0001-0200 Flashcards
zero in on something
If youzero in onsomething, you focus all your attention on that particular thing. The boss immediately zeroed in on the sales figures.
dying for something
If you aredying for something, you have a strong desire for it!. I’m dying for a cup of tea!
cut it/cut things fine
If youcut it/cut things fine, you leave barely enough time to do something. You’re counting just an hour between the airport and the train station - isn’t that cutting things a bit fine?
sow wild oats
A person, usually a man, whosows their wild oatsgoes through a period of carefree pleasure-seeking while they are young. He was advised to sow his wild oats before he got married.
open-and-shut case
Anopen-and-shut caseis one where the facts are so clear that the matter can be dealt with or solved easily. He was caught driving the stolen car. It’s an open-and-shut case.
even a worm will turn
This expression means that even someone who never complains will react to an intolerable situation. Don’t treat him so severely. He never protests, but even a worm will turn!
scream blue murder
People whoscream blue murdershout or complain very loudly as if something very serious has happened. The crowd started screaming blue murder when the football match was interrupted.
leave no stone unturned
If you try everything possible in order to achieve or to find something, youleave no stone unturned. The management left no stone unturned in their efforts to find a solution to the crisis.
for the birds
If you think something isfor the birds, you consider it to be uninteresting, useless or not to be taken seriously. As far as I’m concerned, his theory is for the birds.
night owl
Someone who is lively and active at night and goes to bed very late is callednight owl. I work better in the evenings than in the morning. My friends say I’m a night owl.
darkhorse
If you refer to someone asa dark horseyou mean that they are secretive or that little is known about them. I can’t say I know my neighbour. He’s a bit of a dark horse.
oldest trick in the book
A well-known and much-used trick, which is still effective today, is called theoldest trick in the book. He made a noise to attract my attention while his accomplice stole my wallet - the oldest trick in the book!
all hisgeeseare swans
This expression refers to someone who constantly exaggerates the importance or the qualities of somebody or something. Don’t let him impress you. He always exaggerates. All his geese are swans.
horns of a dilemma
If you areon the horns of a dilemma, you are faced with a choice between two equally unpleasant options. I’m on the horns of a dilemma; I have to choose between a boring job with a good salary or a more interesting job with a lower salary.
bear fruit
If somethingbears fruit, it produces positive or successful results. After years of hard work, his research finally began to bear fruit.
run-of-the-mill
If something is described asrun-of-the-mill,there is nothing special or outstanding about it; it is just ordinary or average. The story wasn’t very interesting - just a run-of-the-mill romance with a happy ending.
spit in someone’s eye
If youspit in someone’s eye,you treat that person with disrespect or contempt. Your father raised you as best he could. Don’t start spitting in his eye.
not a patch on
If something or someone isnot a patch onan other, they are not nearly as good. His second conference wasn’t a patch on the first one.
make an ass of yourself
If you behave so stupidly that you appear ridiculous, youmake an ass of yourself. Tom made an ass of himself by singing a love song outside Laura’s door!
nowhere to be found
If something isnowhere to be found,even after a thorough search, it is impossible to find it. We looked everywhere for the cat but it was nowhere to be found.
(don’t) rock the boat
If you tell someonenot to rock the boat, you are asking them to do nothing that might cause trouble or upset a stable situation. After the recent riots, it was decided not to rock the boat by introducing strict measures.
open/reopen old wounds
If youopen or reopen old woundsyou revive memories of an unpleasant event, situation or dispute that took place in the past. He carefully avoided the subject so as not to open old wounds.
feel on top of world
If youfeel on top of the world, you feel wonderful or ecstatic about something. I’ve been feeling on top of the world since I got the results - I’m qualified!
quick as a dog can lick a dish
If you do something surprisingly fast, you do itas quick as a dog can lick a dish. He packed his bag as quick as a dog can lick a dish.
hair of the dog
Using as a remedy a small amount of what made you ill, for example a drop of alcohol when recovering from drinking too much, is called’a hair of the dog that bit you’. Here, have a drop of this. It’s a hair of the dog that bit you!
dead loss
Someone or something described as adead lossis absolutely useless or a complete failure. When it comes to gardening, my brother is a dead loss.
throw a spanner in the works
If someone or somethingthrows a spanner (or a wrench) in the works,they do something that causes problems and prevents the success of a plan or event. The two companies were keen to sign the agreement before anything happened to throw a spanner in the works.
better still/worse still
This expression is used to emphasize that although something is good, bad, etc., something else makes it even better, worse, etc. Not only did he get a great offer, but better still, a house and car come with the job.
all the better for (something)
If you areall the better for something, you benefit from it or feel much better as a result of it. You’ll be all the better for a good night’s rest.
ride it out ride out the storm
If you manage to survive a dangerous or very unpleasant situation, like a ship sailing through a storm, youride it out. His business was hit by the recession but he managed to ride it out.
struck dumb
If someone isstruck dumb,they are unable to speak because they are so surprised, shocked or frightened by something. The accused was struck dumb when the verdict was announced.
pot luck
If youtake pot luck,you accept whatever is available without knowing what it will be like. We were so hungry we decided to take pot luck and stopped at the first restaurant we saw.
fishing for compliments
When someone is obviously waiting for you to say something nice, they arefishing for compliments. I know why she invited us to her new house - she’s just fishing for compliments.
lose track of time
When you give all your attention to something and become so engrossed in it that you don’t realize what time it is, youlose track of time. Whenever I start surfing on the web, I lose track of time.
come apart at theseams
To say that someone iscoming apart at the seamsmeans that they are extremely upset or under severe mental stress. Bob has had so many problems lately, he’s coming apart at the seams.
can’t make omelette without breaking eggs
This expression means that it is impossible to make important changes without causing some unpleasant effects. Some people will lose their jobs after the merger, but you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.
make a comeback
When someonemakes a comeback,they succeed in returning to their former successful career. After devoting several years to her children, she made a comeback on Broadway.
cause a stir
If somethingcauses a stir, it creates an atmosphere of excitement or great interest. The arrival of the actress caused quite a stir in the village.
cost an arm and a leg
If somethingcosts an arm and a leg, it is very expensive. The house cost us an arm and a leg, but we have no regrets.
in thesameboat
If two or more people arein the same boat, they are in the same unpleasant or difficult situation. When the factory closed down, the workers all found themselves in the same boat.
up/down one’s alley
If something is(right) up or down your alley,it is exactly the sort of thing that will suit your tastes or abilities. Alex loves reading, so a job in a bookshop is right up his alley.
cover a multitude of sins
If somethingcoversorhides a multitude of sins, it prevents others from seeing the less pleasant reality. Loose-fitting clothes can cover a multitude of sins!
with one’seyesopen
If you do somethingwith your eyes open, you are fully aware of what you are doing. I took on the job with my eyes wide open so I’m not complaining.
plenty of otherfish
To say this means that there are many other people just as good as the person mentioned. The candidate we selected refused the job? Never mind - there are (plenty of) other fish in the sea!
darken someone’s door
If youdarken somebody’s door,you come as an unwanted or unwelcome visitor. Just get out of here and never darken my door again!
last word
Something described asthe last wordis the most recent or most fashionable in its category. Steve’s new computer is the last word in technology.
siphon off
If someonesiphons something off, they transfer something from one place to another, often illegally. It was discovered that he had siphoned off money from the business into an account in a tax haven.
glass ceiling
This term refers to a discriminatory barrier perceived by women and minorities that prevents them from rising to positions of power or responsibility. Claire knew she would never break the glass ceiling and rise to a senior management position.
groan inwardly
If yougroaninwardly,you feel like expressing despair, disapproval or distress, but you remain silent. On his return, when Pete saw the pile of files on his desk, he groaned inwardly.
roll up one’s sleeves
When youroll up your sleeves,you get ready for hard work. The house was in a mess after the party so we had to roll up our sleeves and start cleaning.
that’s the way the cookie crumbles
To say’that’s the way the cookie crumbles’means that is the way things are and nothing can be done about it - that’s life!
come/get to thepoint
If youcomeorget the point, you reach or concentrate on the essential part or the heart of the matter. We don’t need a long explanation Barry. Just get to the point!
bend therules
If a personbends the rules,they change the rules in order to help somebody. “An hour is an hour” said the car park attendant who refused to bend the rules.
on the lookout
If you areon the lookoutfor something, you are constantly watchful and attentive so as not to miss it. Being a collector, he’s always on the lookout for interesting items.
short fuse
When someonehas a short fuse, they are likely to become angry easily or quickly. Be careful how you explain the situation. The boss has a short fuse these days!
fast track something
If you decide tofast track something, such as a task or project, you give it high priority so that the objective is reached as quickly as possible. In view of the number of homeless, it was decided to fast track the construction of low-cost housing.
blood, sweat and tears
A project or action which involvesblood,sweat and tearsrequires a lot of effort and hard work. His success wasn’t due to luck; it was blood, sweat and tears all the way.
stick one’sneckout
If a personsticks their neck out,they draw attention to themselves by saying or doing something that others are afraid to do. Julie stuck her neck out and said that the sales target would be impossible to reach without extra staff.
edge of one’s seat
Someone who ison the edge of their seatis very interested in something and finds it both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking. Look at Bob! He’s on the edge of his seat watching that rugby match!
knock/takewindout ofsails
If someone or somethingknocksortakes the wind out of your sails,they make you feel less confident by doing or saying something that you do not expect. The manager’s rejection of our marketing strategy really took the wind out of our sails.
straight as a ramrod
Someone who is(as) straight as a ramrodis a person who keeps a straight back and looks very serious. When my grandfather invited us for dinner, he used to sit straight as a ramrod at the head of the table.
collect dust
If something iscollecting dust, it hasn’t been touched or used for a long period of time. My dad doesn’t play golf any more. His clubs are collecting dust now.
bite someone’s head off
If youbite someone’s head off, you criticize them strongly (and perhaps unfairly). I worked 10 hours a day all week and my boss bit my head off for not doing my share of the work!
never say die
You can say’never say die’ to encourage someone to persevere in their efforts and not give up or abandon their project. Keep going - it’s too soon to give up. Never say die!
wouldn’t be caught dead
If someone says that theywouldn’t be seen or caught deadin a particular place or doing something, they mean that they would be too ashamed or embarrassed. My seven-year-old son thinks he’s a big boy. He wouldn’t be caught dead holding my hand.
sign of the times
This expression refers to something that shows the nature of today’s society. The rising level of violence is a sign of the times.
meet halfway
If youmeet someone half way, you accept to make a compromise and give them part of what they are trying to obtain. We can’t agree to all your conditions but we could perhaps agree to meet half-way.
blow out of proportion
If you exaggerate the importance of something, youblow it out of proportion. The importance of the event was blown out of proportion by the media.
jury is still out
To say thatthe jury is still outmeans that something is under consideration but no decision has been reached yet. The jury is still out as concerns the location of the new station.
fall at first hurdle
If youfall at the first hurdle, you fail to overcome the first difficulty encountered. Scott fell at the first hurdle. He didn’t study enough and failed his first exam.
hit the dust
The expressionhit the dustis a humorous way of referring to death. You can have my computer when I hit the dust!
get the message
When youget the message,you understand what someone is trying to tell you even if it is not stated clearly. Next time he asks you to replace him, tell him you’ve got an important appointment - he’ll get the message.
put shoulder to wheel
If youput your shoulder to the wheel,you start putting a lot of effort into a difficult task. We’ll have to put our shoulders to the wheel to deliver the goods on time.
strike home
When somebody’s comments or remarksstrike home,they make you fully understand the situation. The seriousness of his injuries struck home as he listened to the surgeon.
bend the truth
If youbend the truth, you say something that is not entirely true. Ok, I bent the truth a bit. I told him it was my natural colour, but I didn’t say that my hairdresser helped me to keep it natural!
give the run-around
If someonegives you the run-around, they deliberately give you confusing information or evasive answers. I’m trying to contact the manager, but every time I call the firm I’m given the run-around.
rack one’s brains
If yourack your brains,you try very hard to think of something or to remember something. Christmas is always a hassle for me. I have to rack my brains every year to find ideas for presents.
megaphone diplomacy
If the media, through press releases, interviews and announcements, is instrumental in facilitating dialogue between two or more countries, this is calledmegaphone diplomacy.
hard time
If you give someone ahard time, you annoy them or make things difficult for them. Susan says the pupils in her new school are giving her a hard time.
elbow room
If you need someelbow room, you need more space to move. We shared a small office where neither of us had enough elbow room.
