Advanced Idioms 1 Flashcards
A blessing in disguise
something good that seems bad at first | “Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it led to better opportunities.”
A dime a dozen
very common and of no special value | “Cheap souvenirs are a dime a dozen in tourist areas.”
A drop in the ocean
a very small amount compared to what is needed | “The donation was generous but just a drop in the ocean.”
A hot potato
a controversial or sensitive issue | “The new tax policy is a hot potato in political debates.”
Actions speak louder than words
what you do is more important than what you say | “He says he cares
Add fuel to the fire
make a bad situation worse | “Her comments only added fuel to the fire of the argument.”
All ears
fully listening | “Tell me what happened—I’m all ears.”
At the drop of a hat
immediately
Bark up the wrong tree
pursue the wrong solution | “If you think I’m to blame
Beat around the bush
avoid saying something directly | “Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.”
Bite the bullet
endure a difficult situation | “I hate the dentist
Blow hot and cold
be inconsistent | “Her opinions blow hot and cold
Break the ice
make people feel more comfortable | “His joke helped break the ice at the party.”
Burn the midnight oil
work late into the night | “I had to burn the midnight oil to finish the report.”
Bury the hatchet
make peace | “After years of rivalry
By the skin of your teeth
just barely | “I passed the test by the skin of my teeth.”
Call it a day
stop working for the day | “Let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.”
Caught red-handed
caught in the act of wrongdoing | “He was caught red-handed trying to steal.”
Cross the line
go beyond what is acceptable | “His rude comment crossed the line.”
Cut corners
do something cheaply or quickly | “If you cut corners on safety
Cut the mustard
meet expectations or requirements | “He didn’t cut the mustard in his new role.”
Devil’s advocate
argue the opposite side to provoke discussion | “I’ll play devil’s advocate to test your idea.”
Draw the line
set a limit | “I’m willing to help
Drop the ball
fail at a critical moment | “I dropped the ball by forgetting the deadline.”
Face the music
accept the consequences | “It’s time to face the music for your mistakes.”
Feather in your cap
an achievement to be proud of | “Winning the award is a real feather in your cap.”
Feel under the weather
feel sick | “I’ve been feeling under the weather all week.”
Fight tooth and nail
fight very hard | “They fought tooth and nail to save their business.”
Fit as a fiddle
very healthy | “Despite his age
Fly off the handle
lose your temper suddenly | “She flew off the handle when she heard the news.”
Follow suit
do the same thing | “When the CEO resigned
Get a second wind
gain energy after feeling tired | “After a short break
Get cold feet
hesitate or fear doing something | “She got cold feet before the wedding.”
Get out of hand
become uncontrollable | “The party got out of hand and the police were called.”
Give someone the cold shoulder
ignore someone | “She gave him the cold shoulder after their argument.”
Go the extra mile
do more than expected | “She always goes the extra mile for her clients.”
Have a chip on your shoulder
be easily offended | “He has a chip on his shoulder about his education.”
Hit the nail on the head
say exactly the right thing | “Her comment hit the nail on the head.”
Hit the ground running
start something with energy and enthusiasm | “She hit the ground running on her first day at work.”
In a nutshell
in summary | “The report
Jump on the bandwagon
join others in doing something popular | “Many companies are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon.”
Keep a low profile
avoid attention | “He decided to keep a low profile after the scandal.”
Kick the bucket
die | “He joked about kicking the bucket when he turned 90.”
Kill two birds with one stone
accomplish two things at once | “By studying on the train
Let sleeping dogs lie
avoid stirring up trouble | “Don’t bring up old arguments; let sleeping dogs lie.”
Let the cat out of the bag
reveal a secret | “He let the cat out of the bag about her promotion.”
Live and let live
accept others as they are | “Her motto is to live and let live.”
Lose your touch
lose a skill | “He’s lost his touch when it comes to cooking.”
Make a mountain out of a molehill
exaggerate a small problem | “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill about the delay.”
Miss the boat
miss an opportunity | “I missed the boat on buying that stock early.”
On cloud nine
very happy | “She’s been on cloud nine since her engagement.”
On thin ice
in a risky situation | “After the mistake
Out of the blue
unexpectedly | “He showed up out of the blue after years of silence.”
Pull yourself together
calm down and behave normally | “After the shock
Put all your eggs in one basket
risk everything on one idea | “Investing all your money in one stock is putting all your eggs in one basket.”
Put your foot down
be firm about something | “She put her foot down about not working late anymore.”
Rain on someone’s parade
spoil someone’s plans | “I hate to rain on your parade
Read between the lines
understand the hidden meaning | “You need to read between the lines to see what he’s implying.”
Roll with the punches
adapt to difficulties | “Life can be tough
See eye to eye
agree completely | “They don’t always see eye to eye on business decisions.”
Set the bar high
set high standards | “The new manager has set the bar high for performance.”
Shoot yourself in the foot
harm yourself accidentally | “By lying
Spill the beans
reveal a secret | “Don’t spill the beans about her surprise party.”
Steal someone’s thunder
take credit for someone else’s work | “She felt he stole her thunder during the presentation.”
Stick to your guns
refuse to change your opinion | “He stuck to his guns despite the criticism.”
Sweep under the rug
ignore a problem | “They tried to sweep the issue under the rug
Take it with a grain of salt
don’t take something too seriously | “I’d take his advice with a grain of salt.”
Take the bull by the horns
face a challenge directly | “She took the bull by the horns and fixed the issue.”
The ball is in your court
it’s your decision | “We’ve done all we can; now the ball is in your court.”
The best of both worlds
having all advantages | “Living in the city and working from home gives her the best of both worlds.”
The elephant in the room
an obvious issue no one discusses | “We need to address the elephant in the room: the budget cuts.”
Throw in the towel
give up | “He threw in the towel after years of trying to succeed.”
Tie the knot
get married | “They’re tying the knot next summer.”
Under the weather
not feeling well | “I’m under the weather today and staying home.”
Walk on eggshells
be very careful | “He’s so moody; we’re always walking on eggshells around him.”
Water under the bridge
past issues no longer important | “Let’s forget it—it’s water under the bridge now.”
Wear your heart on your sleeve
show emotions openly | “She wears her heart on her sleeve
When pigs fly
something impossible | “He’ll apologize when pigs fly.”
Wild goose chase
a pointless pursuit | “Finding that file in this mess is a wild goose chase.”
With flying colors
with great success | “She passed the exam with flying colors.”
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
can’t have it both ways | “You can’t have your cake and eat it too when choosing between time and money.”
