Hello everybody! I was asked by a couple of new clients to put together a list of of idioms they can use as a reference, since they always use the same ones in their fiction. Of course, I complied and then told myself … why not sharing it with everyone else? So, here they are! I hope you find them helpful!
1. Pain in the neck – an irritating, annoying person
Ex. Sarah is such a pain in the neck these days.
2. A people person – an outgoing person who gets along with people really well and is a good listener
Ex. Tom is enthusiastic and positive and he is a people person.
3. Party animal – someone who likes to attend parties often
Ex. Are you going out again tonight? You are such a party animal.
4. Cheapskate – a mean person who doesn’t like spending money
Ex. He was always a cheapskate even though he was earning $200,000 a year.
5. Happy camper – a person who is always happy and satisfied. We often use ‘happy camper’ in the negative.
Ex. The apartment was much smaller than I expected, I was not a happy camper.
6. Nerd – someone who is very interested in science or technology, particularly in computers
Ex. He spends all weekends at his laptop, he is such a nerd.
7. Life and soul of the party – someone who is energetic, and good fun during social occasions.
Ex. It was a great night, Jim was life and soul of the party.
8. Dipstick – a person who seems to be stupid (very informal)
Ex. I don’t know whether to laugh or be angry at his behaviour. What a complete dipstick!
9. Down-to-earth – someone who is practical and close to reality, who accepts other people as equals
Ex. Despite his wealth, he was a down-to-earth man. He was very generous and had a kind heart.
10. Early bird – a person who wakes up, arrives to work, etc. before the usual time
This expression comes from the English proverb “The early bird catches the worm”. And should add: but you can order pizza until midnight … 😉
11. Larger than life – someone who is more exciting or interesting than other people
Ex. All who knew him would agree that his personality was larger than life, he was a joy to be around.
12. Wimp – a weak person, someone who lacks confidence.
Ex. I always avoid confrontations, I am such a wimp.
13. Golden boy – a winning person that everyone is fond of.
Ex. Ray Wilkins was a golden boy of English football.
14. Bunny boiler – a girl who behaves improperly after a relationship breakup.
This expression comes from the film “Fatal Attraction” in which the character kills and boils her ex-boyfriend’s family pet rabbit.
15. Slave driver – someone who makes other people work really hard
Ex. My boss is such a slave driver, I had to work two weekends in a row.
16. Big mouth – someone who is not able to keep a secret
Ex. Never tell her a secret, she’s got a really big mouth.
17. Tearaway – a person who behaves in a stupid or wild manner, and frequently gets into trouble.
Ex. Jack was a bit of a tearaway in secondary school, always getting into trouble.
18. Busybody – a person who expresses great interest in other people’s private lives
Ex. My next-door neighbour is a real busybody.
19. Scrooge – a miserable person who hates spending money.
This expression comes from a character in “A Christmas Carol” novel by Charles Dickens.
Ex. My last boss was a real Scrooge, for years we never received a Christmas bonus.
20. Skiver – someone who is absent from school or work without a good reason
We can also say ‘someone who is pulling a sickie’.
Ex. He didn’t bother to turn up for work on Monday, he is a skiver.
