| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| The Rock |
a Federal prison on Alcatraz, a rocky island in San Francisco Bay
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Do you remember Birdman of Alcatraz? Burt Lancaster plays a
lifer who escapes from The Rock by swimming across the bay.
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| The Rock |
a prison on Riker's Island, New York; in the slammer
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After Willie left The Rock he vowed to go straight .
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| the room is so small you have to go outside turn around |
the room is very small; so small you could barely swing a cat
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It's not a large apartment. The bathroom is so small I have to go outside to turn around.
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| the root of the problem |
the cause of the problem, the reason for the problem
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Students don't do enough reading - that's the root of the problem.
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| the runaround |
an indirect answer, pass the buck, what a rigmarole
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I complained about the dryer, but they gave me the runaround. They blamed the delivery man.
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| the runt of the litter |
the smallest and weakest in a group of animal siblings born at the same time
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When it comes to mathematics, I am the runt of the litter. My scores on math tests are very low.
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| the salt of the earth |
common people; honest, hard-working people
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The Swensons are plain, decent people - the salt of the earth.
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| the school of hard knocks |
life's hard lessons, learning from mistakes, roll with the punches
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Teachers taught me what I should know; the school of hard knocks taught me what I must know.
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| the shit hit the fan |
people become angry, somebody starts a fight
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It was a good party until Ed started a fight. Then the shit hit the fan!
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| the short end of the stick |
the worst job, the least pay, dump on
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When I work with Ken, I always get the short end of the stick. He gives me the hard jobs.
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