breadwinner: a person who earns a livelihood, especially one who also supports dependents.Examples of BREADWINNER As long as I am the breadwinner in this house, I have the right to make some rules for everyone who lives here. Being a single mother was very difficult for Sheila – she was the breadwinner, the house cleaner,…

on edge: nervous, anxious; upset, irritable Examples of ON EDGE Sophia was on edge all day about the important presentation she had to give to the local citizens group. I don’t like being around Jackson when he’s on edge like that. Someone should tell him to calm down and relax.

to put on: to gain (pounds or weight); to present, to perform Examples of TO PUT ON It sounds odd but I actually managed to put on weight during my five-day ordeal. It reminded me of a family reunion where some of the kids got up to put on show.

to look over: to examine, to inspect closely (also: to go over, to read over,to check over) Examples of LOOK OVER The supervisor scheduled a meeting to look over her report. The doctor needed to look over the file in detail, before he could reach a correct diagnosis.

bad egg: a person who is bad, dishonest, or unreliable; a good-for-nothing.Examples of BAD EGG Despite his reputation, John’s boss is not really such a bad egg – after all, he did promote John to a better paying position last year. She’s a bad egg, I’m afraid – we caught her stealing from the office…

to hold up: to delay, to make late; to remain high in quality Examples of TO HOLD UP The incident also prompted a pushing match and play was held up for six minutes. We didn’t score like 130 points, 140 points, but we really held up our opponent.