Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

English > Advanced Idioms 2 > Flashcards

Advanced Idioms 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Against the clock

A

working in a rush to meet a deadline | “We’re racing against the clock to finish the project.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Ahead of the curve

A

being more advanced than others | “Our new product keeps us ahead of the curve in the market.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

All bark and no bite

A

full of talk but lacking action | “He’s all bark and no bite when it comes to confronting problems.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

All in the same boat

A

in the same difficult situation | “We’re all in the same boat after the budget cuts.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Around the corner

A

coming soon | “The holidays are just around the corner.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

At the end of your rope

A

out of patience or energy | “After weeks of stress

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Back to square one

A

start again from the beginning | “The proposal was rejected

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Bite off more than you can chew

A

take on too much | “I bit off more than I could chew by accepting two jobs.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Break the bank

A

spend too much money | “The fancy dinner didn’t break the bank.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Burn bridges

A

destroy relationships | “Don’t burn bridges with former colleagues.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Burn your fingers

A

suffer due to risky actions | “He burned his fingers by investing in a failing company.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Catch someone off guard

A

surprise someone | “The question caught me off guard during the interview.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Climb the ladder

A

make progress in a career | “She’s determined to climb the ladder in her industry.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Come clean

A

admit the truth | “It’s time to come clean about the mistake.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Couch potato

A

someone who is very lazy | “He’s become a couch potato since getting that new TV.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Cry over spilled milk

A

complain about something that can’t be changed | “There’s no use crying over spilled milk; let’s fix it.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Curiosity killed the cat

A

being too curious can lead to trouble | “Don’t ask too many questions; curiosity killed the cat.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Don’t cry wolf

A

don’t call for help unless it’s real | “He cried wolf so many times

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Drive someone up the wall

A

annoy someone greatly | “Her constant complaining drives me up the wall.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Eat humble pie

A

admit you were wrong | “He had to eat humble pie after his prediction was wrong.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Every cloud has a silver lining

A

there’s something good in every bad situation | “Losing the job was tough

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Fall flat

A

fail completely | “His joke fell flat at the party.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Far-fetched

A

unlikely or unrealistic | “The idea sounded far-fetched

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Feel the pinch

A

experience financial difficulty | “Families are starting to feel the pinch with rising prices.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Fifth wheel

A

an unnecessary or unhelpful person | “I felt like a fifth wheel at their dinner party.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Find your feet

A

become comfortable in a new situation | “It took her a while to find her feet in the new job.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Fish out of water

A

someone who feels out of place | “He felt like a fish out of water at the formal event.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Fly in the ointment

A

a small problem that spoils something | “The only fly in the ointment was the lack of parking.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Follow your nose

A

trust your instincts | “Just follow your nose

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Food for thought

A

something to think about | “Her presentation gave us a lot of food for thought.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

From the horse’s mouth

A

directly from the source | “I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Get off the ground

A

start something successfully | “The business idea finally got off the ground last year.”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Go back to the drawing board

A

start again with a new plan | “The design failed; we need to go back to the drawing board.”

34
Q

Go out on a limb

A

take a risk | “I went out on a limb to support his idea.”

35
Q

Hard pill to swallow

A

a difficult fact to accept | “Losing the championship was a hard pill to swallow.”

36
Q

Have a bone to pick

A

have a complaint | “I have a bone to pick with you about yesterday.”

37
Q

Have a lot on your plate

A

be very busy | “She has a lot on her plate with work and family.”

38
Q

Hit the jackpot

A

achieve great success | “She hit the jackpot with her latest invention.”

39
Q

If the shoe fits

A

accept it if it applies to you | “I wasn’t naming names

40
Q

In the bag

A

certain to be successful | “With this proposal

41
Q

In the driver’s seat

A

in control | “She’s in the driver’s seat on this project.”

42
Q

It takes two to tango

A

both parties are responsible | “It takes two to tango in any argument.”

43
Q

Jump the gun

A

act too soon | “Let’s not jump the gun; we need more information first.”

44
Q

Keep your chin up

A

stay positive | “Keep your chin up; things will get better soon.”

45
Q

Know the ropes

A

understand how to do something | “Once you know the ropes

46
Q

Lend a hand

A

help out | “Can you lend a hand with these boxes?”

47
Q

Let the chips fall where they may

A

accept the consequences | “I’ll speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may.”

48
Q

Light at the end of the tunnel

A

hope after difficulties | “After months of work

49
Q

Make a long story short

A

summarize | “To make a long story short

50
Q

Miss the mark

A

fail to achieve the goal | “The new ad campaign missed the mark.”

51
Q

Move heaven and earth

A

do everything possible | “They moved heaven and earth to find a solution.”

52
Q

Not playing with a full deck

A

acting strangely or not very smart | “He’s not playing with a full deck lately.”

53
Q

On the ball

A

alert and efficient | “She’s really on the ball with the new project.”

54
Q

Once in a blue moon

A

very rarely | “We only see them once in a blue moon.”

55
Q

Open a can of worms

A

create a complicated problem | “Changing the policy might open a can of worms.”

56
Q

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

A

go from a bad situation to a worse one | “Switching jobs felt like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

57
Q

Paint the town red

A

go out and celebrate | “Let’s paint the town red after the promotion!”

58
Q

Pull strings

A

use influence to achieve something | “He pulled some strings to get the job.”

59
Q

Put all your eggs in one basket

A

risk everything on one thing | “Diversify your investments; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

60
Q

Put on a brave face

A

act confident despite problems | “She put on a brave face during the interview.”

61
Q

Raining cats and dogs

A

raining heavily | “It’s raining cats and dogs outside!”

62
Q

Raise the bar

A

set higher standards | “The new director has raised the bar for performance.”

63
Q

Rock the boat

A

cause trouble | “Let’s not rock the boat by introducing drastic changes.”

64
Q

Run out of steam

A

lose energy | “Halfway through the hike

65
Q

Skeleton in the closet

A

a hidden secret | “Every family has its skeletons in the closet.”

66
Q

Smooth sailing

A

easy progress | “After the initial problems

67
Q

Spill the tea

A

share gossip | “Come on

68
Q

Split hairs

A

argue about small details | “Stop splitting hairs and focus on the main issue.”

69
Q

Start from scratch

A

begin again | “The project failed

70
Q

Stir the pot

A

create trouble intentionally | “She loves to stir the pot in group discussions.”

71
Q

Take it to the next level

A

improve or advance | “We need to take our marketing strategy to the next level.”

72
Q

The tip of the iceberg

A

a small part of a bigger issue | “This problem is just the tip of the iceberg.”

73
Q

Throw caution to the wind

A

take a risk | “He threw caution to the wind and invested in the startup.”

74
Q

Under your belt

A

as an achievement | “With five years of experience under her belt

75
Q

Up in the air

A

uncertain | “The plans are still up in the air.”

76
Q

Walk a tightrope

A

be in a difficult situation | “He’s walking a tightrope trying to please both sides.”

77
Q

Water under the bridge

A

past and no longer important | “Forget about it—it’s all water under the bridge.”

78
Q

Weather the storm

A

survive difficult times | “The company managed to weather the storm during the recession.”

79
Q

When it rains

A

it pours

80
Q

Worth your salt

A

deserving respect | “Any manager worth their salt knows how to handle a crisis.”

81
Q

You can’t judge a book by its cover

A

appearances can be misleading | “He looked unqualified

English (10 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions