His oily tongue has won him promotion.

By putting on the mime act, Deepak <u><em>stole some of the thunder</em></u> of Peter's speech.

They sold their house because it was a real <u><em>white elephant</em></u>.

To pay off old scores

He <u><em>bids fair</em></u> to be an excellent cricketer.

The thief <u><em>took to his heels</em></u> when he saw a policeman on the beat.

To lose one's head

His speech <u><em>went down well with</em></u> the majority of the audience.

Most of the present day politicians have <u><em>an axe to grind</em></u>.