A Closer Look: Lesson 4 · Street Talk 1 Vocabulary List

to earn enough money to be able to pay for the necessities of life

"He works hard to bring home the bacon."

"As the only earner in the family she works two jobs to bring home the bacon every week."

make strong or stronger

"Beef up your resume with skills."

"The company needs to beef up its security after several data breaches occurred last year."

with a strong body and well-built muscles

"The man was beefy."

"The beefy rugby player easily overpowered his opponents with his sheer physical strength and size."

to put pressure on someone to do something, particularly in order to get money from them

"He put the bite on me."

"My friend often puts the bite on me for small loans when he's short on cash."

to angrily reply or react to someone

"I asked a simple question and he bit my head off."

"I just asked a simple question so there is no need to bite my head off like that."

to not say something, against one's wish, in order to avoid causing an argument or upsetting someone

"You should learn to bite your tongue."

"She wanted to tell him the truth but decided to bite her tongue and stay silent instead."

to start to deal with an inevitable challenge or difficulty

"I bit the bullet today."

"Although the task was daunting, she decided to bite the bullet and complete the difficult project."

to die or no longer exist

"The old car bit dust."

"After years of loyal service, the ancient computer finally bit the dust and had to be replaced."

a thing or person that one believes to be extremely good, useful, interesting etc.

"Her new invention is the greatest thing since sliced bread."

"My new robot vacuum cleaner is the greatest thing since sliced bread because it saves me so much time."

to be expecting a child

"She has a bun oven."

"The happy couple announced to their families that they have a bun in the oven."

the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on

"Sit on your buns."

"He fell on his buns while trying to skateboard for the first time and bruised his tailbone."

someone of great importance or influence

"The big cheese of the company arrives in a limousine."

"The big cheese from headquarters visited the local office to inspect operations."

to emit wind from one's anus

"Someone cut cheese."

"The awkward silence was broken when someone accidentally cut the cheese during the quiet dinner."

to strongly criticize someone in an angry manner

"The teacher chewed out him."

"The manager had to chew out the employee for his repeated tardiness and lack of professionalism."

to enjoy a friendly talk with a person for a long period of time

"We sat around chewing the fat for hours."

"My grandfather and his best friend like to sit on the porch and chew the fat for hours."

to suddenly become silent or refuse to talk, often because of nervousness, fear, or a desire to keep information secret

"He clammed up during the interrogation."

"The shy witness clammed up completely when it was his turn to testify in the crowded courtroom."

(of a person) very pleased or satisfied

"He is happy clam."

"After receiving the promotion, he was as happy as a clam and celebrated with his colleagues."

to recognize the reality of a situation, no matter how unpleasant it may be

"Wake up smell coffee."

"It's time for you to wake up and smell the coffee; your business is failing rapidly."

to be doing very well or functioning effectively

"Now we are cooking with gas!"

"After months of struggling with the project, the team finally found the right strategy and now they are cooking with gas, making incredible progress every single day."

to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or inappropriate

"They caught him cookie jar."

"The teacher caught the student with his hand in the cookie jar when he tried to sneak a treat."

a person who is clever and has a strong personality

"She is smart cookie."

"Don't underestimate her; she's a sharp cookie and will find a way to succeed."

said after an unfortunate event to mean one must accept the situation as it is

"That is way cookie crumbles."

"Losing the competition was disappointing, but that is the way the cookie crumbles, and we'll try again next year."

to empty what is in one's stomach through one's mouth

"I tossed my cookies."

"The rough seas caused many passengers to toss their cookies over the side of the ship."

a person who is strong, resilient, and determined, often in the face of challenging circumstances

"The old lady is a tough cookie who survived the war."

"The elderly woman was a tough cookie who survived three strokes and still lived independently."

informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

"The man is crackers."

"The old man was driving me crackers with his constant complaining about the noise from the street."

to take back something one has said previously

"He had to eat his words."

"After his team lost the championship, the confident player was forced to eat his words about their guaranteed victory."

an individual who is very famous or influential

"The CEO is the big enchilada around here."

"The CEO of the tech giant is considered the big enchilada in the industry."

***the whole situation; everything

"When he buys a car, he wants the whole enchilada."

"When you buy this package, you get the whole enchilada, including all the accessories and a warranty."

an extremely small amount of money

"The small amount of money is chicken feed to him."

"The amount of money was chicken feed compared to what the company needed to survive."

to eat more food than one's body needs or can handle

"Stop feeding your face and listen to me."

"He spent the entire evening at the buffet, just feeding his face with every dessert available."

an issue or subject that is not in any way connected to what one was talking about

"Being a manager is a different kettle of fish."

"Trying to fix the car is one thing, but understanding quantum physics is a completely different kettle of fish."

suggestive of dishonesty or something dubious

"The story sounds fishy."

"The story sounded fishy to the detective because the witness kept changing details every time he was asked."

(of a person) crazy or exhibiting odd behavior

"My uncle is nutty as fruitcake."

"His constant theories about aliens made everyone think he was as nutty as a fruitcake."

a situation in which making a lot of money becomes possible with minimal time or effort

"The politician jumps on the gravy train for his own benefit."

"He saw the new government position as a gravy train, expecting easy money and little work."

exaggerate one's acting

"The actor hammed it up for the camera."

"The comedian loved to ham it up on stage, making exaggerated facial expressions and gestures."

to sell very quickly and in large amounts

"Her homemade cookies sold like hot cakes."

"The new smartphone is selling like hot cakes and the store has already run out of stock."

to meet expectations or perform satisfactorily in a given task or situation

"This new phone cuts the mustard."

"Despite his initial enthusiasm, his lack of experience meant he couldn't quite cut the mustard for the demanding role."

used to refer to a punch that is hit in a person's mouth

"He got a sandwich."

"The aggressive man threatened to give his opponent a knuckle sandwich if he didn't back down immediately."

in a very troubled or nervous state

"She got in a stew over the broken vase."

"She was in a stew about her upcoming exam, worrying she hadn't studied enough to pass."

cause to appear more pleasant or appealing

"Do not sugarcoat the bad news."

"Please do not sugarcoat the truth; I need to know exactly what happened, even if it's bad."

a rich older man who gives money or gifts to a younger partner for companionship or intimacy

"The sugar daddy buys expensive gifts for his young girlfriend."

"She was accused of only dating him because he was a wealthy sugar daddy who showered her with gifts."

to earn enough money to be able to pay for the necessities of life

"We bring home bacon."

"After losing his job, he worked tirelessly to bring home the bacon for his family."

a disagreement, argument, or ongoing conflict between people, often involving hostility or rivalry

"They have beef."

"A long-standing beef between the two rival companies eventually led to a merger."

to die or no longer exist

"The car bite dust."

"Due to the economic downturn, many small businesses were forced to bite the dust."

money, cash, or earnings

"He has bread."

"After months of hard work, he finally had enough bread to buy his dream house."

an easy accomplishment

"It is a cakewalk."

"With her extensive experience, the complex negotiation proved to be a cakewalk for the seasoned diplomat."

a photograph of an attractive woman in minimal attire

"Look at cheesecake."

"The magazine featured a provocative cheesecake that some readers found offensive."

having very low quality

"The movie was cheesy."

"His attempt at a romantic gesture was so cheesy that it was almost embarrassing to witness."

a piece of paper money worth one dollar

"Give me a clam."

"He reluctantly handed over a clam to pay for the expensive meal."

to prepare food quickly, often in an informal or creative manner

"Cook up some food."

"Let's cook up a quick and easy meal before we head out to the party tonight."

money, cash, or financial resources

"He needs more dough."

"The startup company is actively seeking additional dough to fund its ambitious expansion plans."

***to give someone so much help or information that that person does not need to try himself or herself

"Teachers should not spoon-feed students."

"The manager tends to spoon-feed every detail to the new employees instead of letting them figure things out independently."

a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)

"It is gravy."

"Winning that unexpected lottery prize was pure gravy for their financial situation."

an actor with an exaggerated theatrical style

"He acted like a ham."

"The over-the-top performance revealed the actor to be a true ham, loving every moment."

informal terms for a human head

"Use your noodle."

"If you can't figure out the solution, you need to use your noodle and think harder."