Popular Expressions Used in the U.S. |
U / V
under lock and key: secure; safely protected. She keeps her most important possessions under lock and key. |
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under one’s belt: resources and experience. He has many years of experience working as an architect under his belt. |  |
under one’s nose: something unnoticed in front of a person. Heidi was looking around for her stuffed animal, and it was right under her nose. |  |
under someone’s thumb: under another person’s control. He’s got her under his thumb. |  |
under the circumstances: during a time of distress; a time of difficulty. We tried to talk to her about her deceased husband’s estate and will, but under the circumstances, it wasn’t a good time. |  |
under the influence: drunk or high He was under the influence of a strong narcotic when the police found him lying in the street. |  |
under the weather: a little sick Hubert is feeling under the weather today, so he’s not going to go to work. |  |
up and about: able to walk and do things after a sickness. He’s finally able to get up and about after his heart operation. |  |
up for grabs: something is available to the first person who takes it. This last piece of pizza is up for grabs. Who wants it? |
Hmmmm! Pizza. |
up in the air: uncertain A lot of things are up in the air right now for Mohammed and Fosiya. They’re still trying to decide whether or not to get married. |  |
up to something: involved in some mischief. What’s he up to now? |  |
up to one’s ears: to have too much of something. We’re up to our ears in zucchini by the middle of summer. |  |
use it or lose it: if you have something, you should use it or else it won’t be available in the future. A: He has great skill as a baseball player. He should play professionally. B: Yeah, use it or lose it. |  |
use one’s head: to think clearly; to make good decisions. She wasn’t using her head when she got all those tattoos. |  |
(a) vicious circle: something happens repeatedly. She’s stuck in a vicious circle at work. |  |
vote with one’s feet: to go to a new place; to move. When the economy turned sour in Nevada, Alison and Chris voted with their feet and moved to Minnesota. |  |
