To drink like a fish means to drink large amounts of alcohol; to drink too much alcohol, especially habitually.
“Oh, my head is killing me,” said Vicky. “I drank like a fish at my sister’s party last night.”
To drink the Kool-Aid means to accept a certain belief or philosophy completely, without question, especially one that is considered bizarre, hateful, untrue, etc.; to become a zealot or a passionate follower of a movement or ideal; to engage in a cult-like mentality or groupthink.
“You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn’t you? Such a company man!”
To drop a hint means to give a small, subtle hint about something; to allude to something without directly saying it.
“I’ve been dropping hints about what I want for my birthday, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”
Drop dead is used as an expression of intense anger, dislike, hatred, or rejection; go away; stop bothering me; I don’t want to see you anymore. As an adjective, it is used as an intensifier meaning “awe-inspiring” or “amazingly.”
“I can’t believe you went out with my ex-boyfriend. Drop dead!”
“John’s sister is drop-dead gorgeous but he’s forbidden me to ask her out. Apparently, I’m not good enough for her.”
A drop in the bucket is a very small and unimportant amount; an amount that is too small and much less than needed.
“The fundraiser did bring in some money but it’s a drop in the bucket.”
To drown your sorrows means to try to forget your troubles or get over a disappointment by drinking an excessive amount of alcohol; to dull one’s worries or forget one’s sorrows by becoming intoxicated (drunk).
“Bob’s girlfriend just broke up with him. He’s at the bar drowning his sorrows.”
Each And Every One (Every Last One, Every Single One)
Each and every one is a more emphatic way of saying every or all. It is used to emphasize every member of a group, item on a list, etc. and to reinforce that there are no exceptions. The idiom can also refer to parts of a whole such as “every last morsel of food.”
“Each and every one of us of us will undergo drug testing, even senior management.”
An eager beaver is a person who is very enthusiastic and zealous about work or responsibility; one who is eager to impress and take on extra responsibility.
“Aren’t you an eager beaver?” said Mr. Tomlinson to his new assistant.
When something is easy as ABC it is very easy; not difficult at all.
“I don’t understand how to work this phone,” said Eddy’s grandmother. “It’s easy as ABC,” replied Eddy.
When something is easy as falling off a log, it is very easy to do.
“Compared to this, my old job was as easy as falling off a log.”
When something is easy as pie, it is very easy to do, presenting no difficulty. See also the similar idiom, Piece of Cake.
“That math test today was easy as pie.”
Easy does it means to go carefully and slowly; to slow down and pay attention to what you are doing so as not to make a mistake; to not hurry through a task.
“Easy does it, don’t slip.”
I could eat a horse means “I am extremely hungry.”
“When is dinner going to be ready? I could eat a horse!”
To eat and run means to eat a meal or a snack quickly and then immediately leave.
“I hate to eat and run but I have to be at the airport by eight o’clock.”
To eat crow is to be humiliated and shamed after being shown to be wrong or to be forced to admit one’s error and be publicly shamed as a result.
“The reporter was forced to eat crow after he ran a story about the senator’s alleged affair, only to find out later that his source had mixed up the senator with another person with the same name.”
To eat humble pie is to be forced to admit one’s error or wrongdoing and to be humiliated, abased or “humbled.” See also eat crow.
“Charles went around accusing everyone at work of stealing his expensive pen. Then he found it in his shirt pocket. Boy did he have to eat humble pie.”
To eat like a bird means to eat very little or to eat very small portions only big enough for a bird; to have a very small appetite.
“No wonder Jane is so thin. She eats like a bird.”
To eat like a horse means to eat a large amount of food or to have a very large appetite.
“If Ben is coming to visit you better buy extra food. He eats like a horse.”
To eat your heart out is to feel jealous or envious of someone else’s achievements or good fortune. Occasionally, it means to feel other strong emotions, especially grief, bitterness, or worry over something.
“Eat your heart out! I just won five-hundred bucks off a scratch-off card.”
Elbow grease means vigorous and strenuous physical effort, especially with one’s arms and hands when cleaning something.
“You don’t have to use so much cleanser in the tub. Just use some elbow grease.”
Elbow room means enough space to move around in without unreasonable obstruction; freedom to do what one wants to do.
“Everybody needs to get out of the kitchen while I make dinner,” said Mom. “I need some elbow room.”
The elephant in the room is a topic that is sensitive, awkward, or embarrassing and that no one wants to talk about but which is difficult to ignore; a topic that everyone is aware of but everyone avoids discussing.
“We keep talking about manmade climate change and how to reduce emissions but the elephant in the room is overpopulation. How do solve that?
When something occurs ‘at the eleventh hour’ it is occurring at the last possible moment, when there is almost no time left and it is almost too late.
“Most of the students start their science fair projects at the eleventh hour, and it shows in the results.”
An embarrassment of riches is an overwhelming abundance of something; having more of a good thing than one needs, especially if this makes it difficult to choose.
“When it comes to hotels, the town suffers from an embarrassment of riches.”
To do an end run is to maneuver around an obstacle or authority in order to accomplish a certain goal. This idiom means much the same as to go over someone’s head.
“If you do an end run around me again, said Patrick’s boss, I’ll have you in the mail room.”