The following section contains expressions that are appropriate for use in the type of writing excerpted on the GRE, and that often appear in writing about culture, literature, business, science, and history.
It also contains words used metaphorically; for instance, an albatross is large web-footed bird, but it is also a burden or obstacle, as in the expression an albatross around one's neck (from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” in which a sailor had to wear an albatross around his neck as punishment for his sins).
This section will be extremely helpful for many non-native speakers of English. Others may simply want to look over it and see if there are any “surprises.”
Idioms are not the same as vocabulary words and are not likely to appear in GRE answer choices; rather, they are likely to appear in complex Text Completion sentences and especially in Reading Comprehension passages. This content is important for both areas of the GRE.
To increase retention of this material, try to use these expressions in your own sentences.
The idioms are followed by a 20-question drill allowing you to test your understanding of these expressions when used in complex sentences.
List of Idioms & Metaphorical Language
“…” – Quote marks can indicate 1) that the word or phrase is not to be taken literally; 2) the introduction of a new, made-up word or phrase. So, some context is needed to understand the meaning. For example:
The factory employs several people who add defects and rough edges to its popular line of “antique” furniture. (The furniture is not really antique).
The company has sent its top people to ethics training and courses on Aristotle in an attempt to build a “philosophically correct” business. (The quotes tell you that the concept of philosophical correctness is something new—likely invented by the company itself—rather than a well-established concept or institution.)
Account for – 1) Take into consideration or make adjustments based on; 2) cause. This is not the same as give an account of, which just means explain.
I accounted for the fact that Joe is always late by telling him to meet us at 1:30 when the event is really at 2. (Here, accounted for means made adjustments to compensate for.)
I did get us the meeting, but Ellen's hard work accounted for the rest of our success. (Here, accounted for means caused.)
“A given” – The use of a given as a noun is different from the use of given alone. For instance, a person's given name is the one given by his or her parents (a “first name” in the United States), and we might also say, “The truth differs from the given explanation.” Here, given explanation just means the explanation that someone gave. Simple. However, a given means something taken for granted, something assumed or that does not require proof. For instance:
When planning my wedding, it was a given that my parents would invite anyone they wanted, since they were paying for everything.
It's a given that everyone here is against human trafficking—what we disagree about is the best way to fight it.
Albatross – A constant burden or worry; an obstacle. Literally, an albatross is a bird. The expression an albatross around one's neck creates the silly image of a person wearing a (dead?) bird—but that certainly sounds like a constant burden or worry!
The city has done an admirable job of rebuilding its infrastructure and marketing itself, but the crime rate continues to be an albatross around the city's neck in trying to attract tourists.
All but – Almost definitely. The bill's passage is all but assured means that the bill will almost certainly pass.
Your objections have arrived too late; the matter is all but decided.
And yet – A stronger way of saying yet. The expression and yet seems ungrammatical (two conjunctions right next to each other is very strange—we don't say and but), but it is an idiom used for emphasis. It indicates a surprising twist, an ironic realization, etc. It is often used at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis, and can even be used on its own, although this usage is casual.
The company was lauded for its commitment to the environment. And yet its employees regularly fly in private jets, creating carbon footprints that would embarrass any true environmentalist.
Arms race – Competition between two countries to build up the best and largest supply of weapons. This term is often associated with the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Metaphorically, an arms race is a competition that implies a competitive and perhaps not entirely rational series of escalations.
Analysts carefully watched stock prices as the two Internet giants competed in an arms race, expanding rapidly by buying up smaller companies with little due diligence.
Aside from – In addition to.
Aside from the obvious financial benefits of investing in a socially responsible fund, you can rest assured that your money is used to maximize social good.
(Adjective) as it is,… – This pattern is used to contrast the part after the comma with the part before. For instance, Charming as she is, I just don't want to be friends with her anymore.
As pleased as we are to see more minorities on the board than ever before, discrimination in hiring and promotion is still a serious problem.
As well as – Sometimes, as well as just means and, as in I had ramen for lunch, as well as a hot dog. But as well as can also be used to mention one thing as a way to contrast with or emphasize another.
At best – At the most, interpreted in the most favorable way. The seminar drew 20 people at best means that 20 or fewer people attended.
My college algebra teacher can barely factor a polynomial! He is qualified to teach elementary school math, at best.
At fault – Guilty.
The insurance company is investigating who is at fault for the collision.
At loggerheads – In conflict, at a standstill.
The strike is not likely to end soon—the transit authority and the union representatives have been at loggerheads for weeks.
At odds – In conflict.
The teachers union and the state government are always at odds.
At once – 1) Immediately; 2) at the same time.
If the hurricane comes near the coast, the governor will order us to evacuate at once.
The question is whether we can pursue all three plans at once, or if we only have the resources to try them one at a time.
Beside the point – Irrelevant, off-topic.
The better part – The largest or longest part. The better part does not have to be good! The word better is a bit confusing here.
For the better part of human history, slavery has been a reality. (The speaker is not saying that slavery is good. The speaker is saying that, for most of human history, slavery has existed.)
When the oil magnate died, he left the better part of his fortune to his third wife, and only a small sliver to his children.
Bite the hand the feeds you – This expression means exactly what it sounds like (think of a mean and not-very-smart dog). Although informal sounding, this expression has appeared in business writing.
The music industry bites the hand that feeds it when it penalizes consumers who share (and therefore publicize) their favorite songs with friends.
Brook – Tolerate, allow. Often used with the word no. You could say The dictator will not brook dissent, but a more common usage would be The dictator will brook no dissent.
(Verb) by so (verb)ing – The second verb is equivalent to or causes the first verb. He defaults by so refusing means when he refuses, he is defaulting (that is, neglecting to fulfill the duties of a contract). By so agreeing also occurs on its own, meaning by agreeing to do the thing that was just mentioned.
He agreed to run as the Green Party candidate though he already holds a Democratic Party chairmanship, which he effectively abandoned by so agreeing.
The case at issue – The matter at hand, the thing we are discussing.
Usually, raising prices results in a drop in demand, but in the case at issue, the price jump convinced consumers that the product was a luxury good, thus spurring demand from those who wished to be perceived as wealthy.
Caught red-handed – Caught in the act of doing something wrong, so that the person cannot deny guilt. The expression refers to having blood on one's hands.
The company could no longer claim that the fish in the river were all dying from natural causes once it was caught red-handed dumping waste at the river's mouth.
Colored by – Influenced or prejudiced by.
Her skeptical opinions regarding unbridled capitalism were colored by her upbringing in a factory town devastated by outsourcing.
Couldn't have come at a better time – The same as could hardly have come at a better time, this expression means that something happened at the best possible time, such as at a very convenient moment or just in time to prevent disaster.
Curry favor – To try to gain favor (such as preferential treatment from a boss) through flattery or servile behavior. The expression is derived from French and is not related to curry, the food.
Cut bait – Give up, abandon an activity. Often part of the expression fish or cut bait, to cut bait is to stop fishing.
As much as he wanted to be an entrepreneur, after a year of struggling, he cut bait and asked his former boss for his old job back.
Due diligence – Research or analysis done before taking action (such as investing); care that a reasonable person would take to prevent harm to others.
The company was expanding so rapidly that it didn't have time to do its due diligence; a number of unexceptional employees were hired as a result.
En masse – All together, in a group. This expression is from French and is related to the word mass. Like many foreign expressions, en masse is often written in italics.
The protesters marched en masse to the palace.
Entree – Admittance, permission to enter. Most people in the United States think of an entree as the main dish of a meal, but it originally was an appetizer—a dish that leads into the main course (the word is related to “enter”). A person who wants to rise in society might seek an entree into a certain social group.
For disadvantaged young people, good public schools can provide an entree into the middle class.
Fishy – Suspicious, unlikely, questionable, as in a fishy story. This expression probably arose because fish smell very bad when they start to spoil.
For all X, Y – This sentence pattern means, “Despite X, actually Y”; that is, X and Y will be opposites, or one will be good and one will be bad. The word “actually” (or a similar word) often appears in this pattern, but doesn't have to.
For all of its well-publicized “green” innovations, the company is one of the worst polluters in the state.
Former and latter – When two things are mentioned, the first one is the former and the second one is the latter.
Your grades are slipping, and you've been very secretive about your behavior—it's the latter of these things that worries your father and me the most.
I intend to choose a business school based on reputation and cost, the former more so than the latter.
For show – For appearances only.
The politician's speechifying in regards to eradicating poverty is all for show; when he actually had the chance to improve the lot of the poor, he voted against expanding the social safety net.
For years to come – Until much later. The consequences won't affect us for years to come means that they will affect us, but not for the next several years.
My parents are only in their sixties and are healthy and active, so I am hopeful that my children will get to enjoy their grandparents for years to come.
Full throttle – With much speed and energy. On a related note, sometimes juice is used to mean energy.
The plan is to go ahead full throttle as soon as the money for implementation comes through.
Garden-variety – Ordinary, common.
Gloss over, paper over, whitewash – These are all expressions for covering up a problem, insult, etc. rather than addressing it or fixing it. Think of a dirty floor that you just put a pretty rug on top of instead of cleaning. Because gloss is slippery (think of lip gloss), gloss over often has the sense of trying to smoothly and quickly move on to something else.
The government had been accused of trying to whitewash the scandal, glossing over any discussion of the issue in press conference after press conference. The press secretary claimed it was a question of national security, but everyone knew that the president was simply trying to protect his reputation.
Go down the tubes – Become much worse, fail. One theory is that this expression is about the plumbing attached to toilets.
Go sour – Think of milk going bad—that's the idea behind the expression go sour. A relationship goes sour before the couple breaks up. An economy gone sour can't be good. This is not the same as the expression sour grapes, which refers to pretending something you can't have wasn't any good anyway, as in, Her hatred of the rich is just sour grapes—if she could afford luxury, she'd take all she could get.
Hand-wringing – An excessive expression of concern, guilt, or distress.
There has been much hand-wringing (or wringing of hands) over falling test scores, but the rising costs of a college degree are far more worrying in terms of America's continuing relevance in the global economy.
Hold the line vs. toe the line – Hold the line means keep something the same. It is a reference to (American) football, in which you don't want the opponent to get the ball past the line of scrimmage in the middle of the field. To toe the line is to conform to a policy or way of thinking, or follow the rules. One theory about the origin of the expression is that, on ships, barefoot sailors were made to line up for inspection—that is, to put their toes on an actual line on the deck of the ship.
My boss doesn't want to hear original ideas at all—he just wants me to toe the line.
If colleges cannot hold the line on rising tuition costs, students will have to take on even more crippling loan burdens.
However much, as much as – Even though, no matter how much.
However much people may agree that saving money is a virtue, the majority of Americans don't have sufficient funds for any kind of emergency.
As much as I'd like to attend your wedding, I just can't afford a trip to Taiwan.
In contrast to – This phrase is important in inference questions on Reading Comp. If a writer says In contrast to X, Y is A, you can draw the conclusion that X is not A. For instance:
In contrast to our competitor's product, our product is made with organic materials. (This means that our competitor's product is not made with organic materials, which very well could be the answer to a question about what we can infer from the passage.)
Just cause – Just as an adjective means justified, legal, fair. Just cause means a legally sufficient reason. In some legal codes, an employer must show just cause for firing an employee.
Legions or is legion – Legions are large military units, generally consisting of a few thousand soldiers. Saying that a group is legion is saying that it is large.
Surely, the developers could have foreseen that legions of Mac users would protest when news emerged that the new version of the software would not be Mac-compatible.
The former governor has been called a demagogue by many commentators who nevertheless must grudgingly admit that her supporters are legion, populating rallies in every state.
“No X or Y” vs. “no X and Y” – When you are talking about having two things, saying “salt and pepper” is very different from saying “salt or pepper.” However, when you are talking about a lack of two things, and and or can often be used to express the same idea. The following two sentences have the same meaning:
Pioneer towns were characterized by little access to the outside world and few public institutions.
Pioneer towns had almost no access to the outside world or public institutions.
Not (adjective) – Of course, putting not before an adjective indicates the opposite. However, sometimes it indicates a softer or more polite way to say something. If someone asks if you like the meal he cooked or the outfit he is wearing, and you know him well enough to be honest, you might say, It's not my favorite. Sometimes we say something like not irrelevant instead of simply relevant in order to indicate that we are correcting someone else's misconception:
Concern about foreign debt is not misplaced. (Here, we mean that we should be concerned! We also may be implying that others incorrectly think we should not be concerned.)
Not only X, but also Y (also appears as Not only X, but Y) – This is a two-part expression, introducing the first part before adding on the second, more extreme or surprising part. For instance:
The executive was not only fired, but also indicted for fraud.
He not only bought his girlfriend an iPhone for her birthday, but also took her entire family on a vacation to the Catskills.
Not X, let alone Y – The meaning is Not X and definitely not this even more extreme thing, Y. For instance:
Our remaining funds are not enough to get us through the week, let alone pay next month's payroll. (Here, getting through the week is less expensive than next month's payroll, so if we can't afford the cheaper thing, we definitely can't afford the more expensive thing.)
No worse than – Equal to or better than.
Although exotic, this illness is really no worse than the common flu.
On its face – At first appearance, superficially. If someone says on its face, you can expect that later on, the person will give the “real story.” In a Reading Comprehension passage, seeing on its face is a good clue that the author's main idea will probably be the opposite of what seems true at first glance.
On its face, the donation seems like a selfless act of philanthropy. However, the wealthy donor mainly made the donation for the tax benefits.
Only looks (adjective) – Appears (some certain way) but isn't really.
She only looks homeless—she is actually a famous and wealthy artist who lives eccentrically.
On par with – Sometimes on a par with, this expression comes from golf and means about equal to or equivalent to.
Opening salvo – A salvo is a simultaneous discharge of gunfire or release of bombs. Metaphorically, an opening salvo is something that starts a fight.
The introduction of Bill H.R. 2, given the inflammatory name “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act,” was seen by some as an opening salvo by the Republicans.
Outside of the home – Working outside of the home means having a regular job, such as in an office. However, working out of your home is actually working at home. If that's hard to understand, think of the expression living out of your car, which actually means living in your car—the idea is that you leave the car to go “out” but return back to the car as your base, just as someone who works out of her home leaves the home to go to meetings, for example, but uses the home as a central point.
The study compared incomes of women who had worked outside of the home to incomes of women who worked out of their homes as freelancers or owners of small businesses.
Per se – In itself, by itself, intrinsically. From Latin, often written in italics. Per se is often used to indicate that while X isn't naturally or the same as Y, it still has the same effect as Y.
The policy isn't sexist, per se, but it has had a disproportionate impact on women that deserves further study.
Press for – Argue in favor of. Think of pushing people towards what you want them to do.
The advocates pressed for greater regulation of child-care providers.
Rabid – Rabies is a disease that some animals (dogs, raccoons, etc.) contract and that causes the animal to become insane and violent. Thus, we use rabid (having rabies) metaphorically to mean zealous or excessively or angrily passionate. One symptom of rabies is foaming at the mouth, which is also an expression for being extremely (and violently or irrationally) angry.
One debater called himself a “peace activist” and his opponent a “rabid right-wing gun nut.” His opponent called himself a “champion of the American way” and his opponent a “rabid anti-American zealot.”
Ranks of – The people in a group other than the leaders. Many people know the word rank as “a level or grade,” as in A general has a higher rank than a sergeant. The other use of ranks is also originally related to the military: the ranks or sometimes the rank and file means all the regular soldiers (not the officers).
Among the ranks of our alumni are two senators and many famous authors.
Reap and sow – These are metaphors related to farming, and specifically the idea that the seeds that you plant (or sow) determine what you will later harvest (or reap). Sow is pronounced the same as so, and the past tense is sown, as in Having sown the love of knowledge in the minds of children, the teacher's influence extended well past her own lifetime. A common expression is You reap what you sow.
He worked night and day in the strange new country, never stopping to rest, for he knew he would reap his reward when his family greeted him as a hero for all the money he had sent back home.
Red flag – Warning sign or something alarming.
Bernie Madoff's sustained, ultrahigh returns should have been a red flag for the banks with which he did business.
Red herring – Something irrelevant that distracts from the real issue. A herring is a fish. One theory for the origin of the expression is that criminals trying to escape the police would sometimes rub a smelly fish across their trail as they ran away in order to mislead the dogs used to track them down.
When the company was robbed, police immediately suspected Johnson, who purchased a brand-new Maserati just after the crime was committed. This turned out to be a red herring, however, as it was Johnson's wife, who'd just come into a large inheritance, who bought the car.
Reign vs. reins – Reign means “rule (noun),” as in Conditions have improved under the king's reign. Reins are leather straps used by a rider to control a horse. Both words are often used metaphorically.
People were worried when the inexperienced new CEO took the reins of the multinational corporation, but under her reign, profits soared.
(Adjective)-ridden – Dominated, burdened, or afflicted by (adjective). In a disease-ridden slum, it's pretty obvious that the meaning is bad, but actually, adding -ridden to anything makes the meaning bad. If someone said an equality-ridden society, that person is actually against equality! Ridden can also be used alone, as in The neighborhood was ridden with crime.
Scarcely or Scarce – Sometimes scarce is used where it sounds like the adverb scarcely is needed. This is an idiomatic usage:
She lived a lavish lifestyle she could scarce afford. (She could not afford the lifestyle.)
Save – But or except. As a verb, of course, save means keep safe, store up, set aside. But as a preposition or conjunction, save can be used as follows:
All of the divisions of the company are profitable save the movie-rental division.
(This means that the movie-rental division was not profitable.)
He would have been elected president, save for the scandal that derailed his campaign at the last minute.
(Here, save means “if not.”)
School of thought – A group of people with similar beliefs or perspective on things, or the beliefs themselves. If a GRE writer says One school of thought argues X, it is probably the case that the author is about to say the opposite (calling something a school of thought can emphasize that it's not the only way to think about the issue).
One school of thought says that companies don't need to “give back” directly to communities, because their economic activity causes money to “trickle down” to everyone through taxes; a competing school of thought says that companies benefit from a nation's infrastructure and education system, which confers an ethical obligation to be philanthropic.
Sight vs. site vs. cite – To sight is to see, or discover by looking. A site is a location. To cite is to reference or give credit to.
The sailors had nearly given up hope when they finally sighted land. When they reached the shore, they planted a flag on the site of their landing.
A good research report cites relevant studies.
So much as – This phrase is used an adverbial intensifier. In My teacher is so awful, she won't so much as answer a question, the meaning is that, whatever the teacher will do, it is not “as much as” answering a question—it is something less than that. It can also be used as a synonym for but rather.
After her husband decided to take up day trading and lost $100,000 in one day, she wouldn't so much as look at him.
She's not an iconoclast so much as an attention-hound; she'd do anything for the spotlight.
Sound the depths – Explore, investigate, or look into something really deeply. This expression is a metaphor based on the idea of a “sounding line,” which is a rope with a weight on the bottom that you drop to the ocean floor to see how deep the ocean is.
Other books have dealt with the topic in a superficial way, but this is the first book to really sound the depths of the response of the British lower class to the American Revolution.
Steeped in – Immersed in, saturated with. A teabag steeps in hot water. A person steeped in classic literature really knows a lot about old, famous books.
The Met's new youth-targeted campaign seeks to answer the question of whether music lovers steeped in hip-hop and pop can learn to love opera.
Stem from – Be caused by. This is related to the idea of a plant's stem.
The psychologist believed that his neurosis stemmed from events in his childhood.
Hold sway over – Have great power or influence over a person, group of people, or place.
Repressive governments are suspicious of those who hold sway over the people, and often imprison or execute such people.
Table – In American English, to table something means to postpone discussion of it until later. (In British English, to table a bill is the opposite—to submit it for consideration.)
Take umbrage – Become offended.
With 15 years of experience on all kinds of campaigns, she took umbrage of her sexist coworker's suggestion that she was only qualified to develop advertising for “women's products.”
The very idea (or the very notion, etc.) – This expression is used to express a strong contrast.
The author conjures up a drifting yet haunting word picture that challenges one's very notion of what constitutes a story. (This means that the author's strange “word picture” story goes against the most basic things that we think must be true about stories.)
Trappings – Accessories, the characteristic items, products, etc. that come with or are associated with something. Think of the side dishes or condiments that come with a meal. The trappings of fame include invites to fancy parties and free items from companies.
Vanguard and avant-garde – The avant-garde (French for in front of the guard) were the leading soldiers at the front of an army. Vanguard is derived from avant-garde and means the same thing.
Metaphorically, the avant-garde (noun or adjective) or vanguard (noun) are innovators, those at the forefront of any movement or those “ahead of their time.” Sometimes, the avant-garde seems a little crazy or scary at first.
While Google has won the search engine wars, in 1994 Yahoo was on the vanguard of search technology.
She arrived at the mixer in a dress that was a little avant-garde for the otherwise conservative Yale Club—she would have looked more appropriate at an art gallery or Lady Gaga concert.
Wanting – Wanting means lacking, insufficient, or not good enough (as in, I read the book and found it wanting). This makes sense when you think about a person who is left wanting—that is, the person is left wanting something good. Conversely, a person who wants for nothing is someone who already has everything.
With a grain of salt – To take something (a statement, claim, etc.) with a grain of salt is to maintain a small amount of skepticism. The origin of this expression is related to an old belief that a small amount of salt could help protect against poison.
Take the consultant's advice with a grain of salt—the software he's recommending is produced by a company that is also a client of his.
With respect to, in some respects – These expressions are not really about giving respect. With respect to (or in respect to) just means about. The expression in some respects just means in some ways.
With respect to your request for a raise, I'm afraid no one is getting one this year.
Wreak havoc – Cause destruction. The past tense of wreak is wrought.
Unsurprisingly, a combination of heroin abuse and living on the streets can really wreak havoc on a person's health.
Drill: Decoding Idioms
Each sentence below is written in American English that is idiomatic, but still appropriate for academic writing. Pick the multiple-choice answer that best expresses the meaning of the original sentence.
Complete this quiz “open book”—feel free to go back and look up anything you want in this book, and to use any online dictionary (such as dictionary.com). You will gain much more from the process of looking things up and decoding the statements than you would by merely testing yourself in the usual manner.
1. In contrast to the Swedish social welfare system, Ireland's does not provide paid paternity leave.
2. He can hardly be called a liberal, for his voting record belies the beliefs he professes to hold.
3. However much the committee may be deadlocked now, the progress made to this point has been nontrivial.
4. Although the book has addressed the issue of educational equity head on, it has sidestepped the thorny question of school vouchers.
5. Her appointment to the office is all but assured.
6. You discount the consultant's prescription at your peril.
7. Davis seemingly spearheaded the project and has taken credit for its success. Nonetheless, those in the know are aware of his patent appropriation of the ideas of others.
8. The experiment only looks like a success.
9. On its face, the dispute is over how the groundbreaking study should be attributed when published. But in actuality, the scientists are arguing because their leader will brook no opposition to his own perspective on their findings.
10. We will not likely reconcile the apparent discrepancy for years to come.
11. The dictator had tyranized his people for too long. As dissident thinkers began to sway public opinion, the country's increasingly marginalized leader reaped the bitter fruits of his cruel reign.
12. A variable-rate mortgage is no worse in this respect than a fixed-rate one.
13. As to whether Dr. Stuttgart is a token academic on a board of otherwise mercenary executives, you need look only at the board's response to the latest crisis, when Dr. Stuttgart was at once turned to for counsel and granted discretionary power over the board's funds.
14. The author is seemingly a garden-variety Marxist.
15. The windfall could hardly have come at a better time: by agreeing to a company restructuring he didn't really understand, he had just inadvertently reduced his holdings in the family business.
16. Which of the following, if true, best reconciles the apparent discrepancy?
17. The evidence has been taken as supporting Fujimura's conclusion.
18. Hardly an atypical example, this shifty, hedging, practically unreadable document is paradigmatic of corporate memos.
19. Which of the following best underscores the argument that a failure to enforce the regulation is on par with publicly condoning illegal dumping?
20. The central idea is juxtaposed with the results of a study that seemingly corroborates a long-derided school of thought.
Solutions: Decoding Idioms
1. (A)
2. (A)
3. (C)
4. (B)
5. (B)
6. (A)
7. (A)
8. (C)
9. (B)
10. (A)
11. (B)
12. (A)
13. (C)
14. (C)
15. (B)
16. (B)
17. (A)
18. (C)
19. (B)
20. (A)