Idioms & Numbers

three R's
- the three basic skills from school - reading, (w)riting, (a)rithmetic
Many people believe that teaching the three R's is the most important role for schools.

all in one
- combined
I was able to use my car for traveling and sleeping all in one.

two wrongs don't make a right
- you can't justify a wrong action by saying that someone else did the same thing to you
Two wrongs don't make a right and if someone does something bad to you you should not try and hurt them as well.

seventh heaven
- in a situation of great happiness
She has been in seventh heaven since she moved to the new department.

put two and two together
- make a correct guess
We were able to put two and two together and discover who was sending the unwanted E-mail.

one's number is up
- something bad will happen to someone
I think that the manager's number is up and he will soon be fired from his job.

one of those days
- a bad day where nothing goes right
It was one of those days and right from early morning things went wrong.

one in a million
- a great or unique person
He is one of the finest coaches in the world and is definitely one in a million.

one of the boys
- an accepted member of a group
He always tries to act like one of the boys but in reality nobody really likes him.

on cloud nine
- very happy
My sister has been on cloud nine since she won the new car in the contest.

on all fours
- on one's hands and knees
The man was down on all fours in the store looking for the keys to his car.

nine times out of ten
- almost always
Nine times out of ten if you have a problem on the computer it is something small that can be easily fixed.

give three cheers for someone
- give praise or approval for someone who has done well
The crowd gave three cheers for the team after they won the final game.

forty winks
- a short sleep during the day
As soon as I arrived home I lay down and had forty winks.

at one with someone
- share the same view as someone
The other members of the committee are at one with me over my decision to fire the lazy worker.

there are no two ways about it
- there is no alternative
His boss told him that there are no two ways about it and he will have to change his habits or he will be fired.