all hell broke loose
there was a lot of trouble and confusion
Example: I think it was, it wasn’t even until after we left Nepal and got back to America that I started reading that all hell broke loose with the Maoists.
one day shy
one day less
Example: Mine was 12, so just one day shy of yours.
started off on the wrong foot
to begin badly; did not start well
Example: Yeah, it’s, it started off on the wrong foot for me.
sick as hell
to be very ill
Example: Well, apparently I ate something that didn’t agree with me and made me sick as hell to my stomach.
on the dot
at the exact time
Example: So, that’s how it started off…and we were, the next morning we were supposed to leave at 7 a.m. on the dot.
sick as a dog
to be very ill
Example: But, of course that got pushed back because I was so sick. I was sick as a dog.
freaked me out
made me afraid or worried
Example: I think it was like the second night there was this windstorm that really freaked me out…
sitting on top of the world
I was having a very good time
Example: I was like sitting on top of the world.
head was going to explode
to have a very bad headache
Example: But he said the night before he thought his head was going to explode, so…
catching a cold
to become sick
Example: So we all fared pretty well except, then towards the end, the guy from Luxembourg ended up catching a cold.
to top it off
in addition to
Example: And then to top it off, I caught it from him…
dirt cheap
very inexpensive
Example: Yeah, yeah, I can’t remember either how much we paid. But it, it was dirt cheap.