PHRASEOLLOGICAL UNITS WITH A FLORISTIC COMPONENT

apple of discord – the reason for a prolonged quarrel. The unfair distribution of wealth will always remain the apple of discord in society.
the apple of sb's eye – the person who someone loves most and is very proud of. His youngest son was the apple of his eye.
a bad/rotten apple – one bad person in a group of people who are good. You'll find the occasional rotten apple in every organization.
be in apple-pie order – to be very tidy and in good order. Wendy kept all her belongings in apple-pie order.
apple polisher – someone who is always trying to impress or be nice to important or powerful people in order to gain an advantage. Every office has its apple polisher, whose views cannot be trusted to be his or her own.
upset the apple cart – to mess up or ruin something. Tom really upset the apple cart by telling Mary the truth about Jane.
a banana skin – something which causes or is very likely to cause embarrassing problems. The new tax has proved to be a banana skin for the government.
go bananas – to become very angry. She'll go bananas if she sees the room in this state.
be full of beans – to feel eager to do things and have a lot of energy. I was exhausted last night, but I feel full of beans again this morning.
not have a bean – to have no money. Most people in the area are unemployed and don't have a bean to spend.
spill the beans – to tell people secret information. It was then that she threatened to spill the beans about her affair with the president.
sb knows how many beans make five – used to say that someone is sensible, especially about money. She’s artistic and temperamental- but she knows how many beans make five.
go as red as a beetroot – to become very red in the face, usually because you are embarrassed. Whenever the kids asked him about his girlfriend he'd go beetroot.
the bush telegraph – the way in which people quickly pass important information to other people, especially by talking. News of the redundancies spread immediately on the bush telegraph.
beat about/around the bush – to avoid talking about a difficult or embarrassing subject because you are worried about upsetting the person you are talking to. There is no point in beating about the bush. I'm leaving you.
be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed – to be full of energy and eager to do things. My friend is always bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
a carrot-top – a person with hair that is an orange colour. Joe's blond and Rosie's a carrot-top.
the carrot and the stick – a way of making people do what you want by giving them something good if they do it, and making something bad happen to them if they do not do it. Most managers use both the carrot and the stick to make sure that the work gets done.
cherry-pick sb/sth – to choose only the best people or things in a way that is not fair . Isn't there a danger that the state schools might start cherry-picking the pupils with the best exam results?
life is a bowl of cherries – used in order to say that only good things happen in life. When you are young and in love, life is just a bowl of cherries.
as red as a cherry – bright red. When the children came in from ice-skating, Clara’s nose was as red as a cherry.
as cool as a cucumber – calm and not agitated; with one’s wits about one. During the fire the homeowner was as cool as a cucumber.
as fresh as a daisy – very fresh; fresh and alert. Sally was as fresh as a daisy and cheerful as could be.
have a field day – to have an opportunity to do a lot of something you want to do, especially to criticize someone. The newspapers would have a field day if their affair ever became public knowledge.
a fig leaf – something that you use to try to hide an embarrassing fact or problem. Are the peace talks simply providing a fig leaf for the continuing aggression between the two countries?
not be worth a fig – to not be important or useful. She's just an ignorant old busybody and her opinions aren't worth a fig.
not care/give a fig) – if you say that you don't care a fig, you mean that something or someone is not important to you at all. They can say what they like, I don't give a fig.
flower child – a young person who believes in nonviolence and carries flowers around to symbolize his peace-loving nature. “Face facts, Suzie, stop being such a flower child!”
everything in the garden is rosy – something that you say which means that there are no problems in a situation. But not everything in the garden is rosy. Sales may look good but they're actually 10% down on last year.
play gooseberry – to be with two people who are having a romantic relationship and who would prefer to be alone. Yes, thank you, I'd love to go to the cinema, if you two are sure you don't mind me playing gooseberry.
sour grape – a bad attitude that makes someone criticize something because they want it but cannot have it. My friend cannot afford to buy a new BMW, so she criticizes my car. But I know it is just sour grapes.
a grass widow – a woman who spends a lot of time apart from her husband, often because he is working in another place. 'I hear Steve's in Florida again. ' 'Yes,I've become a grass widow ever since he's had this new job.'
the grass roots – the ordinary people in a society or political organization and not the leaders. The feeling among the grass roots of the party is that the leaders aren't radical enough.
not let the grass grow under your feet – to not waste time by delaying doing something. We can't let the grass grow under our feet - we've really got to get going with this project.
a snake in the grass – someone who pretends to be your friend while secretly doing things to harm you. Pat has turned out to be a snake in the grass. I trusted her, but she hat betrayed me.
against the grain – so as to annoy or trouble, or to cause anger or dislike. His coarse and rude ways went against the grain with me.
a grain of truth – even the smallest amount of truth. If there were a grain of truth to your statement, I would trust you.
reap a/the harvest of sth – to receive the good or bad results of past actions. Homelessness is rising. We are reaping the harvest of a lack of investment in housing and social services.
make hay while the sun shines – to do something while the situation or conditions are right. I've got a few hours to finish the housework before the kids come home so I might as well make hay while the sun shines.
look to your laurels – to make an extra effort to succeed because there is more competition. Nowadays there are a number of rival products on the market and the older, established companies are having to look to their laurels.
rest on your laurels – to be so satisfied with your own achievements that you make no effort to improve. Just because you passed all your exams, that's no reason to rest on your laurels.
shake like a leaf – to shake a lot because you are nervous or frightened. I saw her just before her talk and she was shaking like a leaf.
take a leaf out of sb's book – to copy something that someone else does because it will bring you advantages. Maybe I should take a leaf out of Robert's book and start coming in at ten every morning.
gild the lily – to spoil something by trying to improve or decorate it when it is already perfect. Should I add a scarf to this jacket or would it be gilding the lily?
lily-livered – literary- not brave. I've never seen such a lily-livered bunch of wimps in my life!
lily-white – completely white in colour. He marvelled at her lily-white hands.
a rolling stone gathers no moss – a person who keeps changing jobs or residences and, therefore, accumulates no possessions or responsibilities. (Proverb.) “John just can’t seem to stay in one place”, said Sally. “Oh, well, a rolling stone gathers no moss.
be off your nut – to be crazy. You can't do that! Are you off your nut or what?
do your nut – to become extremely angry. If she has to walk from the station again she'll do her nut.
a hard/tough nut – someone who is difficult to deal with because they are unpleasant or very determined to get what they want. People don't tend to mess with Sue. She's a tough nut.
can't do sth for nuts – if someone cannot do something for nuts, they cannot do it at all. Roger had prepared a beautiful meal? I thought you said he couldn't cook for nuts.
be as nutty as a fruitcake – to be crazy. Isn't she slightly strange, your aunt? 'Oh, she's as nutty as a fruitcake.'
hold out/offer an olive branch – to do or say something in order to show that you want to end a disagreement with someone. An olive branch is traditionally a symbol of peace. He held out an olive branch to the opposition by releasing 42 political prisoners.
know your onions – to know a lot about a particular subject. That car salesman certainly knew his onions, didn't he?
grease sb's palm – to give money to someone in authority in order to persuade them to do something for you, especially something wrong. Drug barons were greasing the palm of the chief of police.
greener pastures – a better or more exciting job or place. A lot of scientists are seeking greener pastures abroad because of the scarcity of opportunities at home.
pea-brained – a pea-brained person is very stupid. Take no notice - he's just a pea-brained idiot.
go pear-shaped – if a plan goes pear-shaped, it fails. We'd arranged to be in France that weekend but it all went pear-shaped.
speak with a plum in your mouth – if someone speaks with a plum in their mouth, they speak in a way that shows they are from a very high social group. All I can remember is that he was overweight and spoke with a plum in his mouth.
as red as a poppy – bright red. You must be embarrassed – you’re as red as a poppy!
a couch potato – a person who is addicted to watching television all day. Poor Ted has become such a couch potato that we can’t persuade him to do anything.
drop sb /sth like a hot potato – suddenly stopped being involved with someone or dealing with a problem, usually because it is embarrassing to you. If Jane finds out what Ellis said to the press, she’ll drop him like a hot potato.
a hot potato – used about the subject that a lot of people are talking or arguing about, but that nobody wants to deal with or take responsibility for because it upsets or offends people. Gower said that he hadn’t realized the film was such a hot potato and didn’t know she was breaking the law by showing it.
a broken reed – used about someone who has disappointed you after you trusted them to do something. I asked Jackson to support me in the debate, as Collins had approved to be a broken reed.
root and branch – if something is changed or removed root and branch, it is changed or removed completely because it is bad. Racism must be eliminated, root and branch.
have a (good) root round – to look through a lot of things, especially by moving them around. I’ve had a root round upstairs but I can’t find that shirt anywhere.
root of all evil – the desire to enrich oneself financially. The love of money is the root of all evil.
put down roots – if you put down roots in a place, you do things which show that you want to stay there, for example making friends or buying a home. It would be hard to leave Brighton after eleven years - he's put down roots there.
rooted to the spot – unable to move because of fear or surprise. Joan stood rooted to the spot when she saw the ghostly figure.
a bed of roses – a situation or way of life that is always happy and comfortable. Living with Pat can’t be a bed of roses, but her husband is always smiling.
rose-coloured glasses – if someone thinks about or looks at something with rose-coloured glasses, they think it is more pleasant than it really is. She's nostalgic for a past that she sees through rose-colored glasses.
come out/up smelling of roses – if you come out smelling of roses, people believe you are good and honest after a difficult situation which could have made you seem bad or dishonest. There was a major fraud investigation, but Smith still came out smelling of roses.
put the roses in sb's cheeks, bring the roses to sb's cheeks – to make someone look healthy. A brisk walk will soon put the roses back in your cheeks.
as red as a rose – intensely red. Bill blushed as red as a rose when we teased him.
salad days – the time when you were young and had little experience of life. But that was in my salad days, before I got married and had children.
go/run to seed – to stop taking care of your appearance so that you no longer look attractive. I almost didn't recognize John. He's really gone to seed since his wife left him.
sow the seeds of sth – to do something that will cause an unpleasant situation in the future. He may be sowing the seeds of his own destruction by using violence against his people.
spruce someone or something up – to make someone or something clean or orderly. I’ll be ready to go as soon as I spruce myself up a bit.
clutch/grasp at straws – to try any method, even those that are not likely to succeed, because you are in such a bad situation. He's hoping that this new treatment will help him but I think he's clutching at straws.
to draw the short straw – to have to do something that no one else wanted to do, especially because they were chosen by chance. Giles drew the short straw, so he will give the first talk.
the last/final straw – used about the problem that makes you so angry, or makes things so difficult, that you finally decide to change or leave the situation that you are in. When Mandy didn’t bother to come home for Christmas dinner, that was the last straw.
a man of straw – a person or an idea that is weak and easy to defeat. Compared to their illustrious predecessors, the country's leaders seem to be men of straw.
straw poll – an informal survey taken in order to get an opinion. The results of our straw poll show that most faculty members prefer to teach between 9 and 11 a.m.
be a thorn in sb's flesh/side – someone or something that keeps annoying you or causing you trouble. A relentless campaigner, he was a thorn in the government's side for years.
be out of your tree – to be crazy or behaving in a strange way, sometimes because of drugs or alcohol. Is he going to build the extension himself? He's out of his tree!
up a tree – in a difficult situation and unable to get out; stymied and confused. I’m really up a tree on this problem.
can't see the wood for the trees – if someone can't see the wood for the trees, they are unable to understand what is important in a situation because they are giving too much attention to details. After you've spent years researching a single topic you get to a point where you can't see the wood for the trees.
come/crawl out of the woodwork – to appear after being hidden or not active for a long time, especially in order to do something unpleasant. After you've been in a relationship for a long while, all sorts of little secrets start to come out of the woodwork.
wallflower – a shy person, especially a girl or woman, who is frightened to involve herself in social activities and does not attract much interest or attention. Sooner or later someone would take a pity on the poor wallflower and ask her to ask.