Education And School Idioms
A for effort
- the recognition that someone has tried hard to do something even though he or she may not
be successful
The students received an A for effort for their work on the class project.
above average
- better or higher than average
The boy's marks were above average in all subjects except history.
as easy as ABC
- very easy
Learning how to use a computer is as easy as ABC for the children.
back to basics
- an approach in education that uses traditional ideas or methods that have been successful in
the past
The teacher believes that back to basics is important in her classroom and the parents are
happy with the results.
below average
- worse or lower than average
Most members of the class were below average in the math test.
bookworm
- someone who reads a lot
My sister is a bookworm and is always reading a book.
brainstorm (something)
- to try to develop an idea or think of new ideas
The students got into groups to brainstorm ideas for the school play.
call the roll
- to call the names of students on a roll and expect them to answer if they are there
Every morning when the class starts the teacher calls the roll.
cap and gown
- the special cap called a mortarboard and the robe that is worn during academic ceremonies
such as graduation
All of the students wore a cap and gown to the graduation ceremony.
catch up to (someone or something)
- to move fast or work hard to reach someone or something that is ahead of you
After my illness, I had to study very hard to catch up to the rest of the class.
copycat
- someone who copies the work of another
The children called the girl a copycat when they saw her copying the test of another student.
count noses
- to count the number of people
The teacher stopped to count noses several times during the field trip.
cover a lot of ground
- to complete a lot of material in a class or course
We covered a lot of ground during the first month of the science class.
cow college
- a school where farming or agriculture is studied
My cousin will go to a cow college when he finishes high school.
crack a book
- to open a book to study (usually used in the negative)
I did very well in the course even though I did not crack a book until the last week of classes.
crank out a paper
- to write a paper or essay in a mechanical way
I had to crank out a paper almost every week to pass the course.
cut class
- to not go to class
I decided to cut class in order to study for my geography test.
draw a blank
- to get no response from someone when you ask him or her a question
The teacher drew a blank when she asked about the boy's plans for the weekend.
drop out of school
- to stop attending school
My friend dropped out of school and began to drive a truck.
eager beaver
- someone who works very hard and is very enthusiastic
The young girl is an eager beaver and always comes to class before the other students.
fill in the blanks
- to supply the missing words or information on a test or other exercise
We had to fill in the blanks for the questions on the test.
flunk out
- to fail a course, to fail and then leave school
The boy was very smart but he flunked out of his language class.
from the old school
- ideas that were popular in the past but which are no longer popular or common
My grandmother is from the old school and always made her children make their own
lunches and walk to school.
get credit for (a course)
- to receive official recognition and credits after passing a course
I was able to get credit for the course which I took in the summer.
get through (a course or a set of materials)
- to finish a course or a set of materials
The boy was a very good student and got through every course that he took.
goof off
- to waste time
My sister spent most of the week goofing off and was not prepared for her test.
have one's nose in a book
- to be reading a book
The boy loves to read and always has his nose in a book.
higher education
- education after graduating from high school (usually college or university)
The government has recently invested a lot of money in higher education.
hit the books
- to begin to study hard
After relaxing all weekend I hit the books on Sunday evening.
honor roll
- a list of people or students with exceptional achievements
My neighbor was on the honor roll during his last year in high school.
in pen
- written or signed with a pen
The teacher asked the students to make sure that they wrote the essay in pen.
in pencil
- written or signed with a pencil
I wrote the test in pencil so that I could change my answers easily.
Ivy League
- a small group of older and famous eastern United States colleges and universities such as
Harvard and Yale and Princeton
Several of the company executives went to an Ivy League school.
know one's ABCs
- to know the alphabet or the most basic things about something
The students worked hard and everyone knew their ABCs very well.
learn (something) by heart
- to memorize something so that you can repeat it without thinking
The children learned all of the songs by heart for the school play.
learn (something) by rote
- to learn or memorize something without thinking about it
We learned many verbs by rote in the foreign language class.
live in an ivory tower
- to not be aware of the realities of everyday life
The university professor lived in an ivory tower and had no idea what was going on around
him.
make the grade
- to be satisfactory and of an expected level
My final assignment did not make the grade and I had to do it again.
meet the requirements for/of (something)
- to fulfill the requirements for/of something
The young woman was unable to meet the requirements to enter medical school.
off campus
- at a different location than the grounds of a college or university
Many of the students liked to go to a restaurant off campus.
old boy network
- the situation where people (usually men) who went to the same school help each other get
good jobs
It was necessary to be part of an old boy network to get a job at the law firm.
on campus
- located on the grounds of a college or university
There was a bank on campus which many of the students used.
pass with flying colors
- to pass something easily and with a high score
I was able to pass the science test with flying colors.
play hooky
- to not go to school when you should
The boys played hooky and went to the video game center for the afternoon.
publish or perish
- university professors often have to publish books or articles in journals or they will not be
successful in their jobs at the university
The university professor wrote many scientific papers. He was forced to publish or perish.
put one's thinking cap on
- to start thinking in a serious manner
The boy put on his thinking cap and tried to think of a new name for the school newspaper.
read out loud
- to read something so that other people can hear you
The students each had a chance to read out loud from the book of poems.
read to oneself
- to read without saying anything so that other people cannot hear you
I spent the morning in the library reading to myself.
read through something
- to read all of something
I read through the test briefly before I started to answer the questions.
school of hard knocks
- the ordinary experience of learning from work and daily life
The girl left school early and began to learn about life in the school of hard knocks.
school of thought
- a particular way or philosophy of thinking about something
There are many schools of thought about how to learn a foreign language.
show-and-tell
- in the lower grades of elementary school children bring something interesting to show to the
rest of the class
The little girl brought in a turtle shell to show-and-tell at school.
show of hands
- a raising of hands in a classroom or other group to vote or see what people think about
something
After a show of hands the class voted to go on a field trip next week.
single file
- a line with one person standing behind another person
The students lined up single file before they entered the auditorium.
take attendance
- to record the names of persons who are attending school or something similar
After our teacher took attendance we began to do our math lesson.
take the roll
- to call the names of students in an attendance book and expect them to answer if they are
there
The teacher took the roll and then we started the lesson.
teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
- to try to tell or teach something to someone who knows more than you do about it
Teaching some of the students how to use a computer is like teaching my grandmother to
suck eggs. Most of them know more than I do.
teach someone a lesson
- to do something to someone in order to punish him or her for their bad behavior
My friend is always late so I taught her a lesson and left our meeting place before she had
arrived.
teacher's pet
- the teacher's favorite student
My sister was always the teacher's pet at her school.
three R's
- the three basic skills for a basic education (reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic)
My father studied in a small country school where they studied the three R's.
town-and-gown
- the relations (often bad) between a town and the university and university students who are
located in that town
There were some town-and-gown conflicts when the graduation parties began in the small
town.
university of life
- the daily life and work where you learn more than from going to university
My grandfather began to work on the family farm when he was fourteen and learned
everything from the university of life.
work one's way through college
- to work at a job to help pay for your college or university expenses
My brother worked his way through college at the local supermarket