Table of Contents
Preface 1
1 Introduction: Why Can't People Just Say What They Mean? 3
2 Don't Touch that Dial: Idioms from the World of TV 12
Can I phone a friend? 14
Computer says no 16
Does what it says on the tin 17
Gardening leave 19
Have you tried turning it off and on again? 21
Jump the shark 23
Nudge nudge, wink wink 24
The 64,000 dollar question 26
Something from the Twilight Zone 28
Starter for ten 30
Ten four 32
Trigger's broom 33
3 Silver Tongues and Silver Screens: Idioms from the Movies 36
All singing, all dancing 37
Bucket list 38
Bunny boiler 40
Difficult difficult, lemon difficult 42
Groundhog Day 44
Know where the bodies are buried 46
Nuke the fridge 48
Sleep with the fishes 49
Sliding doors moment 52
Take the red pill 54
Up to 11 / turned up to 11 55
The usual suspects 57
You're gonna need a bigger boat 59
4 Breaking the Internet: Idioms from the Online World 63
Break the Internet 64
Collateral knowledge / collateral information 66
First world problems 68
Godwin's Law 70
Keyboard warrior 72
Milkshake duck 73
Netflix and chill 76
OK, boomer 77
5 Jumpers for Goalposts: Idioms from the World of Sport 80
Corridor of uncertainty 81
Deep bench / bench strength 83
Flat track bully 84
Go big or go home 86
The hairdryer treatment 87
Move the goalposts 89
Park the bus 92
Squeaky bum time 94
Take one for the team 96
6 Doing it by the Book: Idioms from Modern Literature 99
All quiet on the Western Front 101
Brave new world 102
Catch-22 / a Catch-22 situation 104
Life, the Universe and Everything 106
No shit, Sherlock 108
Screw the pooch 110
Sophie's choice 112
Walter Mitty / a Walter Mitty personality 114
7 The Best of the Rest 118
Dead cat strategy 118
Drink the Kool-Aid 120
Drop the mic / mic drop 123
Friends with benefits 124
Go postal 126
Jump the couch 128
Mental safari 130
Not rocket science 131
Phone it in 134
Throw someone under the bus 135
Wardrobe malfunction 137
Water cooler moment 139
X is my middle name 141
Notes 145
