Level 4 idioms – Unit 06

Conversation:

Greg: I just came into a lot of money. My rich uncle died and left me a tidy sum in stocks, bonds and property in his will. All in all, I think it’s in the neighborhood of half a million dollars.

Sarah: Hey! That’s good news. What are you going to do with all that money?

Greg: I don’t have the money yet. There’s a lot of red tape. They tell me it could take up to six months to probate his will, which does me no good in the short run. I’m under the gun to pay next semester’s tuition.

Sarah: You should keep this news on the q.t. If our friends got wind of this, they’d all be looking for a handout.

Greg: You’re probably right. Let’s keep this between us for now. You know, all my life I’ve been struggling with money. It’s about time I got a break. Finally, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Vocabulary:

stocks: shares in the profits of a company
bonds: loans to a company or government
will: a legal paper that states where your property will go after you die
probate: determine if a will is legal
handout: something given for free
struggling: having a hard time

Idioms:

• come into   receive (money)
• a tidy sum a large amount of money
• all in all    all together
• in the neighborhood of around, about
• red tape legal requirements and delays
• in the short run over a short period of time, in the near future
• under the gun needing to do something fast
• on the q.t. a secret [q.t. = quiet]
• get wind of hear about
• it’s about time it took too long to happen
• get a break   get some good luck
• light at the end of the tunnel an easier time in the future

Notes:

All in all can also be shortened to in all.

In the short run has an opposite: in the long run, which means over a long period of time.
In the short run can also be in the short term, and the opposite can also be in the long term or over the long term.

Get a break is the opposite of give (someone) a break, which means to give someone some luck by not doing anything bad to them.