to make sure: to be sure, to ascertain (also: to make certain)
- Please make certain sure that you turn off the radio before you go out
- Could you make certain of the time? I don’t want to miss that TV show.
now and then: occasionally, sometimes (also: from to time, once in while)
Both now and then and once in a while can be preceded by the adjective every. Another idiom with the same meaning and form is every so often.
- I don’t see him very often, but now and then we arrange to have lunch together.
- I like to sleep late in the morning from time to time.
to get rid of: to eliminate, to remove; to discard, to throw away
- Jerry tried hard to get rid of the stain on his shirt, but he never succeeded.
every other (one): every second (one), alternate (ones)
- I play tennis with my father every other Saturday, so I usually play twice a month.
to go with: to match, to compare well in color or design often used with this idiom. Adverbs such as well and poorly are often used with this idiom.
- That striped shirt goes well with the gray pants, but the pants go poorly with those leather shoes.
first -rate: excellent, superb
- The food served in that four-star restaurant is truly first -rate.
to come from: to originate from
This idiom is commonly used in discussions of one’s hometown, state, or country.
- What country in South America does she come from? She comes from Peru.
to make good time: to travel a sufficient distance at a reasonable speed The adjective excellent can also be used.
- It rained during our entire hike up Mt. Hood, so we didn’t make good time.
to mix up: to stir or shake well; to confuse, to bewilder
For the second definition, the passive forms to be mixed up or to get mixed up are often used.
- You should mix up the ingredients well before you put them in the pan
- The teacher’s poor explanation really mixed the students up.
- The students think it’s their fault that they are mixed up so often.
to see about: to give attention or time to (also: to attend to, to see to)
- Who is going to see about getting us a larger room for the meeting?
- I’ll see to arranging music for the wedding if you attend to the entertainment.
by hert: by memorizing
- He knows many passage from Shakespeare by heart.
- Do you know all the idioms you have studied in this book by heart?