1801-2000 Flashcards
blessing in disguise
This expression refers to something that is unpleasant at first but later turns out to have advantages.
toing and froing
Someone who istoing and froingis either repeatedly going from one place to another and coming back, or is constantly changing their mind about something.
dead cert
Something that is certain to happen or be achieved is adead cert.
slip of thetongue
Aslip of the tongueis a small spoken error or mistake.
dog’s breakfast
To describe something as adog’s breakfastmeans that it is a complete mess.
run a mile
Someone who is anxious to avoid somethingruns a mile.
drink like a fish
A person whodrinks like a fishis one who drinks a lot.
green with envy
Someone who isgreen with envyis a person who is very envious.
come in handy
To say that something maycome in handymeans that it may be useful some time or other.
cork something up
If youcork upyour feelings or emotions, you fail to show or express them.
set you back
The sum of money somethingsets you backis the amount it costs you.
put afingeron something
If you are able to identify or understand something such as the cause of a problem or the solution to it, youput your finger on it.
keepeyespeeled
Tokeep one’s eyes peeledmeans to watch out very carefully for something.
let thecatout of the bag
If youlet the cat out of the bag, you reveal a secret, generally not intentionally.
armchair critic
Anarmchair critic is someone who gives advice based on theory rather than practice.
dive in headfirst
If you begin something enthusiastically, without thinking about the possible consequences, youdive in headfirst.
look out for n°1
If you take care of yourself first, and look after your own interests rather than those of other people, youlook out for number one.
take yourcouragein both hands
If youtake your courage in both hands, you make yourself do something very brave.
throw caution to the wind
If youthrow caution to the wind, you start taking risks and stop worrying about the danger involved.
reach for the moon
If youreach for the moon, you are very ambitious and try to achieve something even if it is difficult.
out of character
If you do something that isout of character,it is unlike your usual behaviour or not what is expected from you.
piece of cake
To refer to something asa piece of cakemeans that you consider it to be very easy.
wear heart on sleeve
If youwear your heart on your sleeve,you allow others to see your emotions or feelings.
sterner stuff
If someone is made ofsterner stuff, they have a strong character and are better able to deal with difficulties than others.
smallpotatoes
Something that issmall potatoesis considered to be unimportant or insignificant.
get thehangof
When youget the hang ofan activity, you now know how to do it correctly.
onpins and needles
If you areonpins and needles, you are very anxious or nervous about what is going to happen.
mintcondition
Something that isin mint conditionis in such perfect condition that it looks new or as good as new.
walk a tightrope
If a person iswalking a tightrope,they are in a difficult or delicate situation where they must act carefully.
everydoghas its day
This expression means that everyone can be successful at something at some time in their life.
kill with kindness
When you are excessive in your efforts to be helpful or generous, you can harm someone, orkill them with kindness.
face only a mother could love
This is a humorous way of saying that someone is ugly or unattractive.
holier-than-thou
The attitude of people who consider themselves to be more virtuous or morally superior to others can be called’holier-than-thou’.
swishing (party)
Swishingis the name given to a recent fashion phenomenon - a party organised to swap second hand clothes.
lick into shape
If you make an effort to put someone or something into satisfactory condition or appearance, youlick them into shape.
wise up to
If youwise uporget wise tosomething, you become fully aware of the facts and are no longer fooled.
see red
If someonesees red, they suddenly become very angry or annoyed.
face themusic
If you have toface the music,you have to accept the unpleasant consequences of your actions.
labour of love
A task that is done for your own pleasure and satisfaction and not for reward or profit is called alabour of love.
like thecatthat ate the canary
If, after an achievement or success, a person seems very self-satisfied or pleased with themselves, you can say that theylook like the cat that ate the canary.
too much like hard work
An activity or task that requires too much effort istoo much like hard work.
your money’s worth
If you getyour money’s worth,you receive good value for the amount of money you spend.
wing it
Towing itmeans to improvise or to deal with a situation without preparation.
fight shy
If youfight shyof something, such as a task, a problem or a duty, you want to avoid doing it or you are unwilling to confront it.
in two shakes of a lamb’s tail
To do somethingin two shakes of a lamb’s tailmeans to do it very quickly.
(not) take no for an answer
Someone who willnot take no for an answeris very insistent in the way they make their request or offer and is unwilling to accept a refusal.
on second thoughts
On second thoughts’means that after giving the matter more thought, you have changed your mind.
pigs might fly
The expression’pigs might fly’expresses disbelief, or the idea that miracles might happen but are extremely unlikely.
beat/flog a dead horse
To say that someone isbeating a dead horsemeans that they are wasting time and effort trying to do or achieve something that is impossible.
until hell freezes over
If you tell someone that they can do somethinguntil hell freezes over,you mean that they can do it forever but they won’t obtain what they want.
bolt from the blue
To refer to something as abolt from the bluemeans that it happened totally unexpectedly.
ugly as sin
This expression is used to refer to people or things that are considered to be very unattractive.
dust bunnies
Dust bunniesare clumps of dust, usually found on the floor, in corners or under furniture, in places where the housework is not done regularly.
shake like a leaf
If youshake like a leaf,you tremble with fear or nervousness.
run rings/circles around
If you show much more skill or ability than your opponent, you run rings (or circles) around them.
get the picture
A person whogets the pictureunderstands what is being explained or described.
down in the mouth
When someone isdown in the mouth, they look unhappy, discouraged or depressed.
see eye to eye
If yousee eye to eyewith somebody, you agree with them.
cat nap
If you have a short sleep during the day, you have acat nap.
have your cake and eat it
To say that someone wants tohave their cake and eat itmeans that they want the advantages of two alternative situations when only one is possible.
cry one’s eyes out
If youcry your eyes out,you cry a lot and for a long time.
hell-bent on something
If you arehell-bent on doing something, you are recklessly determined to do it, even if it is dangerous or stupid.
false pretences
If you obtain somethingunder false pretences, you deceive others by lying about your identity, qualifications, financial or social position, in order to get what you want.
take it on the chin
When youtake it on the chin,you are brave and accept adversity, criticism or defeat without complaining.
weather the storm
If youweather the storm, you succeed in surviving a difficult period or situation.
there’s nothing to it
If you say thatthere’s nothing to it,you mean that something is very simple or easy to do.
salt of the earth
To describe someone asthe salt of the earthmeans that they are kind, honest and reliable.
fall into one’s lap
If something goodfalls into your lap, it happens to you without any effort on your part.
let sleepingdogslie
If you tell someone tolet sleeping dogs lie, you are asking them not to interfere with a situation because they could cause problems.
have the makings of
A person whohas the makings of somethinghas qualities and potential that could be developed.
cook somebody’s goose
Tocook somebody’s goosemeans to spoil that person’s chances of success.
lick/smack your lips
A person who islicking (orsmacking) their lipsis showing that they are excited about something and are eager for it to happen.
come to the crunch
To talk about what to do if or when a situationcomes to the crunchmeans when it becomes critical and a decision has to be made.
putmoneywhere mouth is
If youput your money where your mouth is,not only do you express your interest, you give financial support to causes that you believe in.
get off the ground
If youget something off the ground,you put it into operation after having organised it.
one too many
Someone who has hadone too manyhas drunk too much alcohol.
ring a bell
If somethingrings a bell,it sounds familiar, but you don’t remember the exact details.
in twominds
If you arein two mindsabout something, you have difficulty deciding what to do.
dead to the world
A person who isdead to the worldis fast asleep.
spitting image
If one person isthe spitting imageof another, they look exactly like each other.
