Idioms Flashcards
Beat around the bush
to avoid talking about what is important Don’t beat around the bush - get to the point!
Clean bill of health
an official statement that something has been found to be safe, legal, or in good financial condition Two of the bridges got tentative clean bills of health from inspectors on the scene Friday.give sth a clean bill of health A meeting of EU finance ministers gave the European economy a clean bill of health.
Cold shoulder
an unfriendly attitude shown to someone or something, especially by intentionally ignoring or showing no interest in them His wife was angry and giving him the cold shoulder.**The young entrepreneur got a cold shoulder from the business establishment
A feather in your cap
an achievement to be proud of It’s a real feather in our cap to be playing in the state championship.
Last straw
the latest problem in a series of problems, that makes a situation impossible to accept The last straw was when the company fired most of the managers.
On its last leg
Something that is on its last legs is in such bad condition that it will soon be unable to work as it should I’ve had this laptop for five years now, and it’s really on its last legs.
Rule the roost
to be the person who makes all the decisions in a group In that family it is the grandma who rules the roost.
Touch and go
If a situation is touch-and-go, it is uncertain The doctor says that it’s touch-and-go whether Mary will be okay.
If it bleeds, it leads
Used often in news rooms
Walk the talk
To back up one’s boastful talk with meaningful actions. (A compressed version of the largely American, “If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk,” or, “You talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?” and other such iterations.) Primarily heard in UK. This consultant has sold us on some pretty radical ideas, but it remains to be seen whether he can walk the talk.
Situation at hand
A problem / situation at hand is a problem / situation that you are dealing with at the moment. I have got quite a few problems at hand.
don’t hold your breath on that
Used to tell someone not to expect something to happen for a very long time:
She said she’d get back to us, but don’t hold your breath!
to have all the reasons to be angry
to have significant reasosn to be angry
slip between the cracks
To go unnoticed or undealt with; to be unintentionally neglected or ignored, especially in a corporate, political, or social system.
With other issues like drug addiction and unemployment taking priority for the government, the welfare of children in the foster system very often slips between the cracks.
We were all so busy drawing up the contracts for this new deal that the appreciation dinner we’d promised to our interns simply slipped between the cracks.
draw attention away from the…
draw attention away from the principal concern
shed (some) light on (something)
To reveal information or details about something; to clarify or help people understand something.
- We’ve hired a private investigator to help shed light on the clandestine dealings of the organization.*
- These documents we’ve uncovered shed some light on how the late author’s final book was meant to end.*
