Idioms Wayne Magnuson: English Idioms
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Idiom Meaning Example
in a family way pregnant, a bun in the oven Carey's in a family way. She's due to have her baby soon.
in a fix in a bad situation, in a jam Without matches or food, the lost boys were in quite a fix.
in a flap worried or upset, in a hurry Kate is in a flap again. Her dog is sick.
in a flash very quickly, in no time If you're in trouble, Superman will be there in a flash.
in a flutter (See in a tizzy)
in a funk in a bad mood, frustrated, in a snit Rick is in a funk today because Muriel hasn't called him.
in a jam in a difficult position, in trouble I was in a jam. I had no money to pay the rent.
in a jiffy in a minute, very soon, in a sec When Dad says he'll be there in a jiffy, he means 20 minutes.
in a long time for months or years, for a dog's age I haven't seen you in a long time. Where have you been hiding?
in a pickle in a difficult situation, in a jam When the motor on our boat quit, I knew we were in a pickle.

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Copyright ©1995-2009 Wayne Magnuson
The contents of this page are free for personal and non-commercial use, provided this copyright notice is kept intact. All further rights, including the rights of publication in any form, have to be obtained by written permission from the publisher:

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A printed version of these idioms is available as ISBN 978 1 895012 09 5 (4th printing).

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