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Idioms Flashcards

1
Q

move the needle

A

to change a situation to a noticeable degree

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2
Q

leave someone cold

A

to not make you feel interested or excited

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3
Q

go/walk down the aisle

A

to get married

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4
Q

to fall head over heels / head over heels (in love)

A

полетіти шкереберть / completely in love

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5
Q

go toe to toe (stand toe to toe, be toe to toe)

A

йти пліч-о-пліч / нога в ногу / to be willing or able to compete or fight with someone in a strong, forceful, determined way

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6
Q

take its toll (take a toll)

A

to cause harm or suffering / беруть своє

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7
Q

have bigger/other fish to fry

A

to have something more important to do

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8
Q

silver bullet

A

a simple solution to a complicated problem

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9
Q

does/is what it says on the tin

A

If something does *, it does exactly what it is intended to do

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10
Q

have something up your sleeve / up your sleeve

A

to have secret plans or ideas

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11
Q

go a long way / go far

A

If you say that someone will go a long way, you mean that they will be very successful.

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12
Q

be in two minds

A

to be unable to decide about something

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13
Q

play fast and loose with something/someone

A

behave irresponsibly or immorally

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14
Q

lay something (to) waste

A

to completely destroy something

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15
Q

at face value

A

for what something appears to be / за чисту монету, за номіналом, розуміти буквально / If you take something at face value, you accept it and believe it without thinking about it very much, even though it might untrue.

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16
Q

rub someone the wrong way

A

роздратовувати / to annoy someone without intending to

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17
Q

put your foot down

A

to use your authority to stop something happening / to increase your speed when you are driving

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18
Q

one step at a time

A

slowly and carefully, doing just a little at a time

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19
Q

go overboard

A

to do something too much, or to be too excited or eager about something / перегинати палицю

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20
Q

have something on your plate / on one’s plate

A

to have something, usually a large amount of important work, to deal with / occupying one’s time or energy

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21
Q

go out of your way

A

to try very hard to do something, especially for someone else; to try especially hard to do something good or helpful

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22
Q

all walks of life

A

—used to refer to people who have many different jobs or positions in society —
всі верстви населення

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23
Q

as old as the hills

A

very old

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24
Q

be as fresh as a daisy

A

idiom of comparison/ to be full of energy and enthusiasm

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25
as hard/tough as nails
idiom of comparison/ not feeling or showing any emotions such as sympathy fear or worry
26
as sober as a judge
idiom of comparison/ completely sober
27
as steady (solid) as a rock
idiom of comparison/ very steady
28
be (as) thick as thieves
idiom of comparison/ to be very close friends and share secrets
29
sleep like a log
idiom of comparison/ to sleep very well without being woken by any noises
30
eat like a horse
idiom of comparison/ to always eat a lot of food
31
have a memory/mind like a sieve
idiom of comparison/ to have a very bad memory
32
to spread like a wildfire
idiom of comparison/ quickly in a way that cannot be controlled
33
(as) clear as a bell
idiom of comparison/ very easy to hear
34
as heavy as a lead
idiom of comparison/ very heavy
35
be as stubborn as a mule
idiom of comparison/ to be very stubborn
36
go as red as a beetroot; go beet red
idiom of comparison/ to have a red face because you are embarrassed
37
as safe as a vault
idiom of comparison/ very safe
38
smoke like a chimney
idiom of comparison/ to smoke a lot
39
fit like a glove
idiom of comparison/ to be the perfect size and shape for someone
40
come down on someone like a ton of bricks
idiom of comparison/ very strongly or forcefully
41
get on like a house on fire
idiom of comparison/ to like each other very much and become friends very quickly
42
shake/tremble like a leaf
idiom of comparison/ to ..... in a way that you cannot control because you are very nervous or frightened
43
hot potato
idiom/ a controversial question or issue that involves unpleasant or dangerous consequences for anyone dealing with it
44
(a) penny for your thoughts
idiom/ used to ask what someone is thinking about
45
actions speak louder than words
idiom/ said to emphasize that what you do is more important and shows your intention and feelings more clearly than what you say
46
add insult to injury
idiom/ to do or say something that makes a bad situation even worse for someone
47
an arm and a leg
idiom/ a very large amount of money
48
at the drop of a hat
idiom/ If you do something .... you do it immediately without stopping to think about it
49
go back to the drawing board
idiom/ to start over
50
the ball is in one's court
idiom/ burdened with expectations or requirements for something
51
barking up the wrong tree
idiom/ to promote or follow a mistaken course (as in doing research)
52
see the back of someone/something
idiom/ to be pleased that you no longer have to be involved with him her or it
53
beat around(about) the bush
idiom/ to avoid talking about what is important
54
the best of both worlds
idiom/ a situation in which you can enjoy the advantages of two very different things at the same time
55
be the best thing since sliced bread
idiom/ to be an excellent person or thing
56
to bite off more than you can chew
idiom/ to try to do something that is too difficult for you
57
a blessing in disguise
idiom/ something that seems bad or unlucky at first but results in something good happening later
58
to burn the midnight oil
idiom/ to work late into the night
59
you can't judge a book by its cover
idiom/ said to show that you cannot know what something or someone is like by looking only at that person or thing's appearance
60
hear (something) through/on the grapevine
idiom; to hear news from someone who heard the news from someone else
61
fall between two stools
idiom; it fails to achieve either of two aims
62
cross that bridge when one comes to it
idiom; to not worry about a possible problem until it actually happens
63
cry over spilled milk
idiom; to feel sorry or sad about something that has already happened used to emphasize that this is not helpful
64
curiosity killed the cat
idiom; said to warn someone not to ask too many questions about something
65
cut corners
idiom; to save money or time when doing something by not including some parts actions or details so that the result is not as good as it could be
66
can't cut it OR can't cut the mustard
idiom; to not be able to deal with problems or difficulties in a satisfactory way
67
devil's advocate
idiom; someone who pretends in an argument or discussion to be against an idea or plan that a lot of people support in order to make people discuss and consider it in more detail
68
don’t count your chickens before they hatch
idiom; you should not make plans that depend on something good happening before you know that it has actually happened
69
don't give up the day job!
idiom; used for telling someone that you do not think they are very good at something
70
put all one's eggs in one basket
idiom; to risk all one has on the success or failure of one thing
71
drastic times call for drastic measures
idiom; extreme circumstances are only resolved by equally extreme actions
72
every cloud has a silver lining
idiom; said to emphasize that every difficult or unpleasant situation has some advantage
73
be a far cry from something
idiom; to be completely different from something
74
under the weather
idiom; to feel ill
75
give someone the benefit of the doubt
idiom; to believe something good about someone rather than something bad when you have the possibility of doing either
76
off one's rocker
idiom; in a state marked by extreme confusion or mental unsoundness
77
hit the nail on the head
idiom; to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem
78
hit the sack / hit the hay
idiom; to go to bed in order to sleep
79
in the heat of the moment
idiom; to say or do it without thinking because you are very angry or excited
80
it takes two to tango
idiom; said when you want to emphasize that both people involved in a difficult situation must accept the blame or that an activity needs two people who are willing to take part for it to happen
81
jump/climb/get on the bandwagon
idiom; to become involved in an activity that is successful so that you can get the advantages of it yourself
82
keep/hold someone/something at bay
idiom; to control something and prevent it from causing you problems to prevent someone from moving closer
83
kill two birds with one stone
idiom; to succeed in achieving two things in a single action
84
the final/last straw
idiom; the last in a series of unpleasant events that finally makes you feel that you cannot continue to accept a bad situation
85
let sleeping dogs lie
idiom; said to warn someone that they should not talk about a bad situation that most people have forgotten about
86
let the cat out of the bag
idiom; to allow a secret to be known usually without intending to
87
(to make/to cut) a long story short
idiom; used when you are explaining what happened in a few words without giving all the details
88
(a) method in/to one's madness
idiom; good reasons for one's actions even though they may seem foolish or strange
89
miss the boat
idiom; to lose an opportunity to do something by being slow to act
90
not a spark of decency
idiom; complete lack of ordinary customary kindness and respect very rude manners
91
once in a blue moon
idiom; not very often
92
a picture is worth a thousand words
idiom; used to say that it is often easier to show something in a picture than to describe it with words
93
a piece of cake
idiom; something that is very easy to do
94
pull the wool over someone's eyes
idiom; to deceive someone in order to prevent them from discovering something;
95
see eye to eye
idiom; to have a common viewpoint agree with each other
96
sit on the fence
idiom; to delay making a decision
97
speak/talk of the devil
idiom; something you say when the person you were talking about appears unexpectedly
98
steal someone's thunder
idiom; to do what someone else was going to do before they do it especially if this takes success or praise away from them
99
take something with a grain of salt
idiom; to not completely believe something that you are told because you think it is unlikely to be true
100
give someone a dose/taste of their own medicine
idiom; to treat someone as badly as they have treated you
101
(straight) from the horse’s mouth
idiom; directly from the person who has personal knowledge of the matter
102
the whole nine yards
idiom; everything you can possibly want have or do in a particular situation
103
someone wouldn’t be caught dead
idiom; someone dislikes something very much
104
your guess is as good as mine
idiom; something you say when you do not know the answer to a question

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