Idioms Flashcards
We are not out of the woods yet ?
Not yet free from difficulties/problems
Take a back seat
Deliberately become less actively involved in sth, and stop trying to control things
My heart sank
To tell sb that you suddenly felt sad or worried about sth
I thought as much
Used to say that you are not surprised that sth is true
More than likely
Very likely
I would be more than happy to
Very happy
I would be hard-pressed to
Find it very difficult to do so
Get out of bed the wrong side
Used to sa that sb is in a bad mood
I put my foot in it
Accidentally say sth that embrasses, upsets or annoy sb
It’s a bit of a sore point
Something that makes you upset, angry or embarrassed when sb mentions it
She didn’t do a stroke of work
Not do any work at all
Don’t take it personally
Feel that a failure is your fault or feel offended by sth/sb
A picture is worth a thousands words
Picture speaks more itself than words
Rome wasn’t built in a day
To work hard to achieve something
Better late than never
Even if you can’t do something on time, do it anyway. This is better than not doing it at all
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Don’t get too confident of something until you are absolutely sure it’s going to happen
Strike while the irons hot
Take decisive action while the conditions are right
Keep your nose clean
be good and don’t get into trouble
Put your best foot forward
Do everything you can to be successful
The early bird catches the worm
If you start (work) early, you will have more opportunities
The pen is mightier than the sword
Good writing is more effective than violence (it’s better to use your intelligence rather than violence to bear an opponent)
Off the top of my head
From memory
The real brain behind it
The person who thought of an idea
It never crossed my mind to
Never occurred to me
Give them a piece of my mind
Tell sb off/reprimand
He has a brain of its own
Seem capable of thought and independent action
Gone to his head
Become arrogant after success
To keep a straight face
Not laugh
Keep your wits about you
Be alert/keep an eye out
I am banging my head against a brick wall
Wasting my time/actions have no effect
Lose face
Suffer damage to one’s reputation/social standing
Rack my brain
Thinking really hard
He is as stubborn as a mule
Stubborn
She is as white as a sheet
Pale
He drinks like a fish
Drinks heavily
As dead as a post
Sourd
She sleeps like a log
Sleeps a lot
She is as bling as a bat
Don’t see really well
She has been as good as a gold
Good behavior
Her medication works like a dream
Works really well
She came as quick as a flash
Immediately
She eats like a horse
Eats a lot
