Phrases
Phrases :
Bid fair = makes a fair
The new tax bids fair to work well.
Break loose = burst forth
He allowed his passions to break loose.
Break loose = force its way out
The horse broke loose from the stable.
Break open = open it by force
Let us break open the box.
Come true = turn out to be
What you prophesied has come true.
Cut short = bring to an untimely end
His life was cut short by cholera.
Fall flat = produce no effect
His speech fell flat on the audience.
Fall foul = become a victim
He fell foul of the authorities and was punished.
Fall short = less than
The result fell short of our expectations.
Fight shy = kept out of his way
I fought shy of that man.
Get rid of = throw it off
I cannot get rid of this fever.
Hold good = has good
This rule holds good here also.
Hold true = has truth
This saying always holds true.
Lay bare or open = expose
He managed to lay bare their plots.
Lay waste = ravaged
He laid waste the enemy's country.
Let loose = unchains it
He lets the dog loose at nights.
Look blank = seem puzzled, disturb or surprise
He looked blank, when he was informed of his dismissal.
Look sharp = make haste
I hope you will look sharp about this.
Make good = compensate me for the loss
I incurred a heavy loss through you and so now you must make good the loss.
Make good one's boast = carry it out
We also speak of a person making good which means he becomes successful and rich.
Make little = consider it of no importance
He made little of my illness.
Make light = consider it of no importance
He made light of my illness.
Make much = turn to advantage
I could not make much of the information he gave me.
It also means to treat something as more important than it is.
Make too much = over-estimate them
He made too much of my abilities.
Play false = act deceitfully
He played me false.
Put right = put it into working order
The mechanic soon put the motor right.
Set right = put it into working order
The mechanic soon set the motor right.
Put to rights = put it into working order
The mechanic soon put the motor to right.
Ride rough-shod = force his own view upon us whatever annoyance it might give us
He tried to ride rough-shod over all of us.
Run short = became too little for the purpose required
The money ran short.
Set free = set at liberty or released every slave
England set every slave free.
Steer clear = steer the boat clear, keep out of the way of
I hope you will steer clear of bad companions.
Strike dumb = become speechless
We were struck dumb by the news.
Talk big = boasts or exaggerates
He talks big about himself.
Phrases
The Sentences Index
