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Street Talk 1 - A Closer Look: Lesson 4

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Street Talk 1
to [bring] home the bacon

to earn enough money to be able to pay for the necessities of life

Ex: After his father retired, he had to bring home the bacon. 
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to beef up

make strong or stronger

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beef
beef
[noun]

a disagreement, argument, or ongoing conflict between people, often involving hostility or rivalry

Ex: He has beef with his coworker over the project. 
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beefy
beefy
[Adjective]

with a strong body and well-built muscles

Ex: The beefy bouncer at the club easily handled rowdy patrons with his imposing presence. 
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to [put] the bite on {sb}

to put pressure on someone to do something, particularly in order to get money from them

Ex: The alumni association of my old university puts the bite on me once or twice a year looking for a donation. 
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to [bite|snap] {one's} head off

to angrily reply or react to someone

Ex: Exhausted from a long day at work, Mary snapped her colleague's head off when he asked a simple question. 
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to [bite|hold] {one's} tongue

to not say something, against one's wish, in order to avoid causing an argument or upsetting someone

Ex: I had to bite my tongue when he blamed me for his own mistake. 
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to [bite] the bullet

to start to deal with an inevitable challenge or difficulty

Ex: I finally bit the bullet and booked the surgery. 
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to [bite] the dust

to die or no longer exist

Ex: The old gunslinger faced off with the outlaw, and the outlaw was the one who bit the dust. 
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the (best|greatest) thing since sliced bread

a thing or person that one believes to be extremely good, useful, interesting etc.

Ex: The new smartphone with its advanced features is touted as the greatest thing since sliced bread. 
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bread
bread
[noun]

money, cash, or earnings

Ex: He's working overtime to stack some extra bread this month. 
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to [have] a bun in the oven

to be expecting a child

Ex: She has a bun in the oven. 
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buns
buns
[noun]

the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

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cakewalk
cakewalk
[noun]

an easy accomplishment

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big cheese

someone of great importance or influence

Ex: He acts like a big cheese at the office. 
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cheesecake

a photograph of an attractive woman in minimal attire

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cheesy
cheesy
[Adjective]

having very low quality

Ex: The cheesy cardboard packaging tore apart when handled. 
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to [cut] the cheese

to emit wind from one's anus

Ex: The class burst into laughter when someone discreetly cut the cheese during the silent test. 
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to chew out

to strongly criticize someone in an angry manner

Ex: The manager chewed the employee out for missing the deadline. 
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to [chew] the fat

to enjoy a friendly talk with a person for a long period of time

Ex: We spent the evening chewing the fat about our favorite movies and music. 
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clam
clam
[noun]

a piece of paper money worth one dollar

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to clam up

to suddenly become silent or refuse to talk, often because of nervousness, fear, or a desire to keep information secret

Ex: Every time the teacher asked him about his weekend, he would clam up and avoid eye contact. 
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(as|) happy as a clam (at hot water|)

(of a person) very pleased or satisfied

Ex: She was as happy as a clam when she got her dream job. 
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to [wake] up and [smell] the coffee

to recognize the reality of a situation, no matter how unpleasant it may be

Ex: You need to wake up and smell the coffee: the company is losing money. 
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to cook up

to prepare food quickly, often in an informal or creative manner

Ex: She cooked up a quick dinner after a long day at work. 
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to [be] cooking with gas

to be doing very well or functioning effectively

Ex: After a slow start, the team is finally cooking with gas. 
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to [catch] {sb} with {one's} [hand] in the cookie jar

to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or inappropriate

Ex: A lot of people had their hands in the cookie jar at the company. 
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(smart|sharp) cookie

a person who is clever and has a strong personality

Ex: She's a smart cookie and won't be fooled easily. 
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that is the way the cookie crumbles (in the market|)

said after an unfortunate event to mean one must accept the situation as it is

Ex: We didn't get the contract, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. 
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to [toss] {one's} cookies

to empty what is in one's stomach through one's mouth

Ex: The boat ride was so rough that I tossed my cookies twice. 
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tough cookie

a person who is strong, resilient, and determined, often in the face of challenging circumstances

Ex: After everything she's been through, she's still a tough cookie. 
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crackers
crackers
[Adjective]

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

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dough
dough
[noun]

money, cash, or financial resources

Ex: He needed some extra dough to cover his expenses for the month. 
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to [eat] {one's} words

to take back something one has said previously

Ex: I said I'd never try skydiving, but after loving it I had to eat my words. 
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big enchilada

an individual who is very famous or influential

Ex: Everyone waited for the big enchilada to arrive. 
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the whole enchilada

***the whole situation; everything

Ex: High-tech gadgetry is the spice, but not the whole enchilada. 
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chicken feed

an extremely small amount of money

Ex: To a large company, that fine is chicken feed. 
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to [feed] {one's} face

to eat more food than one's body needs or can handle

Ex: After a long day at work, I just want to go home, put my feet up, and feed my face with a delicious meal. 
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to spoon-feed

***to give someone so much help or information that that person does not need to try himself or herself

Ex: By giving out printed sheets of facts and theories, the teachers spoon-fed us with what we needed for the exam. 
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a different kettle of fish

an issue or subject that is not in any way connected to what one was talking about

Ex: Managing a large team of employees is a different kettle of fish from managing a small team. 
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fishy
fishy
[Adjective]

suggestive of dishonesty or something dubious

Ex: His fishy behavior raised suspicions among his friends. 
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(as|) nutty as a fruitcake

(of a person) crazy or exhibiting odd behavior

Ex: He must be nutty as a fruitcake to climb that mountain alone. 
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gravy
gravy
[noun]

a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)

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gravy train

a situation in which making a lot of money becomes possible with minimal time or effort

Ex: That government contract became a real gravy train for them. 
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ham
ham
[noun]

an actor with an exaggerated theatrical style

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to ham it up
to ham it up
[phrase]

exaggerate one's acting

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to [sell|go] like hot cakes

to sell very quickly and in large amounts

Ex: The new phone sold like hot cakes as soon as it was released. 
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to [cut] the mustard

to meet expectations or perform satisfactorily in a given task or situation

Ex: The new software looks impressive, but we'll see if it can cut the mustard under pressure. 
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noodle
noodle
[noun]

informal terms for a human head

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knuckle sandwich

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

Ex: When the schoolyard bully wouldn't leave him alone, he finally stood up and threatened to give him a knuckle sandwich. 
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in a stew
in a stew
[phrase]

in a very troubled or nervous state

Ex: She was in a stew all morning waiting for the test results. 
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to sugarcoat

cause to appear more pleasant or appealing

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sugar daddy

a rich older man who gives money or gifts to a younger partner for companionship or intimacy

Ex: That sugar daddy paid for her luxury vacation. 
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