Idiomatic Expressions Flashcards
(Don’t) add fuel to the fire
(Don’t) add insult to injury
(Don’t) kick a man when he’s down
don’t make a bad situation even worse
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
being far away from a person you love makes your love even stronger
A penny saved is a penny earned
it’s good to save money, rather than spending and wasting it
A picture is worth a thousand words
pictures can give more information that words alone
Actions speak louder than words
what you actually do is more important than what you say you will do
(It’s) all in your head
imagined, not real
Around the clock
all the time; 24 hours
Asleep at the wheel
not paying attention; not doing his/her responsibilities
(Shout or yell) at the top of your lungs
(to shout or yell) as loud as you can
Back to square one
start over; back to the beginning
Bark up the wrong tree
Looking for information in the wrong place; asking the wrong person
Be careful what you wish for
When you wish (or hope) for something, it may not be as good as you think – there may be negative consequences that you hadn’t thought of.
Beggars can’t be choosers
If you beg (or ask) for a thing or a favor, then you shouldn’t complain about what you get.
Better late than never
It’s better to do something late than to not do it.
Better safe than sorry
It’s better to be cautious (careful) than to take a risk that you might regret.
Bite your tongue!
Don’t say something that might be rude or inappropriate – keep the words in your mouth, and don’t let them out!
Break a leg!
This is a (funny) way to say “Good luck” – we usually say it to someone before a performance or contest.
Cat got your tongue?
We say this when someone should be talking or answering a question, but they don’t (because they might be surprised or embarrassed).
Catch-22
A “catch-22” is a situation in which it is impossible to get the result that you want. (For example: “I can’t work because I don’t have a car, but I can’t get a car because I don’t have a job.” This is a “catch-22.”)
Change of heart
If you have a “change of heart,” this means that you change the way that you think or feel about something.
Cheap shot
A “cheap shot” is words that are mean or unfair. (For example, if two people are arguing about politics, and one of them calls the other “fat” or “ugly,” this is a “cheap shot.”)
(on) Cloud nine
If someone is “on cloud nine,” then they are extremely happy.
(get) Cold feet
to get scared or to lose the courage to do something (usually used when someone decides that they don’t want to get married).
Come clean
means to be honest or admit that you did something wrong.
Curiosity killed the cat.
This is a warning against being too curious about things that you might not need to know. (Cats, for example, are very curious, and this can cause them to get hurt or killed.)
