Common Everyday Phrases

hung up on

like pulling teeth

the last straw

Amy: "How did it go at work yesterday, Arthur?"

Arthur: "Well, everyone was pretty hung up on the fact that they already have too much to do, so when I added more work to their list, it didn’t make them very happy. Mr. Johnson wanted everyone to sign an agreement stating that they would do the extra work, but getting them to sign it was like pulling teeth."

Amy: "I imagine for some of the workers, it will be the last straw."

Arthur: "Yes, I think we’ll be losing some people because of this.”

hung up on
stuck on; upset about

like pulling teeth
extremely difficult

last straw
after several other problems in this area, the final event before a negative reaction occurs

Amy and Arthur Teach English!

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