Idioms 051-100 Flashcards
slowly but surely # We are slowly but surely gaining the support of the public. # The new church began, slowly but surely, to grow. # Slowly but surely she started to fall in love with him. # He’s recovering, slowly but surely.
done /dʌn/ and dusted /dʌstɪd/ # It was all done and dusted within forty-five minutes.
with all your might # I pulled AT the rope with all my might, but we still lost the tug-of-war. /ˈtʌgə(v)ˈwɔː/
make a scene /siːn/ # Oh, John, please don’t make a scene. Just forget about it. # Robert made a scene in the store when they refused to refund him for the broken television. # My parents always make a scene with their fighting wherever we go.
make a mountain OUT OF a molehill /ˈməʊlˌhɪl/ # Come on, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. It’s not that important. # Let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. # The company’s CEO has blamed the media for making a mountain out of a molehill.
to be fussy /ˈfʌsɪ/ # He’s so fussy about the house. Everything has to be absolutely perfect. # Paul was very fussy and tended not to get things done very quickly. # She is not fussy about her food.
awkward /ˈɔːkwəd/ age # My daughter’s at that awkward age and completely unbearable ʌnˈbɛərəbl/. # That’s because I’m at an awkward age. # She adjusted her coloured head scarf fussily.
to be as happy as a clam /klæm/ # Grandpa’s as happy as a clam helping the children to fly their kites.
well in advance # The visit had been planned well in advance. # Next time I’ll start planning it well in advance.
to bite the bullet /ˈbʊlɪt/ # They decided to bite the bullet and pay the extra for the house they really wanted. # I hate going to the dentist, but I’ll just have to bite the bullet. # You are just going to have to bite the bullet and make the best of it.
to be at stake /steɪk/ # When your survival is at stake, pleasure and pain will be strong motivators. # The tension was naturally high for a game with so much at stake. # At stake are more than 20,000 jobs in Britain’s aerospace sector. # At stake is the success or failure of world trade talks.
to get the gist # I think I got the gist of what she was saying. # It was hard to get the gist of Pedro’s talk.
to have a [blast | whale of A time] # We had a whale of a time at your party!
to pass the buck to sb # Don’t try to pass the buck! It’s your fault, and everybody knows it.
to put the blame on sb # Don’t put the blame on me. I didn’t do it.
to eat two at a time
to play around / mess around / play the fool (formal)
to let the cat out of the bag # I was trying to keep the party a secret, but Mel went and let the cat out of the bag.
to lose /luːz/ your temper # I lost my temper and banged my book down on the desk.
to make up (with sb) # I think it is never too late to make up with an old friend. # She came back and they made up. # They should make up with their ex-enemy.
to play it cool # Play it cool - don’t let them know how much you need the money. # —The cops are coming! —Just play it cool! They have no reason to think we did anything wrong. # If the boss walks in, just play it cool.
bite off more than one can chew # I didn’t know if I could even memorize a text of that length and started to worry that I had bitten off more than I could chew. # I think I bit off more than I could chew when I agreed to paint this house by myself.
step by step; one step at a time
to be (caught) between a rock and a hard place, to be between the devil and the deep blue sea # You were really between a rock and a hard place when you had to choose between your career and your relationship. # He had a dilemma on his hands. He was clearly between the devil and the deep blue sea.
