Ebook: In the Loop: A Reference Guide to American English Idioms

Sample entries:

LEARN THE ROPES

to become familiar with a task or situation

1. The bank manager told the new trainee to keep his eyes open and watch what the other tellers did until he learned the ropes.
2. I’m willing to work long hours and I’ll work for free. I’m anxious to learn the ropes of this business.

Synonym: learn the ins and outs

Compare to: know the ropes

These expressions are similar, but take place at different times. Before one knows the ropes, one learns the ropes.

LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED

to search everywhere

1. The boss called the employees together for a meeting. He said he didn’t know who was stealing from the company, but that he would leave no stone unturned until he found out who it was.
2. The police looked everywhere for the prisoner who had escaped. They left no stone unturned, but they were unable to find him.

Synonym: beat the bushes

The expression suggests that whatever one is searching for might be under a stone, and that one will search so thoroughly as to turn over every stone looking for it.

LEAVE (SOMEONE) [GET LEFT IN] THE LURCH

to abandon someone to a difficult situation, forcing him or her to take all the responsibility

1. The builder hired several carpenters and electricians to work on the building, but he left them in the lurch when it came time to pay them.
2. The company went bankrupt and the stockholders got left in the lurch. They had to pay all the outstanding bills.
3. Where were you at four o’clock? I thought you were going to attend the meeting and help us with the difficult decisions that needed to be made. You shouldn’t have left us in the lurch like that.

Synonym: leave (someone) high and dry

LEAVE (SOMEONE)/GET LEFT OUT IN THE COLD

to shun someone; to exclude someone from a place or activity

1. Mary seemed not to care for anyone else’s feelings, and managed to offend just about everyone. Eventually she got left out in the cold and no one included her in their plans or parties.
2. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’d like to make up for it. Please don’t leave me out in the cold.

The expression suggests that when a person is excluded from the group or mainstream, he or she is outside, where it is cold.

LEAVE (SOMEONE) HIGH AND DRY

abandoned or stranded; helpless

1. Bob got a ride to the party with his friends, but they left without him and he had no way to get home. They left him high and dry.
2. When you buy a package vacation trip through a travel agency, be sure that it is a company that has a good reputation. Too many companies have gone out of business, leaving those who have already paid their money high and dry.

Synonyms: leave (someone) in the lurch

Similar to: leave (someone) holding the bag

The expression probably originates from the idea of a ship stranded on high ground, leaving it out of water (dry).

LEAVE (SOMEONE) HOLDING THE BAG

to leave somebody with unwanted responsibility

1. If I invest my money with you and things go badly, I want to make sure you’re going to take responsibility. I don’t want you to leave me holding the bag.
2. Laura took a risk and it failed, and she was left holding the bag.

Similar to: leave (someone) in the lurch, leave (someone) high and dry.

LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE

to accept a situation as it is; to avoid trying to improve a situation one’s actions might make it worse

1. Her work isn’t perfect, but your criticism might just make the situation worse. I recommend that you leave well enough alone.
2. I’m a perfectionist, so I can never leave well enough alone. Sometimes that is okay, but sometimes it causes me nothing but trouble.

Synonym: let sleeping dogs lie