at heart: basically, fundamentally
This idiom is used to describe the true character of a person.
o James sometimes seems quite unfriendly, but at heart he's a good
person.
o The Fares often don't see eye to eye, but at heart they both love each
other very much.
about to: ready to, just going to
o We were about to leave the house when the phone rang.
o I'm sorry that I broke in. What were you about to say?
LESSON 19
to bite off: to accept as a responsibility or task
This idiom is often used when one accepts more responsibility than one can
handle alone. It is usually used in the form to bite off more than one can chew.
o When I accepted the position of chairman, I didn't realize how much I
was biting off.
o When James registered for 18 units in his last semester at college, he
bit off more than he could chew.
to tell apart: to distinguish between (also: to pick apart, to tell from) (S)
o The two brothers look so much alike that few people can tell them
apart.
o That copy machine is so good that I can't pick the photocopy and the
original apart.
o Most new cars are very similar in appearance. It's almost impossible to
tell one from another.
all in all: considering everything
o There were a few problems, but all in all it was a well-organized
seminar.
o Leonard got a low grade in one subject, but all in all he's a good student.
to pass out: to distribute (also: to hand out) (S); to lose consciousness
The verbal idiom to hand out can be made into the noun handout to refer to
items that are distributed in a class or meeting.
o Please help me pass out these test papers; there must be a hundred of
them.
o Alright, students, here are the class handouts for this week.
o The weather was so hot in the soccer stadium that some of the fans in
the stands passed out.
to go around: to be sufficient or adequate for everyone present; to circulate,
to move from place to place
o We thought that we had bought enough food and drink for the party,
but actually there wasn't enough to go around.
o There's a bad strain of influenza going a