Idiom of the Week: A World of Good

“I sure am glad I took a day off. It did me a world of good!” “A world of good” is simply a lot of good. It usually refers to something that makes someone feel better. “Counseling did our marriage a world of good.” “You should...

Idiom of the Week: It Came Off the Ark

“Wow, that typewriter is pretty old. Is it an antique?” “Yeah, I think it came off the ark.” The ark is the boat that Noah made to survive a big flood in a story in the Bible. The flood was a long, long time ago, so if something was on the ark...

Idiom of the Week: A Household Name

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of him. He’s a household name! He’s on TV all the time.” A “household name” is a person so famous that everyone knows who he or she is. Just like a common brand of soap or candy might be...

Idiom of the Week: Sure-Fire

“This is a sure-fire plan. There’s no way it could fail!” We don’t really “fire” a plan, but we do fire guns. So imagine you are a soldier, and you have been marching through a swamp or hiding in a forest. Your gun is dirty and it got wet. Will it still fire? It will...

Idiom of the Week: Ball and Chain

“Want to go out drinking after work?” “I’ll have to ask my wife.” “I see. How is the old ball and chain doing, anyway?” We have an idea that a man loses his freedom when he gets married. So you might occasionally hear his wife referred to as his “ball and chain”, like...