English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - E
(Idioms E page 4: even the score → eagle eyes)
| even the score | When a person
decides to even the score, they try
to get their revenge on someone who has
cheated or done them harm. When Jack discovered that Bob had cheated, he was determined to even the score. |
| even steven | Two or more people
who are even stevens are equal to
each other. None of them has more than the
others; none is owed anything or has
anything due. The two boys shared equally the money they made delivering pizzas so now they're even stevens. |
| even a worm will turn | Even someone who never complains will react to an intolerable situation. |
| every dog has its day | This expression
means that everyone can be successful at
something at some time in their life. I didn't win this time, but I'll be lucky one day. Every dog has its day! |
| every nook and cranny | Every nook and
cranny means every possible part of a
place. She searched every nook and cranny of the old town looking for antiques. |
| every Tom, Dick and Harry | This expression
means everyone or everybody. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has a credit card nowadays! |
| necessary evil | If you say that
something is a necessary evil, you
don't like it but you understand that it has
to exist and be accepted. Vaccinations are a necessary evil if you want to travel. |
| exception proves the rule | If something is
different from a general belief or theory,
it shows that the belief or theory is true.
Most teenagers love fast food, but Ben is the exception that proves the rule - he's the only one of our children who insists on healthy food! |
| excuse my French | This expression is
used as an apology for using crude or
offensive language. He's a bloody nuisance, if you'll excuse my French. |
| explore all avenues | If you explore
all avenues, you try out every
possibility in order to obtain a result or
find a solution. We can't say it's impossible until we've explored all avenues. |
| apple of your eye | A person, usually a
child, who is the apple of your eye
is one for whom you have great affection. My grandson is the apple of my eye. |
| in the eye of the storm | A person or
organisation who is in the eye of the
storm is deeply involved in a difficult
situation which affects a lot of people. The minister was often in the eye of the storm during the debate on the war in Iraq. |
| one in the eye | If an event or
development is an unexpected disappointment
or defeat for someone, you can say that it
is one in the eye for that person. My promotion was one in the eye for my ambitious colleague. |
| more than meets eye | This expression
means that something is more complicated or
more interesting than it first appears. They say it's just a disagreement, but we think there's more to it than meets the eye. |
| eagle eyes | Someone who has
eagle eyes see or notices things more
easily than others. Tony will help us find it - he's got eagle eyes! |
| ...back next... | |
| Alphabetical Lists E: | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 |
more alphabetical lists ...
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X-Y-Z |