2000s Flashcards

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1
Q

Blow one’s top / blow one’s stack

A

To be very angry

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2
Q

A cock and bull story

A

A fanciful and unbelievable tale

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3
Q

Find one’s feet

A

To grow in confidence in a new situation as one gains experience.

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4
Q

Call it a night

A

To go to bed to sleep

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5
Q

The tip of the iceberg

A

Only a small part of a much larger problem

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6
Q

Below par / under par

A

Average or normal amount, degree, health or condition

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7
Q

From pillar to post

A

To and fro

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8
Q

Hang up on

A

To end a telephone call

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9
Q

Turn someone on

A

To create feeling of excitement, interest, lust, pleasure

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10
Q

Turn someone off

A

To create feelings of dislike, repulsion, disgust etc

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11
Q

By and by

A

After a while, soon

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12
Q

The team meanings

A

Some articles that match your query

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13
Q

To kick the bucket

A

Die

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14
Q

To push to the walls

A

To place in a desperate or extreme position

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15
Q

To read between the lines

A

Find the real message in what you’re reading or hearing

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16
Q

To be at daggers drawn

A

Very angry and close to violence

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17
Q

To throw down the gauntlet

A

Declare or issue a challenge

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18
Q

To be Greek / it’s all Greek to me

A

It is beyond my comprehension

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19
Q

To stand on ceremony

A

To behave in a formal or ceremonious manner

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20
Q

From the horse’s mouth

A

To hear it directly from the person concerned or responsible

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21
Q

Have a heavy cross to bear

A

To have a difficult problem to deal with that causes you worry or anxiety

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22
Q

Take aback

A

Surprise, shock

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23
Q

Take after

A

Follow the example of, resemble in appearance, temperature or character

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24
Q

Take for

A

To regard as

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25
Q

Take ill

A

Become ill

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26
Q

Take off

A

Remove

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27
Q

Take off

A

To decrease the amount

(He took 20% off the price)

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28
Q

Take oneself off

A

Leave, go away

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29
Q

Take over

A

Assume control, management, possession of

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30
Q

Take to

A

To go away to a place to escape

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31
Q

Take to task

A

To criticise

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32
Q

Take to one’s heels

A

Run away

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33
Q

Take with a pinch of salt

A

Skeptically, with reservations

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34
Q

Kick the bucket

A

To die

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35
Q

Bolt from the blue

A

Unexpectedly and suddenly

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36
Q

Put your foot down

A

Make a firm stand

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37
Q

Worth your salt

A

Deserving respect

38
Q

Down the drain

A

Being lost or wasted

39
Q

Be all ears

A

Acutely attentive

40
Q

Swan song

A

Final achievement, public appearance

41
Q

Cheek by jowl

A

Very close together

42
Q

In a nutshell

A

Concise, in a few words

43
Q

Give me five

A

To match palm of your hand with someone

44
Q

To bring grist to the mill

A

Something that is useful to someone for a particular purpose

45
Q

Set one’s cap

A

Pursue someone romantically

46
Q

To draw the longbow

A

Exaggerate

47
Q

Send a person to Coventry

A

To ostracise, systematically ignore someone

48
Q

Beer and skittles

A

All fun and pleasure

49
Q

Acid test

A

A decisive and critical test

50
Q

Skeleton in the cupboard

A

An embarrassing fact that someone wishes to keep secret

51
Q

To a mare’s nest

A

Very complicated situation

52
Q

Keep one’s nose to the grindstone

A

To work hard for a long period of time without stopping

53
Q

Knock someone for a loop / throw someone for a loop

A

To shock or surprise someone

54
Q

Letter perfect

A

Correct in all detail

55
Q

Off the wall

A

Unusual and amusing

56
Q

Out to lunch

A

Crazy or out of touch

57
Q

Salt something away

A

Save something for future, secretly and usually dishonestly

58
Q

Take someone to the cleaners

A

To defeat someone completely

59
Q

Wear the pants

A

Be dominant partner in a relationship

60
Q

Twiddle your thumbs

A

To do nothing

61
Q

Vamp up

A

Repair and improve something

62
Q

Whittle something away

A

To make something gradually decrease in value

63
Q

Winkle out

A

To get something out of place or position

64
Q

Give someone the bum’s rush

A

To eject forcibly

65
Q

Loom Large

A

To be worrying or frightening and seem hard to avoid

The possibility of civil war loomed large on the horizon

66
Q

Besetting sin

A

A fault to which a person is especially prone

67
Q

To hang fire

A

Delay

68
Q

To put a lid on / keep a lid on

A

To keep something secret to, to keep something under control

69
Q

Flavour of the month

A

Temporarily popular

70
Q

Zero hour

A

The time when something important is to start

71
Q

Gloom and doom

A

The feeling that a situation is bad and is not likely to improve

72
Q

To pig out

A

Eat ravenously, gorge oneself

73
Q

Bag people

A

Homeless people

74
Q

Compassion fatigue

A

A weariness of and diminishing public response to frequent requests for charity

75
Q

Not mince matters

A

Moderate and restraint one’s language to be polite

76
Q

Blow one’s too

A

Lose one’s temper

77
Q

A cock and bull story

A

An unbelievable tale that is intended to deceive

78
Q

Find one’s feet

A

To gain confidence in a new situation with experience

79
Q

Call it a night

A

To go to bed to sleep

80
Q

The tip of the iceberg

A

Only a small part of a much larger problem

81
Q

Below par / under par

A

Average or normal amount

82
Q

From pillar to post

A

To and fro

83
Q

Hang up on

A

To end telephone call

84
Q

Turn someone on

A

To create feeling of excitement, interest, lust

85
Q

Turn someone off

A

To create feelings of dislike, repulsion, disgust

86
Q

Leave in the lurch

A

Abandon or desert

87
Q

Hand and fast

A

Not to be changed

88
Q

Weather the storm

A

Wait until situation improves

89
Q

Bear the brunt

A

put up with the worst of a Bad situation

90
Q

Meet halfway

A

To compromise with someone

91
Q

Where the shoe pinches

A

Source of trouble, grief, difficulty