Adjective]

guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory

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to [keep|put] {one's} nose to the grindstone

to continuously put a lot of effort into doing something

Ex: She kept her nose to the grindstone to finish the project on time. 
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no skin off {one's} nose

to not care about something or someone because one will not be effected

Ex: Go if you like—it's no skin off my nose. 
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a nose for {sth}

one's ability to find things of a particular type to suit one's needs

Ex: She has a nose for bargains and always finds the best deals. 
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nosy
nosy
[Adjective]

showing too much interest in people's lives, especially when it is not one's concern

Ex: My neighbor is extremely nosy and always asks personal questions. 
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{one's} [nose] in the air

a type of unfriendly behavior that is meant to show that one is better than other people

Ex: She walked past us with her nose in the air and didn't even say hello. 
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to [pay] through the nose for {sth}

to pay an unreasonably high price for something

Ex: We paid through the nose for a taxi from the airport. 
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to [poke|stick] {one's} nose (into|in) {sth}

to become involved in a situation that in no way concerns one

Ex: Stop poking your nose into my private life. 
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under {one's} [nose]

used when something is either obvious or within one's field of vision but one does not notice it

Ex: I searched for my phone for ten minutes, and it was under my nose on the table. 
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to [turn] {one's} [nose] up

to turn something down because one believes that it is not satisfactory enough

Ex: She turned her nose up at the homemade food. 
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to [have] {sb} (in the palm|eating out) of {one's} hand

to have someone under one's complete domination or control

Ex: The new CEO has the entire board eating out of his hand. 
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to palm off

to dispose of something by giving or selling it to someone else though persuasion or deception

Ex: He tried to palm off a fake painting as the real deal. 
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cold shoulder

an attitude or behavior characterized by a lack of warmth, friendliness, or interest

Ex: After the argument, she gave me the cold shoulder. 
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to rest
to rest
[Verb]

to be assigned to or depend on a particular person for responsibility or action

Ex: The final decision rests with the manager. 
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spineless
spineless
[Adjective]

lacking courage or determination

Ex: His spineless behavior made it difficult for him to stand up to bullies. 
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{one's} eyes are bigger than {one's} (stomach|belly)

used to describe a greedy person who takes more food than they could possibly finish

Ex: Don't pile your plate so high; your eyes are bigger than your stomach. 
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to stomach

put up with something or somebody unpleasant

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to [jump] down {one's} throat

to reply quickly and rudely to someone

Ex: I only asked a simple question, but she jumped down my throat. 
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to [be] all thumbs

to act in a very clumsy or awkward manner

Ex: I'm all thumbs when I try to wrap gifts. 
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rule of thumb

a method or principle solely based on experience, which may not be completely accurate

Ex: As a rule of thumb, we should save at least ten percent of our income. 
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thumbs up
thumbs up
[phrase]

an instance or gesture that indicates approval or satisfaction

Ex: She gave me a thumbs up when the presentation ended. 
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under {one's} thumb

completely under one's direct control

Ex: He keeps the whole department under his thumb. 
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to [tiptoe] around  {sth}

to decide not to deal with a problem directly out of the fear that it may make things worse

Ex: The committee kept tiptoeing around the budget problem instead of fixing it. 
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to [toe] the line

to unwillingly obey the rules and accept the ideas or principles of a specific group or person

Ex: The new recruits were expected to toe the line without question. 
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to [go|stand|be] toe-to-toe

to fight or compete with someone with great force, determination, and strength

Ex: The two teams went toe-to-toe until the final whistle. 
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to [hold]  {one's} tongue

to refrain from speaking or expressing one's thoughts or opinions

Ex: I wanted to argue, but I held my tongue. 
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tongue
tongue
[noun]

a human written or spoken language used by a community; opposed to e.g. a computer language

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cat got your tongue

said to someone who is annoyingly quiet when they are expected to speak

Ex: Cat got your tongue?  You were very confident a minute ago. 
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tongue-tied
tongue-tied
[Adjective]

unable to speak clearly or express oneself due to nervousness, shyness, or confusion

Ex: He felt tongue-tied during the interview, unable to answer the questions smoothly. 
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by the skin of {one's} teeth

used to describe a situation in which one barely manages to do something or escape danger

Ex: He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth. 
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tooth and nail

with all the resources, determination, and strength that one has

Ex: They fought tooth and nail to keep the school open. 
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long in the tooth

describing an individual who has lived for a very long time and is not able to do certain activities due to old age

Ex: I'm getting a bit long in the tooth to climb mountains. 
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to [set] {one's} teeth on edge

to make someone extremely annoyed or enraged

Ex: The sound of his chewing sets my teeth on edge. 
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sweet tooth

a strong appetite for sweet food

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