English Vocabulary: Interesting Idioms with Clothes part II

Which idioms do you remember from Part I?

Remember what we told you? What we want you to do is:

1. Read the list
2. Choose 5 idioms
3. Remember them and write sentences with them, this way you will remember them!
4. Repeat again next week!

Idioms

Have an ace up one’s sleeve – to have something that you can use to gain an advantage (in a card game the ace is often the most valuable card and a cheater could have an ace up his or her sleeve to use against an opponent).
Example: “I have an ace up my sleeve: my Dad is friends with the boss, so I will get the job”

Have (someone) in one’s pocket – to have control over someone.
Example: “That polititian is in that big company’s pocket, everyone knows he’s corrupt”

Hit (someone) below the belt – to do something in an unfair or cowardly way.
Example: “Jenny hit me below the belt: she knew I wanted to wear the red dress”

Hot under the collar – to be very angry.
Example: “Before the interview, he was getting hot under the collar”

If the shoes fits, wear it – used to say that something said or suggested about a person is true and that the person should accept it as true.
Example: “Helen got angry when I said she was a liar. But she never tells the truth, so if the shoe fits she should wear it”

In fashion – fashionable.
Example: “Pink hats are in fashion; I think they’re horrible”

In one’s Sunday best – in one’s best clothes that you would wear to go to worship in a church (in the days when people dressed in a more formal way to attend church).
Example: “When we visit my grandmother, we have to go in our Sunday best”

Keep (something) under one’s hat – to keep something secret.
Example: “I can’t believe you kept such a big secret under your hat!”

Laugh up one’s sleeve – to laugh quietly to oneself.
Example: “When I overheard the joke, I laughed up my sleeve”

Lick (someone’s) boots – to behave in a servile manner toward someone.
Example: “Graham is always licking the teachers boots to get a better grade”

Make (something) by hand – to make something with one’s hands rather than with a machine.
Example: “Laura made me a beautiful pair of hand made earrings for my birthday”

On a shoestring – on a very low budget, with very little money.
Example: “We are travelling on a shoestring:

Out of fashion – not fashionable.
Example: “Cowboy hats are out of fashion”

Play one’s cards close to one’s chest – to be extemely secretive and cautious about something (to hold playing cards close to your chest so the other players cannot see them).
Example: “He’s playing his cards close to his chest about his job… I wonder why”

Pull (something) out of a hat – to produce something as if by magic, to invent something.
Example: “Laila is going to pull an amazing party out of her hat, it’s like magic”

Pull up one’s socks – to make a greater effort than before to do something.
Example: “I told Mary to pull up her socks and try harder to find a job”

Put on one’s thinking cap – to think long and hard about something.
Example: “Hmmm, I’ll put on my thinking cap and together we’ll solve the problem”

Roll up one’s sleeves – to get ready for a hard job, to prepare to work hard or seriously.
Example: “Ok, roll up your sleeves and get to work!”

Shoe is on the other foot – used to say that a situation has changed to the opposite of what it was before.
Example: “Now the shoe is on the other foot: John cheated on Samantha, and now she’s cheating on him”

Smarty pants – a person who is annoying because they always have an answer or seem to know everything
Example: “Her brother is a smarty pants: he always knows more than you, it’s so annoying”

Talk through one’s hat – to say something without or understanding the facts.
Example: “My neighbour is constatly talking through his hat, he talks about things he doesn’t know”

Tighten one’s belt – to live on less money than usual
Example: “During an economic crises, everyone tightens their belts”

Too big for one’s boots – to think you are more important than you are.
Example: “My aunt is getting too big for her boots: she makes a lot of money but thinks she’s royalty!”

Wear more than one hat – to have more than one set of responsibilities.
Example: “At work, Eva wears more than one hat: she’s a designer, she helps management and she programs the computers”

Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve – to show one’s feelings openly.
Example: “My husband always wears his heart on his sleeve, all his emotions show on his face”

Wear the pants in the family – to be the boss of a family or household.
Example: “Oliver was only 5 but he wore the pants in the family; he was always telling people what to do”

Wolf in sheep’s clothing – a person who pretends to be good but is really bad.
Example: “Joan was a wolf in sheep’s clothing; pretending to be nice but only there in self-interest”