SIMILES

as agile as a monkey
as alike as two peas
as angry as a wasp
as bashful as a
schoolgirl
as bald as an egg
as beautiful as a
rainbow
as big as an elephant
as black as coal
as blind as a bat
as busy as a bee
as careless as the
wind
as clear as crystal
as cold as ice
as cool as a cucumber
as cunning as a fox
as easy as ABC
as deep as the sea
as faithful as a dog
as fast as lightning
as fit as a fiddle
as gentle as a dove
as graceful as a swan
as green as grass
as happy as a lark
as hard as iron
as playful as a kitten
as sweet as honey
as proud as a peacock
as quiet as a mouse
as steady as a rock
as tall as a giant
as tough as a leather
as white as snow
as wide as the ocean
as wise as an owl

ENGLISH IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS

1. Bird in the Hand Is worth Two in the Bush: Apa yang sudah pasti lebih baik dari apa yang
belum pasti.
2. A Blessing In Disguise: Hikmah dalam kesusahan yang berlaku.
3. A Piece Of Cake: Sesuatu yang sangat mudah.
4. A Slip Of The Tongue: Tersilap cakap.
5. A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing: Kejahatan yang menyamar sebagai kebaikan.
6. Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder: Apabila jarang bertemu, semakin sayang.
7. Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Perbuatan lebih berkesan dari perkataan.
8. All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Tidak semua yang nampak menarik itu baik.
9. As Light As A Feather: Sangat ringan, seperti bulu burung.
10.Beating Around The Bush: Putar-belit.
11.Better Late Than Never: Lebih baik lambat, dari tidak ada langsung / tidak pernah.
12.Birds Of A Feather Flock Together: Orang yang mempunyai persamaan akan berkumpul
bersama.
13.Burning The Midnight Oil: Bekerja hingga lewat malam.
14.Cross Your Fingers: Mengharapkan yang terbaik.
15.Cry Over Spilt Milk: Menyesal atas sesuatu yang sudah berlaku.
16.Curiosity Killed The Cat: Perasaan ingin tahu yang membawa kesusahan.
17.Don't Count Your Chickens Until They're Hatched: Jangan mengira hasil sebelum berusaha
(angan-angan Mat Jenin).
18.Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket: Jangan letakkan semua harapan pada satu tempat
sahaja.
19.Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining: Setiap kesusahan yang berlaku ada hikmahnya.
20.Great Minds Think Alike: Pemikiran yang sama.
21.Have No Idea: Tidak tahu langsung.
22.Head Over Heel: Jatuh cinta.
23.Icing On The Cake: Perkara yang baik / menggembirakan.
24.It Takes Two To Tango: Setiap pergaduhan melibatkan dua pihak/ Tepuk sebelah tangan
tidak berbunyi
25.Lend Me Your Ear: Tolong dengar apa yang saya ingin katakana.
26.Let Bygone Be Bygone: Yang berlalu biarlah berlalu.
27.Let The Cat Out Of The Bag: Membocorkan rahsia.
28.Out Of The Blue: Secara tiba-tiba
29.Out Of the Frying Pan and into the Fire: Dari satu kesusahan, ke satu kesusahan yang lain.
30.Practice Makes Perfect: Latihan berterusan akan memahirkan kita.
31.Pulling Your Leg: Bergurau. Rome Was Not Built In One Day: Tidak ada jalan pintas ke arah
kejayaan.
32.Second Nature: Kemahiran yang sudah menjadi satu kebiasaan harian.
33.Start From Scratch: Bermula dari bawah.
34.The Apple Of Your Eye: Kesayangan.
35.The Early Bird Catches The Worm: Orang yang awal bangun dan bekerja akan mendapat
lebih hasil.
36.The Pot Calling The Kettle Black: Orang yang bersalah tetap mempersalahkan orang lain.
37.The Pros And Cons: Kebaikan dan keburukan.
38.The Sky Is The Limit: Tidak ada batas.
39.Turn Over A New Leaf: Berubah / Insaf.
40.Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right: Jangan membalas kejahatan dengan kejahatan.
41.Under The Weather: Kurang sihat.
42.Variety Is The Spice Of Life: Kepelbagaian menjadikan kehidupan lebih menarik.
43.Without A Doubt: Tanpa sebarang syak-wasangka.
44.You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover: Jangan menilai seseorang daripada luarannya sahaja.

PROVERBS
Where theres a will theres a way: When a person really wants to do something, he will find a
way of doing it.
First come, first served: The first in line will be attended to first.
A friend in need is a friend indeed: A friend who helps when one is in trouble is a real friend.
Discretion is the better part of valor: If you say discretion is the better part of valor, you mean
that avoiding a dangerous or unpleasant situation is sometimes the most sensible thing to do.
A hungry man is an angry man: A person who does not get what he wants or needs is a
frustrated person and will be easily provoked to rage.
Empty vessels make the most noise: Those people who have a little knowledge usually talk the
most and make the greatest fuss.
A man is as old as he feels: A persons age is immaterial it is only when he thinks and feels that
he is ageing that he actually becomes old.
Great talkers are little doers: Those people who talk a lot and are always teaching others usually
do not do much work.
An idle brain is the devils workshop: One who has nothing to do will be tempted to do many
mischievous acts.
An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit: It is better to be careful and discrete than to be
clever.
Faint heart never won fair lady: To succeed in life one must have the courage to pursue what he
wants.
A penny saved is a penny gained: By being thrifty one will be able to save up.
A rolling stone gathers no moss: A person who never settles in one place or who often changes
his job will not succeed in life ; one who is always changing his mind will never get anything
done.
As you sow, so you shall reap: One will either enjoy or suffer the consequences of his earlier
actions or inactions.
Barking dogs seldom bite: Those who make loud threats seldom carry them out.
Better late than never: To do something that is right, profitable, or good a little late is still better
than not doing it at all.
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush: Something that one already has is better than going after
something seemingly more worthwhile that one may not be able to get.
Birds of a feather flock together: People of the same sort of character or belief always go
together.
Call a spade a spade: If you say that someone calls a spade a spade, you mean that they speak
frankly and directly, often about embarrassing or unpleasant subjects; an informal expression.
Charity begins at home: A persons first obligation should be to help the member of his own
family before he can begin thinking of talking about helping others.

A great talker is a great liar: A smooth and persuasive talker may be a good liar.
Every cloud has a silver lining: If you say that every cloud has a silver lining, you mean that
every sad or unpleasant situation has a positive side to it. If you talk about silver lining you are
talking about something positive that comes out of a sad or unpleasant situation.

Here are some must know idiomatic expressions that you can use in your essays
1 ace -Get an "A" on a test, homework assignment, project, etc.
I heard that Susie aced the test yesterday
2 As easy as a pie -very easy
The test was as easy as a pie.
3 at the eleventh hour -at the last minute; almost too late.
He finished the project at the eleventh hour and he nearly lost his job.
4 all ears -eager to hear what someone has to say.
Tell me about your latest trip overseas. Im all ears.
5 be broke -be without money.
I need to borrow some money. I am broke.
6 be on the go -be very busy (going from one thing or project to another).
I am very tired. I've been on the go since 5 in the morning.
7 beat -exhausted; very tired
I need a break after this. I'm beat!"
8 beat around the bush -evade an issue; avoid giving a direct answer.
Stop beating around the bush! Just tell me what happened to my car.
9 bite off more than one can chew -take responsibility for more than one can manage.
Mrs Lee finds it difficult to finish all her work. She has bitten off more than she could chew!"
10 blow one's top -become extremely angry.
My father blew his top when he found out I had taken his car without his permission.
11 burn the midnight oil -study/work all night or until very late at night.
Johan is not ready for the test. He will have to burn the midnight oil."
12 call it a day -stop work for the day.
The labourers call it a day after working for five hours on the field.
13 can't make heads or tails of something -can't understand something at all; find something confusing and illogical.
I cannot make heads or tails of your notes. Were you sleepy during the class?
14 catch one's eye -attract one's attention/interest.
This colourful advertisement caught my eye when I was in the bus.
15 change one's mind -decide to do something different from what had been decided earlier.
David did not go to Australia. He changed his mind when he heard that his mother is ill.
16 cost (someone) an arm and a leg cost a lot; -be very expensive.
This car costs him an arm and a leg. He has to get another job to help pay for it.
17 couch potato -someone who spends too much time watching TV.
You are becoming a couch potato. You need to get out and do some exercise.
18 Don't count your chickens until (before) they hatch (they've hatched) Don't assume that something will happen until it has
happened.
I think you should not count your chickens until theyve hatched. Wait till the boys win the competition this Sunday.
19 drop someone a line -write to someone
Do drop me a line when you have time.
20 drag one's feet delay; -take longer than necessary to do something.
Why are you dragging your feet? You should have finished your homework by now.
21 an eager beaver ; -a person who is always willing to volunteer or do extra work.

Rahim is an eager beaver. He is the first to volunteer for any job to be done.
22 feel blue -feel sad and depressed.
Rita is feeling blue because she has not heard from her boyfriend for a long time.
23 fire someone -dismiss someone from a job because of poor performance.
Lokman might be fired if he continues to be late for work.
24 get it -understand something (often negative).
I dont get it. Could you please explain it to me again?
25 get on one's nerves -irritate someone; make someone upset.
His constant chatter is getting on my nerves. Please tell him to keep quiet.
26 get out of hand: -become out of control; become badly managed.
The situation is getting out of hand. The relief centre can only hold forty people but we have one hundred people to care for.
27 give someone a hand -i. help someone. ii. applaud someone
Please give a hand to the poor old lady. She is trying to cross the road.
The gardener has done a wonderful landscaping job. Lets give him a hand.
28 Hard-headed -have one's hands full stubborn; inflexible; unwilling to change.
Its pretty difficult to get Simon to change his mind. He is hard-headed.
29 have one's hands full -extremely busy
Peggy usually has her hands full in the beginning of a new school term.
30 in the black: - profitable; not showing a financial loss.
The company is back in the black after suffering from great losses the last two months.
31 in the red: -unprofitable; showing a financial loss.
The company is in the red. We have to stop some of the workers if the situation continues.
32 keep an eye on -check something regularly.
Please keep an eye on the children while I go to the bank.
33 keep one's fingers crossed - hope for the best.
He is keeping his fingers crossed while waiting for the results of his interview.
34 lend someone a hand - help someone.
Can you please lend a hand at the relief centre for the flood victims?
35 live from hand to mouth - survive on very little money; have only enough money
to pay for basic needs.
Ros and the children live from hand to mouth after the fire destroyed their house.
36 make a mountain out of a molehill -make something seem much more important than it really is.
Susila is making a mountain out of a molehill. I am sure the boys are perfectly capable of looking after themselves.
37 make up one's mind - decide what to do
Moses has to make up his mind whether to continue his studies or take up a job.
38 on the dot exactly at a given time.
If you do not come on the dot, we will leave without you.
40 pull someone's leg tease someone by trying to make her/him believe something that's untrue.
She pulled my leg when he said that he had quit his job to get married.
41 Rain or shine -no matter what the weather
"We're leaving for Cameron Highlands, rain or shine."
42 rain cats and dogs -Rain heavily
Its raining cats and dogs now. You better leave later.
43 read someone's mind: -know what someone is thinking.
I can read your mind. I know you are very hungry and I have ordered pizza.
45 sleep on it take some time to think about something before making a decision.
You should sleep on it first and we will discuss again tomorrow.
47 under the weather -ill; unwell.
Susan was feeling under the weather yesterday, so she decided not to go to work."
48 until you're blue in the face - forever
You can advise him until you're blue in the face, but he wont change his ways.