PE 1/5 If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit

Now wait just a minute. Who’s to say that this is the second pair? I bought two pairs of shoes for $120, so I should get $60 for returning one of them. That should be obvious, even to someone wearing a “trainee” badge.

* wait just a minute: used when one person disagrees with something that’s happening

ex> Wait just a minute. Didn't you say this was going to be a quick errand?

Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? My boss warned me about shysters like you.

* pull the wool over someone’s eyes: to trick someone

ex> It sounded like too good a deal, so Daphne suspected the realtor was trying to pull the wool over her eyes.

I’ll tell you what: you call your boss, I’ll call the police, and if the other unfortunate fellow with the mismatched shoes shows up first, we can all kiss this little problem goodbye, hmm?

* I’ll tell you what: used to introduce an alternative proposal

ex> I’ll tell you what: let’s just throw this omelet away and pretend it didn’t happen.

* kiss something goodbye: to discard or disregard something

ex> Just three more years and we can kiss our mortgage goodbye!

Whoa. Don’t get your shirt in a knot. Here’s your $60. Go get a coffee or something. Sheesh.

* get one’s shirt in a knot: to get upset, especially at something minor

ex> Helen gets her shirt in a knot whenever I use knives to prop the window open.

Note> A British variant of this expression is: “Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”