| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| The Rock |
a Federal prison on Alcatraz, a rocky island in San Francisco Bay
|
Do you remember Birdman of Alcatraz? Burt Lancaster plays a
lifer who escapes from The Rock by swimming across the bay.
|
| The Rock |
a prison on Riker's Island, New York; in the slammer
|
After Willie left The Rock he vowed to go straight .
|
| the room is so small you have to go outside turn around |
the room is very small; so small you could barely swing a cat
|
It's not a large apartment. The bathroom is so small I have to go outside to turn around.
|
| the root of the problem |
the cause of the problem, the reason for the problem
|
Students don't do enough reading - that's the root of the problem.
|
| the runaround |
an indirect answer, pass the buck, what a rigmarole
|
I complained about the dryer, but they gave me the runaround. They blamed the delivery man.
|
| the runt of the litter |
the smallest and weakest in a group of animal siblings born at the same time
|
When it comes to mathematics, I am the runt of the litter. My scores on math tests are very low.
|
| the salt of the earth |
common people; honest, hard-working people
|
The Swensons are plain, decent people - the salt of the earth.
|
| the school of hard knocks |
life's hard lessons, learning from mistakes, roll with the punches
|
Teachers taught me what I should know; the school of hard knocks taught me what I must know.
|
| the shit hit the fan |
people become angry, somebody starts a fight
|
It was a good party until Ed started a fight. Then the shit hit the fan!
|
| the short end of the stick |
the worst job, the least pay, dump on
|
When I work with Ken, I always get the short end of the stick. He gives me the hard jobs.
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