Idioms – K

Here are some common idiomatic expressions in English.

Keep from

To keep from doing something is to avoid doing it.

Keep on

To keep on is to continue to do something.

Keep up with

To keep up with someone is to move at the same rate as them.

Keep up with the Joneses

To keep up with the Joneses is to try hard not to be outdone by your friends or relatives.

Kick the bucket

To kick the bucket is to die.

A kick in the teeth

A kick in the teeth is a major setback.

Kick someone out

To kick someone out is to force them to leave.

Knock something off

To knock something off is to produce a work quickly and easily.

Knock someone out

To knock someone out is to make them unconscious.

A rap on the knuckles / a rap over the knuckles

A rap on the knuckles is a reprimand.

The last word

The most advanced example of something or the final statement on a subject.

• Her palatial home is the last word in luxury.

To the last

To the last means ‘up to the final moment’.

• They fought to the last.

Have the last laugh

You have the last laugh when you are eventually proved to be right.

Lay down the law

To lay down the law is to issue instructions in an authoritarian way.