Diary of a wimpy kid 4

leg lifts and wind sprints
If you hit the roof or go through the roof, you become very angry indeed, and usually show your anger by shouting at someone. (INFORMAL)
If you let off steam, you get rid of your energy, anger, or strong emotions with physical activity or by behaving in a noisy or violent way. (INFORMAL)
If you run out of steam, you stop doing something because you have no more energy or enthusiasm left. (INFORMAL)
mark my words
one of these days
If you tick someone off, you speak angrily to them because they have done something wrong. (BRIT INFORMAL)
Anyone who wanted to run for office had to submit their application by 3:00 p.m. Tuesday.
the position of Treasurer
be yours for the taking  also be there for the taking

if something good is yours for the taking, it would be very easy for you to get or achieve

I figure the job is mine for the taking when I sign up for it.
if a group of people huddle together, they stay very close to each other, especially because they are cold or frightened
And if you ever wondered what those bench guys are thinking in the huddle, I can tell you first hand: you guys smell.
pep talk
I was dodging traffic to chase down a ball tat was kicked out of bounds.

He is a cheapskate.
informal someone who spends as little money as possible - used to show disapproval

He bought generic cola for the halftime drink and couldn't even spring for a name brand.
to pay for something
　I'll spring for the beer tonight.
Dad is always knocking Mr. Matthews, saying that if he had a hundred more kids, they'd all be girls.

It might be a kind of awkward thing to lead off with.

Diary of a wimpy kid 3

From hero to goat is fairly well known in north America and 

means that by his actions a person has in short order shifted from 

success to failure, with a concomitant move from praise to blame. 

It’s common in sports:

Before the final twist, Mack, who led all scorers with 30 points, looked as if he’d go from hero to goat in that split second when he fouled Brown, who led Pitt with 24 points. He admitted he was guilty of the infraction.

in no time flat 

Fig. very quickly; in much less time than expected. 

So you can see how I can go from being the hero to the goat in no time flat.

giggle fits --- a fit of prolonged and uncontrollable giggling
Me and Ben used to always get into giggle fits when we'd sit near each other.

even something out --- 
        spread sth evenly over a period of time or among a number of people 

to make something even or level. 

Please even the gravel out. 

They evened out the surface of the road.

A petition is a document signed by a lot of people which asks a government or other official group to do a particular thing.
But when I saw the group of guys who was interested in signing it I 
decided to just bag it.

If you say that something is in the bag, you mean that you are certain that you will get it or achieve it. (INFORMAL)

have sb's number informal
to understand something about someone that helps you deal with them
　Judy had always had his number.
Well, Dad really had my number with that trick.

kicker --- AmE
a surprising or unexpected end to an eventInformal. A sudden, surprising turn of events or ending; a twist. A tricky or concealed condition; a pitfall

sitcoms --- Informal  A situation comedy.

drive/run/work yourself into the ground

to work so hard that you become very tired or ill 

He'll run himself into the ground if he doesn't take some time off.

drive it into the ground for the next 30 minutes.

sass --- to talk in a rude way to someone you should respect
Are you sassin' me?

if you over shoot or miss the goal entirely (shank), you have to be the one to go retrieve the ball (shag)
nincompoop --- A silly, foolish, or stupid person.

They basically try to spread out the really awful kids like me so no one team has  too many terrible players.

Dag it.which is commonly used to describe an untidy, ultra-casual person.
well rounded --- when you are expressing approval of them because they have a personality which is fully developed in all aspects.

I don't know how I get ranked 

on hold
if something is on hold, it is going to be done or dealt with at a later date rather than now

hang me out to dry --- to not support or help someone


rating (movies)


the down side



racy scenes --- 
racy writing is exciting and entertaining and often about sex
That's mush!
If you describe something such as a film or book as mush, 
you mean that it is very sentimental.
tabloid --- 
horoscope ---

take ... with a grain of salt

inherit

to take a stab at means to attempt.If you have a stab at something, you try to do it. (INFORMAL)
When Dad picked me up I decided to take a stab at getting him to 
let me quit soccer.

Fly

【PLAN】 [I]
AmE a plan that will fly will be successful and useful
　News is that the plan for the new hotel isn't going to fly .

fly a kite
to tell people about an idea, plan etc in order to get their opinion
　In my latest book, I wanted to fly the kite for an unfashionable theory.

go fly a kite
AmE spoken used to tell someone to go away, stop saying something, or stop annoying you

fly off the handle informal
to suddenly get very angry
　Calm down, Terry - there's no need to fly off the handle.

fly the flag
to behave in a way that shows that you are proud of your country, organization etc
time flies also the hours/the days etc fly
used to say that a period of time seems to pass very quickly
　'Is it midnight already?' 'Well, you know what they say - time flies when you're having fun !'
time flies by
　The following weeks flew by, and soon it was time to leave.

【FLAG】 [I and T]
if a flag flies, or if you fly it, it is fixed to the top of a tall pole so that it can be easily seen
　After the invasion, people were forbidden to fly their national flag.
　The flags were flying cheerfully in the breeze.
　The government ordered that all flags should be flown at half mast (=halfway down the pole, in order to express public sadness at someone's death) .

diary of a wimpy kid 2

on the dot ---  exactly on time or at a particular time
　I'll be there on the dot.
So at 6:00 on the dot Dad came home, and of course he's in a great mood for some reason.

【PLAN】 [I]
AmE a plan that will fly will be successful and useful
　News is that the plan for the new hotel isn't going to fly .
That kind of thing doesn't fly these days.

for good --- permanently
　The injury may keep him out of football for good.
She'll take away my video games for good.

If you say that someone milks something, you mean that they get as much benefit or profit as they can from it, without caring about the effects this has on other people.
A few people tried to milk the insurance companies...
The callous couple milked money from a hospital charity to fund a lavish lifestyle.
informal to get as much money or as many advantages as you can from a situation, in a very determined and sometimes dishonest way
milk sb/sth for sth
　Their landlord regularly milks them for extra money by claiming for damage to his property.
　He seems to be milking the incident for all it's worth (=getting as much from it as possible) .
I've been milking the same book for the past five years.

A sleuth is a detective.

【WORRY】 [I] informal
to be anxious, nervous, or worried about something
　Let them sweat a bit before you tell them.
don't sweat it
AmE spoken used to tell someone not to worry about something
　Don't sweat it, I'll lend you the money.
no sweat
spoken used to say that you can do something easily
　'Are you sure you can do it on time?' 'Yeah, no sweat!'
So for me, book reports are no sweat.

keep one's `nose clean (infml ) 
avoid doing anything unacceptable, illegal, etc 
If you keep your nose clean, the boss might promote you. 
If someone gets off the hook or is let off the hook, they manage to
 get out of the awkward or unpleasant situation that they are in. (INFORMAL)
Now I've just got to keep my nose clean for a while and I'll be off the hook.


liberate --- to free someone from feelings or conditions that make 
their life unhappy or difficult
It really hasn't been as bad as I thought and in fact it has been kind of liberating.

diary of a wimpy kid 1

chew out --- scold harshly, as in
Dad will chew you out for taking the car without permission.

copy off ---  to cheat in an examination, schoolwork etc by looking
 at someone else's work and writing the same thing as they have,
as in 
He's super easy to copy off of because he always finishes his tests 
early and then just puts his paper on the floor next to him while he
 reads a science fiction novel or something.

pipe down----to stop talking or making a noise, and become calmer
 and less excited
　Everybody pipe down. There's no need to shout.

diss /d'ɪs/ (disses dissing dissed)If someone disses you, they 
criticize you unfairly or speak to you in a way that does not show 
respect. (INFORMAL)
He believes that his records speak for themselves and ignores
 those who diss him.

Today I got totally dissed by Christine. I asked her if she would be
 my lab partner for Science and she told me she already had partner.

di·o·ram·a (dīə-rămə, -rämə) n.
A three-dimensional miniature or life-size scene in which figures, 
stuffed wildlife, or other objects are arranged in a naturalistic 
setting against a painted background.

in the doghouse --- in disgrace; out of favour
Dad was in the dog house for a long time after that one.

klutz /kl'ʌts/ (klutzes)
You can refer to someone who is very clumsy or who seems stupid 
as a klutz. (mainly AM INFORMAL)

someone who drops things and falls easily

For some reason Dad has it in his head that Rowley is a klutz and 
that he's going to break something every time he comes over.

corny   --- too silly and repeated too often to be funny or interesting

We were watching some corny movie Rowley had where there 
were these kids that taught themselves a secret language that only 
they could understand.

sombrero --- a Mexican hat for men that is tall with a wide, round brim ¹ turned up at the edges

babble --- to speak quickly in a way that is difficult to understand 
or sounds silly
　I have no idea what he was babbling on about.
incoherent --- not expressed or organized clearly, and therefore 
difficult to understand; speaking in a way that cannot be
 understood, because you are drunk, feeling a strong emotion etc

gibberish --- something you write or say that has no meaning, 
or is very difficult to understand
= nonsense
Rowley starts babbling all of this incoherent gibberish.

Rowley was so out of it he didn't really realize it was just a dream.
It means their not fully able to concentrate or participate in the 
surrounding events.

bug and tar
I made the mistake of using Brillo to rub off all the bugs and tar spots.

Mom and Dad couldn't peg it on me.

get away/off scot-free  (informal)

to avoid the punishment that you deserve or expect 
If you don't take out a complaint against him he'll get off 
scot-free!

chief cook and bottlewasher --- a person in charge of numerous 
duties, both vital and trivial, as in 
We have no secretaries or clerks; the department head is chief cook 
and bottlewasher and does it all.