Geography & Weather Idioms


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We have already blogged about idioms. If you still remember, "an idiom is a combination of words that has a meaning that is different from the meanings of the individual words themselves". 
Today we are going to focus on Geography/Weather topics, which are almost an obsession for British people, especially the latter. But is there any special reason for that? To tell the truth, we don't know but the fact is that the weather is extremely unpredictable and wet in the British Isles, that's why 70% of the British check the weather forecast at least once a day and use the idiom "It's raining cats and dogs" so often!
Idiom
Meaning
Example
(on) cloud nine
extremely happy
Andrea was on cloud nine when she bought her new car.
dig deep
look hard for information
I had to dig deep to find my old report cards.
dirt cheap
very inexpensive
The clothes at the thrift shop are dirt cheap.
down to earth
natural or real (personality)
Lucile is really down to earth for a woman with so much money.
fair-weather friend
a person who is only a friend in good times
I can't talk to Nancy about my boyfriend problems. She's only a fair-weather friend.
a field day
a very enjoyable time
The kids had a field day at the water slide park.
go downhill
get progressively worse
My grades started going downhill when I got a part-time job.
go with the flow
continue in the same way as others
Nobody trained me at work. I just went with the flow.
hit the hay
go to sleep
I'm exhausted. I think I'll hit the hay early tonight.
hit the road
leave
It's getting late. We had better hit the road.
keep one's head above water
have just enough money to live
It's hard to keep my head above water with all of these medical bills.
know which way the wind blows
know how things will turn out
Who knows which way the wind will blow? I just hope Jesse gets one of the jobs he's applied for.
make a mountain out of a molehill
make a small problem seem big
The car only got a tiny dent. You're making a mountain out of a molehill.
out of the woods
clear of danger
The doctor said my heart is doing better, but I'm not out of the woods yet.
over the hill
past middle age
I knew I was over the hill when I started needing glasses to read.
rain on someone else's parade
ruin somebody else's happiness
Whenever I had a dance recital, my older brother always rained on my parade.
stick-in-the-mud
a loner or person who won't join in
They didn't bother inviting Charles to the party because he's alway a stick-in-the-mud.
(as) quick as lightning
very fast
Wow! Your shower was as quick as lightning.
the tip of the iceberg
a small part of a large problem
The lost tickets were just the tip of the iceberg.
take a raincheck
accept at a later date
I'd love to go out for dinner, but can I take a raincheck?
under the weather
ill
I was feeling under the weather so I went back to bed.
up the creek
in trouble
If my Dad finds out I had a party I'll be up the creek.
win by a landslide
win by a lot of points
The skiier in the green coat won by a landslide.
(get) wind of something
overhear something about someone or something (often gossip)
My Dad has a new girlfriend. I got wind of it over dinner tonight.

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