Americans use idioms about work, money and time in everyday talk, even at home: on the phone with a coworker, planning a family budget, or rushing out the door. An idiom is a group of words whose meaning you cannot guess from the single words. Learners often translate the literal words, so "pay through the nose" sounds strange or scary. In this episode: • Work and planning • Money • Time • Deciding and flexibility • Register: where to use them • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key phrases from this episode: on the fence — not decided yet (casual). I'm on the fence about the new job. the bottom line — the most important point. The bottom line is we need more time. save for a rainy day — save money for future problems. Picture: a bad day with rain. break the bank — cost too much (often negative). A small cake won't break the bank. on a tight budget — with little money to spend. We're on a tight budget this month. time flies — time passes quickly. Time flies when you're having fun. running late — behind schedule (neutral). Sorry, I'm running late. Be there in ten. on the dot — exactly at that time. Dinner is at six on the dot. in the long run — over a long period. Cooking at home saves money in the long run. better late than never — it is good that it happened, even late. pull an all-nighter — stay awake all night to work or study (casual). sleep on it — wait until tomorrow to decide (casual). Let me sleep on it. up in the air — not decided yet. Our weekend plans are up in the air. Season 2 · Real American English: the complete spoken course for learners worldwide — accent, everyday grammar, prepositions, articles, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang and real conversations at home. Listen, repeat out loud, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.