For the birds  - no good, worthless, ridiculous

Example : This conference is for the birds -- let's leave now

Do the trick  - If something does the trick, it has the necessary or desired effect Example : This sauce needs a bit of flavor - I know, some lemon juice should do the trick. To be on the safe side  - being especially careful in order to avoid something unpleasant Example : I'm sure it won't rain, but I'll take an umbrella (just) to be on the safe side. Trivial  - Of little significant value, ordinary Example : Sexual harassment in the workplace is not a trivial matter

 

Culture shock  - A condition of confusion and anxiety affecting a person suddenly exposed to an alien culture

Example : It's not just jet lag -- it's the culture shock of being in a new country On foot  - Walking or running, not using a vehicle. Example : There's no road to the lodge; we have to get there on foot.

Internet scam - An illegal plan for making money in the internet

That kind of internet scam is all too common these days

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Call in sick - Telephone one's employer or school that one is ill and cannot come to work or attend

She called in sick

Let off steam - relieve one's pent-up feelings

Example : He lifts weights after work to let off steam

Ins and outs - The detailed or complicated facts of something

Example : I know how to use computers, but I don't really understand the ins and outs of how they work.

Wet blanket - A person who says or does something that stops other people enjoying themselves  Please don't be a wet blanket. Inappropriate - Not proper Example : His casual behavior was wholly inappropriate for such a formal occasion Flesh and blood - One's blood relatives Example : I couldn't send him away - he's my own flesh and blood. Make a beeline for - to go directly and quickly towards Example : At parties he always makes a beeline for the prettiest woman in the room.

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Swamp - If something swamps a person, system or place, they receive more of it than they can easily deal with

Example : I'm swamped with work at the moment.

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Put you up - to provide you with a place to stay temporarily

Example : Tracy is putting me up for the weekend. Bend over backwards - try hard to do something Example : I've been bending over backwards trying to help you and this is all the thanks I get Moonlight  - To work at an additional job, especially without telling your main employer Example : A qualified teacher, he moonlighted as a cabbie in the evenings to pay the rent Call it quits  - To stop doing something Example : This ground is far too stony for a garden so I'm calling it quits

Veg out  - to relax and spend time doing very little

Example : I'm exhausted - I think I'll just go home and veg out in front of the TV tonight

Negation Form and Use