Break the ice

Our Eskimo in the illustration doesn"t seem to understand that to break the ice doesn"t mean to knock someone"s house down. It means to do something friendly in order to overcome shyness or to ease tension in a social situation. "To break the ice, let"s invite our new neighbors to lunch."

Call it a day

"Let"s call it a day and go home," Teddy said. Because the person he"s addressing doesn"t understand the expression, it"s up to me to explain that when we call it a day, we stop whatever we are doing, regardless of the time. "After twenty years as a postman, Mr Burr called it a day and retired."

Do things by halves

I don"t know what"s wrong with Mr. Long. He"s either lazy or disorganized for he always does things by halves. That is, he does things in a careless and incomplete way. "When I read a book, I do it by halves. I never finish it." Mr. Long said. " I guess I"ve decorated my house by halves too."

Put someone in their place

George made the mistake of criticizing his boss. His boss responded by putting him in his place. When we put someone in their place we punish them, often by telling them in an angry way that their thoughts or opinions are of little importance. "Having been put in his place, I doubt that George will ever criticize the boss again."