[Idiom] What does the proverb mean?

[sandy319]

I don't understand the meaning of these proverbs.

1.cross one's fingers
2.one's cup of tea
3.full of beans
4.a piece of cake
5.drive someone up to the wall
6.a frog in the throat
7.win one's hands down
8.crocodile tears

Can you explain them, please?

THANKS

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't understand the meaning of these proverbs.

1.cross one's fingers - this is what we do when we want something to come true. I guess it's a little like praying! I've got my fingers crossed that I win the lottery this weekend.

2.one's cup of tea - something you like. Golf really isn't my cup of tea = I don't like golf.

3.full of beans - very animated, happy, chirpy, chipper, enthusiastic, bouncy

4.a piece of cake - very easy. If you're a very good typist, typing 50 words a minute is a piece of cake.

5.drive someone up to the wall - to annoy someone a lot. There's a guy at my office who whistles all the time. He drives me up the wall.

6.a frog in the throat - when you have a very annoying feeling in your throat which makes you cough a lot, or makes it a little difficult to speak.

7.win one's hands down - To win very easily. Roger Federer played an unknown player from Germany yesterday, and he won hands down.

8.crocodile tears - fake tears. Crying or appearing to cry when you are not really upset. We discovered that the man killed his wife himself, so at the funeral he was crying crocodile tears.

Can you explain them, please?

THANKS

These aren't proverbs, they're idioms. I have given definitions and examples above, but I think you could probably have found almost all of these on the internet.

 

[billmcd]

1.cross one's fingers: hoping for something positive to happen or a wish to come true; I applied for a job and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will call me for an interview.

2.one's cup of tea: something a person likes; My wife likes the opera but it's not my cup of tea.

3.full of beans: describes a person who is insincere or doesn't know anything about what they are discussing; He tried to explain the reason for being late, but he is full of beans.

4.a piece of cake: a task easily accomplished; The math test was a piece of cake.

5.drive someone up [STRIKE]to[/STRIKE] the wall: To disturb or to make someone crazy/angry; The neighbors play the radio so loud, it drives me up the wall.

6.a frog in the throat: difficulty speaking because of a condition of some kind in a person's throat, most often temporary; I'm sorry you did not understand my pronunciation. I had a frog in my throat.

7.win [STRIKE]one's[/STRIKE]one hands down or win hands down: to win a game or competitive event easily; My team beat yours hands down. The score was 6-0.
8.crocodile tears: an insincere or unreal display of sadness or grief; Everytime I correct her she turns on the crocdile tears.

 

[emsr2d2]

As Bill has said, they should be "drive someone up the wall" and "win hands down". Apologies for missing these when I replied. They're such common phrases, I think I just read them as if they were correct because I knew what they should have said!! :-D