common Flashcards
sell like hot cakes
sth are sold in large quantities
pull so’s legs
to try to persuade someone to believe something that is not true, as a joke
hit the roof
to become extremely angry
go for a song
very cheaply
look daggers at so
to look angrily at someone
hand in glove
working together, often to do something dishonest
have a bee in one’s bonnet about sth
you are obsessed with it and can’t stop thinking about it
spliltting headache
a very severe pain that you feel in your head
pay through the nose
to pay too much money for something
death warm up
to look or feel very ill
get cold feet
to suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do, especially something important such as getting married
jump the traffic lights
To pass a set of traffic lights when they are not showing green.
fly off the handle
to react in a very angry way to something that someone says or does
off the peg
clothes are made and bought in standard sizes and not made especially to fit a particular person
by the skin of one’s teeth
If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it
beat about the bush
to avoid talking about what is important, say sth unrelevant
bucket down
to rain heavily
close shaves
a situation in which you come very close to a dangerous situation
drop a brick
to do or say something that makes you feel embarrassed
blow one’s trumpet
to tell everyone proudly about your achievements, but untrue
sleep on it
to wait before making a decision
drop sb a line
to write someone a letter, especially a short informal one
fight tooth and nail
to try very hard to get something you want
know like the back of one’s hand
to have very good and detailed knowledge of something
down the drain
If work or money is or goes down the drain, it is spoiled or wasted
get the hand of sth
to learn how to do something, esp. when it is not simple or obvious
smell a rat
to recognize that something is not as it appears to be or that something dishonest is happening
get sth on one’s mind
to be worrying about something
chip in
contribute something as one’s share of a joint activity, cost, etc.
off one’s head
ideas or behaviour are very strange, foolish, or dangerous.
off the record
not made as an official or attributable statement.
cut it fine
allow a very small margin of something, especially time.
golden handshake
a payment made to an employee when they leave their job as a reward for very long or good service
put in a good word for someone
Make a supportive remark or favorable recommendation
go to one’s head
That makes that person think that they are very important and makes them a less pleasant person
take things to pieces
to separate something into smaller parts
put on an act
to behave or speak in a false or artificial way
keep sth quiet
to say nothing about something
come to light
Facts become known publicly
put one’s foot in it
to say something by accident that embarrasses or upsets
call a spade a spade
speak plainly without avoiding unpleasant or embarrassing issues.
pull one’s weight
to work as hard as other people in a group
make both ends meet
earn enough money to live without getting into debt
get the wrong end of the stick
to not understand a situation correctly, misunderstood
give sb one’s word
to promise something
go up the wall
to get very angry
to have something on the brain
be obsessed with something
get on sb’s nerves
to annoy someone, especially by doing something again and again
put/get someone’s back up
to annoy someone
