Some common idioms and their meanings are given below with example sentences.
Pay homage
To pay homage is to show respect.
- Thousands of people paid homage to their favorite leader.
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is the changes in form.
- These pictures show the metamorphosis in the life of a butterfly.
Settle a score
To settle a score is to take revenge on somebody.
- He is waiting for an opportunity to settle scores with his former business partner.
Up to scratch
If something is up to scratch, it is satisfactory.
From scratch
To build something from scratch is to build it from the very beginning.
- He built a business empire from scratch.
Screw someone up
To screw someone up is to make them emotionally disturbed.
- Her tragic story screwed me up.
Screw something up
To screw something up is to make something go wrong.
Put someone in the shade
To put someone in the shade is to be better or more impressive than them.
Shake something up
To shake something up is to make major changes to it.
Like sheep
This is an expression used to refer to people who are easily led or influenced.
Come out of your shell
To come out of your shell is to stop being shy.
Take a shine to
When you take a shine to something, you develop a liking for it.
Take the shine off
To take the shine off something is to make it less attractive or good.
Put yourself in someone else’s shoes
To put yourself in someone else’s shoes is to imagine yourself in their situation.