Chapter1 Flashcards
Not out of the woods
INF
Not yet free from difficulties or problems
The situation is improving, but we’re not out of the woods yet.
There’s been a slight improvement in his health, but he’s not out of the woods yet.
Take a back seat
Deliberately become less actively involved in sth, and stop trying to control things
I’ll probably take a back seat and let Marco do most of the work.
My heart sank
Used to tel sb that you suddenly felt sad or worried about sth
My heart sank when I saw the hotel room they’d given us.
The next thing i knew
… and then the next thing I knew, the cat had jumped out of the window…
I thought as much
Used to say you are not surprised that sth is true
Pete and Sue have split up. Mmm I thought as much.
More than likely/happy/ready
Will they lose? More than likely.
She can’t do the gardening. I’d be more than happy to help her.
Get out of bed on the wrong side
Used to say that sb is in a bad mood
I think Ann got out of bed on the wrong side this morning.
A sore point
Sth that makes you upset, angry, or embarrassed when sb mentions it.
I asked Sue about her essay and she just ignored me.
Yes, I think it’s a bit of a sore point because she got a very low mark for it.
Put my foot in it
INF
Accidentally say sth that embarrasses, upsets, or annoys sb.
I asked Sue about her essay and she just ignored me.
Yes, I think it’s a bit of a sore point because she got a very low mark for it.
Oh dear, I put my foot in it, then.
It serves sb right (for doing sth)
It serves her right. She didn’t do a stroke of work. So don’t take it personally. She’ll just have to work harder next time.
A stroke of work
It serves her right. She didn’t do a stroke of work. So don’t take it personally. She’ll just have to work harder next time.
Be hard pressed/pushed/put to do sth
find it very difficult to do sth
I’d be hard pressed to name all the countries in Europe.
