介绍:
1. Extend an olive branch
-I always hold out the olive branch to someone I have offended. Life is too short to bear grudges for very long.
-Jill was the first to hold out the olive branch after our argument.
-Tom offered an olive branch to Jerry after a big fight, but Jerry refused to accept it so they kept on fighting.
Definition:
Making an offer of peace or reconciliation
Etymology:
In ancient Greece, an olive branch is a symbol of peace or victory. During Pax Romana, a long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire, when envoys used the olive branch as tokens of peace.
2. By the skin of one's teeth
-Bradley started studying for the test the night before. He passed it by the skin of his teeth.
-Vincent left town five minutes before the hurricane hit. He escape the storm by the skin of his teeth.
-I got to the airport a few minutes late and missed the plane by the skin of my teeth.
Definition:
barely, narrowly
Usually used in regard to a narrow escape from disaster
Etymology:
The phrase first appeared in the Geneva Bible as a literal translation from Hebrew "I have escaped with the skin of my teeth." Later on, it is thought to refer to the gums or the narrow gaps between your teeth.
3. Paint the town red
-My cousin's wedding is tomorrow so tonight, we're going to paint the town red.
-Tom just graduated from high school and last night, he and his classmates painted the town red.
-During Christmas and New Year's Day, you would often see people out in the streets, painting the town red.
Meaning:
To celebrate boisterously, especially by making a round of stops at bars and nightclubs.
Etymology:
There are multiple theories regarding the history of this idiom. The most popular one is: around 1837, the infamous troublemaker Marquis de Waterford and his accomplices spend an evening vandalizing the English town Melton Mowbray. Some of the night's raucous festivities included literally painting various buildings red.
