sink your teeth into something: do something in an excited way

→ This is a well-written book about an interesting subject. I can really sink my teeth into it.

lie through your teeth: lie about something everyone knows is false

→ He was soaking wet, so he was lying through his teeth when he said he had not gone into the lake.

by the skin of your teeth: just barely manage to escape a big problem

→ Wow, that was close! I missed crashing my bike into that car by the skin of my teeth.

like pulling teeth: do something with a lot of difficulty

→ It was like pulling teeth when the woman tried to get her cell phone company to discuss a cheaper rate.

bite off more than you can chew: take on more work than you can handle at the time

→ She bit off more than she could chew when she agreed to work extra hours on the busy holiday weekend.

a sight for sore eyes: something that is wonderful to see

→ Lin hadn’t seen James for months. When he came home, he was a sight for sore eyes.

in the public eye: able to be seen by many people

→ When the newspaper wrote about the politician’s mistake, he was not happy to be in the public eye.

look someone straight in the eye: look at someone without shame or embarrassment

→ After the waiter spilled the woman’s soup, he was so embarrassed that he couldn’t look her straight in the eye.

not see eye to eye: disagree

→ They couldn’t see eye to eye on their vacation plans. He wanted to go to the beach, and she wanted to go to the mountains.

turn a blind eye: pretend not to see something

→ He wasn’t supposed to have cookies before lunch, but his grandmother turned a blind eye when she saw him reach for the box.

as sick as a dog: very sick

→ I missed the party because I was as sick as a dog; I just stayed in bed.

fight like cats and dogs: fight or argue a lot

→ They’re best friends now, but when they were young kids, it seemed that they always fought like cats and dogs.

raining cats and dogs: raining very hard

→ The hurricane left the area, but it was still raining cats and dogs.

you can’t teach an old dog new tricks: it’s very hard for someone to change the way they do things

→ Margaret tried to teach her grandmother how to use e-mail, but her grandmother just couldn’t figure out the computer. Grandma just said, “I’d rather just write a letter on paper. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

going to the dogs: getting bad

→ His lunch business started going to the dogs when the stores next to him closed.