Idiom of the Week #36 Wrap it up
We’ve had a lot of fun this year exploring idioms and expressions with the
Wordlys, but now it’s time to wrap it up. This is our last idiom for the
year. I hope that you enjoy using these idioms as much as the Wordlys do!
Means: you finish something
Idiom of the Week #35 Not my cup of tea
The little Wordly boy doesn’t like watching television at all. It’s not his
cup of tea. He would rather be outside or making up his own games than
staring at a screen.
Means: you don’t like it very much.
Idiom of the Week #34 Raining cats and dogs
It was raining cats and dogs when the Wordlys went to bed. It was cozy to
hear the rain on the roof, and to hear it running down the spouts.
Means: raining very hard
Idiom of the Week #33 Look up to
One of the oldest Wordly boys is really good at sports and planning games.
The younger Wordly children look up to him. They admire him and want to be
just like him.
Means: to respect and admire
Idiom of the Week # 32 Out of the Question
When the middle Wordly girl asked her mother if she could sleep over at a
friend’s house on a school night, Mrs. Wordly said that it was out of the
question. There was no way she would allow it.
Means: it will not even be considered
Idiom of the week: # 31 In the same boat
“Well at least we’re both in the same boat,” Mr. Wordly said to his little
boy who had just scraped his knee. Mr. Wordly had an achy knee from playing
soccer, so they each knew how the other felt.
Means: they are in similar situations
Idiom of the week: #30 Step on it
Yesterday Mrs. Wordly got in her car to go to work and discovered the car
wouldn’t start. She had a very important meeting to get to, and she just
couldn’t be late. She asked her husband to drive her to work. “Step on it!”
she shouted.
Means: to hurry and not waste any time
Idiom of the week: #29 In the nick of time
Mrs. Wordly thought she as going to be late getting to the airport, but she
arrived just in the nick of time. Another minute and she would have missed
her plane!
Means: just in time or just at the right moment
Idiom of the week: #28 In a pickle
The oldest Wordly boy was really in a pickle. He had told his mother that he
would be home by 4 o’clock, but he had lost rack of time. Now he was going to
be in trouble.
Means: you are going to be in trouble
Idiom of the week: #27 Make light of
When the older Wordly boy started a band with some of his friends, he took it
very seriously. His brothers and sisters laughed and joked about how often
the band was practicing. “Don’t make light of this! It’s very important to
me,” their brother shouted.
Means: do not take something seriously
Idiom of the week: #26 Off the hook
The oldest Wordly girl was suppose to baby sit for her younger brothers, but
her parents plans changed. “Well, I guess you are off the hook!” her mother
told her. Now she could go to the movie with her friends instead.
Means: to be free from blame or unwanted responsibility
Idiom of the week: #25 Up to your eyeballs
The Wordlys had just had a party and now they were up to their eyeballs in
dirty dishes! It seemed it would take them forever to wash them all.
Means: to have a lot of something
Idiom of the week: #24 On pins and needles
The students in the little Wordly girl’s class had written silly poems. Their
teacher was reading them one by one. Each child was on pins and needles
waiting for their poem to be read.
Means: waiting anxiously for something to happen
Idiom of the week: #23 Running out of time
The Wordlys were running out of time to get to the concert. It was taking
them all such a long time to get ready; and now they might be late!
Means: you are going to be late if you don’t hurry
Idiom of the week: #22 For keeps
The oldest Wordly boy was sorting his things, trying to get rid of the things
he didn’t need anymore. He gave his special baseball cards and his bottle cap
collection to his little brother who exclaimed, ”For keeps?”
Means: you may keep it for your very own
Idiom of the week: #21 Get on my nerves
The Wordly children told their mother that their grouchy neighbor really gets
on their nerves. They are not allowed to step on his grass, and if they make
too much noise he will come out and yell at them. They feel like he is always
watching them
Means: you irritate or annoy me
Idiom of the week: #20 Under the weather
The youngest Wordly girl was feeling under the weather, so she came home from
school early to rest. She did not feel well. Her head was hurting and her
muscles were aching.
Means: when you do not feel well
Idiom of the week: #19 Keep an eye on
Mrs. Wordly asked her oldest daughter to keep an eye on the younger ones
while she went to the store. The older girl was used to taking care of her
younger brothers and sisters.
Means: to watch something or someone very closely and carefully
Idiom of the week: #18 Get it off your chest
When something is bothering the littlest Wordly girl, her mother can always
tell. Mrs. Wordly encourages her daughter to tell about her worry or fear as
a way of getting it off her chest. When she shares her problems she feels
better.
Means: tell someone what is bothering you
Idiom of the week: #17 Like pulling teeth
It’s like pulling teeth to get all the Wordly children to bed at night. It’s
really hard because they all get distracted with putting on pajamasa and
brushing teeth. They like to read in bed, so it’s hard to get them to turn
off the lights.
Means: hard to get something done or finished
Idiom of the week: #16 Hit the nail on the head
Mr. Wordly asked the children to guess where the family would be in one hour.
When they guessed the family’s favorite taco restaurant, he said, “You are
right. You have hit the nail on the head.”
Means: to be exactly right about something
Idiom of the week: #15 See eye to eye
Mr. and Mrs. Wordly almost always see eye to eye about family decisions. They
usually agree about what rules to set with the children about chores and
homework.
Means: to agree with
Idiom of the week: #14 On the fence
Mr. and Mrs. Wordly were on the fence about whether to let their son go
camping with his friend for the weekend. They could not decide what to do. He
would miss a soccer game but would have lots of fun.
Means: you can not decide what to do
Idiom of the week: #13 On thin ice
When Mrs. Wordly thinks that one of her children is just about to get into
trouble, she often says, “Your skating on thin ice, buster.
Means: to put yourself in a bad position or you are heading for trouble
Idiom of the week: #12 Pull your weight
There was a lot of yard work to do. The Wordlys had a talk with their
children and asked them all to pull their weight. If everyone helped out and
did their share, the work would go much faster.
Means: to help out as much as you can
Idiom of the week: #11 Bend over backwards
Grandma Wordly bends over backwards for her new puppy. She bakes him dog
treats, knits him sweaters, and takes him for six walks each day.
Means: to put more work or effort into a task than is expected
Idiom of the week: #10 Turn over a new leaf
One of the Wordly boys did not like to brush his teeth. When he went to the
dentist, he was told he had better do a good job or his teeth would be filled
with cavities. He decided to turn over a new leaf and brush every day.
Means: decide to do things in a better way
Idiom of the week: #9 Hang in there
The little Wordly boy was having trouble with his friend. They had gotten mad
at each other, and the friend refused to make up. Mrs. Wordly told her son to
hang in there, and that things would work out soon if he kept being friendly.
Means: stay with something and keep trying even if it’s very difficult.
Idiom of the week: #8 Cut corners
The Wordly children were suppose to clean their rooms before they went to
play with their friends. They cut corners by pushing their toys under the bed
and only picking up the biggest scraps and leaving the crumbs.
Means: to do a sloppy job and don’t spend enough time to do your best effort
Idiom of the week: #7 Give it your best shot
One of the great things about the youngest Wordly boy is that he always gives
things his best shot. He never cuts corners or does things halfway. He works
hard and gives every new challenge his best effort.
Means: you are trying your very best
Idiom of the week: #6 Hold your horses
Everyone in the Wordly hose is so busy and moving so fast that Mrs. Wordly
has to remind them to hold their horses and be patient.
Means: stop or slow down and don’t be so excited
Idiom of the week: #5Cut it out
When the Wordly boys were having fun tossing the colorful; fall leaves up in
the air, their grouchy neighbor came outside and told them to cut it out. He
did not want leaves messing up his yard.
Means: stop what you are doing because it is bothering someone
Idiom of the week: #4 Call the shots
The middle Wordly girl was mad. Her bossy friend said, “I’ll call the shots
in this game!” She wouldn’t let anyone else suggest any ideas for how the
game should be played.
Means: telling everyone else what to do
Idiom of the week: #3 Get this show on the road
The Wordlys were getting ready to go out for a day at the beach. Every one
was anxious to get started, but it was taking time to get everything packed
and ready. “Let’s get this show on the road!” said Mr. Wordly.
Means: to hurry up
Idiom of the week: #2 A piece of cake
When the youngest Wordly girl learned to ride her bike, she made it look like
a piece of cake. It was easy for her she didn’t wobble or tip over.
Means: when something is easy to do
This page will be filled with an idiom for each week. An idiom is a commonly
used expression that means something different than what it appears to mean.
For example, "Butterflies in your stomach" means that you have an anxious
feeling inside. The English language is full of idioms. As your child
builds vocabulary and language this year, it will be fun and meaningful to
explore these idiomatic expressions at home and in the classroom.
Week #1: Butterflies in your stomach
The Wordly’s daughter had butterflies in her stomach. She had a piano
recital and she was feeling nervous about playing in front of an audience.
Her stomach felt all fluttery inside!
Means: you have an anxious, nervous feeling inside