a fat cat: someone who has a lot of money, especially someone in charge of a company who has the power to increase their own payExamples: Some say that rich, privileged people are fat cats. Don’t wait around for a fat cat to help you.

to be over: to be finished, to end (also: to be through) Examples of BE OVER He was secretly happy to be over with his ex-girlfriend, but he pretended that she’d broken his heart. Benny needs to be over his reliance on clichés when he writes.

to take for granted: not to appreciate fully; to assume to be true withoutgiving much thoughtA noun or pronoun often follows the verb take. Examples of TO TAKE FOR GRANTED Most citizens in Africa do not have these luxuries we take for granted. These people are being careless and taking for granted the lives that…

to make out: to read or see clearly; to prepare a legal document, such as a will, a check, Examples of TO MAKE OUT The letter was so poorly handwritten that I couldn’t make out many of the words. Harold, please make the check out to Acme Piano Company.

to cut off: to shorten by cutting the ends; to disconnect or stop suddenly Examples of TO CUT OFF The rude waitress tried to cut me off while I was placing my order. “I’ll need to cut off the microphone, if you don’t behave yourself,” the chairman said to the angry committee member.

at first: at the beginning, originally Examples of AT FIRST At first, I didn’t know what to think about Jamie, but now I think she’s pretty cool. She consulted, at first, with a general practitioner, but then she decided to see a specialist.