Education and School Idioms

School Idioms A for effort
- recognize that someone tries hard to do something even though they may not be successful
The students received an A for effort for their work on the class project. above average
- better or higher than average
The boy received above average marks in all subjects except history. as easy as ABC
- very easy
Learning how to use a computer was as easy as ABC for the children. back to basics
- an approach in education which uses traditional ideas or methods that have been successful in the past
The teacher believed that back to basics was important in her classroom and the parents were happy with the results. below average
- worse or lower than average
Most members of the class were below average in the math test. bookworm
- someone who reads a lot
My sister is a bookworm and is always reading a book. brainstorm something
- try to develop an idea or think of new ideas
The students got into groups to brainstorm ideas for the school play. call the roll
- call the names of students on a roll and usually expect them to answer if they are there
Every morning before the class started the teacher called the roll. cap and gown
- the special cap called a mortarboard and the robe that is worn during academic ceremonies such as graduation
All of the students wore a cap and gown to the graduation ceremony. catch up to (someone or something)
- move fast or work hard to reach someone or something that is ahead of you
After my illness I had to study very hard to catch up to the rest of the class. copycat
- someone who copies the work of another
The children called the girl a copycat when they discovered that she had copied part of the test from another student. count noses
- count the number of people
The teacher stopped to count noses several times during the field trip. cover a lot of ground
- complete a lot of material in a class or course
We covered a lot of ground during the first month of the science class. cow college
- a school where farming/agriculture is studied
My cousin plans to go to a cow college when he finishes high school. crack a book
- open a book to study (usually used in the negative)
I did very well in the course even though I didn't crack a book until the last week of classes. crank out a paper
- write out a paper in a mechanical way
I had to crank out a paper almost every week to pass the course. cut class
- not go to class
I decided to cut class in order to study for my geography test. draw a blank
- get no response from someone when you ask them a question
The teacher drew a blank when she asked about the boy's plans for the weekend. drop out of school
- stop attending school
My friend dropped out of school when he was seventeen and began to drive a truck. eager beaver
- someone who works very hard and is very enthusiastic
The young girl was an eager beaver and always came to class before the other students. fill in the blanks
- supply the missing words or information on a test or other exercise
We had to fill in the blanks for most of the questions on the test. flunk out
- fail a course or fail out of school
The boy was very smart but he always flunked out of his language class. from the old school
- having ideas that were popular in the past but which are no longer popular or common
My grandmother was from the old school and always made her children make their own lunches and walk to school. get credit for (a course)
- receive official recognition and credits after passing a course
I was able to get credit for the course even though I had taken a similar course before. get through (a course or set of material)
- finish (a course or set of material)
The boy was a very good student and quickly got through every course that he started. goof off
- waste time
My sister spent most of the week goofing off and was not prepared for her test. have one's nose in a book
- be reading a book
The boy loves to read and always has his nose in a book. higher education
- education after graduating from high school - usually college or university
The government has recently invested a lot of money in higher education. hit the books
- begin to study hard
After playing all weekend I had to hit the books on Sunday evening. honor roll
- a list of people/students with exceptional achievements
My neighbor was on the honor roll during his last year in high school. in pen
- written or signed with a pen
The teacher asked the students to make sure that they wrote the essay in pen. in pencil
- written or signed with a pencil
I wrote the test in pencil so that I could erase my mistakes easily. Ivy League
- a small group of older and famous eastern United States colleges and universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton
Several of the company executive...