1001-1200 Flashcards
old chestnut
A story, joke or an idea that has been repeated so often that it has lost its novelty is referred to as an ‘old chestnut’.
time is ticking away
The expression’time is ticking away’can be used when you see the minutes or seconds going by as the clock ticks, especially when you are waiting anxiously for something to happen.
slipped my mind
If something hasslipped your mind,you have forgotten about it.
first and foremost
This expression is used to state what you consider to be more important than anything else.
dumb as an oyster
Someone who is asdumb as an oyster will never reveal something told in confidence or betray a secret.
loose cannon
Someone who is referred to asa loose cannoncannot be completely trusted because of unpredictable and irresponsible behaviour which can cause trouble.
pay dividends
If something you dopays dividends,it brings advantages or rewards at a later date.
go through theroof
If someonegoes through the roof,they become very angry.
sink your teeth into
If yousink your teeth into something,you do it with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
have a ball
If youhave a ballyou enjoy yourself immensely.
give a run for money
If yougive someone a run for their money, you present strong competition in circumstances where the other person expects to win easily.
open the kimono
If a person or organisationopens the kimono,they reveal something previously hidden.
upper crust
This term refers to the higher levels of society, the upper class or the aristocracy.
vim and vigour
If you are full ofvim and vigour,you have lots of vitality, energy and enthusiasm.
butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth
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.
bitten by the bug
If you develop a sudden interest or enthusiasm for something, you arebitten by the bug.
get the sack
If someonegets the sack, they lose their job, usually because they have done something wrong.
take a fancy
If youtake a fancyto someone or something, you develop a fondness for them or begin to like them.
put through theirpaces
If youputsomeone or somethingthrough their paces, you test their ability to do something by making them perform certain actions.
no-brainer
A decision or choice that requires little or no thought, because the best option is so obvious, is called ano-brainer.
golden parachute
Agolden parachuteis a clause in an executive’s employment contract stating that the executive will receive certain large benefits if their employment is terminated.
in the heat of the moment
If you say or do somethingin the heat of the moment, you say or do it without pausing to think, at a time when you are experiencing unusually strong emotions such as anger, excitement, etc.
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
A person who isbright-eyed and bushy-tailedis very enthusiastic and full of energy.
brown as a berry
To say that someone is asbrown as a berrymeans that they are very tanned.
burn the candle at both ends
If youburn the candle at both ends, you exhaust yourself by doing too much, especially going to bed late and getting up early.
sail close to the wind
If yousail close to the wind,you do something dangerous or act just within the limits of what is legal or acceptable.
clock in/out
When youclock inorout, you record the time you arrive or leave your job by punching a time clock to show the number of hours you have worked.
(no) quick fix
To say that there is noquick fixto a problem means that there is no simple solution.
come what may
If you declare that you will do somethingcome what may, you are saying that you will do it whatever the consequences may be.
ball and chain
This term refers to a burden or problem that ties you down and prevents you from doing what you want.
keep finger on pulse
If youkeep a finger on the pulse, you are constantly aware of the most recent events or developments.
close (/dumb) as an oyster
Someone who is asclose( or ‘dumb’)as an oysterwill never reveal something told in confidence, or betray a secret.
give someone theslip
If yougive somebody the slip,you manage to hide or get away from the person who is following you.
put the kibosh on
If you do something to prevent a plan or activity from happening or developing, youput the kibosh on it.
vicious circle
When the solution to a problem creates another problem similar to the original, or makes it worse, so that the process starts all over again, the situation is calleda vicious circle.
ram down someone’s throat
If youram something down someone’s throat, you force them to accept something against their will.
head in the clouds
If youhave your head in the clouds, you are so absorbed by your thoughts that you are not paying attention to what is happening around you.
run with the hare and hunt with the hounds
If yourun with the hare and hunt with the hounds,you want to stay on friendly terms with both sides in a quarrel.
yellow bellied
A person who isyellow-belliedis cowardly, or not at all brave.
allmouthand no trousers
This is said of someone who talks a lot about doing something but never actually does it.
seered
If someonesees red, they suddenly become very angry or annoyed.
playgooseberry
If youplay gooseberry, you join or accompany two people who have a romantic relationship and want to be alone.
much ado about nothing
When peoplemake much ado about nothing, they make a lot of fuss about something which is not important.
jump the gun
If youjump the gun, you do something too soon or take premature action based on incomplete information.
perish the thought
This expression is used when the speaker really hopes that something will not happen.
law onto themselves
If someone isa law onto themselves, they do things their own way and ignore what is generally considered as acceptable.
ready and waiting
Something or someone that isready and waitingis prepared and available for a particular task or occasion.
on somebody’s tail
If you areon somebody’s tail, you are following them closely.
build bridges
If a personbuilds bridgesbetween opposing groups, they help them to cooperate and understand each other better.
wet blanket
A person who isa wet blanketis so boring or unenthusiastic that they prevent others from enjoying themselves.
bigfishin a small pond
This term refers to an important or highly-ranked person in a small group or organisation.
(not) mince words
Someone who doesnot mince their wordsexpresses their opinions, ideas or thoughts very clearly, even if they offend others by doing so.
keep the lid on
If youkeep the lid on something,you hide it or control it to prevent people from finding out about it.
fly in the ointment
Afly in the ointmentrefers to something that prevents a situation from being completely satisfactory.
touch wood / knock on wood
This humorous expression, based on superstition, is used to avoid bad luck, often while touching something made of wood.
hang up one’s boots
When a sports playerhangs up their boots, they stop playing and retire.
cut one’s losses
If you end or withdraw from something that is already failing, in order to reduce the loss of money, time or effort invested in it, youcut your losses.
bad egg
Someone who is abad eggis an untrustworthy person often involved in trouble whose company should be avoided.
why keep a dog and bark yourself
This expression means that if someone or something can do a task for you, there’s no reason to do it yourself.
get someone’s goat
Something thatget someone’s goatannoys or irritates them.
your wish is my command
This is a humoristic way of saying that you are willing to do whatever the other person asks.
basket case
A person whose agitated mental state leaves them helpless or unable to cope with things is called abasket case.
shelf life
If something such as food, drink or medicine has a particularshelf life, it must be used or sold before the end of that period of time.
out of the question
Something which isout of the questionis impossible and is therefore not worth discussing.
make the cut
If youmake the cut,you reach a required standard or succeed in passing from one round of a competition to another.
turn up like a bad penny
If someoneturns up like a bad penny,they appear at a place or event where they are not welcome or not wanted.
no-brainer
A decision or choice that requires little or no thought, because the best option is so obvious, is called ano-brainer.
ego trip
If you do something primarily to draw attention to yourself and feel important or superior to others, you areon an ego trip.
signed, sealed, and delivered
When an agreement, contract or treaty issigned, sealed and delivered, all the legal documents are in order.
in fits and starts
If you do somethingin fits and starts, you do it in an irregular manner, often stopping and starting again.
weigh your words
Ifyouweigh your words,you choose your words carefully in order to express exactly what you mean and avoid any misunderstanding.
bundle of nerves
If you describe someone as abundle of nerves, you mean that they are very nervous, tense or worried.
make a pig of
If youmake a pig of yourself, you eat and drink too much.
two-time someone
If one persontwo-timesanother, they cheat on their partner by having a romantic relationship with another person at the same time.
of all people
To use the term’of all people’emphasizes that the person you mention, more than anyone else, is the one you would expect to do something.
upset the applecart
If youupset(or overturn)the applecart, you spoil a satisfactory plan or situation.
cook the books
A person whocooks the booksis one who changes the facts or figures in the financial accounts, often in order to steal money.
walk oneggshells
If youwalk on eggshellswith someone, you are careful not to hurt or offend them.
let somethingride
When you decide to do nothing about a particular situation and allow it to remain as it is, youlet it ride.
free as a bird
If someone is asfree as a bird, they are completely free to do as they please.
keep up appearances
A person whokeeps up appearancesmaintains an outward show of prosperity or well-being in order to hide their difficulties from others.
even steven
Two or more people who areeven stevensare equal to each other.
stink to high heaven
If something has a very strong unpleasant smell, itstinks to high heaven.
Christmas comes but once a year
This expression means that Christmas is a time of celebration that only happens once a year, and that we should mark the occasion by being generous to others, especially the less fontunate.
answer for something
If someone has toanswer for something, they have to accept responsibility for their actions.
do a disappearing act
If someonedoes a disappearing act, they simply vanish, especially if they have done something wrong or dishonest.
string someone along
If youstring someone along,you deliberately mislead them about your intentions.
a plum job
A desirable position which is well-paid and considered relatively easy is calleda plum job.
botch up/ make a botch of
If you spoil something, or make a mess of it, by doing a job badly or incorrectly, youmake a botch of itor youbotch it up.
slippery as an eel
To say that someone is asslippery as an eelmeans that they are difficult to catch and they manage to avoid answering questions.
in a class of one’s own
If someone isin a class of their own, they are unequalled and considered better than anyone else of their kind.
think on your feet
A person whothinks on their feetis capable of adjusting rapidly to new developments and making quick decisions, Good lawyers need to be able to think on their feet when pleading a case.
in the interim
Something that happensin the interimtakes place during a period of time between two events.
miss theboat
If youmiss the boat, you fail to take advantage of an opportunity because you don’t act quickly enough.
ignorance is bliss
This means that if you don’t know about a problem or unpleasant fact, you won’t worry about it.
eat, sleep and breathe something
If youeat, sleep and breathesomething, you are so enthusiastic and passionate about it that you think about it constantly.
freeze someone out
If you deliberately isolate someone or prevent them from participating in a social or business activity by treating them unfairly or harshly, youfreeze them out.
in a quandary
If you arein a quandary,you find it difficult to decide what to do.
argue the toss
If youargue the toss, you dispute a decision or choice which has already been made.
wear many hats
Someone whowears many hatshas to do many different types of tasks or play a variety of roles.
I wasn’t born yesterday
This expression is used to indicate that you are not as foolish or as easily deceived as some people seem to think.
have ahangover
Tohave a hangover means to suffer from the unpleasant after-effects of drinking too much alcohol.
new to this game
To say that you arenew to this gamemeans that you have never been involved in this sort of activity before.
put it mildly
If youput it mildly,you express your opinion or reaction in a controlled way, without exaggeration.
out of the picture
To say that a person or group isout of the picturemeans that they have been eliminated in a contest or tournament.
shape of things to come
If something, such as a trend or fashion, is theshape of things to come,it is a sign of what is likely to be used or enjoyed by many people in the future.
get wise to something
If youget wise to something, you learn something that you were not aware of before.
fixed in your ways
People who arefixed in their waysdo not want to change their normal way of doing things.
beat one’s brain out
If someonebeats their brains out, they try very hard to understand something or solve a problem.
earmark something
If youearmark something, you assign it to a particular person or reserve it for a specific use.
put that in your pipe and smoke it
This expressions means that you have to accept what the speaker says, whether you like it or not.
highways and byways
If you travelthe highways and byways,you take large and small roads to visit every part of the country.
business is business
This is a way of saying that in financial and commercial matters, friendship or personal feelings should not be allowed to have any influence.
tied to apron strings
If one person istied to another’s apron strings,they remain dependent at an age when they should be independent.
cool one’s heels
If you are left tocool your heels,someone keeps you waiting.
out of the blue
If something happensout of the blue, it happens very unexpectedly.
pleased/proud as punch
Someone who is aspleased or as proud as punchis delighted or feels very satisfied about something.
the apple of your eye
A person, usually a child, who isthe apple of your eyeis one for whom you have great affection.
can’tfightthe city hall
This expression means that it is useless to try to win a battle against a politician, establishment or bureaucracy ingeneral.
fromsoupto nuts
If you do somethingfrom soup to nuts,you do it all the way through, from the beginning to the end (like from the first to the last course of a meal).
a kickback
This expression refers to money paid illegally for favourable treatment.
get into theswingof things
When youget into the swing of something, you become involved in it or get used to it and begin to enjoy it.
play games with someone
If you are not completely honest, or behave in a way that is insincere, evasive or intentionally misleading, you areplaying games with someone.
wouldn’t be caught dead/seen dead
If someone says that theywouldn’t be caught or seen deadin a particular place or doing something, they mean that they would be too ashamed or embarrassed.
afraid of one’s own shadow
A person who isafraid of his/her own shadowis very nervous or easily frightened.
smart alec
Asmart alecis an annoying self-assertive person who tries to show off how clever they are.
middle of the road (MOR)
This term refers to anything moderate, unadventurous or inoffensive that avoids extremes and appeals to the majority of people.
off colour
If you areoff colour,you look or feel ill.
tread water
If you aretreading water,your situation remains stationary in spite of your efforts, with no sign of any progress.
hop, skip and jump
To say that a thing or place is onlya hop, skip and a jumpaway from another means that they are very close to each other.
snug as a bug in a rug
This is a humorous way of saying that you are warm and comfortable.
face the music
If you have toface the music,you have to accept the unpleasant consequences of your actions.
also-ran
This term refers to an unsuccessful competitor whose performance is so much poorer than the winner’s that it appears insignificant.
ball is in your court
If theball is in your court, it is your turn to speak or act next.
in fullswing
When an event getsinto full swing,it is at its busiest or liveliest time.
that’s the way the ball bounces
Things don’t always work out as planned, and there’s nothing we can do about it - that’s life.
cash cow
A product or service which is a regular source of income for a company is called acash cow.
a doddle
If a task or activity isa doddle, it is very easy to do or perform.
step into someone’s shoes
If youstep into someone’s shoes,you take over a job or position held by someone else before you.
crash course
If you do acrash course,you do an intensive training course in order to obtain quick results.
child’s play
If something is referred to aschild’s play, it is considered to be simple or easy to do.
crystal clear
A statement or expression that is easy to understand or has an obvious meaning iscrystal clearor asclear as crystal.
against the clock
If you do somethingagainst the clock,you are rushed and have very little time to do it.
bet your bottom dollar
If youbet your bottom dollaron something, you are absolutely certain of it.
spell trouble
If somethingspells trouble, it signifies possible problems in the future.
(by the)lookof things
This expression is used to express an opinion based on what you actually see.
till the cows come home
If you say’till the cows come home’you mean for a long time or forever.
back of beyond
An isolated place located far from any town is said to be in the back of beyond.
sow seeds of suspicion
If someone’s behaviour, or something they say,sows the seeds of suspicion, it leads people to suspect that they are guilty.
go for a song
If somethinggoes for a song,it is sold at an unexpectedly low price.
break the back of the beast
If someonebreaks the back of the beast, they succeed in overcoming a major difficulty.
refresh someone’s memory
If yourefresh someone’s memory,you remind them of facts they seem to have forgotten.
on the cards (US :inthe cards)
Something which ison the cardsis planned and likely to happen.
otherside of the coin
When you want to mention a different or contradictory aspect of a situation, you refer tothe other side of the coin.
mixed feelings
When you havemixed feelingsabout something, you react to it with conflicting emotions; you are happy and unhappy at the same time.
get away withmurder
Someone whogets away with murdercan do something unacceptable without being punished or criticized.
let ride
When you decide to do nothing about a particular situation and allow it to remain as it is, youlet it ride.
save your bacon
If yousave someone’s bacon,you rescue them from a dangerous or difficult situation.
wild goose chase
If someone is sent on awild goose chase, they waste their time looking for something that there is little chance of finding.
grey existence
To have agrey existencemeans to lead a dull, monotonous life.
pedal to metal
When youput the pedal to the metal,you accelerate or make something go faster.
pull strings
If someonepulls strings,they use influential friends in order to obtain an advantage.
whole caboodle whole kit and caboodle
This expression means ‘everything’.
gravy train
If someone ison the gravy train,they have found an easy way to make money, one that requires little effort and is without risk.
out of sorts
If someone isout of sorts,they are upset and irritable or not feeling well.
call theshots
If youcall the shots,you are in command of the situation and make all the important decisions.
facts speak for themselves
When the facts of a situation are so clear that no further explanation or extra details are necessary, thefacts speak for themselves.
keep at arm’s length
If youkeep someone at arm’s length, you do not allow yourself to become too friendly with them.
red carpet
Toroll out the red carpetmeans to give special treatment to an important or honoured visitor.
lowprofile
A person who keepsa low profiletries not to attract public attention.
take with a grain of salt
To say that certain information should betaken with a grain of saltmeans that you doubt its accuracy.
virtue is its own reward
The knowledge that you have done the right thing, or that you have acted in a moral way, is sufficient reward and you should not expect more.
dice with death
If you put your life at risk by doing something very dangerous, youdice with death.
follow in someone’s footsteps
If youfollow in someone’s footsteps, for example a parent, you lead a similar life or do the same job.
beyond any reasonable doubt
This is a legal expression which means that something is certain.
poker face
Someone who hasa poker facehas an expressionless face that shows no emotion or reaction at all.
spread one’s wings
When someonespreads their wings,they become independent, begin to use their abilities and develop their interests.
let sleeping dogs lie
If you tell someone tolet sleeping dogs lie, you are asking them not to interfere with a situation because they could cause problems.
all sizzle and no steak
Someone or something that turns out to be disappointing, after a promotional campaign or marketing operation which led us to expect something better, is calledall sizzle and no steak.
lick someone’s boots
To say that one person islicking another’s bootsmeans that they are trying to please that person, often in order to obtain something.
honeymoon is over
To say that thehoneymoon is overmeans that the initial period of friendship and cooperation between people, groups or organisations has ended.
put head on the block
If you put yourself in a dangerous situation where you risk losing your job or your reputation if things go wrong, youput your head on the block.
get in hair
If you aregetting in someone’s hair, you are annoying them so much that they can’t get on with what they are doing.
ballpark figure
If someone gives aballpark figure, they give an approximate number or a rough estimate of the cost of something.
take a load off one’s mind
If somethingtakes a load(orweight)off someone’s mind,it brings great relief because a problem has been solved.
not give a hoot!
To say that you don’t or couldn’tgive a hootmeans that you don’t care at all about something.
in tatters
Something that is badly torn, in very poor condition or damaged beyond repair isin tatters.
scare out of one’s wits
If somethingscares you out of your wits,it makes you very frightened or worried.
bent out of shape
If you getbent out of shape, you become annoyed or upset about something that is usually not that important or cannot be avoided.
sound/smell fishy
If somethingsounds or smells fishy, you are suspicious about it.
why buy acowwhen you can get milk for free?
This refers to not paying for something that you can obtain for free.
come up in the world
A person who hascome up in the worldis richer than before and has a higher social status.
right as rain
If someone is(as) right as rain,they are in excellent health or condition.
in the first place
Someone that is donein the first placeis done at the beginning, before anything else.
get away with murder
Someone whogets away with murdercan do something unacceptable without being punished or criticized.
fire away
If you tell someone tofire away,you encourage them to begin to talk or ask questions.
drop someone a line
If youdrop someone a line, you write a letter to them.
of thefirstwater
Something that isof the first wateris of the finest or most exceptional quality (like being compared to a diamond).
get offscot-free
Someone whogets off scot-freeescapes the punishment they deserve.
red tape
The termred taperefers to official rules and bureaucratic paperwork that prevent things from being done quickly.
