lea イディオム
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 new broom sweeps clean
an employee works hard on the first day or two, make a good impression "After my first day working for Grandfather, he said, ""A new broom sweeps clean."""
a new lease on life
a feeling that life will be better, a fresh start The promotion gave him a new lease on life.
as clean as a whistle
without any dirt or marks, smooth and clean The hen squeezed, and out popped an egg as clean as a whistle.
at least
not very much, very little to ask At least he could have phoned. He could have done that.
battleaxe
cranky woman, a bitch Marlene - that old battleaxe - is spreading lies about me.
blind leading the blind
someone who doesn
by leaps and bounds
by large amounts, by a lot The population of Calgary has grown by leaps and bounds.
clean bill of health
(See a clean bill of health)
clean cut
well groomed, clean, neat We're looking for clean-cut boys to work as waiters.
clean me out
buy all I have, steal everything I own The thieves cleaned us out. They took everything in our house.
clean up
make a lot of money, make a big profit I cleaned up at the horse races last year and still have some of the money left.
clean up on
defeat, beat, whip you, wipe you Little Chad cleaned up on big Clint. Chad is quite a fighter.
clean up your act
do it better, do it legally, get your act together I've missed classes, failed tests. I need to clean up my act.
clean up your plate
finish eating all the food on your plate, eat it up You may leave the table after you've cleaned up your plate.
clear as a bell
easy to hear or understand, clearly audible We heard him say it. He said no, clear as a bell.
clear as mud
not understandable, confusing "Mr. Lee explained the formula. Then he said, ""Clear as mud, eh?"""
clear out
leave, go, get out, take off When the gang arrived, we cleared out. We left in a hurry.
clear sailing
(See smooth sailing)
clear the air
explain, talk about a problem openly His statement will clear the air. It will prevent more confusion.
clear up
explain, discuss so everyone understands Let's clear up the matter of the missing keys. Were they stolen?
clear your head/mind
relax so you can think clearly After an argument I need time to clear my head, to become calm.
come clean
tell the truth, admit everything, own up The police asked him to come clean about the money - to tell them everything he knew.
flea in one
an annoying hint, an idea or answer that is not welcome I put a flea in his ear regarding the proposal deadline that he had missed.
flea market
a place where antiques or secondhand things are sold We went to a flea market last Saturday to try and buy some dishes.
get the lead out
move faster, hurry, move it, shake a leg The coach told me to get the lead out - to get moving.
go over like a lead balloon
fail to generate a positive response The sales manager's latest proposal went over like a lead balloon at the meeting
have a leak
urinate, take a pee When you go camping, it's okay to have a leak in the woods, eh.
in leaf
having new leaves, growing leaves Poplar trees were in leaf, wild roses in bloom.
in league with
in secret agreement or partnership with someone The union has been in league with management in trying to build the new factory.
in the clear
with nothing to limit action, free of anything that makes moving or seeing difficult We seem to be in the clear now so it should be safe to cross the road.
in the least
in any way, at all Oil prices went up, but the price of gas didn't change in the least.
information leak
(See have a leak)
keep your nose clean
stay out of trouble, toe the line Keep your nose clean, and you'll get out of prison sooner.
last but not least
the last one on the list but not the least important Last but not least is Carla, winner of the spelling contest.
lead a dog
live a hard life, work hard and be treated unkindly He says that he has been leading a dog
lead a life
have a style of living, have a way of life With your career and children, you lead a busy life.
lead a merry chase
delay or escape capture by someone, make a person work hard He led the investigators on a merry chase before they finally arrested him.
lead by the nose
make or persuade someone to do anything you want My sister has been leading her husband by the nose since they got married.
lead off
begin, start, open The golfer was the first to lead off in the tournament.
lead on
insincerely encourage I think he was leading me on when he told me about the new job.
lead pipe cinch
certain of the result, a foregone conclusion The Jets are a lead pipe cinch to win the game. They're better.
lead the way
go before and show how to go somewhere, guide I had to lead the way because nobody else knew where the new office was located.
lead you down the garden path
tell you a false story, give you a line He said the trip to Paris was free. He led me down the garden path.
lead you on
promise good things, pretend to be good I know you love Jo, but she was leading you on. She loves Paul.
leaf out
grow new leaves, in leaf She trimmed the branches before the trees began to leaf out.
leak
allow people to know, tell the media Details of the program were leaked to a newspaper.
lean on
pressure someone by blackmailing or threats of physical violence to make the person comply with a request The gang decided to lean on the small shop owner to get him to sell his property.
lean times
times of poverty, hard times During lean times they sold eggs for 50
learn the lingo
learn the language, know the idioms To work in the computer industry you have to learn the lingo.
