Some idioms and phrases you should know about part I :
Salt of the earth: a very good or worthy person.
Gut-wrenching: making you feel very upset or worried.
Make a spectacle of yourself: to do something that makes you look stupid and attracts people's attention.
Pass muster: be accepted as adequate or satisfactory.
Putty in someone's hands: easily influenced by someone else, excessively willing to do what someone else wishes.
Look before you leap: carefully consider the possible consequences before taking action.
Set the wheels in motion : to do something that will cause a series of actions to start.
Off the books: without being included on official records.
A long Haul: something that takes a lot of time and energy.
An end in itself: a goal that is pursued in it's own right to the exclusion of others.
Night owl: a person who prefers to be awake late at night.
Alter Ego: a person's secondary or alternative personality immediately or extremely quickly; at once.
Freak of Nature: something or someone that is unusual, rare, or abnormal in some way / To avoid attracting attention to yourself.