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English > Advanced Idioms 1 > Flashcards

Advanced Idioms 1 Flashcards

1
Q

A blessing in disguise

A

something good that seems bad at first | “Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it led to better opportunities.”

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2
Q

A dime a dozen

A

very common and of no special value | “Cheap souvenirs are a dime a dozen in tourist areas.”

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3
Q

A drop in the ocean

A

a very small amount compared to what is needed | “The donation was generous but just a drop in the ocean.”

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4
Q

A hot potato

A

a controversial or sensitive issue | “The new tax policy is a hot potato in political debates.”

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5
Q

Actions speak louder than words

A

what you do is more important than what you say | “He says he cares

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6
Q

Add fuel to the fire

A

make a bad situation worse | “Her comments only added fuel to the fire of the argument.”

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7
Q

All ears

A

fully listening | “Tell me what happened—I’m all ears.”

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8
Q

At the drop of a hat

A

immediately

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9
Q

Bark up the wrong tree

A

pursue the wrong solution | “If you think I’m to blame

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10
Q

Beat around the bush

A

avoid saying something directly | “Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.”

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11
Q

Bite the bullet

A

endure a difficult situation | “I hate the dentist

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12
Q

Blow hot and cold

A

be inconsistent | “Her opinions blow hot and cold

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13
Q

Break the ice

A

make people feel more comfortable | “His joke helped break the ice at the party.”

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14
Q

Burn the midnight oil

A

work late into the night | “I had to burn the midnight oil to finish the report.”

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15
Q

Bury the hatchet

A

make peace | “After years of rivalry

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16
Q

By the skin of your teeth

A

just barely | “I passed the test by the skin of my teeth.”

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17
Q

Call it a day

A

stop working for the day | “Let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.”

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18
Q

Caught red-handed

A

caught in the act of wrongdoing | “He was caught red-handed trying to steal.”

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19
Q

Cross the line

A

go beyond what is acceptable | “His rude comment crossed the line.”

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20
Q

Cut corners

A

do something cheaply or quickly | “If you cut corners on safety

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21
Q

Cut the mustard

A

meet expectations or requirements | “He didn’t cut the mustard in his new role.”

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22
Q

Devil’s advocate

A

argue the opposite side to provoke discussion | “I’ll play devil’s advocate to test your idea.”

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23
Q

Draw the line

A

set a limit | “I’m willing to help

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24
Q

Drop the ball

A

fail at a critical moment | “I dropped the ball by forgetting the deadline.”

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25
Q

Face the music

A

accept the consequences | “It’s time to face the music for your mistakes.”

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26
Q

Feather in your cap

A

an achievement to be proud of | “Winning the award is a real feather in your cap.”

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27
Q

Feel under the weather

A

feel sick | “I’ve been feeling under the weather all week.”

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28
Q

Fight tooth and nail

A

fight very hard | “They fought tooth and nail to save their business.”

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29
Q

Fit as a fiddle

A

very healthy | “Despite his age

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30
Q

Fly off the handle

A

lose your temper suddenly | “She flew off the handle when she heard the news.”

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31
Q

Follow suit

A

do the same thing | “When the CEO resigned

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32
Q

Get a second wind

A

gain energy after feeling tired | “After a short break

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33
Q

Get cold feet

A

hesitate or fear doing something | “She got cold feet before the wedding.”

34
Q

Get out of hand

A

become uncontrollable | “The party got out of hand and the police were called.”

35
Q

Give someone the cold shoulder

A

ignore someone | “She gave him the cold shoulder after their argument.”

36
Q

Go the extra mile

A

do more than expected | “She always goes the extra mile for her clients.”

37
Q

Have a chip on your shoulder

A

be easily offended | “He has a chip on his shoulder about his education.”

38
Q

Hit the nail on the head

A

say exactly the right thing | “Her comment hit the nail on the head.”

39
Q

Hit the ground running

A

start something with energy and enthusiasm | “She hit the ground running on her first day at work.”

40
Q

In a nutshell

A

in summary | “The report

41
Q

Jump on the bandwagon

A

join others in doing something popular | “Many companies are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon.”

42
Q

Keep a low profile

A

avoid attention | “He decided to keep a low profile after the scandal.”

43
Q

Kick the bucket

A

die | “He joked about kicking the bucket when he turned 90.”

44
Q

Kill two birds with one stone

A

accomplish two things at once | “By studying on the train

45
Q

Let sleeping dogs lie

A

avoid stirring up trouble | “Don’t bring up old arguments; let sleeping dogs lie.”

46
Q

Let the cat out of the bag

A

reveal a secret | “He let the cat out of the bag about her promotion.”

47
Q

Live and let live

A

accept others as they are | “Her motto is to live and let live.”

48
Q

Lose your touch

A

lose a skill | “He’s lost his touch when it comes to cooking.”

49
Q

Make a mountain out of a molehill

A

exaggerate a small problem | “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill about the delay.”

50
Q

Miss the boat

A

miss an opportunity | “I missed the boat on buying that stock early.”

51
Q

On cloud nine

A

very happy | “She’s been on cloud nine since her engagement.”

52
Q

On thin ice

A

in a risky situation | “After the mistake

53
Q

Out of the blue

A

unexpectedly | “He showed up out of the blue after years of silence.”

54
Q

Pull yourself together

A

calm down and behave normally | “After the shock

55
Q

Put all your eggs in one basket

A

risk everything on one idea | “Investing all your money in one stock is putting all your eggs in one basket.”

56
Q

Put your foot down

A

be firm about something | “She put her foot down about not working late anymore.”

57
Q

Rain on someone’s parade

A

spoil someone’s plans | “I hate to rain on your parade

58
Q

Read between the lines

A

understand the hidden meaning | “You need to read between the lines to see what he’s implying.”

59
Q

Roll with the punches

A

adapt to difficulties | “Life can be tough

60
Q

See eye to eye

A

agree completely | “They don’t always see eye to eye on business decisions.”

61
Q

Set the bar high

A

set high standards | “The new manager has set the bar high for performance.”

62
Q

Shoot yourself in the foot

A

harm yourself accidentally | “By lying

63
Q

Spill the beans

A

reveal a secret | “Don’t spill the beans about her surprise party.”

64
Q

Steal someone’s thunder

A

take credit for someone else’s work | “She felt he stole her thunder during the presentation.”

65
Q

Stick to your guns

A

refuse to change your opinion | “He stuck to his guns despite the criticism.”

66
Q

Sweep under the rug

A

ignore a problem | “They tried to sweep the issue under the rug

67
Q

Take it with a grain of salt

A

don’t take something too seriously | “I’d take his advice with a grain of salt.”

68
Q

Take the bull by the horns

A

face a challenge directly | “She took the bull by the horns and fixed the issue.”

69
Q

The ball is in your court

A

it’s your decision | “We’ve done all we can; now the ball is in your court.”

70
Q

The best of both worlds

A

having all advantages | “Living in the city and working from home gives her the best of both worlds.”

71
Q

The elephant in the room

A

an obvious issue no one discusses | “We need to address the elephant in the room: the budget cuts.”

72
Q

Throw in the towel

A

give up | “He threw in the towel after years of trying to succeed.”

73
Q

Tie the knot

A

get married | “They’re tying the knot next summer.”

74
Q

Under the weather

A

not feeling well | “I’m under the weather today and staying home.”

75
Q

Walk on eggshells

A

be very careful | “He’s so moody; we’re always walking on eggshells around him.”

76
Q

Water under the bridge

A

past issues no longer important | “Let’s forget it—it’s water under the bridge now.”

77
Q

Wear your heart on your sleeve

A

show emotions openly | “She wears her heart on her sleeve

78
Q

When pigs fly

A

something impossible | “He’ll apologize when pigs fly.”

79
Q

Wild goose chase

A

a pointless pursuit | “Finding that file in this mess is a wild goose chase.”

80
Q

With flying colors

A

with great success | “She passed the exam with flying colors.”

81
Q

You can’t have your cake and eat it too

A

can’t have it both ways | “You can’t have your cake and eat it too when choosing between time and money.”

English (9 decks)

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