2401-2600 Flashcards
back-room boys
This term refers to people who do important work but have no contact with the public.
blue around the gills
If a person looksblue around gills, (orgreenorpale) they look unwell or sick.
pain in theneck
If you call someonea pain in the neck,you think they are very irritating or annoying.
happy as Larry
If you are (as)happy as Larry,you are very happy indeed.
besideyourself
If you arebeside yourself(with an emotion), you lose your self-control because of the intensity of the emotion you are feeling.
acquired taste
Something that you dislike when you first taste it, but begin to like after trying it several times, isan acquired taste.
back to the wall
If you have yourback to the wall, you are in serious difficulty.
in cahoots
If one person isin cahootswith another, they are working in close partnership, usually conspiring to do something dishonest.
tell someone a thing or two
If youtell someone a thing or two,you express you thoughts (usually criticism) very clearly.
foam at the mouth
Someone whofoams at the mouthis extremely angry about something.
stormy relationship
If you havea stormy relationshipwith someone, you have a lot of arguments and disagreements.
hearton sleeve
If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you allow others to see your emotions or feelings.
smoke like a chimney
Someone who smokes a large amount of tobacco on a regular basis is said tosmoke like a chimney.
tickledpink
If you aretickled pink,you are very pleased about something.
chase you (own) tail
Someone who ischasing their (own) tailis spending a lot of time and energy doing many things but achieving very little.
not in the same league
If something isnot in the same league,it is of much lower standard than something else.
head screwed on
Someone whohas their head screwedon is a sensible and realistic person.
disaster written all over
If something, such as a plan or idea, hasdisaster written all overit, it is thought to be heading for complete failure, or will cause a lot of trouble.
tough cookie
A person who is atough cookieis one who is self-confident and ambitious and will do what is necessary to get what they want.
horse of a different colour
To describe a person or a problem asa horse of a different colourmeans either that the person does things differently from others, or that the nature of the problem is entirely different.
paddle own canoe
If youpaddle your own canoe,you do what you want to do without help or interference from anyone.
middle of nowhere
If a place isin the middle of nowhere, it is in a remote area, far from towns, villages or houses.
test the waters
If youtest the water(s), you try to find out how acceptable or successful something is before becoming involved in it.
fit to be tied
If you arefit to be tied, you areextremely irritated, upset or angry.
black sheep
Theblack sheepis one who behaves very differently or badly, and is considered disreputable by the other members of the family.
under one’s belt
If you have somethingunder your belt,you have acquired experience or have satisfactorily achieved something.
proof of the pudding
This expression means that something new can only be judged after it has been tested.
move the goalposts
During a course of action, if someonemoves the goalpoststhey change the rules or conditions.
deck out
If youdeck outsomeone or something, you dress or decorate them in a special way.
scratch the surface
When you onlyscratch the surface of a problem or subject, you deal with only a small part of it.
root and branch
If an action is performed thoroughly or completely, it is done’root and branch’.
memory/brain like a sieve
Someone who has amemory (orbrain) like a sievehas a very bad memory and forgets things easily.
two peas in a pod
Two people who arelike two peas in a podare very similar in appearance.
politically correct
When people arepolitically correct,they carefully choose the language they use in order to avoid offending particular groups of people.
putwordsin someone’s mouth
If you claim that someone has said something, or suggest what they should say, you areputting words in their mouth.
miss the point
If youmiss the pointyou fail to understand the essential part of what has been said.
never a dull moment
When there isnever a dull moment,something is always changing or happening.
small fry
People or organisations that are considered unimportant can be referred to assmall fry.
clear the way
If youclear the way,you allow something to happen by removing what was preventing it.
open doors to/for
If somethingopens doors, it provides opportunities or possibilities for the future.
throw pearls to pigs
This expression means that it is wasteful to offer something valuable or useful to someone who does not understand or appreciate it.
throw a wobbly/wobbler
When someone, usually a capricious person,throws a wobbly, they have a fit of nerves or bad temper and lose all self-control.
there for the taking
If something isthere for the taking,it is easy to obtain.
disappear into thin air
If someone or somethingdisappears into thin air, they vanish in a mysterious way.
neither fish nor fowl
People or things that are difficult to classify because they are neither one thing nor another are ‘neither fish nor fowl’.
words fail me
This expression is often used when someone is so shocked, surprised or touched by something that they don’t know what to say.
count your blessings
If youcount your blessings, you focus your thoughts on all the good things in your life rather than on the negative ones.
live a lie
If you spend your life hiding something important about yourself, or inventing something which is not true, youlive a lie.
dyed-in-the-wool
This expression is used to describe a person who has fixed, uncompromising, deep-felt beliefs to which they are committed.
low-hanging fruit
To refer to something as alow-hanging fruitmeans that it is a target that can be easily reached, or a goal that can be accomplished with a minimum of effort.
go with the flow
If yougo with the flow, you follow the general tendency and go along with whatever happens.
more than meetseye
This expression means that something is more complicated or more interesting than it first appears.
die with one’s boots on
A person whodies with their boots ondies while still leading an active life.
blue chip company
This term refers to a company with a solid reputation for the quality of its products and the stability of its growth and earnings.
on ashoestring
If you do somethingon a shoestring,you do it with very little money.
read betweenlines
Toread between the linesmeans to understand the real meaning of what is written or said, without need for any further detail.
below thebelt
An action or remark described asbelow the beltis considered to be unfair or cruel.
sound hollow
If an explanation, apology or promisesounds hollow,it seems false or insincere.
not for all theteain China
To say that you wouldnot do something for all the tea in Chinameans that you would not do it under any conditions.
send about one’s business
If you tell someone, in an irritated or unfriendly way, to go away, yousend them about their business.
put the squeeze on
If youput the squeeze onsomeone, you put pressure on them to force them to do something.
French leave
If you leave an official or social event without notifying the person who invited you, youtake French leave.
pouroilon troubled waters
If a personpours oil on troubled waters,they do or say something to calm a tense situation.
tried and tested
If a method has beentried and tested,it can be trusted because it has been used successfully in the past and is known to work.
chickens come home to roost
If you say thatchickens have come home to roost, you mean that bad or embarrassing things done in the past by someone are now causing problems for that person.
here today, gone tomorrow
This is said of something which appears and disappears very quickly, or does not last long, The shops in this area change very often - here today, gone tomorrow.
bold as brass
Someone who is as bold as brass behaves without shame or embarrassment.
by degrees
If something happens or developsby degrees, it happens gradually or little by little as time goes by.
not up to scratch
Something which isnot up to scratchfails to reach the expected standard.
in seventh heaven
If you arein seventh heaven,you are extremely happy.
dip toes in the water/ get one’s feet wet
If youdip your toes in the water, orget your feet wet, you start to do something new or unfamiliar, or explore new territory for the first time.
swings and roundabouts
What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.
left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing
To say that’the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing’means that within a group or organisation, communication is so bad that one person doesn’t know what another person is doing.
cat can look at a king
This expression means that nobody is so important that an ordinary person cannot look at or be curious about them.
far cry from something
If one thing is afar cryfrom something else, they are very different from each other, especially in quality or size.
drag one’sfeet
If you say that a person isdragging their feet, you think they are unnecessarily delaying a decision which is important to you.
throw caution to the wind
If youthrow caution to the wind, you start taking risks and stop worrying about the danger involved.
can’t make head or tail of
If youcan’t make head or tail ofsomething, you can’t understand it at all.
rest is history
This is a way of saying that there is need to finish a story because everyone knows what happened next.
at stake
Someone who has a lotat stakeis in a risky situation, with a lot to be won or lost.
go the wholehog
When yougo the whole hog, you do something thoroughly or completely.
come to your senses
If youcome to your sensesyou start to think clearly and behave sensibly.
recipe for disaster
If you refer to a plan or idea asa recipe for disaster,you think it is likely to produce bad results.
out like alight
If a person isout like a light,they are so tired that they fall asleep very quickly.
prick up one’s ears
If youprick up your ears,you suddenly pay attention to what is being said.
gizmo
The term’gizmo’refers to a gadget or any small technological item which is unusual or novel, and for which the proper term is unknown or forgotten.
straight fromhorse’smouth
If you learn somethingstraight from the horse’s mouth, the information is given to you by someone who is directly involved.
money for jam
A very easy way of earning money is calledmoney for jam.
much obliged
Some people use this expression to say that they are very grateful.
black out
If youblack out,you lose consciousness.
party is over
To say thatthe party is overmeans that a period of happiness, freedom, enjoyment etc.
dead man walking
Adead man walking is someone who will inevitably be in great trouble very soon, especially a person who is about to lose their job or position.
spick and span
To refer to something, usually a place, asspick and spanmeans that it is very clean, neat and tidy.
dead wood
The termdead woodrefers to people or things which are no longer considered useful or necessary.
dog with two tails
If someone islike a dog with two tails, they are extremely happy.
nitty-gritty
When peopleget down to the nitty-gritty, they begin to discuss the most important points or the practical details.
worth its weight in gold
Someone or something that isworth their weight in goldis considered to be of great value.
buy a lemon
If buy something, especially a car, that is defective, unsatisfactory, constantly gives trouble or stops running after a short time, you buy a lemon.
like a scaldedcat
If something or something moveslike a scalded cat, they move very fast, usually because they are frightened or shocked.
get a grip on yourself
If youget a grip on yourself,you try to control your feelings so as to be able to deal with a situation.
hammer and tongs
If people aregoing at it hammer and tongs, they are arguing fiercely, with a lot of energy and noise.
in dire straits
If a person or organisation isin dire straits,they are in a very difficult situation.
wrap your brain around
If you concentrate on something in an effort to understand, youwrap your brain around it.
gohellfor leather
If yougo hell for leather, you go somewhere or do something very fast.
to the best of one’s ability.
When someone does somethingto the best of their ability, they do it as well as they possibly can.
tickle the ivories
This is a humorous way of talking about playing the piano.
bait and switch
This term refers to a deceptive commercial practice of advertising a low-priced item to attract customers, then telling them that the product is out of stock and persuading them to buy a more expensive article.
be up in arms
If you areup in arms, you are very angry about something and protest very strongly.
make headway
If youmake headway, you make progress in what you are trying to achieve.
get cracking
When youget cracking, you start doing something immediately.
face that would stop a clock
Someone who has aface that would stop a clockhas a shockingly unattractive face.
no smoke without fire
If many people say that something bad is happening, there is possibly some truth in it.
blind leading the blind
This expression describes a person with very little ability trying to help or guide a person with no ability.
red herring
Ared herringis a fact or argument introduced into a discussion which draws attention away from the main point.
bite thedust
This expression is used to talk about death in a light-hearted way.
reap the harvest
If youreap the harvest, you benefit or suffer as a direct result of past actions.
act of God
This term refers to an natural event or accident, for which no person is responsible (such as an earthquake, lightning and similar acts of nature).
give the once-over
If you give someone or something a quick visual examination, to see what they are like or to check if everything is all right, yougive them the once-over.
hand on a platter
If someone get something easily, without having to make an effort to obtain it, it ishanded to them on a platter.
fight like cat and dog
Two people who fight or arguelike cat and dogfrequently have violent arguments, even though they are fond of each other.
live out of suitcase
Someone wholives of a suitcasetravels a lot, moving from place to place, and is therefore restricted to the contents of their suitcase.
rubsaltinto wound
If you are in a difficult or unpleasant situation, and somebodyrubs salt into the wound,they do or say something to make things worse.
put on ice
If a project or plan isput on ice, all further action has been suspended or postponed for an indefinite period of time.
between the devil and the deep blue sea
If you arebetween the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a situation where there are two equally unacceptable alternatives.
chill wind
If you face or feel thechill windof something, you are beginning to encounter the problems or trouble it causes.
written all over your face
When someone’s feelings or thoughts are very clear, you can say that they arewritten all over their face.
cut the cackle
If you tell a group of people tocut the cackle, you are asking them to stop talking aimlessly and start dealing with more important or serious matters.
run down
A person who isrun downis in poor physical condition.
cut no ice
If somethingcuts no ice, it has no effect or makes no impression on someone.
put house in order
If you tell someone toput their house in order, you are saying that they should organise their own affairs or take care of their own problems before giving advice to other people.
look the picture
If someonelooks the picture,they look very pretty.
top of your lungs
If you shoutat the top of your lungs, you shout as loudly as you possibly can.
come in all shapes and sizes
Something that can be found in many different forms, types or varieties,comes in all shapes and sizes.
yoke around one’s neck
An obligation, commitment or restraint that becomes an oppressive burden is calleda yoke around one’s neck.
gonuts
To say that a person hasgone nutsmeans that they have become completely foolish, eccentric or mad.
hammer home
If youhammer homea point or an argument, you repeat it often to make sure that it is fully understood.
battle lines are drawn
This expression is used to say that opposing groups are ready to defend the reason behind the conflict.
put someone 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.
even keel
A situation or person who stayson an even keelmanages to remain calm, stable and untroubled in all circumstances.
silver-tongued
Asilver-tonguedperson is a smooth talker who speaks so convincingly that they manage to persuade others to do what they want.
strike gold
If youstrike gold,you find exactly what you need : satisfaction, wealth, happiness, etc.
upperhand
If a person or organisationgets or gains the upper hand, they take control over a situation.
live high off the hog
Someone wholives high off the hoghas a lot of money and a very comfortable lifestyle.
love me, love my dog
This expression means that if someone loves you, they must love everything about you, including everyone and everything you love.
no great shakes
To say that someone or something isno great shakesmeans that they are useless, ineffective or not very good.
make nothing of
If youmake nothing ofsomething, you attach no importance to it.
fit as a fiddle
A person who is asfit as a fiddleis in an excellent state of health or physical condition.
ifmemoryserves well
If yourmemory serves you well, you remember correctly or you have not forgotten any details.
call someone’s bluff
If youcall someone’s bluff, you challenge them to do what they threaten to do (while believing that they will not dare to do it).
smoking gun
Asmoking gunis a piece of evidence or the indisputable sign of someone’s guilt.
inraptures
If you arein rapturesabout something, you are delighted or very enthusiastic.
on thesly
If you do somethingon the sly, you do it secretly or furtively.
household name
When the name of something becomes very familiar because it is so often used, it is called ahousehold nameorword.
see the colour of money
If you want tosee the colour of somebody’s money,you want to be sure that the person in question has enough money to pay you before you accept to do something.
in thepipeline
If something isin the pipeline,it is currently in progress or being organised.
down in the dumps
Someone who isdown in the dumpsis depressed or feeling gloomy.
not in one’s right mind
Someone who isnot in their right mindis not behaving in a logical or sensible way.
in safe hands
If something is insafe (or good) hands,it is being looked after by a reliable person or organisation and is therefore at no risk.
black market
Theblack marketrefers to the illegal buying and selling of goods or currencies.
teach someone a lesson
If youteach somebody a lesson,you do something to punish them for behaving badly and make them understand that they should not do it again.
pick brains
If youpick someone’s brains,you ask questions about a particular subject in order to obtain advice or information.
back to the salt mines
Saying that you have to goback to the salt minesis a humorous way of talking about returning to work, usually with some reluctance.
think on one’sfeet
A person whothinks on their feetis capable of making good decisions without previous thinking or planning.
sublime to ridiculous
If something goesfrom the sublime to the ridiculous,it deteriorates in quality from serious or admirable to absurd or unimportant.
no accounting for taste
This expression is used to indicate surprise at another person’s likes or dislikes.
call a spade a spade
A person whocalls a spade a spadespeaks openly and truthfully about something, especially difficult matters.
trip downmemorylane
If you take atrip(strollorwalk)down memory lane, you remember pleasant things that happened in the past.
tar with the same brush
When a person istarred with the same brush, they are regarded as having the same faults or bad qualities as those they associate with.
at aloss
If a person isat a loss,they don’t know what to say or do in a particular situation.
come out of one’sshell
Tocome out of one’s shellmeans to be less shy or more talkative and outgoing.
live up to reputation
If someone or somethinglives up to its reputation, it is as good, or as bad, as people say.
no hard feelings
If you haveno hard feelings,you feel no resentment or bitterness about something.
make sense of
If youmake sense ofsomething, you understand it or find the meaning.
no use crying over spilt milk
This expression means that it is useless to complain or have regrets about something that is done and cannot be changed.
grin like a Cheshire cat
When someone has a smile on their face because they are happy or satisfied about something, theygrin like a Cheshire cat.
on ice
If a project or plan isput on ice, all further action has been suspended or postponed for an indefinite period of time.
one over theeight
If a person hasone over the eight, they are slightly drunk.
cheek by jowl
When people arecheek by jowl, they are crammed uncomfortably close together.
likeshipsthat pass in the night
This expression refers to people who meet briefly and are not likely to meet again.
stick out like a sore thumb
If somethingsticks out like a sore thumb, it is very obvious or visible in an unpleasant way.
fool’s paradise
If someone is living ina fool’s paradise, they are in a state of contentment that will not last because their happiness is based on illusion or false hope.
avowed intent
When someone makes a public declaration of their objective or goal, this is theiravowed intent.
in one’selement
When you arein your element, you are doing something that you do well, and you are enjoying yourself.
last legs
If you areon your last legs, you are in a very weak condition or about to die.
foot in one’s mouth
If you put yourfoot in your mouth, you do or say something that offends, upsets or embarrasses someone else.
make no bones about something
If youmake no bonesabout something, you don’t hesitate to say something in a frank and open way.
down to earth
Someone who isdown to earthis not a dreamer but a realistic and practical person who has sensible reactions and expectations.
daylight robbery
The termdaylight robberyis used when the price of something is thought to be much too high.
chicken feed
An amount of money considered small or unimportant is calledchicken feed.
just around the corner
If something isjust around the corner, it will happen very soon.
gatecrash
If someonegatecrashes,they attend a private social event without being invited.
leave high and dry
If you areleft high and dry, you find yourself in a difficult situation without help or resources.
make someone see reason
If youmake someone see reason, you persuade them to stop acting foolishly and behave more sensibly.
onehandwashes the other(and together they wash the face)
This expression means that when people cooperate and work well together, there is a better chance of a achieving results.
waiting for a raindrop in the drought
When someone iswaiting for a raindrop in the drought,they are waiting and hoping for something that has little chance of happening.
hear a pin drop
To say that you couldhear a pin dropmeans that it is so silent you could hear the slightest noise.
do aworldof good
If somethingdoes you a world of good,it is beneficial and makes you feel a lot better.
eat crow
If youeat crow, you admit that you were wrong about something and apologize.
get something off the ground
If youget something off the ground, you put it into operation after having organised it.
in one’s own sweet time
If you do somethingin your own sweet time, you take as long as you please to do it, in spite of the wishes of others.
