used to: formerly did, had the habit of Examples of USED TO We used to go to the county fair every year when we were kids. I used to dream about becoming an astronaut and going into space.

bad egg: a person who is bad, dishonest, or unreliable; a good-for-nothing.Examples of BAD EGG Despite his reputation, John’s boss is not really such a bad egg – after all, he did promote John to a better paying position last year. She’s a bad egg, I’m afraid – we caught her stealing from the office…

to die down: to decrease, to lessen in strength Examples of TO DIE DOWN On the plus side, the volatility in short-term money-market rates has died down. As the sun set, the winds began to die down and the 100-acre fire was contained.

to get away with: to avoid punishment for Examples of TO GET AWAY WITH If this person steals your work or takes credit for your efforts, they will most likely not be able to get away with it forever. Why are the super rich allowed to get away with paying less tax than you and…

to keep time: to operate accurately (for watches and clocks) Examples of TO KEEP TIME The clock keeps quite good time. The old clock keeps perfect time; it’s never fast or slow.

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.