to step in: to become involved or concerned with something; to enter a place for a brief time (also: to step into)
o When the children started fighting on the play-ground, a teacher had to step in and stop the fight.
o The supervisor asked one of the employees to step in her office for a moment.
o Would you step into the hallway so that I can show you the information posted on the bulletin board?
to step down: to retire or leave a top position, to resign
o Next May the principal will step down after thirty-five years of service to the school.
o The angry shareholders wanted the company president to step down because of the stock scandal.
to step on: to treat severely, to discipline; to go faster, to work more quickly
For the second definition, the idiom is followed by the pronoun it.
o Sometimes it's necessary to step on children when they do something dangerous.
o We're going to be late for the movies. You'd better step on it!
a steal: very inexpensive, a bargain
This idiom is often used in an exclamation using what.
o I can't believe that I paid only $2,000 for this three year-old car. What a steal!
o Scott considered it a steal when he bought a complete bedroom set for only $99.
to play up to: to behave so as to gain favor with someone
o The other students in the class resent Jim because he plays up to the teacher in order to get better grades.
o When my children asked me to go shopping for a new video game, I knew why they had been playing up to me all morning.
more or less: approximately, almost; somewhat, to a certain degree
o Although your bedroom feels smaller, it's more or less the same size as mine.
o Ted more or less agreed with our decision to put off the meeting until more members could show up. At least he didn't object strongly.
to screw up: to confuse, to scramble (S); to cause problems in (S)
o Chris had trouble finding Jane's apartment because the addresses of the buildings screwed him up.
o Instead of fixing the television set, the technician screwed it up even more.
to goof up: to perform badly, to make a mistake (also: to mess up, to slip up)
o I really goofed up on the exam today; did you mess up, too?
o Karen slipped up when she forgot to deposit money into her checking account.
to go off the deep end: to get very angry and do something hastily
o Just because you had a serious argument with your supervisor, you didn't have to go off the deep end and resign, did you?
o When Dan's wife demanded a divorce, he went off the deep end again. This time he was shouting so that the whole neighborhood could hear.
to lose one's touch: to fail at what one used to do well
o Milton
o I used to play tennis very well, but today you beat me easily. I must be losing my touch.
in hand: under firm control, well managed
o The copilot asked the pilot if he had the plane in hand or whether he needed any help navigating through the severe thunderstorm.
o The police officer radioed to the station that she had the emergency situation in hand and didn't require any assistance.
on hand: available, nearby
This idiom is often followed by in case.
o I always keep some extra money on hand in case I forget to get cash from the bank.
o The concert organizers arranged to have some security guards on hand in case there were any problems during the performance.
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