Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (202 page)

That (really) burns me (up)
!
That makes me very angry!
B
OB
: Did you hear that interest rates are going back up? M
ARY
: That really burns me up!
S
UE
: Fred is telling everyone that you are the one who lost the party money. M
ARY
: That burns me! It was John who had the money in the first place.

That takes the cake! 1
.
That is good, and it wins the prize! (Referring to cake as a prize.)
“What a performance!” cheered John. “That takes the cake!
”
S
UE
: Wow! That takes the cake! What a dive! R
ACHEL
: She sure can dive!
2
.
That is the end!; That does it!
B
OB
: What a dumb thing to do, Fred! F
RED
: Yeah. That takes the cake!
B
OB
: Wow! That takes the cake! B
ILL
: What is it? Why are you slowing down? B
OB
: That stupid driver in front of me just hit the car on the left and then swung over and hit the car on the right.

That tears it
!
That's the absolute end! (
Tears
rhymes with
stairs
.)
R
ACHEL
: Okay, that tears it! I'm going to complain to the landlord. Those people make noise day and night! S
UE
: Yes, this is too much
.
T
OM
: The boss thinks maybe you should work on the night shift. M
ARY
: That tears it! I quit!

That'll be the day
!
It will be an unusually amazing day when that happens!
B
ILL
: I think I'll fix that lamp now. A
NDREW
: When you finally get around to fixing that lamp, that'll be the day!
S
UE
: I'm going to get this place organized once and for all! A
LICE
: That'll be the day!

That'll teach
someone
!
What happened to someone is a suitable punishment! (The
someone
is usually a pronoun.)
B
ILL
: Tom, who has cheated on his taxes for years, finally got caught. S
UE
: That'll teach him
.
B
ILL
: Gee, I got a ticket for speeding. F
RED
: That'll teach you!