Advanced Idioms 2 Flashcards
Against the clock
working in a rush to meet a deadline | “We’re racing against the clock to finish the project.”
Ahead of the curve
being more advanced than others | “Our new product keeps us ahead of the curve in the market.”
All bark and no bite
full of talk but lacking action | “He’s all bark and no bite when it comes to confronting problems.”
All in the same boat
in the same difficult situation | “We’re all in the same boat after the budget cuts.”
Around the corner
coming soon | “The holidays are just around the corner.”
At the end of your rope
out of patience or energy | “After weeks of stress
Back to square one
start again from the beginning | “The proposal was rejected
Bite off more than you can chew
take on too much | “I bit off more than I could chew by accepting two jobs.”
Break the bank
spend too much money | “The fancy dinner didn’t break the bank.”
Burn bridges
destroy relationships | “Don’t burn bridges with former colleagues.”
Burn your fingers
suffer due to risky actions | “He burned his fingers by investing in a failing company.”
Catch someone off guard
surprise someone | “The question caught me off guard during the interview.”
Climb the ladder
make progress in a career | “She’s determined to climb the ladder in her industry.”
Come clean
admit the truth | “It’s time to come clean about the mistake.”
Couch potato
someone who is very lazy | “He’s become a couch potato since getting that new TV.”
Cry over spilled milk
complain about something that can’t be changed | “There’s no use crying over spilled milk; let’s fix it.”
Curiosity killed the cat
being too curious can lead to trouble | “Don’t ask too many questions; curiosity killed the cat.”
Don’t cry wolf
don’t call for help unless it’s real | “He cried wolf so many times
Drive someone up the wall
annoy someone greatly | “Her constant complaining drives me up the wall.”
Eat humble pie
admit you were wrong | “He had to eat humble pie after his prediction was wrong.”
Every cloud has a silver lining
there’s something good in every bad situation | “Losing the job was tough
Fall flat
fail completely | “His joke fell flat at the party.”
Far-fetched
unlikely or unrealistic | “The idea sounded far-fetched
Feel the pinch
experience financial difficulty | “Families are starting to feel the pinch with rising prices.”
Fifth wheel
an unnecessary or unhelpful person | “I felt like a fifth wheel at their dinner party.”
Find your feet
become comfortable in a new situation | “It took her a while to find her feet in the new job.”
Fish out of water
someone who feels out of place | “He felt like a fish out of water at the formal event.”
Fly in the ointment
a small problem that spoils something | “The only fly in the ointment was the lack of parking.”
Follow your nose
trust your instincts | “Just follow your nose
Food for thought
something to think about | “Her presentation gave us a lot of food for thought.”
From the horse’s mouth
directly from the source | “I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
Get off the ground
start something successfully | “The business idea finally got off the ground last year.”
Go back to the drawing board
start again with a new plan | “The design failed; we need to go back to the drawing board.”
Go out on a limb
take a risk | “I went out on a limb to support his idea.”
Hard pill to swallow
a difficult fact to accept | “Losing the championship was a hard pill to swallow.”
Have a bone to pick
have a complaint | “I have a bone to pick with you about yesterday.”
Have a lot on your plate
be very busy | “She has a lot on her plate with work and family.”
Hit the jackpot
achieve great success | “She hit the jackpot with her latest invention.”
If the shoe fits
accept it if it applies to you | “I wasn’t naming names
In the bag
certain to be successful | “With this proposal
In the driver’s seat
in control | “She’s in the driver’s seat on this project.”
It takes two to tango
both parties are responsible | “It takes two to tango in any argument.”
Jump the gun
act too soon | “Let’s not jump the gun; we need more information first.”
Keep your chin up
stay positive | “Keep your chin up; things will get better soon.”
Know the ropes
understand how to do something | “Once you know the ropes
Lend a hand
help out | “Can you lend a hand with these boxes?”
Let the chips fall where they may
accept the consequences | “I’ll speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may.”
Light at the end of the tunnel
hope after difficulties | “After months of work
Make a long story short
summarize | “To make a long story short
Miss the mark
fail to achieve the goal | “The new ad campaign missed the mark.”
Move heaven and earth
do everything possible | “They moved heaven and earth to find a solution.”
Not playing with a full deck
acting strangely or not very smart | “He’s not playing with a full deck lately.”
On the ball
alert and efficient | “She’s really on the ball with the new project.”
Once in a blue moon
very rarely | “We only see them once in a blue moon.”
Open a can of worms
create a complicated problem | “Changing the policy might open a can of worms.”
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
go from a bad situation to a worse one | “Switching jobs felt like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Paint the town red
go out and celebrate | “Let’s paint the town red after the promotion!”
Pull strings
use influence to achieve something | “He pulled some strings to get the job.”
Put all your eggs in one basket
risk everything on one thing | “Diversify your investments; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Put on a brave face
act confident despite problems | “She put on a brave face during the interview.”
Raining cats and dogs
raining heavily | “It’s raining cats and dogs outside!”
Raise the bar
set higher standards | “The new director has raised the bar for performance.”
Rock the boat
cause trouble | “Let’s not rock the boat by introducing drastic changes.”
Run out of steam
lose energy | “Halfway through the hike
Skeleton in the closet
a hidden secret | “Every family has its skeletons in the closet.”
Smooth sailing
easy progress | “After the initial problems
Spill the tea
share gossip | “Come on
Split hairs
argue about small details | “Stop splitting hairs and focus on the main issue.”
Start from scratch
begin again | “The project failed
Stir the pot
create trouble intentionally | “She loves to stir the pot in group discussions.”
Take it to the next level
improve or advance | “We need to take our marketing strategy to the next level.”
The tip of the iceberg
a small part of a bigger issue | “This problem is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Throw caution to the wind
take a risk | “He threw caution to the wind and invested in the startup.”
Under your belt
as an achievement | “With five years of experience under her belt
Up in the air
uncertain | “The plans are still up in the air.”
Walk a tightrope
be in a difficult situation | “He’s walking a tightrope trying to please both sides.”
Water under the bridge
past and no longer important | “Forget about it—it’s all water under the bridge.”
Weather the storm
survive difficult times | “The company managed to weather the storm during the recession.”
When it rains
it pours
Worth your salt
deserving respect | “Any manager worth their salt knows how to handle a crisis.”
You can’t judge a book by its cover
appearances can be misleading | “He looked unqualified
