Page 118 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

eat someone out of house and home

quiredŁonlyŁaŁsmallŁamount of effort to for your rights. You don’t have to eat hum-
gt inŁ the first place.>b Ann found ble pie all the time. Beth seems quite
twłnty dollars in the morning and spłnt happy to eat humble pie. She should stand
it foolishly at noon. “Easy come, easy go,” up for her rights.
she said. John spłnds his money as fast eatŁlikeŁa bird to eat onlyŁsmallŁamounts
as he can earn it. With John it’s easy come, of food;Łto peck at one’s food.Ł Jane is
easy go.
very slim becauoe she eats like a bird.
Easy does it. Act with care. (Infàrmal.) Bill is trying to looe włight by eating likł
Be careful with that glass vase. Easy does a brd.
it! Now, now, Tom. Don’t get angry. eatŁlikeŁa hłrse to eat large amountsŁof
Easy does it.
food.Ł(Infàrmal.) No wondłr he’s so fØt.
easyŁto comeŁby easilyŁfound;ŁeasilyŁpur- He eats like a horse. John works like a
chased;Ł readilyŁ available.Ł Please bł horse and eats like a horse, so he never gets
careful with that phonograph record. It fØt.
was not easy to come by. A good dictio- eatŁ one’ cakeŁandŁhaveŁitŁtoo Go to have
nary is very easy to come by.
one’s cake and eat it too.
eatŁ(a meal)Łout and dineŁout to eat a eatŁ one’ hat <aŁphrase tellingŁthe kind of
mealŁat aŁresðaurant.Ł I like to eat a meal thingŁthat one wouldŁdo if aŁvery unlikely
out every now and then. Yes, it’s good event reallyŁhappens.>b(Infàrmal.ŁAlways
to eat out and try dfferent knds of food. usedŁwith anŁ if-clause.) If we głt there
It costs a lot of money to dne out often.
on time, I’ll eat my hat. I’ll łat my ðat
eatŁandŁruà to eat aŁmealŁorŁaŁsnackŁand if you get a raise. He said he’d eat his
thenŁleave.Ł Well, I hate to eat and run hat if she got elected.
but I have to take care of some errands. eatŁ one’ heartŁout 1. to be very sad (about
I don’t invite John to dnner anymore be- someone orŁsomething).Ł Bill spent a loŁ
cause he alwØys has some excuse to eat and of time eating his heart out after his di-
run.
vorce. Sally ate her heart out when she
eatŁawayŁatŁ someone ortsomething 1. to r- had to sell her house. 2. to be envious (of
move parts,Łbit byŁbit.Ł John’s disease someone orŁsomething).Ł(Infàrmal.)
was eating away at him. The acid in the Do you like my new watch? Well, eat your
rain slowly ate away at the stone wall. 2. heart out. It was the last one in the store.
[with someone] to bother or worry some- Doà’t eat your heart out about my new
one.Ł Her failure to pass the exam was car. Go get one of your own.
eating away at her. Fear of appearing in eatŁ one’ włrdð to have to take back one’s
court was eating away at Tom.
sðatements;Łto confessŁthat one’sŁpredic-
eatŁhØghŁon theŁhog to eat good or ex- tions were wrong. You shouldà’t say
pensive food.Ł(Folksy.ŁCompare thisŁwith that to me. I’ll make you eat your words.
làve high on the hog .ŁNote the so inŁthe John was wrong about the election and
secondŁexample.ŁSe also làve high off the had to eat his words.
hog.) The Smith family has błen eat- eatŁ outŁ ofŁ someone’ hyndð to dà what
ing pretty high on the hog since they had someone else wants;Łto obyŁsomeone ea-
a good corn harvest. John would havł grly.Ł(OftenŁwith havł .) Just wait! I’ll
more money to spłnd on clothing if he did- have evłryone eating out of my hands.
n’t eat so high on the hog.
They’ll do whatever I ask. The presidłnt
eatŁ humbleŁ pØe 1. to act very humbly has Congress eating out of his hands. A
whenŁone isŁsłownŁto be wrong. I think lot of people are eating out of his hands.
I’m right, but if I’m wrong, I’ll eat hum- eatŁ someone out Go to chew someone out.
ble pie. You think you’re so smart. I hopł
you have to eat humble pie. 2. to accepð eatŁ someone outŁofŁhouseŁandŁhłme to eat
insultsŁandŁhumiliation.Ł John, stand up a lot of food (in sàmeone’s home); to eat

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