ER
- Emergency Room - the place in a hospital which deals with emergency situations
eg. The victims of the accident were quickly taken to the ER.
ESL
- English as a Second Language
eg. The ESL classes at the college have been held for almost ten years now.
ESP
- Extrasensory Perception
eg. The movie was about a small boy who had the ability of ESP.
ETA
- Estimated Time of Arrival
eg. What will your ETA be when you return home next month?
each and every
- every (used for emphasis)
eg. I would like each and every one of you to bring your textbooks tomorrow.
eager beaver
- person who is always eager to work or do extra work
eg. He is a real eager beaver and is always available to work when we need him.
ear to the ground
- direct one`s attention to the way things are going or to the way people feel and think
eg. I have been keeping my ear to the ground to see what is going to happen with the new owners of this company.
earful
- scolding, a lot of information (often critical)
eg. He really gave his daughter an earful when she came home late.
early bird catches the worm
- a person who gets up early in the morning has the best chance of success
eg. He always goes to work before his colleagues because he knows that the early bird catches the worm.
ease off
- reduce in severity or pressure, relax
eg. The president was asked to ease off on his efforts to save money in the company.
easy come, easy go
- something that you get easily can be lost easily
eg. He doesn`t care if he loses his job or not. For him everything is easy come, easy go.
easy does it
- do something without sudden movements or too fast
eg. "Easy does it" he said as he helped to move the large piano.
easy-going
- tolerant and relaxed
eg. He has a very easy-going management style.
eat away
- rot, erode, destroy
eg. The mildew has been eating away at the window frame all summer.
eat crow
- admit one is mistaken or defeated
eg. He was forced to eat crow when the figures that he gave us at the meeting were all wrong.
eat dirt
- accept another`s insult or bad treatment, act humble
eg. He made the senior manager eat dirt as revenge for his bad treatment in the past.
eat humble pie
- admit one`s error and apologize
eg. He had to eat humble pie in front of his friends when they discovered his mistake.
eat like a bird
- eat very little
eg. He eats like a bird. That`s why he can`t put on enough weight to join the football team.
eat like a horse
- eat a lot
eg. He eats like a horse but he never puts on any weight.
eat like a bird
- eat very little
eg. He must be sick as he has been eating like a bird during the last few weeks.
eat one`s heart out
- suffer greatly from longing
eg. You can eat your heart out. I`m going to Hawaii for three weeks!
eat one`s cake and have it too
- use or spend something and still keep it
eg. He always wants to eat his cake and have it too and is never prepared to sacrifice anything.
eat one`s words
- admit being wrong in something one has said, retract one`s statement
eg. He was forced to eat his words after his boss proved that he was wrong.
eat out
- eat in a restaurant
eg. He eats out three or four times a week.
eat one`s cake and have it too
- use or spend something and still keep it
eg. He refuses to give up anything and always wants to eat his cake and have it too.
eat one`s words
- take back something one has said, admit something is not true
eg. I told my boss that I would be leaving but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay.
eat one`s heart out
- grieve long and hopelessly for something, want something
eg. "You can eat your heart out but I won`t give you a piece of this chocolate bar."
eg
- Exempli Gratia - Latin for example
eg. The company has hundreds of small factories around the world - eg Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Korea.
egg on
- urge someone on
eg. Many people at the soccer game were egged on by the drunken fans.
egg (someone) on
- urge or push someone to do something
eg. He is always egging his friend on when he is angry which makes him even angrier.
eke out
- earn with difficulty
eg. He was unable to eke out a living on the farm so he sold it.
elbow grease
- effort and strength to clean something
eg. We`ll have to use a lot of elbow grease to get the kitchen cleaned.
elbow room
- space (enough to be comfortable)
eg. They moved to the country in order to have a little more elbow room.
end in itself
- a purpose or goal one wants for itself alone and not as a way to something else
eg. For some people travelling is an end in itself and the destination is not important.
end up
- finish, finally do something
eg. We ended up going to the restaurant after the movie last night.
even so
- nevertheless, however
eg. He always works hard but even so he has no money saved.
every dog has his day
- everyone will have his chance or turn, everyone will get what he deserves
eg. You should be patient and wait until you get a chance. Remember every dog has his day.
every other
- alternate, every second one
eg. She has to work every other Saturday evening.
every so often
- occasionally
eg. You should walk around every so often when you are on a long plane trip.
every Tom, Dick and Harry
- the average person
eg. He said he is not the same as every Tom, Dick and Harry.
every dog has his day
- everyone will have his chance or turn, everyone will get what he deserves
eg. Don`t worry about him. Every dog has his day and he will eventually suffer for all the bad things that he is doing.
eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
- every crime or injury should be punished or paid back
eg. Some politicians are always calling for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when they hear of a terrible crime.
eyes are bigger than one`s stomach
- one wants more food than one can eat
eg. His eyes are bigger than his stomach. He will never finish all of the food that he took.
eyes in the back of one`s head
- ability to know what is happening behind one`s back
eg. He has eyes in the back of his head and you can never borrow anything without him knowing about it.
eyes pop out
- much surprised
eg. Her eyes popped out when she saw her name in the newspaper.
eyes are bigger than one`s stomach
- one takes more food than one can eat
eg. His eyes were bigger than his stomach when he went to the restaurant and ordered too much food.
eyes in the back of one`s head
- ability to know what happens when one`s back is turned
eg. The teacher has eyes in the back of her head and always knows what is going on in the classroom.
eyes pop out
- one is very surprised
eg. My eyes popped out when I saw the new computer that I had gotten for my birthday.
(at the) end of one`s rope
- the last of one`s ability or ideas about how to proceed or do something
eg. He is at the end of his rope regarding what to do about his job.
(be) eating someone
- bothering or worrying someone
eg. I don`t know what is eating her but she doesn`t seem to be in a good mood today.
(keep/have one`s) ear to the ground
- pay attention to the way things are going or the way people feel and think
eg. He always has his ear to the ground and knows everything that is going on in our company.
Last Update: 2005/12/18