Word of the Day

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 26.

Australia Day

Today’s word is short, spelled short.

short /ʃɔːt $ ʃɔːrt/

stop short idiom

to stop or be stopped just before doing or reaching something

I had to slam on the brakes when the car in front of me stopped short.

He was about to say something, then stopped short.

—often + of

The boss said that she was unhappy with some employees, but she stopped short of naming which ones.

come up short idiom

to fail to win or achieve something

We're so close to getting the job done, but we keep coming up short.

The state education budget came up short last year.

short of breath idiom

having difficulty breathing

She was short of breath and unable to talk after her run.

He is overweight and gets short of breath just walking to his car.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 24.

National Beer Can Appreciation Day

Today’s word is jump, spelled j-u-m-p.

jump /dʒʌmp/ verb

jump the light idiom

of a vehicle

: to start moving before the traffic light turns green

The car ahead of me jumped the light.

jump ship idiom

to leave an organization that you are working for, especially in order to join another

The best employees jumped ship at the first opportunity.

He jumped ship when he found out the non-profit's founder was keeping much of the funding for himself.

jump through hoops idiom

informal

: to do a complicated or annoying series of things in order to get or achieve something

We had to jump through a lot of hoops to get a loan from the bank.

We had to jump through hoops to get our visas in time.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 23.

National Pie Day

Today’s word is tongue, spelled t-o-n-g-u-e.

tongue /tʌŋ/ noun

roll/trip off the tongue idiom

to be easy to say or pronounce

The name just rolls off the tongue.

doesn’t roll off the tongue easily

cat got your tongue idiom

informal

—used to ask someone why he or she is not saying anything

"You've been unusually quiet tonight," she said. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

get one's tongue around idiom

informal

: to have no difficulty saying (a word or phrase)

I can't get my tongue around his last name.

I couldn’t get my tongue around the names of the villages we’d visited.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 22.

National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day

Today’s word is start, spelled s-t-a-r-t.

start /stɑːt $ stɑːrt/ verb

start from scratch idiom

to begin from a point at which nothing has been done yet

Nothing like this had ever been done before, so we had to start from scratch.

There were no textbooks, so the teachers had to start from scratch.

make a fresh/new start idiom

to start a new life

Her divorce gave her an opportunity to make a fresh/new start.

She decided to travel back to this country and make a fresh start.

for a start idiom

—used to introduce a statement that is the first in a series of statements

"What was the restaurant like?" "Well, for a start, the food was fantastic."

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 20.

National Disc Jockey Day

Today’s word is net, spelled n-e-t.

net /net/ noun

cast/spread one's net wide idiom

to try many different things so that one will have the best chance of finding what one wants

Companies are casting their nets wide in search of young, talented employees.

Record companies are casting their nets wide in search of new talent.

safety net noun

something that provides security against misfortune or difficulty

The program provides a safety net for people who have lost their jobs.

State support should provide a safety net for the very poor.

slip/fall through the net idiom

to fail to be noticed or included with others

There are plenty of talented players who slip through the net and never get to play professionally.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 19.

National Popcorn Day

Today’s word is bottom, spelled bottom.

bottom /ˈbɒtəm $ ˈbɑː-/ noun

the bottom of the barrel noun phrase

: the lowest possible condition, level, etc.

After the divorce, Tim felt he had reached/hit the bottom of the barrel.

The excessive coverage of the scandal signals that the news media may have finally hit/reached the bottom of the barrel.

the bottom drops/falls out idiom

—used of something that suddenly fails or becomes unable to continue in a normal and effective way

Analysts warn that recent changes in the region may result in the bottom dropping out of the oil market.

at the bottom of one's/the class idiom

having the lowest rating/score in a class

She graduated at the bottom of her/the class.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 18.

National Winnie the Pooh Day

Today’s word is book, spelled b-o-o-k.

book  /bʊk/ noun

take/borrow a leaf out of someone's book idiom

: to do the same thing that someone did

I decided to take/borrow a leaf out of his book and invest some money in the stock market.

They are committing $3m to research. We could take a leaf out of their book.

a closed book noun

: a person or thing that is difficult to understand

Even to his closest friends, he was always something of a closed book.

I'm afraid physics will always be a closed book to me.

read (someone) like a book idiom

: to easily understand the true thoughts and feelings of (someone) by looking at how that person acts or behaves

My mom always knows when I'm lying. She can read me like a book.

I can read you like a book - some book I've read six times already.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 17.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Today’s word is break, spelled b-r-e-a-k.

break /breɪk/ verb

break the bank idiom

to be very expensive or too expensive : to cost a lot of money —usually used in negative statements

Buy a car that's dependable but won't break the bank.

It only costs $2. That's not going to break the bank.

break even idiom

to earn enough money to pay for expenses, without any profit

We’d have to sell 2000 copies of the book to break even.

break-even point noun

the point at which what one earns matches what one spends

After years of losing money the company has finally reached the break-even point and we hope to make a profit soon.

break the news idiom

to tell (someone) bad news

We tried to break the news to her gently.

The doctor broke the news to the family that my grandmother had cancer.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 16.

World Religion Day

Today’s word is card, spelled c-a-r-d.

card /kɑːrd/ noun

put one's cards on the table idiom

: to be honest with other people and to tell them one's thoughts, plans, etc., in a very open way

What I’d like us to do is put our cards on the table and discuss the situation in a rational manner.

Before we can talk further, you need to put all your cards on the table.

If they're willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate, that's good.

play one's cards right idiom

: to do things in an intelligent and well-planned way

If I play my cards right, I'll be able to graduate next year.

in the cards idiom

: inevitable, likely to happen

Success just wasn't in the cards for her.

Marriage isn't in the cards for me right now – I'm focused on my career.

You’re watching Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for January 15.

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day

Today’s word is money, spelled m-o-n-e-y.

money  /ˈmʌni/ noun

money to burn noun phrase

: a large amount of money to spend

Unless you’ve got money to burn, these expensive guitars are probably not for you.

People who buy expensive cars have money to burn, and they want you to know it.

Every time I see her, she's wearing something new. She must have money to burn.

on the money idiom

: exactly right or accurate

His prediction that it would rain was right on the money.

Shania guessed there were 126 jelly beans, and she was right on the money.

You were right on the money when you said that he would have to resign.

someone's money's worth idiom

: to get something worth the price that you paid

His new movie gives his fans their money's worth.

He insisted on staying until the end of the show so that he could get his money's worth.

We were determined to get our money's worth from our day tickets and went to every museum in the city.