IDIOMS

bring the house down

• if someone or something brings the house down during a play or show, they make the people watching it laugh or clap very loudly The clown sang a duet with the talking horse, which brought the house down every night.
• ex. The clown sang a duet with the talking horse, which brought the house down every night.

read someone like a book

• to understand someone very well.
• ex. I've got John figured out. I can read him like a book. Of course I understand you. I read you like a book.

FACE THE MUSIC

• to accept the unpleasant results of one's actions
• ex. Mary broke a dining-room window and had to face the music when her father got home.

LET ONE'S HAIR DOWN

• relax and enjoy oneself
• ex. The party gives you a chance to let your hair down at the end of the week.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

• away from usual routes and paces
• ex. We found a nice little Italian restaurant off the beaten track.

ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET

• with very little money; at low cost
• ex. I did all sorts of traveling with just a shoestring budget when I was in college.

ON THE HOUSE

• (at a restaurant, bar, etc.) free
• ex. "Here," said the waiter, "have a cup of coffee on the house."

ON THE EDGE OF ONE'S SEAT

• very excited
• ex. It was one of those movies that was so suspenseful, it kept you on the edge of your seat right through to the end.

PAINT THE TOWN RED

• Go out and have a good time
• ex. Jack finished his exams today so he's gone out to paint the town red.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES

• understand what something really means even if it is not openly stated
• ex. They say that everything's fine, but reading between the lines I suspect they have some marital problems .