to make a difference (to): to be of importance (to), to affect Examples of MAKE A DIFFERENCE The sociology student just wanted to make a difference in the lives of the poor. “I can’t figure out how to make a difference in this community,” the frustrated politician thought to himself.  

to fall in love: to begin to love Examples of FALL IN LOVE I don’t believe her when she says it’s impossible to fall in love more than once in your life; I do it all the time. I never wanted to fall in love, then I met you.

to be about to: to be at the moment of doing something, to be ready (often used with the adverb just) Examples of TO BE ABOUT TO I was just about to send you the email you requested. I am about to lock the doors and turn the lights off in the shop.

to have one’s heart set on: to desire greatly, to be determined to Examples of TO HAVE ONE’S HEART SET ON She has her heart set on taking a trip abroad. She’s been thinking about it for months. Todd has his heart set on going to medical school and becoming a doctor.

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.

cut and dried: predictable, known beforehand; boring Examples of CUT AND DRIED For those who have never been seriously ill, treatment often seems cut and dried. In conversation, the director concedes that the issue is not so cut-and-dried.