Bumper-to-bumper

Examples:

1. The traffic is bumper-to-bumper. I don't think I will be home in time for dinner. 
2. The cars on the freeway are so close together. I won't get to school on time in this bumper-to-bumper traffic.  

Explanation:

A "bumper" is the part of the car at the very front and the very back. When cars are very close to one another in a traffic jam, the front bumper of one car can almost touch the back bumper of the car ahead of it.

This idiom comes from Reading Savvy, 1st Edition. For more information, please visit www.languagesystems.com

To Come Forward

Example 1:

No new witnesses have come forward with information to help police catch the people who stole the jewels from the museum. The authorities are asking anyone with any clues to please contact the police right away.

Example 2:

Jen: Please, Stacy. You have to help Josh. He could get kicked out of school because of Ben!

Stacy: I want to help, but I'm scared! Ben would never forgive me. 

Jen: You just need to come forward and explain that Ben was cheating, not Josh. 

Explanation:

to come forward means to come to an authority with your knowledge about a crime or a problem. In the first example, the news report indicates that no witnesses have come to the police with information about the crime at the museum. In the second example, Jen is urging Stacy to come to the school principal with information about a cheating incident involving Ben and Josh. 

This idiom was taken from our L/S Book, Reading Savvy, 1st Edition. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com