| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| a rough time |
a lot of teasing, a lot of bugging |
Did your friends give you a rough time about your funny haircut? |
| a rough time of it |
a time of stress or bad luck, a tough time of it |
After the divorce he had a rough time of it. |
| a royal pain |
a feeling of irritation, a pain in the ass |
When he brags about his wealthy family, he gives me a royal pain. |
| a run for your money |
strong competition, an opponent |
I should enter the election and give him a run for his money. |
| a sack of hammers |
a dead weight, a heavy object |
Don't throw me in the lake! I'll sink like a sack of hammers! |
| a sad sack |
well-meaning, but unable to accomplish |
"If you assign this task to Andy, it won't be done. He's a sad sack." |
| a scandal is brewing |
an evil story is being told, there are rumors of a scandal |
A scandal is brewing in the Pacific Ocean. A whale and a shark are living together without a marriage license! |
| a score to settle |
an argument to finish, a bone to pick |
I have a score to settle with him. He owes me a month's rent. |
| a screw loose |
a little bit crazy, one brick short... |
Sometimes I think he has a screw loose - like when he eats paper. |
| a send-up |
a mockery or satire, a takeoff on |
The speaker did a send-up of the way Canadians talk. |
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