Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (139 page)

Keeping busy
.
Go to (I've) been keeping busy. See also (Have you) been keeping busy?

Keeping cool
.
Go to (I've) been keeping cool. See also (Have you) been keeping cool?

Keeping out of trouble
.
Go to (I've) been keeping out of trouble.

Kind of
.
Go to Sort of.

kiss and make up
to make apologies and amends (to each other). (Probably not with actual kissing.)
That's enough screaming and shouting, you two. Now stop it and kiss and make up
.
I am really angry at Tom. There isn't any way on God's green earth that I'm going to kiss and make up.

Knock it off
!
Be quiet!; Stop that noise! (Slang.)
J
OHN
: Hey, you guys! Knock it off! B
OB
: Sorry. B
ILL
: Sorry. I guess we got a little carried away
.
S
UE
: All right. Knock it off! B
ILL
: Yeah. Let's get down to business.

Know something?
Go to (Do you) want to know something?

Know what?
Go to (Do you) know what?

Know what I mean?
Go to (Do you) know what I'm saying?

Know what I'm saying?
Go to (Do you) know what I'm saying?

know when
one
is not wanted
to sense when one's presence is not welcome; to know when one is not among friends. (Usually said when someone feels hurt by being ignored by people.)
I'm leaving this place! I know when I'm not wanted!
She doesn't know when she's not wanted. Can't she tell she's out of place?

know where all the bodies are buried
to know all the secrets and intrigue; to know all the important details.
He is a good choice for president because he knows where all the bodies are buried
.
Since he knows where all the bodies are buried, he is the only one who can advise us.

Ladies first
.
an expression indicating that women should go first, as in going through a doorway.
Bob stepped back and made a motion with his hand indicating that Mary should go first. “Ladies first,” smiled Bob
.
B
OB
: It's time to get in the food line. Who's going to go first? B
ILL
: Ladies first, Mary. M
ARY
: Why not gentlemen first? B
OB
: Looks like nobody's going first.

late in the day
almost too late in the sequence of things. (Also literal.)
Now that you've lost most of your money in bad investments, it's late in the day to think about looking for a stockbroker
.
At 85, it's a little late in the day to be thinking about marriage.