let alone
let alone: and certainly not (also: not to mention, to say nothing of)
Examples of LET ALONE
- He would never walk again let alone play golf.
- He doesn’t even speak his own language well, let alone French.
let alone: and certainly not (also: not to mention, to say nothing of)
butter up: be nice to, suck up to Examples of BUTTER UP – Butter him up before you ask to borrow his car.– So I’m trying to butter up those officials so we do get a call once in a while.
to have it out with: to quarrel with, to confront Examples of TO HAVE IT OUT WITH I am going to have it out with Jack about all the times that he has told us lies. Ben had it out with his roommate about coming back home so late and making a lot of noise.
inside out: with the inside facing the outside Examples of INSIDE OUT She turned the jacket inside out so that she could mend it but the stitches wouldn’t show. By turning your surplus left-hand gloves inside out you can restore the balance.
to knock one self out: to work very hard (sometimes too hard) to do somethingA reflexive pronoun must divide the idiom. Examples of TO KNOCK ONE SELF OUT She really knocked herself out trying to pass that difficult class. Don’t knock yourself out during practice. Save your strength for the competition later.
to find fault with: criticize, to complain about something Examples of TO FIND FAULT WITH You mustn’t be quick to find fault with everyone you date because you might learn to appreciate their flaws. Nobody could find any fault with Jennifer’s performance on the exam.
to get over: to recover from an illness; to accept a loss or sorrow Examples of GET OVER “We just need to get over this wall,” said the prisoner who was leading the escape. The sick man hoped to get over his illness quickly.