V0cabulary, Idioms & Expressions (VIE)

Crack downEnforce the law by taking severe measures to restrict  criminal actionsFollowing the increase in road accidents, the police cracked down on speeding.

Hit and runWhen the driver of a vehicle hits another vehicle without stopping to provide help and fails to report the accident to the police.A hit-and-run accident deserves serious punishment.

Lay down the lawSomeone who tells people very forcefully what to doThe volunteers are disorganised; they need someone to lay down the law.

Blow the whistleWhen you report an illegal activity and those responsible to the authoritiesHe refused to blow the whistle on his corrupt boss for fear of losing his  job.

Above boardAn open, honest and legal situation or business.There are no secret negotiations. Our dealings have always been above board.

Smoking GunAn undeniable piece of evidence pointing to someone's guilt.The fingerprint the thief left on the door-handle was the smoking gun that enabled the police to arrest him.

Take the bread out of somebody's mouthTo take away a person’s means of earning a livingThe ban on street vendors took the bread out of the mouths of  many people.

Bad EggSomebody who cannot be trustedDon’t rely on Joan to do anything. She is a bad egg.

Sticking pointA controversial issue that stops discussions.Ownership of Falkland Islands is still a sticking point for Britain and Argentina after 30 years

Hot potatoes Very sensitive matters which are difficult to deal with

  The new Prime Minister has not tried to address the  hot potatoes yet.

Bone of contentionA matter about which there is a lot of disagreement.

"The salaries have been agreed on, but working hours remains a bone of contention."

Nest EggMoney that is set aside for future needs.

"Our parents see the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg for their old age."

19 March 2012

The wheels fall offA situation where everything starts to go wrong

"The wheels fell off Whitney Houston’s career when she started taking drugs."

Vicious circleA solution to a problem that creates a worse problem "I borrowed money from the loanshark to pay the bank, and now I need to borrow to pay the loanshark. It's a vicious circle."

20 March 2012

The left hand doesn't know what the right is doingCommunication within a group is so bad that people don't know what the others are doing.

“We are confused by the different answers given by managers of the company. Clearly, the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing”

Live on the breadlinePeople who have barely enough money to survive.

 "After the economic crisis, there are more people living on the breadline now."

21 March 2012

Sponge offLive at the expense of another without doing something in return.

"Amy has been sponging off her grandparents for the past two months, not even bothering to help out in the house."

Fiddling while Rome burnsDoing unimportant things while there are serious problems to be addressed

"People wondered what the Police Chief was doing on a holiday during the outbreak of crime, as if fiddling while Rome burned"

22 March 2012

Live from hand to mouthNot having enough money to save, with all money spent on food and essentials.

"Most families in that poor area live from hand to mouth."

When in Rome, do as the Romans.One should adopt the customs of the people or country you are visiting.

“At the Chinese restaurant, James tried using chopsticks because when in Rome, do as the Romans”

23 March 2012