“Water under the bridge” is said when something has happened and cannot be changed.
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“Rub it in” means “to talk about something you know will upset or embarrass someone”.
Example: I know I made a silly mistake, but do you have to rub it in by talking about it all the time?
Origin: This idiom is a short form of the phrase ‘rub salt in the wound’. Having an open wound is usually very painful but rubbing salt into it would hurt a lot and probably make you even more upset! Therefore, if you ‘rub salt in the wound’ or ‘rub it in’, you make someone feel more upset about a situation than they already are.
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“Show true colors” means “to show your real character or personality”.
Example: Jack’s wife showed her true colors by getting a second job when he lost his.
Origin: This idiom originates from the 1700s. When ships went into battle, they had to show their “colours” (the flag of their country). Many ships would show a flag from a different country in order to trick their opponent into thinking they were an ally (friend). Then, when they were close, they would change the flag to their real flag (“show their true colours”) and attack.
“Get the sack” means “to be told to leave your job”.
Example: He got the sack when they found out that he’d lied about his qualifications.
Origin: This idiom comes from the time when workers carried all their belongings and tools around in a sack. When they started a new job, they would put their sack in a safe place in the building (usually the boss’ office) and they would collect it themselves at the end of the day. However, if the boss was not happy with someone’s work, he would literally ‘give him the sack’ and the worker would need to look for a new job.
“Butter someone up” means “to flatter or be nice to someone in order to get something from them”.
Example: I’ve stopped answering my phone when Jenny calls me. She always butters me up with lots of compliments and then asks for a big favour.
Origin: There are two possible origins of this idiom. Many people believe that it comes from actually spreading smooth, creamy butter on a slice of bread which can be compared to ‘spreading’ nice words on a person. Others believe that it originated in ancient India where they used to throw balls of butter at statues of gods to ask for a favour.
“Do a runner” means “to leave a place quickly in order to escape trouble or to avoid paying for something”.
Example: We had to do a runner when we realized we had no money to pay at the café.
Origin: This idiom originated from the practice of running out of restaurants quickly to avoid paying the bill or running away from the police.
“Up to scratch” means “at an acceptable standard or quality”.
Example: Claire went out last night instead of spending time working so I’m not surprised that her essay was not up to scratch.
Origin: This idiom originates from early boxing matches when the sport was not very popular. At this time, the referee would draw a line called the “scratch” in the centre of the ring. If a contestant was knocked down, he had to stand up and walk to the line within a certain time limit before the match could continue. If he could not do this, it was said that he was “not up to the scratch” and his opponent would win the fight.
“Up to scratch” means “at an acceptable standard or quality”.
Example: Claire went out last night instead of spending time working so I’m not surprised that her essay was not up to scratch.
Origin: This idiom originates from early boxing matches when the sport was not very popular. At this time, the referee would draw a line called the “scratch” in the centre of the ring. If a contestant was knocked down, he had to stand up and walk to the line within a certain time limit before the match could continue. If he could not do this, it was said that he was “not up to the scratch” and his opponent would win the fight.
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