Significato:
a cappella 
adv. senza accompagnamento strumentale (music.)
ll Idioma
a ball-park figure
"a number that is near the total; approximate figure" Fifty is a ball-park figure. It's close to our class size.
a bitter pill
a negative event, a loss, a painful experience Divorce is a bitter pill for her. She believed in her marriage.
a bull in a China shop
"a big, reckless person in a room full of fragile things; cramp your style" Imagine a 300-pound football player at a tea party, and you have a bull in a China shop.
a clean bill of health
a good report from the doctor, a good checkup You'll never get a clean bill of health if you eat fat meat!
a close call
close to danger or an accident That was a close call. The train nearly hit the bus!
a clutch hitter (baseball)
a batter who hits when runners are on base Joe's a clutch hitter. He's batting .431 with runners on base.
a falling out
a disagreement, a break in friendship Guy and Jean had a falling out. They argued about religion.
a few bricks short of a full load
not sensible or logical, not all there When Moe began eating bugs, we knew he was a few bricks short.
a fill-up
a full tank of gasoline, fill her up We got a fill-up before we left Winnipeg. The truck needed gas.
a fly on the wall
able to hear and see what a fly would see and hear I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the Judge's chambers.
a free-for-all
a fight without rules, Donnybrook There was a free-for-all after the dance, and Brendan got hurt.
a full house (cards)
a pair plus three of a kind, e.g., 2 kings and 3 aces In our last game of poker, you dealt me a full house.
a full plate
a busy schedule, a lot to do Nancy has a full plate these days. She has two jobs and three kids.
a hill of beans
a small amount, very little The money he lost doesn't amount to a hill of beans.
a hollow leg
space for a lot of drink, room for a lot of beer Parl drank six bottles of beer. He must have a hollow leg!
a lady-killer
"handsome man; a man who charms the ladies; hunk" """Liam Neeson! He's gorgeous!"" she said. ""What a lady-killer!"""
a lot on the ball
intelligent, smart Melvin may not look intelligent, but he's got a lot on the ball.
a roll in the hay
making love, having sex """Want a roll in the hay?"" ""Sure. Do you have a condom?"""
a snowball's chance in hell
little or no chance to succeed If I write the test now, I won't have a snowball's chance in hell.
a tall one
a large drink of liquor, a strong drink After he heard the bad news, he poured himself a tall one.
a three-bagger (baseball)
a hit that allows the batter to run to third base Molitor hit a three-bagger in the sixth game of the World Series.
a tough act to follow
a performance that is not easy to equal Gail danced very well. That is a tough act to follow.
a tough call
a difficult decision, a hard choice Was the goal scored before the game ended? It's a tough call.
above and beyond the call of duty
much more than expected, go the extra mile Her extra work was above and beyond the call of duty.
Achilles' heel
a weakness, a vulnerable place Jewelry is my Achilles' heel. I buy too much jewelry.
after all
after you consider all the facts, to be fair Will you help me with English? After all, I helped you with math.
against all odds
not likely to happen, a slim chance Against all odds - poor weather, student pilot - we landed safely.
all along
all the time I knew all along that he would not get the promotion.
all at once
suddenly, without warning All at once the fire alarm rang so we had to leave the building.
all day long
the whole day She has been sitting and waiting for the mail to arrive all day long.
all decked out
(See deck out)
all ears
listening carefully, trying to hear everything When Dad mentioned hunting, I was all ears. I loved to hunt.
all eyes
watching carefully, staring When the fire truck arrived, the children were all eyes.
all fired up
eager, enthused, gung ho Ian gets all fired up when he sees Kari. There's love in his eyes.
all get-out
(See as all get-out)
all goes well
have good luck, have no problems I hope all goes well for you at college. I hope you succeed.
all hell broke loose
people did crazy things, everybody was fighting When the fire alarm sounded, all hell broke loose.
all his marbles
normal, sensible Dan talks to the door. I wonder if he's got all his marbles.
all in
very tired, exhausted, dog tired, done in After the marathon, she was all in - completely exhausted.
all in a day's work
not extra work, just part of my duties "She said, ""Thanks for the help."" ""All in a day's work,"" he replied."
all in all
in summary, after considering everything We had a few problems but all in all the meeting was successful.
all in one
combined I was able to use my car for travelling and sleeping all in one.
all it's cracked up to be
as good as the ads say, live up to the reports The new computer isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's not so hot.
all of a sudden
suddenly, without advance warning All of a sudden it became cloudy and began to rain.
all-out
all your effort, go all-out We looked day and night for the lost girl. It was an all-out effort.
all over but the shouting
(See it's all over but the shouting)
all over hell's half acre
all over the place, everywhere I left the gate open, and the cows are all over hell's half acre.
all right
" expression of reluctant agreement./ fair; not particularly good./unharmed; in satisfactory condition"
all rolled up in one
combined His brother is president and vice-president all rolled up in one.
all's fair in love and war
there are no rules to guide you in love or war, that's life When your girlfriend leaves you for your best friend, remember, All's fair in love and war.