Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 791 signed, sealed and delivered - formally and officially signed The contract to buy the house was signed, sealed and delivered when I delivered it to the real estate agent. the silence is deafening - the silence is so great that one becomes uncomfortable, the silence is so great that it suggests the disapproval of something The silence was deafening at the meeting when nobody stood up to challenge the speaker for his extreme remarks. silly season - the time of the year (late summer) when there is no important news and news reporters focus on unimportant things It was the end of summer and the silly season for the news media. simmer down - to become calm/quiet He was very angry after the meeting but now he has begun to simmer down. since time immemorial - since a very long time ago Since time immemorial people have been coming to the hot springs to bathe in the water. sing (someone's) praises - praise someone highly and enthusiastically My supervisor always sings my praises when he introduces me to someone. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 792 sing/whistle a different tune - to contradict something that one has said before, to talk or act in the opposite way Usually the man does not care if he disturbs his neighbors at midnight but now that he must get up early in the morning he is whistling a different tune. sink in - to penetrate, to become understood It will take time for the comments of our boss to sink in. sink into despair - to grieve or to become depressed The woman sank into despair when she learned that she had lost her job. sink one`s teeth into (something) - to begin to work seriously on a project/problem The problem is difficult and is hard to sink your teeth into. sink or swim - to fail or succeed by one's own efforts My cousin will have to sink or swim when he begins his new job. sit Idioms sit around (somewhere) - to sit somewhere and relax and do nothing I spent the morning sitting around my apartment while I waited for a phone call. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 793 sit back - to be built a distance away from a street The large mansion sits back three hundred meters from the street. sit back - to relax/rest, to take a break We decided to sit back for the day and not do anything. sit back and let (something) happen - to relax and not interfere in something I did not want to sit back and let things happen so I began to make some phone calls about my situation. sit bolt upright - to sit up straight I sat bolt upright when I heard the news about my cousin. sit idly by - to sit and watch something while others work, to ignore a situation that calls for help The man sat idly by while the others worked hard. a sit-in - a political demonstration where students or workers refuse to leave their classroom or job site The students had a sit-in demonstration to demand lower tuition fees. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 794 sit in for (someone) - to take someone else's place in some activity I asked my friend to sit in for me at my volunteer job at the community center. sit in on (something) - to attend or participate in a meeting Our boss sat in on our meeting so that he could learn what was happening. sit on (something) - to be a member of a jury or board etc. The former politician sits on the board of many corporations. sit on its hands - an audience refuses to applaud The audience sat on its hands after the terrible performance by the singer. sit on one's hands - to do nothing, to fail to help The manager sat on her hands and refused to do anything about the complaints that she had received. sit on (something) - to hold someone or something back, to delay something I am going to sit on my job application until I am sure that I want to apply for the new job. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 795 sit on the fence - to not support any side in a dispute, to not decide/support something Most of the politicians are sitting on the fence over supporting the new rapid transit project. sit right - to be unacceptable (usually used in the negative or interrogative) His idea seemed good at first but now it does not sit right with the other members of the staff. sit (something) out - to not participate in something, to wait until something is over I am planning to sit the meeting out as I am very tired today. sit through (something) - to witness or endure all of something I had to sit through a very boring lecture yesterday. sit tight - to wait patiently for something "Please sit tight for a few minutes while I go and get a police officer." sit up and take notice - to become alert and pay attention The loud bang made everybody sit up and take notice at the concert. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 796 sit up with (someone) - to stay with someone (a sick person) during the night My mother had to sit up all night because my younger sister was very sick. sit well with (someone) - to please or find favor with someone My decision to leave early for the weekend did not sit well with the other members of the staff. . a sitting duck - a non-moving target that is easily hit by a hunter The hunter shot the sitting duck easily and quickly. a sitting duck - an unsuspecting person who is easily fooled - as if he or she were waiting to be attacked The woman was a sitting duck for the thief when she sat on the bench with her purse beside her. sitting on top of the world - feeling very good/happy I was sitting on top of the world after I heard from my friend. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 797 sitting pretty - to be in a favorable situation My uncle is sitting pretty with his new job and high salary. a sitting target - someone who is in a position that can be easily attacked The manager was a sitting target for the criticism by the staff. six feet under - to be dead My friend does not plan to move from his house until he is six feet under. six of one or half-a-dozen of the other - to be the same, to have no difference between two things It was six of one or half-a-dozen of the other as to whether we should take the train or the airplane. They both arrived at the same time and cost the same. at sixes and sevens - to be in confusion or disagreement Everybody has been at sixes and sevens since they opened the new school. sixth sense - a power to know or feel things other than by sight/hearing/smell/taste/touch My friend seems to have a sixth sense and he knows many things that nobody else knows. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 798 the size of it - the way something is "That`s about the size of it," I said as I told my friend about the accident. size up (someone or something) - to try to form an opinion of someone, to assess a situation It took me some time to size up the candidate before deciding to give him a job. skate on thin ice - to take a chance, to risk danger or disapproval My friend has been skating on thin ice recently and he may be fired from his job. skeleton in one`s closet - a family secret that one does not like to talk about I heard that the politician has a skeleton in his closet that he does not want to talk about. skid row - a poor area of a city where many people live who have no money/job/housing The skid row area of our city is a place where few tourists want to go. skin and bones - to be very skinny The cat which we found in the empty house was all skin and bones. skin-deep - to be only on the surface, to not have any deep or honest meaning Although beauty is said to be only skin-deep many people care about it very much. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 799 by the skin of one`s teeth - only just, barely We arrived on time for the train by the skin of our teeth. no skin off one`s nose - to be of no concern/trouble/interest to someone It is no skin off my nose whether or not she comes to the party. skin (someone) alive - to scold someone angrily, to spank or beat someone The woman told her son that if he was late for dinner she would skin him alive. skip bail - to run away and not come to trial and therefore give up any money that you may have paid the court to guarantee that you appear The man skipped bail and went to another city before he was arrested again. skip it - to forget about something "Skip it," I said when she forgot to bring me the phone number after I asked for it three times. skip out on (someone or something) - sneak away from someone or some event I decided to skip out on the meeting and go to a movie. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 800 skip rope - to jump over a rope that is held by two people and which goes over your head and beneath your feet The children spent the morning skipping rope. sky's the limit - there is no limit to the success that can be achieved or the money that can be spent or made The sky is the limit for my friend and his new job. slack off - to reduce something gradually, to become less active, to become lazy Recently I have begun to slack off in my effort to find a new job. a slap in the face - an insult Not getting a promotion was a slap in the face for the sales manager. slap (someone or something) down - to rebuke/reject someone or something My boss slapped my proposal down soon after the meeting started. slap (something) together - to make something in a hurry and without care We slapped together a picnic table for the company picnic. . (usually used in the negative or interrogative) His idea seemed good at first but now it does not sit right with the other members of the staff. sit (something) out - to not participate. in for me at my volunteer job at the community center. sit in on (something) - to attend or participate in a meeting Our boss sat in on our meeting so that he could learn what was happening sit on one's hands - to do nothing, to fail to help The manager sat on her hands and refused to do anything about the complaints that she had received. sit on (something) - to hold