EACH
— at each other’s throat(s) (see THROAT)
EAGER BEAVER
* eager beaver (colloq.): overly motivated or zealous person (also adj.) >Clint’s a real eager beaver. I guess he’s trying to impress the boss. >His eager beaver attitude’s getting on my nerves.
EAR
— bend [s/one’s] ear (see BEND)
— blow it out your ear! (see BLOW)
** go in one ear and out the other (colloq.): be unheeded or ignored (by s/one), not be comprehended (by s/one) >I tried to warn Eddie about those punks, but it went in one ear and out the other.
— play it by ear (see PLAY)
— put a bug in [s/one’s] ear (see BUG)
— stick it in your ear! (see STICK)
— talk [s/one’s] ear off (see TALK)
EARFUL
* earful (ēr´fŭl´) (colloq.): uninvited harangue or discourse that (one) must listen to (esp. a reprimand or criticism) >Lance gave the manager an earful about the store’s lousy service.
EARS
* be all ears (colloq.): be attentive, want to listen >Go ahead with your story—we’re all ears.
— (have) ... coming out (of) [one’s] ears (see COMING)
— pin [s/one’s] ears back (see PIN)
— (still) wet behind the ears (see WET)
— up to [one’s] ears in (colloq.): having an abundance or excess of, very occupied with >The poor guy’s been up to his ears in debt since he lost his job.
EASY
* (as) easy as pie (colloq.): very easy (also adv.) >Changing air filters is as easy as pie. >I fixed the lamp easy as pie.
* ... easy (colloq.): at least ..., unquestionably ... >He’ll make five thousand easy on a deal like that. >That guy must weigh three hundred pounds easy.
** easy come, easy go (colloq.): what is easily obtained may be easily lost >He gambled away all the lottery money he won. Oh well, easy come, easy go.
* easy does it!1 (colloq.): proceed carefully! take care (in handling s/thing)! >Set the piano down there. That’s it, easy does it!
* easy does it!2 (colloq.): stay calm! don’t get excited! >Easy does it! He didn’t mean to insult you!
— easy on the eyes (colloq.): attractive, good-looking >She says that movie star’s real easy on the eyes.
* get off easy (colloq.): be spared harsh punishment, escape serious consequences or heavy payments >He got off easy with a fine and no jail time. >Hey, you’re getting off easy. These repairs would normally cost you almost twice as much.
* go easy (on) (colloq.): not treat (s/one) harshly, be lenient (with) >Go easy on the kid—it wasn’t really his fault.
* take it easy (colloq.): proceed slowly or cautiously >Take it easy driving down the mountain. >Take it easy when you work with these chemicals.
** take it easy! (colloq.): relax! calm down! work less! >Take it easy! No need to get upset. >You’ve been working too hard lately. Why don’t you take it easy for a while?
* take things easy (colloq.): live calmly, live a relaxed life >We’re going to retire in the mountains and take things easy..
EASY-PEASY
— easy-peasy (…-pē´zē) (sl.): very easy or simple (also adv.) >With those easy-peasy directions ya can’t go wrong. >I solved the problem easy-peasy.
EASY STREET
— on easy street (sl.): financially secure, in luxury >We’re gonna make a lot on this deal. We’ll be livin’ on easy street.
EAT
* eat (vt) (vulg.): perform cunnilingus or fellatio on >He said he was gonna eat her when he got her in bed. >She said she was gonna eat him when she got him in bed.
— could eat a horse (colloq.): be very hungry >Bring on the chow! I could eat a horse!
— eat [s/one] alive (colloq.): easily dominate or prevail over [s/one] >He plays OK at this level, but they’d eat him alive in the pros.
— eat crow (colloq.): be forced to admit that (one) was wrong, be humiliated because (one) was in error >The critics will all eat crow when she wins the Oscar for best actress.
— eat [one’s] gun (sl.): commit suicide with a gunshot in the mouth >The burned-out detective ate his gun soon after he retired.
* eat [one’s] heart out (colloq.): be overwhelmed with envy or grief, long for greatly >Eat your heart out! You can’t afford a car like this. >Why’s he eating his heart out over her? She’s not worth it.
* eat like a bird (colloq.): eat very little >How’re you going to keep your strength up if you keep eating like a bird?
— eat [s/one's] lunch (sl.): utterly defeat [s/one], easily prevail over [s/one] >You take on the champ and he'll eat your lunch!
* eat like a horse (colloq.): eat voraciously, eat a great deal >That teenager eats like a horse at every meal.
— eat my shorts! (sl., freq. vulg.): (interj. to express great anger or contempt to s/one) >Eat my shorts if ya feel that way about it!
— eat out (vt) (vulg.): perform cunnilingus on >He said he ate her out last night.
* eat [s/one] out of house and home (colloq.): eat a great amount in [s/one’s] household, cause [s/one] financial hardship by eating very much >My teenage sons are eating me out of house and home.
— eat shit (and die)! (... shit ...) (vulg.): (interj. to express great anger or contempt to s/one) >If ya don’t like it, eat shit!
* eat up (vt) (colloq.): enjoy very much, be very enthusiastic about, readily accept >The press is really covering the scandal and the public’s eating it up. >He eats it up when you flatter him.
— I’ll eat my hat (colloq.): I will be very surprised, I’ll admit I was wrong >If your stupid brother-in-law gets that job, I’ll eat my hat.
EATERY
— eatery (ē´tә rē) (colloq.): restaurant, café >I’m going to take you to some fancy eatery tonight to celebrate.
EATING
* eating [s/one] (colloq.): bothering or annoying [s/one] >What’s eating Shirley? She’s snapping at everybody.
* have [s/one] eating out of [one’s] hand (colloq.): have great persuasive power over [s/one], control or dominate [s/one] (esp. through charm or guile) >That flirty girl’s got the old guy eating out of her hand.
EATS
— eats (sl.): food >They’re gonna have some good eats at the reception.
ED
— ed (ed) (colloq.): education (esp. in combination with another word) >He’s majoring in Special Ed. >She got a B in her ed class.
EDGE
* live (life) on the edge (sl.): live dangerously, engage in reckless or perilous activities >He likes to live on the edge, racing cars, scuba diving—that kinda stuff.
— on the edge (sl.): close to a mental breakdown, close to going crazy >Keep your eye on Brown—I think he’s on the edge.
EDGEWISE
— cannot get a word in (edgewise) (see WORD)
EENCY-WEENSY
— eency-weensy (ēn´sē wēn´sē) (colloq.): very small, tiny >This eency-weensy bug bit me and made this big welt.
EF-BOMB
— drop the ef-bomb (see “DROP the F-bomb”)
EFF-BOMB
— drop the eff-bomb (see “DROP the F-bomb”)
EFFING
— effing (e´fing/e´fin) (sl., freq. vulg.) (euphemism for “fucking”) (intens. to express anger, contempt, or wonder) >Keep your effin’ hands off my things!
EFF-WORD
— the eff-word (see “the F-WORD”)
EF-WORD
— the ef-word (see “the F-WORD”)
EGG
— egg on [one’s] face (colloq.): embarrassment, humiliation (after it is shown that [one] was wrong or foolish) >A lot of people are going to end up with egg on their face after we prove them wrong.
EGGHEAD
— egghead (sl., freq. pej.): intellectual (also adj.) >There’s some egghead on TV talkin’ about deconstructionist morality, whatever the hell that is. >Is she borin’ everyone with her egghead ideas again?
EGO TRIP
* ego trip (sl.): egotistic activity or behavior, action done for vanity or selfish reasons >He says he’s an intellectual, but I think he’s just on an ego trip. >His ego trip is goin’ out with good-lookin’ women.
EIGHT BALL
— behind the eight ball (see BEHIND)
EINSTEIN
— Einstein (īn´stīn) (colloq.): very intelligent person >The guy’s an Einstein! How did he figure that out?
EITHER
— [neg.] ... either! (stressed) (colloq.): [neg.] ... indeed! (used to assertively deny s/one’s affirmation) (cf. “... TOO!”) >We didn’t either steal your stupid lunch money! >Don’t tell them she was arrested! She wasn’t either!
ELBOW GREASE
* elbow grease (colloq.): strenuous physical effort or work (esp. manual work) >Put a little elbow grease into it, or you’ll never get it clean.
ELBOWS
— rub elbows (see RUB)
EL CHEAPO
— el cheapo (el´chē´pō) (sl.): inexpensive or inferior item (cf. “CHEAPO”) (also adj.) >If ya wanna bike that will last ya, don’t buy that el cheapo. >I never buy el cheapo tires.
ELSE
— be something (else) (see SOMETHING)
* ... or else! (colloq.): (do s/thing) or be punished, (do s/thing) or suffer the consequences >Barry, you clean up your room or else!
— (so) what else is new? (see WHAT)
‘EM
** ‘em (әm) (colloq.): them (when unstressed) >I brought the chairs—where should I put ‘em? >They’ll help if we ask ‘em to.
EMCEE
** emcee1 (em´sē´) (= “M.C.”) (colloq.): master of ceremonies >Elton was the emcee at last year’s presentations.
* emcee2 (= “M.C.”) (vi, vt) (colloq.): serve as master of ceremonies (for) >I’ll emcee if you make all the arrangements. >Who’s going to emcee the show?
EMPTY SUIT
— empty suit (sl.): incapable or ineffective official or executive >Who the heck put that empty suit in charge of this project?
ENCHILADA
— the whole enchilada (... en´chә lä´dә) (sl.): all of it, the whole set, everything involved >She wants the upscale condo, the fancy car, the expensive clothes, the exotic travel—the whole enchilada.
END
* at the end of [one’s] rope (colloq.): at the end of [one’s] endurance or tolerance, no longer able to cope >She’s at the end of her rope after being cooped up in the house all day with the kids.
— at the end of the day (colloq.): in the final analysis, after considering everything, ultimately >At the end of the day, the principal is responsible for everything that happens at that school.
— end of story! (colloq.): I will permit no further discussion, nothing more needs to be said >No, you can’t borrow my car. End of story! >He got caught and went to jail. End of story!
— no end (colloq.): very much >We enjoyed that show no end.
— not know which end/way is up (see KNOW)
— the short end of the stick (see SHORT)
— ... to end all ...s (colloq.): extraordinary ..., impressive ..., the ultimate ... >Did you hear that? That was a scream to end all screams!
ENOUGH
— sure enough (see SURE)
ENVY
— green with envy (see GREEN)
E.R.
— E.R. (colloq.): emergency room (of a hospital) >He was bleeding bad, so they took him right to the E.R.
EVEN
— break even (see BREAK)
— even the score (with) (colloq.): take revenge (on), retaliate (against) >I’ll even the score with that rat some day.
** get even (with) (colloq.): take revenge (on), retaliate (against) >She’ll get even with him for cheating on her. >I don’t get mad—I get even.
EVEN-STEVEN
— even-steven (ē´vәn stē´vәn) (sl.): exactly even, fairly divided, neither owing nor owed (also adv.) >The score was even-steven with two minutes left to play. >Give me ten bucks, and we’ll be even-steven. >We’ll divide this up even-steven.
EVERLOVING
— everloving (sl.): contemptible, cursed, annoying >Get your everlovin’ feet off the dinner table!
EVERY
* every bit (colloq.): equally, in every way >Your son’s every bit the man you are. >I think this cheaper model’s every bit as good as that one.
* every time [s/one] turns around (colloq.): with great or annoying frequency ([s/one] notices an occurrence) >Every time I turn around, Ben’s wanting to borrow money from me. >Seems there’s a new scandal in that town every time you turn around.
— every Tom, Dick, and Harry (colloq.): virtually everyone >Seems like every Tom, Dick, and Harry has his own blog these days.
— every trick in the book (colloq.): every strategy, every possible method or attempt >Jim tried every trick in the book to get their support, but they wouldn’t go along.
* every which way (colloq.): in every direction, all over, in disorder >People ran every which way when the fire alarm went off. >He had books stacked every which way in the room.
EVERYBODY
— everybody/everyone and his dog (sl.): almost everyone imaginable, an impressive number of people >Ya should have been at the party. Everybody and his dog was there.
EVERYONE
— everybody/everyone and his dog (see EVERYBODY)
EVERYTHING
* and everything (colloq.): and undoubtedly everything else that is pertinent or required (used esp. as an affirmation of faith that s/thing is true) >Sure he’s an expert. He’s got a Ph.D. and everything. >They say that guy’s a gangster—he carries a gun and everything.
— everything but the kitchen sink (colloq.): virtually everything, almost everything imaginable >They had everything but the kitchen sink for sale at the swap meet.
EX
** [one’s] ex (... eks) (colloq.): [one’s] former spouse or sweetheart >Both him and his new wife get along pretty good with his ex. >Here comes my ex—pretend you don’t see him.
EXAMINED
— ought/need to have [one’s] head examined (see HEAD)
EXCESS BAGGAGE
— excess baggage (colloq.): thing or person not needed or wanted, unnecessary burden >Do we have to take your little brother along? He’s excess baggage. >Get rid of that guilt—it’s just excess baggage.
EXCUSE
— pardon/excuse my French (see FRENCH)
— poor excuse (for/of a) (see POOR)
* well, excuse me! (-cuse lengthened and me stressed) (sl., sarc.): you’re too easily offended! you’re overly critical of me! >Well, excuse me for touchin’ your precious coffee cup! >Oh, I didn’t laugh at your so-called joke? Well, excuse me!
EXEC
* exec (ig zek´) (colloq.): executive (in business) (also adj.) >This hotel caters to top execs. >We’ll travel exec class.
EXPECT
* expect (vt) (colloq.): suppose, guess >I expect you’ll want to freshen up after your trip.
EXPLODE
* explode (vi) (colloq.): become furious, lose (one’s) temper >He’s going to explode when he sees this mess.
EXTRA
* go the extra mile (colloq.): do more than is expected, make a special effort >The prof went the extra mile for him by tutoring him individually.
EYE
— [neg.] (even) bat an eye (see BAT)
— give [s/one] the eye (colloq.): look enticingly or admiringly at [s/one], flirt with [s/one] >That new woman’s been giving all the married men the eye.
** have/keep an/[one’s] eye out (for) (colloq.): be watchful (for), stay attentive to notice (esp. to obtain s/thing) >We’re expecting them anytime now, so keep an eye out, will you? >Roger’s had his eye out for a used flatbed truck.
** have [one’s] eye on (colloq.): have a special interest in obtaining, be romantically interested in >I’ve had my eye on that gold ring for a while. >You seem to have your eye on that cute redhead.
— here’s mud in your eye! (see MUD)
** keep an/[one’s] eye on (colloq.): watch over, be vigilant of, take care of >Keep an eye on Johnny at school, will you? >I’ll keep my eye on your house for you while you’re on vacation.
— my eye! (see MY)
EYEBALL
— eyeball (vt) (sl.): look fixedly at, scrutinize, check over >I want ya to eyeball this plan and tell me what ya think.
EYEBALLS
— up to [one’s] eyeballs in (colloq.): having an abundance or excess of, very occupied with >I ain’t got time—I’m up to my eyeballs in paperwork.
EYEFUL
— eyeful (ī´fŭl´) (colloq.): very attractive sight (esp. a woman) >Wow, that woman is an eyeful!
EYES
— cry [one’s] eyes out (see CRY)
— easy on the eyes (see EASY)
— keep [one’s] eyes peeled (colloq.): maintain careful watch, stay vigilant, remain alert >Keep your eyes peeled for cops. I don’t want to get a ticket for speeding.
— lay eyes on (colloq.): catch sight of, first see >When I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the girl for me.
— make eyes at (colloq.): look flirtingly or enticingly at >Didn’t you see her making eyes at you? She likes you.
* only have eyes for (colloq.): desire no one but, love only >Don’t be jealous—Roger only has eyes for you.
— pull the wool over [s/one’s] eyes (see WOOL)