0801-1000 Flashcards
grin and bear it
When faced with a difficult or unpleasant situation, if you say that someone willhave to grin and bear it, you mean that they will have to accept it without complaining.
get into gear
When a person or activitygets(orcranks) into gear, they start to work or become effective.
have you gone out of yourmind?
If you ask someone if they havegone out of their mind, you think they are crazy, foolish or insane.
a breeze
To say that something wasa breezemeans that it was very easy or that everything went smoothly.
never rains but it pours
This expression is used to comment on the fact that when something bad happens, other bad things often happen too, and make the situation even worse.
blind someone with science
If someone tries toblind you with science, they confuse you with their knowledge by using difficult or technical words.
set great store by
When you consider something to be very important or valuable, youset great store by it.
nestegg
If you have anest egg,you have a reserve of money which you put aside for future needs.
be/mean theworldto
When youareormean the world tosomeone, you are very important or precious to them.
pull through
If youpull through, you recover from a serious illness.
for the time being
If you talk about how a situation isfor the time being, you mean that it is temporary and will probably change in the future.
asmuchuse as a handbrake on a canoe
This expression refers to something which is completely useless or serves no purpose.
fit like a glove
If somethingfits like a glove, it fits you perfectly.
it beats me!
This expression is used to express surprise at something that you find difficult to understand.
speak softly and carry a big stick
If youspeak softly and carry a big stick,you express your views in a quite non-aggressive manner, but you make it clear that you are in a position to use force if necessary.
come uptrumps
To say that someone hascome up trumpsmeans that they have achieved unexpectedly good results.
opposite number
A person who holds the same position as oneself in another company or organisation is called one’sopposite number.
have itchyfeet
A person whohas itchy feetis someone who finds it difficult to stay in one place and likes to move often and discover new places.
small potatoes
Something that issmall potatoesis considered unimportant or insignificant.
butter wouldn’t melt inmouth
If you say that someone looks as ifbutter wouldn’t melt in their mouth,you mean that they look completely innocent, but that they are capable of doing unpleasant things.
caveat emptor
This Latin expression, which means ‘let the buyer beware’, is a warning to customers that goods are for sale ‘as is’.
scared stiff
Someone who isscared stiffis so frightened that they are unable to move.
mum’s the word
To say’mum’s the word’means that the subject or plan is a secret and must not be revealed.
speak off the cuff
If yousay something off the cuff,you say it spontaneously, without previous thought or preparation.
tight squeeze
If you are ina tight squeeze, you are in a cramped or crowded situation.
dodge a bullet
If youdodge a bullet, you narrowly avoid a very serious problem or a disaster.
on the sly
If you do somethingon the sly, you do it secretly or furtively.
lump in your throat
If you havea lump in your throat,you have a tight feeling in your throat because of a strong emotion such as sadness or gratitude.
rotten apple
This term refers to a person who is considered to be dishonest or immoral and has a bad influence on others in the group.
in for apenny,in for a pound
This expression means that once you start doing something, you might just as well do it wholeheartedly and not stop at half-measures.
benefit of the doubt
If you give someone thebenefit of the doubt, you choose to believe that the person is innocent, honest or telling the truth, because there is no evidence to the contrary.
in a stew
When someone isin a stewabout something, they are worried and agitated.
go up in smoke
If a plan or projectgoes up in smoke, it is spoiled, fails, or ends before producing a result.
hit the road
When youhit the road, you begin a journey.
one’s own undoing
If you do something that is the cause of your own failure, loss or downfall, it isyour own undoing.
birds of a feather
To say that two people arebirds of a feathermeans that they are very similar in many ways.
go to hell in a handcart
If something isgoing to hell in a handcart,it is in a bad state and continues to deteriorate.
glowing terms
If you speak about somethingin glowing terms, you talk about it in a very positive way.
on one’s uppers
Someone who ison their uppershas very little money or not enough to cover their needs.
fall on one’s sword
If youfall on your sword, you accept the consequences of an unsuccessful or wrong action.
nip in thebud
If younipa problem or an unacceptable situationin the bud, you stop it at an early stage, before it develops or becomes worse.
thatshiphas sailed
The expression’that ship has sailed’means that a particular opportunity has passed by and now it’s too late.
get your act together
If youget your act together,you organise your affairs better than you have done previously and deal with things more efficiently.
birthday suit
This humorous expression means that you are wearing nothing.
dead in the water
A plan or project that isdead in the wateris at a standstill or has ceased to function and is unlikely to be reactivated in the future.
survival of the fittest
This expression means that the most able, or those best capable of adapting to particular conditions, will survive.
gopostal
If someonegoes postal,they lost their temper and express their anger in a violent way.
crack down on something
If the authoritiescrack down on something, they enforce the law by taking severe measures to restrict undesirable or criminal actions.
cry wolf
Tocry wolfis to call for help when you are not really in danger.
start the ball rolling
If youstart the ball rolling,you begin an activity in which other people will join.
(get it down to) afineart
When you learn to do something perfectly, youget it down to a fine art.
up/down your alley
If something is (right)up or down your alley, it is exactly the sort of thing that will suit your tastes or abilities.
money for old rope
Money earned from a task that requires very little effort is calledmoney for old rope.
makeendsmeet
If you find it difficult to pay for your everyday needs because you have very little money, it is hard for you tomake ends meet.
cast a wide net
When trying to find something, if youcast a wide net, you cover an extensive area or use a wide range of sources.
cog in the machine
If you say that someone isa cog in the machine, you mean that, while they are necessary, they only play a small part in an organisation or plan.
made of money
A person who ismade of moneyis very rich and can buy whatever they want.
token gesture
To make atoken gesturemeans to show a small sign of appreciation.
gone with the wind
If something hasgone with the wind, it has disappeared forever.
pull out all the stops
If youpull out all the stops, you do everything you can to make something successful.
leave somebody holding the baby.
If someone is left holding the baby, they are made responsible for a problem that others don’t want to deal with.
put on the spot
If youput someone on the spot,you put them in a difficult position, for example by asking difficult questions which they cannot avoid.
on/in the cards
Something which ison the cardsit very likely to happen.
lick one’s wounds
When a personlicks their wounds, they try to recover their confidence or spirits after a defeat, failure or disappointment.
go ballistic
When someonegoes ballistic, they become very angry.
hunky-dory
Using the expression’hunky dory’is an informal way of saying that everything is satisfactory and there are no problems.
take under yourwing
If you offer guidance and protection to someone younger or less experienced, youtake them under your wing.
close but no cigar
This expression refers to an effort to do something which was a good attempt but not quite good enough to succeed.
speed networking
This term refers to a relatively new urban trend which consists in making a potential business contact by briefly talking to a series of people at an organised event and exchanging contact details.
make light work of
If a personmakes light work ofsomething, they do it very easily or with little effort.
pen mightier than sword
This expression means that words and communication have greater effect than war and fighting.
better safe than sorry
It’s better to be too cautious than to be careless and have regrets later.
addinsultto injury
Toadd insult to injurymeans to make a bad situation worse by harming or upsetting someone you have already harmed in some other way.
odds and ends
Odds and endsare small articles, or bits and pieces of all sorts, usually of little value.
milk of human kindness
Someone who has, or is full of, themilk of human kindness, is naturally kind and compassionate to others.
see the error of ways
When someonesees the error of their ways, they understand that what they are doing is wrong and accept to change their behaviour.
not up toscratch
Something which isnot up to scratchfails to reach the expected standard.
push one’s luck
If youpush your luck,you try to get more than what you have already obtained and risk spoiling the situation.
take a chance
If youtake a chanceon something, you take action in the hope of success even though you know that the result may be negative.
lesser of two evils
If you choosethe lesser of two evils, you opt for the less unpleasant of two poor options.
split hairs
If yousplit hairs, you pay too much attention to differences that are very small or unimportant.
hotpotato
Ahot potatois a very sensitive and controversial matter which is difficult to deal with.
lick somebody’sboots
To say that one personlicks another person’s bootsmeans that they are trying to please that person, often in order to obtain something.
excuse my French
This expression is used as an apology for using crude or offensive language.
left hanging in the air
If a problem or issue isleft hanging in the air(orin mid-air), no decision has been taken so it remains without a solution.
can’t fight the city hall
This expression means that it is useless to try to win a battle against a politician, establishment or bureaucracy in general.
keep up with Joneses
Someone who tries tokeep up with the Jonesestries to have the same possessions or social achievements as someone else.
knickers in a twist
If youget your knickers in a twist, you are angry, nervous or upset faced with a difficult situation.
in the eye of thestorm
A person or organisation who isin the eye of the stormis deeply involved in a difficult situation which affects a lot of people.
cat in hell’s chance
To say that there is not acat in hell’s chanceof someone doing or achieving something means that there is no chance at all.
bite yourtongue
If youbite your tongue,you stop yourself from saying what you really think.
grease somebody’s palm
If you accuse someone ofgreasing somebody’s palm, you are accusing them of giving money to someone in order to gain an unfair advantage or to obtain something they want.
golden handcuffs
The termgolden handcuffsrefers to a large sum of money or a generous financial arrangement granted to an executive as an incentive to stay in their job, or to ensure long-term cooperation after their departure.
screw loose
If someonehas a screw loose,their behaviour is strange and they appear slightly mad.
(not) holdwater
If an explanation or argumentdoes not hold water, it does not stand up to critical examination and can be shown to be unfounded.
byhookor by crook
If you say that you will do somethingby hook or by crook,you mean that you will succeed in doing it in whatever way is necessary, whether it is honest or not.
play second fiddle
If youplay second fiddleto another person, you accept to be second in importance to that person, or have a lower position.
force someone’s hand
If youforce someone’s hand,you make them do something unwillingly or sooner than planned.
one in the eye
If an event or development is an unexpected defeat or disappointment for someone, it isone in the eyefor that person.
white lie
If youtell a white lie,you say something which is not true in order to protect someone or to avoid hurting their feelings.
crack the whip
If youcrack the whip, you use your authority to make someone obey you or work more efficiently, usually by threatening them.
show someone the ropes
If youshow someone the ropes,you teach or explain to them how to do a particular job.
blot one’s copy-book
Someone whoblots their copy-bookdoes something to spoil their good record or reputation.
strike while the iron is hot
If youstrike while the iron is hot,you act immediately because now is the ideal time to do it.
know which side your bread is buttered
If you knowwhich side your bread is buttered, you know where your interests lie or what will be to your advantage.
sweet nothings
Pleasant but unimportant words that lovers say to each other are calledsweet nothings.
all youreggsin one basket
If you haveall your eggs in one basket, you depend on one plan or one source of income.
nothing succeeds like success
This expression means that success often leads to further successes.
make a song and dance
If someone complains in an annoying way or becomes unnecessarily excited about something unimportant, theymake a song and dance about it.
put through one’s paces
If you putsomeone or something through their paces,you test their ability to do something by making them perform certain actions.
close as anoyster
Someone who isas close as an oysterwill never reveal something told in confidence or betray a secret.
for thetimebeing
If you talk about how a situation isfor the time being,you mean that it is temporary and will probably change in the future.
gohaywire
If somethinggoes haywire, it becomes disorganised or goes out of control.
get the show on the road
If you manage to put a plan or idea into action, youget the show on the road.
hold all the aces
A person whoholds all the acesis in a very strong position because they have more advantages than anyone else.
go through the mill
If yougo through the mill, you experience a very difficult period, or are exposed to rough treatment.
sail through
If yousail through something, for example a test or an exam, you succeed in doing it without difficulty.
drastic times call for drastic measures
When faced with a difficult situation, it is sometimes necessary to take actions which in normal circumstances would appear extreme After Johnny’s third accident, his father confiscated his car.
while the going is good
If you take actionwhile the going is good, you do something before the situation changes and it is no longer possible.
no end
This expression is another way of saying ‘very much’.
fit the bill
If someone or somethingfits the bill, they are exactly right for a particular situation.
do the trick
If somethingdoes the trick, it does exactly what is needed, or achieves the desired effect.
stand up for
When you defend or support a person, a belief or an idea, youstand up forthem.
tighten your belt
If you need totighten your belt,you must spend your money carefully because there is less available.
dead as a dodo
To say that something is (as)dead as a dodomeans that it is unquestionably dead or obsolete, or has gone out of fashion.
boil the ocean
To boil the ocean means to waste time on a task or project that is unnecessary, not worth doing or impossible to achieve.
out of thefrying pan into the fire
This expression means to go from one difficult situation to another one which is usually even worse.
go off the deep end
A person whogoes off the deep endbecomes suddenly very angry or emotional.
get coldfeet
If youget cold feetabout something, you begin to hesitate about doing it; you are no longer sure whether you want to do it or not.
fight an uphill battle
A person faced withan uphill battlehas to struggle against very unfavourable circumstances.
shank’s pony
If you go somewhere onShank’s pony,you have to walk rather than travel by bus, car, etc.
make nobonesabout it
If youmake no bonesabout something, you don’t hesitate to say something in a frank and open way.
that’s the way the ball bounces
VALUE!
quick temper
Someone who has aquick tempergets angry very easily.
blow away the cobwebs
If somethingblows away the cobwebs, it makes you feel more lively and refreshes your ideas.
make a killing
If you say that someone hasmade a killingyou mean that they have had great financial success.
out of your depth
If you areout of your depth, you are in a situation which is too difficult for you, or which you know little about.
risklifeand limb
If yourisk life and limb,you are in danger of death or serious injury.
throwpearlsto pigs/ cast pearls before swine
This expression means that it is wasteful to offer something valuable or useful to someone who does not understand or appreciate it.
step on someone’s toes
If you annoy or irritate someone by intervening in a situation that is their responsibility, youstep on their toes.
strike a false note
If youstrike a false note,you do something wrong or inappropriate.
on theoff-chance
If you do somethingon the off chance, you think there might be a slight possibility of success.
break the mould
If you change what people expect from a (traditional) situation, especially by doing something original, youbreak the mould.
work your fingers to the bone
A person whoworks their fingers to the boneis extremely hardworking.
just what the doctor ordered
If something isjust what the doctor ordered, it is extremely pleasant and will help you feel better.
give the shirt off one’s back
This expression is used to describe a kind-hearted or generous person who would give you anything he/she owns to help you.
talknineteento the dozen
Someone whotalks nineteen to the dozenspeaks very quickly.
of the firstwater
Something that isof the first wateris of the finest or most exceptional quality (like being compared to a diamond).
stop dead in one’s tracks
If youstop dead in your tracks,you stop suddenly because you are frightened or totally surprised.
beyond the shadow of adoubt
This expression is used to indicate absolute certainty about something.
abbreviated piece of nothing
This slang expression refers to someone who is considered to be insignificant or worthless.
spread like wildfire
If something such as news, rumours or gossipspreads like wildfire, it becomes widely known very fast.
pot calling the kettle black
This expression is used in a situation where a person with a fault criticizes someone else for having the same fault.
open secret
A fact that is supposed to be a secret but is actually widely known is called anopen secret.
earn while you learn
This expression refers to the possibility of earning a salary while in training.
in essence
The termin essencemeans ‘basically’, fundamentally’ or ‘essentially’ and refers to the most important or essential facts.
take to something like a duck to water
If youtake to something like a duck to water,you do it naturally and easily, without fear or hesitation.
eat someone alive
If you criticize someone severely because you are angry with them, youeat them alive.
make a beeline for
If youmake a beelinefor something, you hurry directly towards it.
look daggers
Someone wholooks daggersat another looks at them very angrily.
for that matter
This term is used to add something that is also true.
juggling act
If you doa juggling act,you try to do different things in a way that is satisfactory for all concerned.
have kittens
To say that you’re going tohave kittensis a dramatic way of expressing worry, anxiety or fear.
against one’s better judgement
If you do something, even though you feel it is not a sensible thing to do, you do itagainst your better judgement.
throw money at
If youthrow money at something, you try to solve a problem by spending money on it, without using any other methods.
lie way in/out
If you obtain something or get out of a situation by telling lies, youlie your way inoroutof it.
chill out
When peoplechill out, often after a period of heavy work or nervous tension, they do something that helps them to calm down and relax for a while.
turn a blind eye
If youturn a blind eyeto something, you pretend not to notice what someone is doing.
your guess is as good as mine
When talking to another person,your guess is as good as minemeans that neither of you knows the answer.
slice of the cake
When people feel entitled to a share of the profits or benefits, they want a (larger)slice of the cake.
tomorrow’s another day
This expression means that even if everything is not satisfactory at present, there will be opportunity for things to improve.
wear out one’s welcome
If someonewears out their welcome, they stay too long as a guest, causing inconvenience to their host.
get one’s just deserts
When someone gets their just deserts, they are rewarded or punished according to what they deserve.
out like a light
If a person isout like a light,they are so tired that they fall asleep very quickly.
in essence
The term ‘in essence’ means ‘basically’, fundamentally’ or ‘essentially’, and refers to the most important or essential facts.
make or break
Circumstances or events that willmake or breaksomeone or something will cause either total success or total ruin.
right/wrongfoot
To get off (or start off) on theright/wrong footmeans to start a relationship well or badly.
get your feet wet
If youget your feet wet, you start to do something new or unfamiliar or explore new territory for the first time.
champagne taste on a beer budget
Someone who likes expensive things that they cannot afford haschampagne taste on a beer budget.
dead duck
This expression refers to a project or scheme which has been abandoned or is certain to fail.
over-egg the pudding
If you try to improve something excessively by adding unnecessary details,you over-egg the pudding.
whiz kid
Awhiz kidis someone, usually young, who is very talented and successful at doing something.
live to fight another day
This expression means that even though you have had a negative experience, you will have another chance in the future to try again.
other side of the coin
When you want to mention a different or contradictory aspect of a situation, you refer tothe other side of the coin.
when in Rome, do as the Romans do
This expression means that you should adopt the customs of the people or country you are visiting, and behave in the same way.
iron fist/hand
This expression is used to describe someone who, behind an appearance of gentleness, is inflexible and determined.
smoke signals
To say that there aresmoke signalsmeans that there are indications that something is probably going to happen.
murphy’s law
Referring toMurphy’s lawexpresses a sentiment of bad luck and the idea that if anything can go wrong, it will.
in thenickof time
If something happensin the nick of time,it happens at the last minute, when it is nearly too late.
say a mouthful
Ifyou make an important or lengthy remark, yousay a mouthful.
why keep adogand bark yourself?
This expression means that if someone or something can do a task for you, there’s no reason to do it yourself.
send packing
If yousend someone packing,you tell them to leave, in a very forceful and unfriendly way.
in the first place
Something that is done orsaid in the first placeis done or said at the beginning, before anything else.
put in one’s place
If someone causes offence or irritation by speaking or behaving in an inappropriate manner, youput them in their placeby letting them know that they are not as important as they seem to believe.
wrapped up in
If youwrapped up inan activity, you are totally concentrated on it.
pull (someone’s) leg
If youpull somebody’s leg,you tease them by telling them something that is not true.
make your way to
If youmake your wayto a destination, you manage to get there without difficulty.
run atautship
When a group or organisation is run in a well-ordered and disciplined manner, the person in chargeruns a taut (ortight)ship.
(like the)backof one’s hand
If you know something like the back of your hand, you are very familiar with it and know it in detail.
a rude awakening
If you geta rude awakening, you are forced to accept the unpleasant truth or reality.
