Your Daily Idioms

Definition: in advance or earlier than scheduled Examples: We like to make as many dishes ahead of time as we possibly can. If pasta is on your dinner party menu, take a cue from restaurant chefs and make it ahead of time . Trump suggests Brazile, Hillary resign after Wikileaks reveals Clinton received debate questions ahead of time . Make food in bulk ahead of time and freeze it to save money and time in the kitchen. Can you schedule an Uber ahead of time ? Making your Thanksgiving pies ahead of time can be a lifesaver when it's crunch time in the moments leading up to the holiday dinner. Lox on top of a bagel, sure. But lox and bagels in a buttery strata layered with two types of cheeses...AND it can be chilled for up to 24 hours ahead of time ? We may have found our new favorite breakfast casserole. Trump took to Twitter Thursday morning to claim Hillary Clinton somehow got the debate questions ahead of time . Casseroles can be prepared ahead of time and then stored until ne...

Definition/Meaning: with the approaching time or schedule Examples: Deutsche Bank races against time to reach U.S. settlement. Recognition and treatment against sepsis is a race against time . After 30 years, Chernobyl repair is racing against time . Henry Parnasse reportedly found himself locked in a race against time Wednesday morning to take out a trash bag with a widening hole in its side. The Centre is running against time to meet the ‘stiff’ target rollout date of April 1, 2017 for a new indirect tax regime. Obama officials work against time to wrap banking rules. In my race against time I can't stop running through the red light. We are literally in a race against time and we must take every opportunity to spread the word. Scientists race against time to develop new antibiotics. Britain's MI5 security Service and police are reportedly in a "race against time " to stop Islamic State jihadis from targeting England's Queen Elizabeth and other members of...

Definition/Meaning: to result in something or to mean something Examples: Due to rounding, percentages may not always appear to add up to 100%. Ten tweaks that add up to a major update. In a triangle, the three interior angles always add up to 180°. Assistant and camera add up to a winner. What numbers add up to 9? What do all sides of a triangle add up to ?  Small hits to the head may add up to injuries for high school football players, according to a new study by the Purdue Neurotrauma Group at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. We believe that small changes add up to a big impact and Starbucks is committed to helping our customers make nutritional choices that are right for them. Words add up to success. Click on pairs of squares that add up to 1 and do it as fast as you can.

Definition: to make a problem worse or to make a person angry Examples: You're adding fuel to a flame that's already out of control. China lashes Australia and US for ' adding fuel to the flames ' on South China Sea. All this makes Wednesday the biggest day of the year for Jack Ma's company, and its performance could either silence critics or add fuel to the fire . Kalki Koechlin, who has been busy shooting for her films, has kept mum all this while about the sidelining of Pakistani actors in Bollywood and says she doesn’t want to add fuel to the fir e. Adding fuel to the ‘KiKyo’ fire , it has been announced that the two stars will reunite at a fan meeting in China on June 17. Acquittals in armed Oregon standoff add fuel to the political fire . Why the super crackdown could add fuel to the housing affordability fire . The media is adding “ fuel to the fire ” over violence at Donald Trump events, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Monday. ...

Definition: also act on - to obey or act in accordance with Examples: A force is a push or pull acting upon an object as a result of its interaction with another object.  If there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon . If a landlord wishes to act upon a notice served a considerable length of time previously, it may be advisable to provide a letter before action to the tenant which may be necessary under the Civil Procedure Rules Pre Action Conduct for all claims. Do we act upon what we see?' The pancreas secretes lipase enzymes that act upon dietary fat molecules. Describe the types of drag that act upon an aircraft. The goal of nursing is “to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him. Why don't people act upon what they would like to accomplish? An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in t...

Definition/Meaning: a single weakness in a person or a thing Examples: Falling in love so easily is my Achilles’ heel . The Achilles’ heel in this project are the people who want their idea to be followed, be it unrealistic or not. He seems to be without flaw, but everyone has his Achilles’ heel . The boxer’s Achilles’ heel is his jaw. Once the opponent hits this part of his face, he becomes groggy and goes down. I know his Achilles’ heel and I am ready to face him tomorrow in the ring. The country’s Achilles’ heel are the people who are lazy and unpatriotic. Most of the times, the lack of determination and patience are our Achilles’ heel when looking for work or when starting a business. In the middle of a war, the sick and the wounded are undoubtedly the army’s Achilles’ heel . If you want to win the match, look for and study your opponent’s Achilles’ heel . Aware that his only daughter was his Achilles’ heel , the terrorist left her with her mother and never came back to see th...

Definition/Meaning: responsible for Examples: If anything wrong happens here, we are all accountable for it. Teachers should not be held accountable for the quality of learning the students get from them. The police intelligence is held accountable for the bombing and death of dozens of innocent people during the parade. The president holds the terrorist group accountable for the string of kidnapping in the country. The engineer is accountable for the collapse of the newly built 20-story building. If a patient mysteriously died while in the hospital, the doctor and nurses are usually held accountable . While they have a command of responsibility, village captains are not always held accountable for any failure or problem in their area. The host audience held the referee accountable for the loss of their team in the basketball tournament. Actors in show business are accountable for their behind-the-camera behavior for some people set them as their role model. You can’t hold the ...

Definition: a problem to clear up with someone Examples: Before taking your vacation in the U.S. for a few weeks, please don’t forget your account that needs to be settled . Our animosity that develops over the years is an account to settle . You have an account to settle with Angie, so find time to talk things over with her. I know I can’t sleep tight tonight knowing that I have an account to settle with my boss. We don’t have an account to settle with the protesting employees, so we got nothing to worry about. If you have an account to settle with the owner of that store, why don’t you meet to talk things over. Raising a big family, Leonard is faced with an account to settle with the people he had owed money for quite a number of years. Never hesitate to ask help from a lawyer if you have any account to settle with the company. I always calls people name and I know it’s an account that I badly need to settle . Any account left unsettled will accumulate over time and hard to c...

Definition: to explain what happened to someone or something; be the reason for Examples: Accounting for what really transpired during the shooting incident, the police officer missed out on some very important details. The teacher must account for the frequent absenteeism of her students. Poverty accounts for the widespread robbery, thief and drug abuse in the country. Terrorism and far-flung presence of different types of deadly diseases account for the potential tourists turning away from visiting the country. The security guard on duty must account for the unnoticed and clean burglary in the museum. Lack of parental support accounts for the early pregnancy among teenagers. The coach should not be accounted for the team’s loss. Everybody must be held accountable instead. While trying to account for the result, the chairman of the board of judges was unnerved by the complaining parties. Frustration and desperation could account for his resignation from being the president o...

Definition: agreeable to or in accordance with Examples: According to the reports, the victim was found dead by the shore. I beg to disagree. According to the book I read last night, social media is affecting our way of life. We need to act according to the law of God. Otherwise punishment befalls us. According to my health teacher, we should brush our teeth every after meal. The leading cause of cancer is stress according to some experts. I do things according to what I believe is right. According to this handbook, these are the things we need to survive in that forest. If we only act according to the rule, no conflict would have arisen. Living according to his beliefs, Rodney finds life worth to live. What we are doing is not according to what we are taught to do.

Definition: to furnish with convenience or to do a favor for Examples: The host  accommodates  the guests with good food and relaxing bedroom to stay. The mayor said that he couldn't accommodate the fire victims with enough relief goods. So, some non-government organizations came in to help. As much as I want to accommodate with your request, I don’t have the means to fulfill it. We are so lucky to be accommodated with an excellent ambiance not to mention the superb costumer service. Accommodated with extraordinary service, the costumer tipped the waiter. If you don’t accommodate your guests with hospitality, they wouldn’t be coming back to visit you. Some nationalities accommodate tourists with incomparable safety, no doubt they keep coming back. Even though the couple was in debt, they didn’t fail to accommodate their kids with proper education and healthy living. The government is trying to accommodate us with our needs, all we need to do is to patiently ...

Definition: getting oneself used to or accustom to Examples: Students who accommodate themselves to hard work tend to succeed in life. If you don’t accommodate yourself to hardship, it is very unlikely for you to succeed in your endeavor. Accommodated to poverty, the two brothers know how to get through life without enough food on their table. Rose tried to a ccommodate herself to emotional pain, but it boomeranged to her health. Once accommodated to affluence, anyone could barely endure life without money to buy his wants. Accommodating oneself to stress is not advised to anybody. Getting rid of things that stress one out is best to do instead. Some animals that are accommodated to darkness got blind once they are instantly exposed to light. These kids are accommodated to eat purely fruits and vegetables. So, adding meat in their diet upsets their stomach. While there are people who are accommodated to radiation, constantly exposing oneself to it is still discouraged. During ...

Definition/Meaning: insulting or offensive language Examples: During the altercation, the two conflicting groups of teenagers broke out into abusive terms . Avoid the use of abusive terms when speaking in public. She is used to shout abusive terms when angered. Professionals are expected not to utter abusive terms even if they lost their temper. Netizens must get rid of writing abusive terms on social media. Abusive terms are censored both on TV and radio programs. Sometimes, priests can’t ward themselves off from breaking into abusive terms . Those who keep uttering abusive terms in front of other people are the type that I want to stay away from. Time will come that abusive terms are completely censored in the internet. It’s ironic that people who bashed her for bursting into abusive terms on social media are doing the same thing against her.

Definition/Meaning: blameless or honest enough that no one would suspect Examples: No one could imagine he did all that. He looked above suspicion . You don’t have to worry about the crime. Everyone looks at us above suspicion . Even the judge had been fooled. Aside from nobody could testify, his words made him above suspicion . In this case, no one is above suspicion as the police considers every possible angle of the murder. She may be above suspicion , but I am not ruling her out as one of the suspects. He was convicted of a crime and had paid for it for twenty years, but recently he is one of the suspects of the robbery in a bank. For sure, everyone doesn't regard him above suspicion . He was only dragged into an illegal business. In my eyes, he is above suspicion . Everyone knows Ronald is above suspicion , but why is he involved in the investigation? Suicide is above suspicion as the autopsy result shows rupture unlikely caused by self-infliction. For all of you George is a...

Definition/Meaning: priceless or valuable Examples: Your presence right now is above price . Love is the only thing I can offer her which everyone knows is above price . Internet is above price nowadays, especially for the grown-ups. Our family is definitely above price because they are the only ones who will stay when everyone leaves behind. After his death, Jerry’s masterpiece is considered above price in his family. When everything is lost, you are the only person who stays with me, and it is above price . Nothing as above price as your effort to achieve our goals. Our foreparents’ wisdom is above pric e. Until now most of them are proven effective. I don’t think she is looking at your flowers and chocolates as above price . Try to do something more romantic. In this modern world of ours, being technologically savvy is above price .

Definition/Meaning: not within one’s understanding or grasp Examples: Knowing who created the human race is absolutely above our head . Scientists have studied the origin of life for so many years, but until now it is still over their head . The mathematical equations before me are completely above my head . You are a math genius, so I don’t see the reason why this problem is above your head . Everything seems to be over my head upon knowing more about anything. It is entirely above their head . They don’t even know how to read and write. Paranormal incidents taking place these days are utterly over the villagers’ head . She doesn’t believe that the feelings building up between them is above his head . Don’t force people to understand what is totally over their head . Can’t you see it, she is very stressed out right now because you keep on telling her things that are above her head .

Definition/Meaning: prepared to or ready Examples: She was about to leave for the US when the incident happened. Please inform me if you are about to take your medicine. Please hurry, the bus is about to leave for city. Tell your sister to move faster, the boat is about to leave now. Erica was about to drink the poison when mother stopped her. Jason was about to set the house on fire when it rained very hard. Patrick was nabbed by the police just as he was about to fly abroad. I was about to submit the project when I noticed something was not finished yet.

Definition/Meaning: adhere to or to remain faithful Examples: She has decided to abide by her opinion. Everyone has to abide by the rule of law. If you don’t abide by the rules, prepare for the consequence. He wants us to abide by the new policy, yet he is not setting himself as an example. My father always tells me to abide by his orders. If the new rules are against my right, then I can’t guarantee to abide by them. Students should abide by the rules and regulations of the school. Why don’t you just abide by his point-of-view? It’s not wrong if you don’t abide by a lopsided policy. Abiding by the memorandum is advised to do for all employees.

Definition/Meaning: to indulge in Examples: He abandoned himself to drugs after all that happened. Please don’t abandon yourself to despair. Some people abandoned themselves to different vices when faced with misfortune. Michael abandons himself to too much desperation when the love of his life broke up with him. It will never come to the point that I abandon myself to despair. Riza abandons herself to so much debt after being hooked on drugs and gambling. Abandoning oneself to grief is what Lea tries to overcome. Have you ever abandoned yourself to selfishness? He can’t help but abandon himself to porn addiction. Find some people to talk to so you won’t abandon yourself to hopelessness.