Idiom 1-4 DESCRIBING

1+2. DESCRIBING PEOPLE

ABSENT-MINDED

absent-minded  adjective
 describes someone who tends to forget things or does not pay attention to what is happening near them because they are thinking about other things

absent-mindedly  adverb
She absent-mindedly left her umbrella on the bus.

absent-mindedness  noun [U]


BIG-HEADED

big-headed  adjective  disapproving
 thinking that you are more important or more clever than you really are
She's so big-headed!
 Compare swollen head

big-head  noun [C]
He's always boasting. He's such a big-head!
Stop praising him or he'll get a big head.


BRAINY

brain  noun
1 [C] the organ inside the head that controls thought, memory, feelings and activity
Doctors tried desperately to reduce the swelling in her brain.
The accident left him with permanent brain damage.
His wife died from a brain tumour.
2 [C] used to refer to intelligence
Marie has an amazing brain (= is very intelligent).
That can't possibly be the right way to do it - use your brain!
3 [C  usually plural] informal a very intelligent person, especially one who has spent a lot of time studying
We've got the best brains in the land working on this problem.
have sth on the brain  informal disapproving
 to not be able to stop thinking or talking about one particular thing
You've got cars on the brain. Can't we talk about something else for a change?

brain  verb [T]  informal
 to hit someone on the head
I'll brain you if you don't keep quiet.

-brained  suffix
1 having a particular type of brain
These dinosaurs were large-brained and more intelligent than most.
2  disapproving used in various phrases to describe someone as stupid or badly organized
bird-brained
harebrained
scatterbrained
brainless  adjective  informal
 stupid
What sort of brainless idiot would do that?

brains  plural noun
 intelligence
The poor child inherited his mother's brains and his father's looks.
He's got brains but he's too lazy to use them (= He is clever but lazy).

brains  noun
 the brains the cleverest person of a group, especially the person who plans what the group will do
My little brother's the brains of the family.
brainy  adjective  informal
 clever
Sarah was beautiful and brainy.


CHEEKY

cheek  (BEHAVIOUR)  noun [S  or U]  UK
 rudeness or lack of respect
He told me off for being late when he arrived half an hour after me. What a cheek!
 [+ to infinitive]She's got some cheek to take your car without asking.
He had the cheek to ask me to pay for her!
She's always getting into trouble for giving her teachers cheek (= being rude to them).

cheek  verb [T]  UK informal
 to be rude to someone
He's always getting into trouble for cheeking his teachers.

cheeky  adjective  UK
 slightly rude or showing a lack of respect, but often in a funny way
She's got such a cheeky grin.
Don't be so cheeky!
cheekily  adverb  UK
cheekiness  noun [U]  UK


HOT-HEADED

hothead   noun [C]
 someone who does things or reacts to things quickly and without thinking carefully first

hotheaded   adjective
She's a bit hotheaded and rash.

hotheadedly   adverb
hotheadedness   noun [U]


NOSY

nosy, nosey   adjective (nosier, nosiest)  disapproving
 too interested in what other people are doing and wanting to discover too much about them
She was complaining about her nosy parents.

nosily   adverb
"Who was that on the phone?" she asked nosily.
nosiness   noun [U]


PIG-HEADED

nosy, nosey   adjective (nosier, nosiest)  disapproving
 too interested in what other people are doing and wanting to discover too much about them
She was complaining about her nosy parents.

nosily   adverb
"Who was that on the phone?" she asked nosily.
nosiness   noun [U]


THICK

thick  (STUPID)  adjective  informal
 stupid
I told you not to touch that - are you deaf or just thick?

(as) thick as two short planks  slang
 very stupid
He's a very skilled footballer but he's as thick as two short planks.


THICK-SKINNED

thick-skinned  adjective
 Someone who is thick-skinned does not appear to be easily hurt by criticism
You do need to be thick-skinned to survive as a politician here.


TIGHT-FISTED

tight-fisted  adjective (also tight)  informal disapproving
 unwilling to spend money
Don't imagine Gillian'll buy you a drink - she's too tight-fisted.


TWO-FACED

two-faced  adjective  disapproving
 describes someone who is not sincere, saying unpleasant things about you to other people while seeming to be pleasant when they are with you
I don't trust her - I suspect she's a bit two-faced.


WELL-OFF

well-off  (RICH)   adjective
 rich
Her family was very well-off.
know when you are well off
 If you do not know when you are well off, you do not understand that your present situation is good compared with other people's or with what it might be like
She's always complaining about her car - she doesn't know when she's well off (= she's lucky to have a car even if it's bad)!

well-off   plural noun
 rich people
It is a resort that clearly caters for the well-off.


DOWN-AT-HEEL

down-at-heel  UK  adjective (US down-at-the-heel)
 wearing old clothes, or in a bad condition, because of a lack of money
She had a decidedly down-at-heel appearance.
He worked in a down-at-the-heel cafe.


FULL OF BEANS

full  (CONTAINING A LOT)  adjective

1 (of a container or a space) holding or containing as much as possible or a lot; filled
This cup is very full so be careful with it.
My plate was already full.
I tried to get in the cinema last night but it was full.
Don't talk with your mouth full!
The shelves were full of books.
When she looked at him her eyes were full of tears.
I tried to get on the 8.45 train but it was full (up).
Don't fill your glass too full or you'll spill it.
The theatre was only half full.

2 containing a lot of things or people or a lot of something
This sweater is full of holes.
His essay was full of spelling errors.
I'm full of admiration for you.
You're always so full of energy.

3 involving a lot of activities
I've got rather a full week next week - could we postpone our meeting?
She has a very full life.

be full of beans  informal
 to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm
I've never known anyone be so full of beans before breakfast.

be full of sth
 to be talking or thinking a lot about something that you have enjoyed or found exciting
"Did the kids enjoy their trip to the zoo?" "Oh, yes, they were full of it when they got back this afternoon."
be full of your own importance  disapproving
 to think and act as if you are very important
Since he got his new job, he's been very full of his own importance.

be full of yourself  disapproving
 to think that you are very important in a way that annoys other people
I can't stand her - she's so full of herself.
be full of the joys of spring  humorous
 to be very happy
He bounced into the office, full of the joys of spring.

fullness, fulness  noun [U]
 when something is full


HEARTLESS

heartless   adjective
 cruel and not caring about other people
Don't be so heartless!


HEN-PECKED

henpecked  adjective  disapproving
 A henpecked man is controlled by and a little frightened of a woman, especially his wife.


HOT-BLOODED

hot-blooded  (SHOWING FEELINGS)   adjective
 showing strong feelings very easily and quickly, especially anger or love


LAID BACK

laid-back  adjective  informal
 relaxed in manner and character; not tending to get anxious about other people's behaviour or things that need to be done
I've never seen her worried or anxious in any way - she's so laid-back.


LIGHT-FINGERED

light-fingered   adjective  informal
 If you describe someone as light-fingered you mean that they have a habit of stealing things.


LONG IN THE TOOTH

long  (TIME)   adjective

 continuing for a large amount of time
a long film/meeting
I've been waiting a long time.
It's a long time since I worked there.
Apparently the sessions are an hour long.

(as) long as your arm  informal
 very long
There was a list of complaints as long as your arm.

the long arm of the law  literary
 the police
You can't escape the long arm of the law (= The police will catch you if you have done something illegal).

a long way to go
 a lot of work to do or improvements to make
He has a long way to go before he can present the scheme to the public.

have come a long way
 to have advanced to an improved or more developed state
Information technology has come a long way in the last twenty years.
go a long way
 If you say that someone will go a long way, you mean that they will be very successful.
 See also far (DISTANCE)

go a long way towards doing sth
 to be very helpful
The money raised will go a long way towards providing essential food and medicine.

go back a long way
 If people go back a long way, they have known each other for a long time.

be long in the tooth  informal
 to be old, often too old to do something
He's a bit long in the tooth to be wearing jeans, don't you think?

so long  informal
 goodbye
before (very/too) long (also before much longer)
 soon
They'll be home before very long.
not by a long chalk/shot  informal
 not in any way
It wasn't as good as his first book - not by a long chalk.

no longer (also not any longer)
 in the past but not now
The cinema is no longer used.
She doesn't work here any longer.
the long and the short of it  informal
 said when you want to explain the general situation without giving details
The long and the short of it is that they are willing to start the work in January.
not long for this world  old-fashioned
 If someone is not long for this world, they will die soon.

Long time no see.  saying
 said when you meet someone who you haven't seen for a long period of time

long   adverb

1 used to mean '(for) a long time', especially in questions and negative sentences
Have you been waiting (for) long?
I'm just writing a letter but it won't take long.
How long have you been in England?
Don't rush - take as long as you like.
We've been walking all day long.
I've known her longer than you have.
I won't be staying much longer.

2 used with the past participle or the -ing form of the verb to mean that a state or activity has continued for a long time
a long-awaited letter
long-serving employees

long live sb/sth!
 said to show support for the person or thing mentioned
Long live the President!


SKINNY

skinny  (THIN)  adjective mainly disapproving
 very thin
You should eat more, you're much too skinny.


STUCK UP

stuck-up   adjective  informal disapproving
 too proud and considering yourself to be very important


(A BIT) THIN ON TOP

thin  (FEW)  adjective (thinner, thinnest)
 having only a small number of people or a small amount of something
Attendance at the meeting was rather thin.

be thin on the ground  UK
 to exist only in small numbers or amounts
Shops which will deliver goods are thin on the ground these days.

be thin on top  informal
 to have lost some of the hair on your head (SLIGHTLY BALD)
He's a bit thin on top nowadays, isn't he?

disappear/vanish into thin air
 to disappear suddenly and completely
out of thin air
 from nothing
I can't come up with £10 000 out of thin air.

thin (out) verb [I  or T]
 When a crowd or a group thins (out), it becomes fewer in number, and when you thin (out) a group of plants or other things, you remove some to make them fewer
The traffic will thin out after the rush hour.

thinly  adverb


WET BEHIND THE EARS

wet  (NOT DRY)  adjective (wetter, wettest) 

1 covered in water or another liquid
a wet floor
a wet umbrella
wet hair
My bike got wet in the rain.
I had to cycle in the rain and got soaking (= very) wet.
informal You poor thing - you're all (= very) wet.

2 describes paint, ink, or a similar substance when it has not had time to dry and become hard
The paint's still wet.
a notice saying 'Wet paint!'

3 describes weather or periods of time when rain falls
We've had wet weather all week.
This is the first wet day for two months.
The presentation will take place indoors if it's wet.

be wet through
 to be completely wet
Come in quickly - you're wet through.

be wet behind the ears
 to be young and without experience

the wet noun [S] mainly UK
 wet weather
Don't leave it out there in the wet.

wet  verb [T]

1 to make something wet
Wet the powder thoroughly and mix to remove lumps.
He wetted a cloth and tried to rub the mark away.

2 wet yourself to accidentally urinate in your clothes

wetly  adverb

wetness  noun [U]
wet the/your bed
 to accidentally urinate in your bed
She still sometimes wets the bed at night.
wet your whistle  old-fashioned informal
 to have an alcoholic drink



3. DESCRIBING MOODS, STATES & FEELING

DOWN IN THE DUMPS

dumps  plural noun  informal
 (down) in the dumps unhappy
She's a bit down in the dumps because she's got to take her exams again.


ILL AT EASE

ill  (BAD)  adverb

1  formal badly
Hospital staff, it is claimed, were ill-prepared to deal with the severity of the injuries.
We certainly weren't ill-treated.

2  formal or old-fashioned speak ill of sb to say unkind things about someone
I realize one shouldn't speak ill of the dead.

3  formal or old-fashioned augur/bode ill to be a sign of bad things in the future
This weather bodes ill for the garden party tonight.

4  formal or old-fashioned can ill afford (to do sth) If you can ill afford to do something, it will cause problems for you if you do it
We can ill afford to lose another member of staff.
ill  adjective [before noun]  formal or old-fashioned
 bad

ill health
Did you experience any ill effects from the treatment?

be ill at ease
 to be anxious and not relaxed
He seemed ill at ease and not his usual self.

It's an ill wind (that blows nobody any good).  saying
 said to show that even a very bad situation must have some good results

ill  noun
1 [U] formal or  old-fashioned harm
I wish her no ill.
2 [C  usually plural] a problem
There seems to be no cure for Britain's economic/social ills.


ON THE DOLE

the dole   noun [S]  UK informal
 the money that the government gives to people who are unemployed
Young people on (= receiving) the dole are often bored and frustrated.
If I can't find any work within a month, I'll have to go on the dole.


BEDRIDDEN

bedridden  adjective
 having to stay in bed because of illness or injury
His aunt was 93 and bedridden.


TONGUE-TIED

tongue-tied  adjective
 If you get tongue-tied, you find it difficult to express yourself, usually because you are nervous.


PECKISH

peckish  adjective  UK
 slightly hungry
By ten o'clock I was feeling rather peckish, even though I'd had a large breakfast.


HARD OF HEARING

BROKE     without money

OFF-COLOUR

off-colour  (ILL)   adjective [after verb]  informal
 slightly ill
I'm feeling a bit off-colour today.


BROKEN-HEART

heart  (EMOTIONS)   noun [C  or U]
 used to refer to a person's character, or the place within a person where their feelings or emotions are considered to come from
She has a good heart (= She is a kind person).
I love you, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart (= very sincerely).
I love you with all my heart (= very much).
He said he'd never marry but he had a change of heart (= his feelings changed) when he met her.
Homelessness is a subject very close/dear to her heart (= is very important to her and she has strong feelings about it).
He broke her heart (= made her very sad) when he left her for another woman.
It breaks my heart (= makes me feel very sad) to see him so unhappy.
They say he died of a broken heart (= because he was so sad).
old-fashioned It does my heart good (= makes me very happy) to see those children so happy.
She has a good heart (= She is a kind person).
His heart leapt (= He suddenly felt very excited and happy) when the phone rang.
My heart sank (= I felt sad and disappointed) when I heard the news.

your heart skips/misses a beat
 When your heart skips/misses a beat, you feel very excited or nervous
Every time he looks at me my heart skips a beat.

your heart aches
 If your heart aches, you feel sad or feel a sense of sympathy and sadness for the suffering of other people
His heart ached with pity for her.

after your own heart
 having the same opinions or interests as you
She's a woman after my own heart.

be all heart
 to be very kind and generous. This phrase is often used humorously to mean the opposite

She's all heart.
humorous "He deserves all he gets." "Oh, you're all heart (= you are not kind)!"

Have a heart!
 used to ask someone to be kinder to you
Don't make me write it again! Have a heart!

your heart's desire  literary
 the thing or person you most want

your heart isn't in it
 If your heart isn't in it, you do not feel interested or enthusiastic about something
I tried to look interested, but my heart wasn't in it.

your heart in your mouth
 If your heart is in your mouth, you are feeling extremely nervous
My heart was in my mouth when I opened the letter.

heart and soul  literary
 completely
She loves those children heart and soul.

her/his heart is in the right place
 said about someone who you think has good intentions
He's an odd man but his heart is in the right place.

have a heart of gold
 to be very kind and generous
She has a heart of gold.

have a heart of stone
 to be unkind or cruel

in your heart of hearts
 in your most secret and true thoughts
I didn't want to believe it, but in my heart of hearts I knew that it was true.

set your heart on sth/doing sth
 to want to get or achieve something very much
She's set her heart on having a pony.

to your heart's content
 If you do something to your heart's content, you do something enjoyable for as long as you want to do it
You've got a whole week to yourself and you can read to your heart's content.
put your heart and soul into sth

 to make a lot of effort to do something
She's one of those people who puts their heart and soul into their work.

not have the heart to do sth
 to feel unable to do something because you feel it would unkind
She asked me to go with her and I didn't have the heart to refuse.

-hearted   suffix
 having a character or feelings of the stated type
a light-hearted play

-heartedly   suffix

-heartedness   suffix


LAID UP

laid
past simple and past participle of lay

be laid up
 to be forced to stay in bed because of an illness or accident
She's been laid up in bed with flu for a week.


DEAD BEAT   exhausted

KEYED UP

keyed up  adjective [after verb]
 very excited or nervous, usually before an important event
He always gets keyed up about exams.


SCARED STIFF

scare   verb [I  or T]
 to (cause to) feel frightened
Sudden noises scare her.
She's very brave - she doesn't scare easily.
He scared me out of my wits (= made me extremely frightened) when he was driving so fast.
Meeting new people scares me stiff/to death (= makes me extremely nervous and anxious).
She scared the hell/life/living daylights out of me (= frightened me very much) when she crept up behind me and shouted in my ear.

scare sb shitless  offensive
 to make someone extremely frightened

scare   noun

1 [S] a sudden feeling of fear or worry
I got/had a scare (= I was very worried) when I looked at my bank statement this morning!
You gave us a real scare (= frightened us) when you fainted, you know.

2 [C] when a subject receives a lot of public attention and worries many people, often unnecessarily
a bomb/health scare
The government are accused of employing scare tactics (= ways of frightening people in order to persuade them to do something).
The press have been publishing scare stories (= newspaper reports which make people feel unnecessarily worried) about the mystery virus.
scared   adjective
 frightened or worried
He's scared of spiders.
I'm scared of telling her what really happened.
He's scared to tell her what really happened.
I was scared (= very worried) (that) you might not be there.

I was scared stiff (= extremely frightened).
She had a scared look on her face.

scary  informal,  UK also scarey   adjective
 frightening
a scary movie/story



4. DESCRIBING THINGS

FEW AND FAR BETWEEN

few  (NOT MANY)  determiner,  pronoun,  noun,  adjective
 a small number, not many or not enough
It was embarrassing how few people attended the party.
He is among the few people I can trust.
Very few people can afford to pay those prices.
We leave for France in a few days.
Few of the children can read or write yet.
Few things in this world give me more pleasure than a long bath.
Fewer people smoke these days than used to.
We get few complaints.
According to the survey, as few as 10% of us are happy with our jobs.
The benefits of this scheme are few.
NOTE: few is used with countable nouns. Compare little (NOT ENOUGH).

few and far between
 not happening or existing very often
Flats which are both comfortable and reasonably priced are few and far between.

a man/woman of few words
 a man/woman who says very little
My father was a man of few words, but when he spoke it was worth listening to.

no fewer than  formal
 used to show that you consider a number to be surprisingly large
No fewer than five hundred delegates attended the conference.


A BIT OF FISHY

fishy  (DISHONEST)  adjective  informal
 seeming dishonest or false
There's something fishy going on here.

smell fishy  informal
 If a situation or an explanation smells fishy, it causes you to think that someone is being dishonest.


HAIR-RAISING

hair-raising   adjective
 very frightening
She gave a hair-raising account of her escape through the desert.


WHOLE-HEARTED SUPPORT

whole-hearted   adjective
 completely enthusiastic
The minister has pledged his whole-hearted support for the scheme.

whole-heartedly   adverb
Both members are whole-heartedly in favour of the changes.


FROSTY

frost  (COLD)   noun [C  or U]
 (a period of time in which there is) an air temperature below the freezing point of water, or the white, powdery layer of ice which forms in these conditions, especially outside at night
There was a frost last night.
When I woke up this morning the ground was covered with frost.
There were a lot of hard/heavy (= severe) frosts that winter.
frost   verb [I  or T]
Our bedroom window frosted up.
Our lawn is frosted over.

frosty   adjective

1 very cold, with a thin layer of white ice covering everything
Be careful - the pavements are very frosty.
It was a cold and frosty morning.

2 If someone or their behaviour is frosty, they are unfriendly and not welcoming
He gave me a frosty look.
The chairperson's plan received a frosty reception from the committee.

frostily   adverb
"I didn't ask you to come, " she said, frostily (= in an unfriendly way).
frostiness   noun [U]


LONG-WINDED

long-winded   adjective
 A long-winded speech, letter, article, etc. is too long, or uses too many words.


SECOND-HAND

second-hand  (NOT NEW)  adjective,  adverb
 not new; having been used in the past by someone else
This bike is second-hand but it's still in good condition.
She buys all her clothes second-hand.


DOG-EARED

dog-eared   adjective
 A book or paper that is dog-eared has the pages turned down at the corners as a result of a lot of use.


EYE-CATCHING

eye-catching  adjective
 particularly attractive or noticeable
an eye-catching poster