Idioms 101-150

Question 1

to have brains # If you had any brains, you’d know what I mean.

Question 2

to make the most of sth # We’re only in Paris for a day, so let’s make the most of it. # There’ll be a lot of travelling involved in my new job and I plan to make the most of it.

Question 3

to fit like a glove # She’s very shy, so working in a research lab really fits her like a glove. # My new shoes fit like a glove.

Question 4

to get the wrong end of the stick # Her friend saw us arrive at the party together and got the wrong end of the stick.

Question 5

like a bull in a china shop # We told her it was a delicate situation but she went into the meeting like a bull in a china shop. # The Prime Minister went into the negotiations like a bull in a china shop and only made the relations between the two countries worse.

Question 6

on the spur /spɜː/ of the moment # It’s totally out my character to take a trip on the spur of the moment, but I just needed to get out of the city for a while.

Question 7

every now and then, now and again, from time to time # We still meet for lunch now and then, but not as often as we used to. # Everyone has disagreements from time to time.

Question 8

you’d better # You’d better not fail this exam. # We’d better hurry up or we’ll miss the train. # You’d better tell him the truth # It’s five o’clock. I’d better go now before the traffic gets too bad.

Question 9

if I remember right(ly) # If I remember right, your team lost that night, right?

Question 10

This is the life!

Question 11

I look forward to (+ING verb)… | I can’t wait to/for… # I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. # I can’t wait to show it to Mommy and Daddy. # I can’t wait for my Birthday. # I can’t wait for Christmas.

Question 12

to go off on a tangent # It’s hard to get a firm decision out of him - he’s always going off on a tangent.

Question 13

to know sth like the back of your hand # She knows these streets like the back of her hand.

Question 14

I’m all cried out.

Question 15

(to go) out of the frying pan into the fire # I really went out of the frying pan into the fire.

Question 16

to turn a blind eye # I knew exactly what she was up to but decided to turn a blind eye.

Question 17

every [other week | two weeks] # Their food includes meat at least every other day.

Question 18

(at) any [minute | moment] (now) # It looked as if it might rain at any minute. # He’ll be here any minute. # Any minute now, that phone is going to ring. # Here you can check your reservation status at any time.

Question 19

over time # Symptoms may begin suddenly or develop slowly over time. # Over time you’ll see who your true friends really are.

Question 20

to fly the nest # Once the kids have all flown the nest we might sell this house and move somewhere smaller.

Question 21

to run out of sth # We’ve run out of milk.

Question 22

It’s not rocket science.

Question 23

to be second to none # Mom’s chocolate cake is second to none. # Of course my daughter will go to Harvard—it’s second to none! # The owner is a famous pastry chef, so the desserts here are truly second to none.

Question 24

wear and tear # Seat covers on buses take a lot of wear and tear. # The insurance company will pay for accidental damage, but not wear and tear.

Question 25

to nip in the bud /bʌd/ # I wanted to nip that little romance in the bud. The whole idea was nipped in the bud.

Question 26

at (the) most # A new engine would cost, at most, two thousand dollars. # It will take 10 minutes at the most. # She guessed him to be in his late thirties. Forty at the very most.

Question 27

to do your business in the toilet

Question 28

n times in a row # to cancel two times in a row

Question 29

it’s hard to believe # It’s hard to believe September has arrived!

Question 30

hand in hand # They walked down the street hand in hand. # Bob and Mary sat there quietly, hand in hand. # Cookies and milk seem to go hand in hand.

Question 31

the wrong way round (bad position), the other way round (good position) # He’d stuck the picture onto the page the wrong way round. # No, it’s the other way round.

Question 32

It doesn’t do anything for me.

Question 33

in a nutshell # In a nutshell, things are slightly better than they were before.

Question 34

That’s the way [it is | life goes]. # We lost the game, but that’s the way [it is | life goes].

Question 35

to get yourself in a mess #I think I’ve got myself in a mess.

Question 36

Don’t even think about it!

Question 37

take a wild guess # # I’ve no idea how many beans are in the jar, but I’ll take a wild guess and say 5000.

Question 38

to go too far # His jokes are funny, but sometimes he goes too far.

Question 39

to hit it off (with sb), to get on like a house on fire # We had similar ideas about the show, and the two of us hit it off right away. # I was worried that they wouldn’t like each other but in fact they’re getting on like a house on fire.

Question 40

to be full of beans # I’ve never met anyone so full of beans before breakfast. # Ben you are full of beans today.

Question 41

be born with a silver spoon in your mouth

Question 42

to look down you nose at sb # He looks down his nose at anyone foreign.

Question 43

hardly [anyone | a soul] # Hardly anyone watches this programme.

Question 44

the world and his wife # It’s going to be quite a party - the world and his wife will be there.

Question 45

a needle in a haystack /ˈheɪˌstæk/ # Finding the piece of paper I need in this huge pile of documents is like looking for/trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Question 46

to be one sandwich short of a picnic # He says he’s going to start a business selling bees as pets. He is definitely one sandwich short of a picnic.

Question 47

to be quite a character # Ted’s quite a character. He’s 70 now and still riding that motorbike.

Question 48

born and bred # Born and bred in France, Arnaud Daniélou studied English…

Question 49

Liar, liar, pants on fire!

Question 50

Hold your horses!