| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| serious coin |
a lot of money, big bucks
|
Membership in the Pines Golf Club will cost you serious coin.
|
| serve notice |
state your plans, say what you will do, spread the word
|
If you enter the novel contest, you are serving notice that you are a serious writer.
|
| serve the purpose |
do the job, accomplish the task
|
If you don't have an organ, a piano will serve the purpose.
|
| serve them right |
give them what they deserve
|
If they cheat on a test, it serves them right if they get an F.
|
| set a spell |
sit down for awhile, visit a spell
|
Hannah had to set a spell after doing the chores. She rested.
|
| set about |
begin, start
|
After we found the problem with the car, we set about fixing it.
|
| set fire |
start a fire, light a fire
|
A child playing with a cigarette lighter set fire to the curtains.
|
| set foot |
walk, step, come for a visit
|
He hasn't set foot in this house since his mother died.
|
| set for life |
have enough money to last a lifetime
|
He inherited a lot of money. He's set for life.
|
| set in |
begin, start
|
He had a cold. Then pneumonia set in, and it nearly killed him.
|