Book of Idioms, Episode 27

PULL THE PLUG ON: discontinue, withdraw support from. Ann Arbor News (Michigan, USA): <"This is something that has been dragging on for more than a decade," Eaton said of the Georgetown Mall saga. "This guy brought the property in 2001.">>


CUT YOUR LOSSES: abandon a failing effort so as not to waste more money. Forbes: <>


COOL YOUR HEELS: wait. Ann Arbor News (Michigan, USA): <Our first interactions at Slurping Turtle added to the chilly feeling. They only take reservations for six or more, and won’t seat your party until all have arrived. Twice we arrived two by two, and although there were many open tables, we were forced to cool our heels until the final stragglers found parking. >>


GET THE SHORT END OF THE STICK: get a bad deal, not get one's fair share. Detroit Free Press: <“We are really getting the short end of the stick in terms of how much we get for the sale of land, and we really are devaluing the land,” Castaneda-Lopez said. “We know that this land in particular is going to be worth exponentially more than it is now, and that’s not being taken into consideration.”>>


A SLAM DUNK (the term comes from basketball) is a sure thing, an action that is certain to succeed. A RUBBER STAMP (often a verb, to rubber-stamp something) is quick approval with very little consideration. I think both of these are North American.
Example: Detroit Free Press: <“I don’t think it’s a slam dunk,” said Melissa Jacoby, a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill professor who has been closely tracking the case. “It’s possible it can be justified. There’s no rubber stamp here.”>>


THROW COLD WATER ON something: say something discouraging about something people are excited about, dampen enthusiasm. <And, when asked if his players are starting to believe something special is on the horizon this season, Pearce [the coach] responded: "Yes, I don't see why not.
"It would be easy for me to throw cold water on that, because there is a long way to go.>>


ON THE RUN: fleeing from authorities. Business Day (Nigeria): <The nurse, the only Nigerian fatality from the disease which has killed over 900 people in four West African countries, was exposed to the virus at a health facility ...
The nurse’s family were not the first to flee from quarantine. In Sierra Leone, ... dozens of people confirmed by laboratory tests to have Ebola are now unaccounted for.>>


TAKE YOUR TIME: don't hurry. Daily Telegraph (Sydney): <>

➤ Read more idioms and phrases, English grammar and vocabulary at Basic English Grammar And Vocabulary .You might also like ⏬

➤ Book of Idioms

➤ Idioms about Animals

➤ Idioms of Expression

➤ Idioms on Food

➤ Idiomatic Expressions

➤ Origin of Idioms

➤ Proverbs

➤ Idioms on Situation

➤ Idioms on Temperature