legacy idioms
A Load off her Mind
idioms
Esmeralda is living from hand to mouth these days. She used to keep extra money stored away secretly to use in a pinch, but last month her youngest son stole it. He had done bad things before, but
A Parting of the Ways
idioms
Suzanna and her sister have reached a parting of the ways. They struck a bad patch in their relationship when they argued over their ill mother. Suzanna didn't want to pick a fight with her sister,
An Honest Boy
idioms
George is getting ready for a parade with his school. He was playing in his uniform and got it dirty. He knew his mother was going to hit the roof, and he was on tenterhooks on his way home. At least
Bite the Bullet
idioms
Mark Jeffries may look calm but he is actually shaking in his boots. He is an assassin, and his enemy is looking for him. He was listening to a phone conversation by his enemy and discovered that they
Dice with Death
idioms
Datshi loves to dice with death. His mother always gets angry with him and tells him to play it safe. Datshi likes to ride wild horses, and one day, he and his mother went at it hammer and tongs. She
In the Know
idioms
Alonzo's wedding day was a great day! For months, he had been planning to tie the knot with his girlfriend. He told one friend, and asked it to be kept secret. His friend let the cat out of the bag,
Inspection Time
idioms
Jerry Mandler runs the specimen collection for her local university. She keeps track of thousands of speciments. One month ago, her boss told her he would do an inspection. She felt she had been so
King Fisher
idioms
Kevin Miles loves fishing. Last year he even won a local fishing competition with flying colors. He was grinning from ear to ear that day. The prize was a fishing trip to the coast to fish for
Late Homework
idioms
Tom attends a very strict school. The teachers give a lot of homework and they get angry if it is not done. One day Tom lost his homework. He turned his room upside down looking for it. He couldn't
Make Waves
idioms
Deepa is feeling a bit more relaxed after her fight with her mother. She wanted to go out with a boy and her mother had a fit. They crossed swords just as Deepa was trying to quietly leave the house.
New Business
idioms
Nasrin and her mother are starting a new textile business. Right now they are down in the mouth a bit, since their business is in the red. It has been having teething troubles over the past three
Nine Years Later
idioms
Jenny has been living on a shoestring for almost nine years. When her fisherman husband died she did not have a penny to her name. There was nothing else for it but to get a job and start working. Now
Poor as a Churchmouse
idioms
Gerald Heart is dining like a king tonight. A meal as big as this one is like golddust to him, and he wants to enjoy it as much as he can. He has to get a move on, however, because the cafe he is
Riding to Work
idioms
Anwar runs a delivery business with his bicycle. Last year the rains were very bad and the city was at sixes and sevens. Anwar's parents told him to take a rest, but he turned a deaf ear to them and
Seventh Heaven
idioms
Mary-Ann is in seventh heaven today. Her boyfriend just popped the question to her. He promised he would spare no expense in giving her the best wedding ever, and his father is rich. He thinks the
Sitting Pretty
idioms
Jim is sitting pretty tonight, as he sits in to dinner. Last night he was in a cold sweat because he was not ready for his mathematics test. His friend told him to study the wrong parts of the
Taking Sides
idioms
Aaliyah is a very intimidating woman. She can change her mind like the wind. Her husband knows this and he treats her with respect. She does not like to take sides. Her husband asked her for her
Two Peas in a Pod
idioms
The Sedlaks used to live in a house that was falling to bits, and Georgi and Anna felt and looked like two peas in a pod in that house. But they were a bit unusual, and they sold their farm and