Kindergarten
A dog is man’s best friend.
April showers bring May flowers.
Better safe than sorry.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The early bird gets the worm.
Great oaks from little acorns grow.
Look before you leap.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
Practice makes perfect.
[It’s] raining cats and dogs.
Where there’s a will there’s a way.

Grade 1
A.M. and P.M.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.[also in Kindergarten]
Fish out of water
Hit the nail on the head.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Land of Nod
Let the cat out of the bag.
The more the merrier.
Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.
Practice makes perfect. [also in Kindergarten]
Sour grapes
There’s no place like home.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Grade 2
Back to the drawing board.
Better late than never
Cold feet
Don’t cry over spilled milk.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Easier said than done
Eaten out of house and home
Get a taste of your own medicine
Get up on the wrong side of the bed
In hot water
Keep your fingers crossed.
Practice what you preach.
Two heads are better than one.
Turn over a new leaf
Where there’s a will there’s a way.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Grade 3
Actions speak louder than words.
His bark is worse than his bite.
Beat around the bush
Beggars can’t be choosers.
Clean bill of health
Cold shoulder
A feather in your cap
Last straw
Let bygones be bygones.
One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.
On its last legs
Rule the roost
The show must go on.
Touch and go
When in Rome do as the Romans do.

Grade 4
As the crow flies
Beauty is only skin deep.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Blow hot and cold
Break the ice
Bull in a china shop
Bury the hatchet
Can’t hold a candle to
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Etc.
Go to pot
Half a loaf is better than none.
Haste makes waste.
Laugh and the world laughs with you.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
Live and let live.
Make ends meet.
Make hay while the sun shines.
Money burning a hole in your pocket
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Once in a blue moon
One picture is worth a thousand words.
On the warpath
RSVP
Run-of-the-mill
Seeing is believing.
Shipshape
Through thick and thin
Timbuktu
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
When it rains, it pours.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.

Grade 5
Birthday suit
Bite the hand that feeds you.
Chip on your shoulder
Count your blessings.
Eat crow
Eleventh hour
Eureka!
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Few and far between
Forty winks
The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.
To kill two birds with one stone
Lock, stock, and barrel
Make a mountain out of a molehill
A miss is as good as a mile.
It’s never too late to mend.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Read between the lines.
Sit on the fence
Steal his/her thunder
Take the bull by the horns.
Till the cows come home
Time heals all wounds.
Tom, Dick, and Harry
Vice versa
A watched pot never boils.
Well begun is half done.
What will be will be.

Grade 6
All for one and one for all.
All’s well that ends well.
Bee in your bonnet
The best-laid plans of mice and me oft go awry.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Bite the dust
Catch-as-catch-can
Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.
Don’t lock the stable door after the horse is stolen.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Eat humble pie
A fool and his money are soon parted.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Give the devil his due.
Good fences make good neighbors.
He who hesitates is lost.
He who laughs last laughs best.
Hitch your wagon to a star.
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
The leopard doesn’t change his spots.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Money is the root of all evil.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
It’s never over till it’s over.
Nose out of joint
Nothing will come of nothing.
Once bitten, twice shy.
On tenterhooks
Pot calling the kettle black
Procrastination is the thief of time.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
RIP
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Rule of thumb
A stitch in time saves nine.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Tempest in a teapot
Tenderfoot
There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Touché!
Truth is stranger than fiction.

Grade 7
ad hoc – concerned with a particular purpose; improvised  [literally, “to the thing”]
bona fides – good faith; sincere, involving no deceit or fraud
carpe diem – seize the day, enjoy the present
caveat emptor – let the buyer beware, buy at your own risk
de facto – in reality, actually existing
in extremis – in extreme circumstances, especially at the point of death
in medias res – in the midst of things, in the middle of a narrative or plot
in toto – altogether, entirely
modus operandi (singular) – a method of procedure/modi operandi (plural) –  methods of procedure
modus vivendi (singular) –  a way of living, getting along/modi vivendi (plural) – ways of living, getting along
persona non grata – an unacceptable or unwelcome person (not used with an article)
prima facie – at first view, apparently; self-evident
pro bono publico – for the public good
pro forma – for the sake of form, carried out as a matter offormality
quid pro quo – something given or received in exchange for something else
requiescat in pace, R I P – may he or she rest in peace [seen on tombstones]
sic transit gloria mundi – thus passes away the glory ofthe world
sine qua non – something absolutely indispensable [literally, “without which not”]
sub rosa – secretly

Grade 8
au revoir – good-bye, until we see each other again
avant-garde – a group developing new or experimental concepts, a vanguard (the forefront of an action or movement)
bête noire – a person or thing especially dreaded and avoided (literally, “black beast”)
c’est la vie – that’s life, that’s how things happen
carte blanche—full discretionary power (literally, “blank page”)
cause célèbre – a very controversial issue that generates fervent public debate (literally, a “celebrated case”)
coup de grâce – a decisive finishing blow
coup d’état – overthrow of a government by a group
déjà vu – something overly familiar (literally, “already seen”)
enfant terrible—one whose remarks or actions cause embarrassment, or someone strikingly unconventional (literally, “terrible child”)
fait accompli – an accomplished fact, presumably irreversible [something that is over and done]
faux pas – a social blunder [literally, “false step”]
Madame, Mademoiselle, Monsieur – Mrs., Miss, Mr.
merci – thank you  (Merci beaucoup—thank you very much)
pièce de résistance – the principal part of the meal, a showpiece item
raison d’être – reason for being
savoir-faire – the ability to say or do the right thing in any situation, polished sureness in society (literally, “to know [how] to do”)
tête-à-tête – private conversation between two people (literally, “head to head”)