every single
every last
Every. Used for emphasis.
She dropped the box, and when she opened it, every single glass was broken.
When she got home she found every last tomato in the box was rotten.
explain away
To explain (something) so that it does not seem true or important.
John explained away his unfinished homework by showing the teacher his broken arm in a cast.
It is hard to explain away Abraham Lincoln's dream about being dead, which he had a few days before he was shot.
The man could not explain away the gun and the marked money from the bank robbery that the police found in his car.
explain oneself
To make your meaning plainer; make your first statement clear.
When we didn't understand Fritz, he went on to explain himself.
To give a good reason for something you did or failed to do which seems wrong.
When Jack brought Mary home at three o'clock in the morning, her father asked him to explain himself.
eye-filling
Attractive to the eye; beautiful; especially grand; splendid; majestic.
The mountains in the distance were an eye-filling sight.
eyes in the back of one's head
Ability to know what happens when your back is turned.
Mother must have eyes in the back of her head, because she always knows when I do something wrong.
face-saving
Something that helps to save your good reputation, popularity, or dignity when something has happened or may happen to hurt you.
The note was a face-saving idea.
Face-saving is not helped by too many invented excuses.
fall behind
To go slower than others and be far behind them.
When the campers took a hike in the woods, two boys fell behind and got lost.
Frank's lessons were too hard for him, and he soon fell behind the rest of the class.
Mary was not promoted because she dreamed too much and fell behind in her lessons.
Eve fell behind in her studies and finally had to drop out of school.
fall in for
To receive; get.
The boy fell in for some sympathy when he broke his leg.
The team manager fell in for most of the blame when his team lost the playoffs.