Page 65 - Speak English Like an American

Bob: Can you give me a ballpark figure now?

Carol: 1 don’t want to jump the gun. Sit tight for now, and
we’ ll talk things over this evening.

Coe
of

IDIOMS — LESSON 10

balipark figure — an approximate number

EXAMPLE 1: The auto mechanic didn’t know exactly how much the repairs
would cost, but he was able to give me a balipark figure.
Examp.e 2: The plumber estimated that it would cost $150 to fix our sink,
but that was just a ballpark figure.

Don’t mention it! — you’re welcome
Examp.e 1: “Thanks for bringing the cookies,” I said to Susan. “Don’t
mention it!” she replied.
EXxampLe 2: “Thanks for picking up my suit at the dry cleaners.” - “Don’t
mention it. It was my pleasure.”

(to) figure out — to solve; to determine

EXAMPLE |: Ted couldn’t figure out one of his math problems, so he
asked his sister for help.
EXAMPLE 2: Susan is sure she’ll never figure out why kids today behave
the way they do.

from scratch — from the beginning; using all fresh ingre-
dients rather than using a prepared mix

ExaMpLe |: The house was in such bad shape, they decided to tear it
down and re-build it from scratch.
EXAMPLE 2: You baked these muffins from scratch? They’re delicious!
EXxampLe 1: When Tiger Woods got a hole-in-one during the golf

(to) go nuts [slang] — to react with great enthusiasm

tournament, the crowd went nuts.
EXAMPLE 2: When Eminem appeared on stage, everybody went nuts.
Note: This expression also means “‘to go crazy” or “to become crazy
with anger.” Example: Jim went nuts when his wife told him she was
leaving him for another man.

64