Teacher
A is for 'A home from home'—a place you feel as comfortable as your own house.
Student
Got it. A home from home means it feels like home away from home.
Teacher
B is 'Break the bank'—to spend more money than you can afford.
Student
So Break the bank means you go over budget.
Teacher
C stands for 'Cost an arm and a leg'—to be very expensive.
Student
That means something costs a lot of money.
Teacher
D is 'Draw a blank'—to fail to remember or retrieve information.
Student
I’ve drawn a blank—totally forgot.
Teacher
E is 'eye-catching'—very beautiful or interesting.
Student
Something eye-catching grabs your attention.
Teacher
F: 'Foot the bill'—to pay the cost of something.
Student
Nice—who will foot the bill this time?
Teacher
G: 'Go round the houses'—to waste time talking about unimportant things.
Student
We don’t want to go round the houses in this meeting.
Teacher
H: 'Home truths'—honest but uncomfortable realities.
Student
Sometimes you need to hear home truths.
Teacher
I: 'in low spirits'—feeling sad.
Student
When you’re in low spirits, you’re down.
Teacher
J: 'Jump on the bandwagon'—join a popular trend.
Student
Don’t just jump on the bandwagon; think for yourself.
Teacher
L: 'Let the cat out of the bag'—reveal a secret unintentionally.
Student
Be careful not to let the cat out of the bag.
Teacher
M: 'Make yourself at home'—feel relaxed in someone’s place.
Student
Thanks, I’ll make myself at home.
Teacher
N: 'Nothing to write home about'—boring or average.
Student
Not amazing, just nothing to write home about.
Teacher
O: 'On the house'—something provided free by the venue.
Student
Great, dessert on the house tonight.
Teacher
P: 'Put your money where your mouth is'—back up claims with action or payment.
Student
If you promise a result, you should put your money where your mouth is.
Teacher
Q: 'Quick buck'—easily earned profit with little effort.
Student
Be wary of schemes offering a quick buck.
Teacher
R: 'Rent-a-crowd'—a staged audience hired for appearances.
Student
That would be a fake crowd, a rent-a-crowd.
Teacher
S: 'soul-destroying'—extremely boring or sad.
Student
Long meetings can be soul-destroying.
Teacher
T: 'Take the bull by the horns'—face a problem directly.
Student
Time to take the bull by the horns and solve it.
Teacher
U: 'Under the radar'—hidden from notice.
Student
Keep it under the radar and stay discreet.
Teacher
V: 'Value for money'—quality received relative to price.
Student
We want value for money when shopping.
Teacher
X: 'X marks the spot'—the exact place to find something valuable.
Student
Look for X marks the spot on the treasure map.
Teacher
Y: 'Your word is bond'—a legally or morally binding promise.
Student
If you say it, your word is bond.
Teacher
Z: 'Zero in on'—direct attention toward a target.
Student
Let’s zero in on the main issue and finish.
