1. All ears - awaiting an explanation, listening eagerly and carefully
- Tell me how you managed to pass the exam, I’m all ears.
- She was all ears to find out where her husband had been the night before.
2. Cold shoulder (give sb the cold shoulder, get the cold shoulder) - paying no attention to something, a deliberate act of disrespect, an attitude of rejection
- I hoped she would come to the cinema with me, but I just got the cold shoulder.
- The manager has given the cold shoulder to our proposal to buy a new company car.
3. Itchy feet - a strong impulse to travel, restlessness, desire to leave
- Seeing a boat always gives me itchy feet.
- No wonder she’s got itchy feet. She’s been working in the same office with the same people for more than twelve years.
4. Long arm of the law - the far-reaching power of the authorities; the police, the law
- Stop this dirty business, the long arm of the law will reach you some day.
- He tried to live on shoplifting, but long arm of the law caught him in a week.
5. Old hand - a person with a lot of experience in something
- Our boss is an old hand in the car business, you can’t cheat him with this broken engine.
- The new chef was an old hand at making Italian dishes.
6. Sweet tooth - a great liking for sweet-tasting food, a weakness for sweets; someone with a liking for sweets
- She has a sweet tooth, but as she’s rather fat, she must resist eating chocolate too often.
- I’m a sweet tooth, I couldn’t help eating all the remains of my birthday cake after the party.
7. Elbow room - enough space to move or work in; freedom to do what you like
- There’s so little elbow room in our office that you must stand up from your desk if somebody wants to go out.
- The agents were given as much elbow room as they needed to increase the sales.
8. Eye-catching - tending to attract attention, visually attractive, striking
- There were lots of eye-catching posters at the entrance of the cinema.
- Her dress was so eye-catching that we couldn’t do anything but stare at her for minutes.
