Idioms and Expressions: High School: Idioms and Expressions, List 4

This list includes expressions from languages other than English, and much more.
10 words 62 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. grassroots
    of or involving the common people rather than those in power
    Switzerland’s grassroots democracy allows any Swiss citizen to object to any project proposed anywhere in the country, obliging the developer to respond. Forbes (Sep 5, 2013)
  2. high-flown
    pretentious (especially with regard to language or ideals)
    She couldn’t bear hearing high-flown talk she didn’t understand. In the Time of the Butterflies
  3. carte blanche
    complete freedom or authority to act
    He allowed his librarian carte blanche with regard to shelves and binding. Reed, Talbot Baines
  4. quid pro quo
    something given in exchange for something else
    The most logical explanation is that the wrestlers made a quid pro quo agreement: you let me win today, when I really need the victory, and I’ll let you win the next time. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
  5. split second
    a very short time
    Suddenly I twist, and for a split second I'm free. Legend
  6. faux pas
    a socially awkward or tactless act
    “Leaving no tip would be a faux pas,” she says. Washington Post (Sep 5, 2018)
  7. slapdash
    marked by great carelessness
    The slapdash structure definitely hurts the movie as much as the plodding script. Salon (Mar 15, 2019)
  8. under the weather
    somewhat ill or prone to illness
    It definitely helps since the other day I got a little bit of food poisoning and was feeling under the weather. Washington Times (Sep 30, 2018)
  9. aboveboard
    without concealment or deception; honest
    “We like it very clear that everything we do as a company is aboveboard and legal,” he said. New York Times (Jun 4, 2014)
  10. tabula rasa
    a young mind not yet affected by experience
    Her underlying aim was to explore the idea—derived from John Locke—of the newborn as a tabula rasa, whose character is determined by experience rather than innate qualities. Economist (Feb 15, 2018)
Created on Tue Jun 03 13:48:14 EDT 2025

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.