a dead giveaway
The phrase ‘a dead giveaway’ means ‘something that is an obvious clue about something else‘.
a guide to
Here is an example sentence that uses the phrase ‘a guide to’: ‘You can use this book as a guide to learning English.‘
a slap on the wrist
The phrase ‘a slap on the wrist’ means ‘a mild punishment or reprimand‘.
above it all
If you are ‘above it all’, it means that you are ‘not allowing yourself to be brought down to the level where things get to you or weigh you down‘. For instance, instead of retaliating against someone who is being mean to you, you try to be the bigger and more mature person, telling yourself that you are ‘better than that’.
‘Above it all’ can also be combined with the word ‘rise’ to form the expression ‘rise above it all‘.
account for
The phrase ‘account for [something]’ has three generally accepted meanings as follows:-
- Its first meaning is ‘be the explanation or reason for [something]‘, as illustrated by the sentence ‘The economic downturn accounts for the slow retail business.‘.
- Its second meaning is ‘give reasons for [something]‘, as illustrated by the sentence ‘How do you account for all these losses?‘.
- Thirdly, ‘account for [something]’ also means ‘make up or form [a part of something]‘, as illustrated by the sentence ‘Children account for only 20 percent of our attendees.‘.
Besides the above three generally accepted meanings, ‘account for [something]’ is also sometimes used in the US to mean ‘take [something] into consideration‘, as illustrated by the sentence ‘Don’t forget to account for the fact that I also went through the same experience.‘.
all but
The phrase ‘all but’ in the following sentences means ‘very nearly‘:-
‘The matter was all but forgotten.‘
‘Getting help was all but impossible.‘
All the best
The correct preposition to be used with this phrase is ‘for‘, not ‘in’.
Example sentences: ‘All the best for your exam.‘; ‘All the best for your future career with ABC.‘; ‘All the best for the future.‘
Am I missing something?
People often say ‘Am I missing something?’ to indicate that they are confused or do not understand something.
and by so doing
This phrase is used in sentences such as ‘… and by so doing, eliminate the tedious process of manually counting the items one by one‘.
and the list goes on
This phrase means ‘and so on‘ but it carries a strong feeling of exasperation (i.e. annoyance and frustration).
and there you have it
The phrase ‘and there you have it’ means ‘That is how this thing works‘ or ‘That is how this thing is done‘.
appreciate you contacting me
The word ‘appreciate’ may be used in the following manner: ‘I appreciate you contacting me.‘
areas of concern
Regulatory bodies use this term to refer to environmentally sensitive or damaged areas.
artificially contrived
Feel free to share with us your understanding of this phrase.
as a matter of urgency
Feel free to share with us your understanding of this phrase.
As an aside
The phrase ‘As an aside’ is often used at the beginning of a sentence to preface a comment not directly related to the topic being discussed.
As if that were not enough
This phrase can be used to begin a sentence as follows: ‘As if that were not enough, …‘
as in
The phrase ‘as in’ means ‘in the sense of‘.
Example sentence: ‘You can replace ”say” with ”be like,” as in ”She showed me her ring , and I was like ‘Wow, that’s gorgeous!’”‘
As of today
The phrase ‘As of today’ has three meanings.
Its first meaning is ‘From the beginning up until now, including today‘. Its second meaning is ‘Starting today and going forward into the future‘. Thirdly, it also means ‘Today, only‘.
as opposed to
The phrase ‘as opposed to’ is used to refer to something that is different from what has just been mentioned, as in the sentence ‘Is this a ramp, as opposed to the main line?‘.
at [one’s] wit’s end
The phrase ‘at [one’s] wit’s end’ means ‘in a state of distress that is reached when [one] has no more patience or mental resources‘.
at a moment’s notice
The phrase ‘at a moment’s notice’ means ‘with little time for preparation, or with little warning‘.
at some stage
Feel free to share with us your understanding of this phrase.
at that
The phrase ‘at that’ means ‘furthermore‘.
The following sentence serves as an example that illustrates the meaning of ‘at that’: ‘It is not fog but smoke, and very thick at that‘.