keep a low profile: try not to be noticed by others; avoid drawing attention to oneself.
Darryl decided to keep a low profile when he first joined the company and spent a lot of time in his cubicle.
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keep an eye on (something or someone): watch to prevent theft of a thing or injury to a person.
You have to keep an eye on your kids while they're swimming.
I try to keep an eye on the news in order to make financial decisions.
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keep a straight face: try not to smile or laugh.
It's hard to keep a straight face when in the presence of clowns; however, many children find them to be kind of scary.
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keep (someone) company: to spend time with someone; to be with another person.
Rhonda knows that her mother is lonely after the death of her father, so she keeps her mother company on the weekends.
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keep your eye on the ball: try to achieve your goal; do what you have to do to.
If you don't keep your eye on the ball, you're not going to be successful.
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keep your mouth shut: to be quiet and not say anything.
Bobby has to learn how to keep his mouth shut because he says a lot of things that hurt other people's feelings.
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keep to oneself: to isolate oneself from other people; to avoid communicating with others; to have private feelings and thoughts.
Unlike other people in our class, Mary keeps to herself and doesn't talk to the other students.
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keep up with the Joneses: to have things that your neighbors have; not to fall behind in acquiring material wealth.
It's hard to keep up with the Joneses when you're out of a job.
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kick the bucket: die
Arnold was living a very good life until he kicked the bucket.
(caution: this is a very informal expression and some people might take offense in the use of it.)
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kill two birds with one stone: to achieve two goals with one action.
Growing vegetables provides fresh food and is an interesting hobby thereby killing two birds with one stone.
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knight in shining armor: a person who provides help to another person, usually a man who helps a woman. This is a reference to the days of medieval chivalry.
Although not everyone likes Brett because he's not a very nice person, he's Mary's knight in shining armor.
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knock it off: stop it; quit doing that. (This is a command similar to "Stop it" and "Quit it."
Emily and Taylor were fighting with each other until their father told them to knock it off.
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knock one's socks off: to make a good impression on someone; to like something or someone very much.
The Thai food at that restaurant will knock your socks off.
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knock the living daylights out of (someone): to hit someone very hard.
Dick "The Bruiser" Kelly knocked the living daylights out of his opponent in last night's fight. |
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know better: to understand the difference between right and wrong.
Jimmy likes to eat sand but that's only because he doesn't know better. |
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know one's place: to understand how you fit within an organization; to know who you are in a social setting.
Knowing your place within a company will make it easier to get along with coworkers. |
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know one's stuff: to know your subject well; to be professional and knowledgeable.
Professor Jenkins really knows his stuff when it comes to computers and the internet. |
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know the ropes: to know how to do a particular job. (similar to "learn the ropes.")
Until you know the ropes around here, you're going to have to spend extra in getting the right information from other people. |
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know where one stands: to understand one's relationship with other people or within an organization.
James thinks he knows where he stands with Crystal, but he's not completely sure how much she likes him. |
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