Idioms Flashcards
red herring
an unimportant fact, idea, event, etc. that takes people’s attention away from the important ones
“He deliberately threw a red herring into the conversation.”
“The police investigated many clues, but they were all red herrings.”
“Racism was not a factor in the case – that was a red herring thrown in by the defense lawyers.”
be up to your ears / eyes/ neck
to be very busy, or to have more of something than you can manage
“I’m up to my ears in work.”
“She’s up to her ears in debt.”
in the flesh
if you see somebody in the flesh, you are in the same place as them and physically see them rather than just seeing a picture of them, or in a film or on TV
“Thousands of fans gathered to see the band in the flesh.”
“Charles’ appeal is best observed in the flesh.”
“I’ve seen her perform on television, but never in the flesh.”
be a bag/bundle of nerves
(informal) extremely nervous and worried
“By the time of the interview, I was a bundle of nerves.”
“Sorry for shouting - I’m a bundle of nerves these days.”
“Since the robbery, I’ve been a bundle of nerves.”
gild the lily
to improve or decorate something that is already perfect and therefore spoil it:
“Should I add a scarf to this jacket or would it be gilding the lily?”
“Some people add a little brandy to the recipe but I feel this is gilding the lily.”
to beard the lion in his den
to visit an important person in order to tell or ask them something unpleasant
stick-in-the-mud
(informal, disapproving)
[UK] someone who is old-fashioned and too serious and avoids enjoyable activities
[US} a person who resists change or progress, new ideas, etc.
“My dad’s a real stick-in-the-mud.s”
like gold dust
(British English) difficult to find or obtain
“Tickets for the final are like gold dust.”
spin (someone) a story/tale/yarn
to tell a story, either to deceive someone or for entertainment
“He spun some tale about needing to take time off work because his mother was ill.”
“They spun us a story about being in desperate need of money.”
“She managed to spin a convincing yarn about why she was so late.”
“He uses the images as a starting point from which to spin an enchanting story.”
dead to the world
in a deep sleep
“Is Georgie up yet?” “I doubt it - she was dead to the world ten minutes ago.”
fly the coop
(informal, US) to escape from a place
on the edge of your seat
very excited and giving your full attention to something
“The game had the crowd on the edge of their seats.”
“I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened next.”
in the lap of the gods
if the result of something is in the lap of the gods, you do not know what will happen because it depends on luck or things you cannot control
“The doctors have done everything possible for him, so his recovery now is in the lap of the gods.”
in passing
done or said when your main focus is something different
SYNONYM casually
“He only mentioned it in passing and didn’t give any details.”
“He amazed us by remembering all sorts of things we had only mentioned in passing.”
“Leo mentioned in passing that you are going on vacation next week.”
be in the driving / driver’s seat
to be in charge or in control of a situation
blow a fuse / gasket
( old-fashioned , informal) to get very angry
“When he told her how much it cost, she blew a gasket.”
rock the boat
(informal) to do something that upsets a situation and causes problems
“She was told to keep her mouth shut and not rock the boat.”
white elephant
a thing that has no use and is no longer needed, although it may have cost a lot of money
“She believes the development may become a white elephant that fails to attract suitable tenants.”
fly off the handle
(informal) to suddenly become very angry
“He seems to fly off the handle about the slightest thing these days.”
above someone’s head
too difficult (for someone) to understand.
“His lecture was well above their heads.”
keep somebody’s ˈseat, etc. warm
(informal) remain in a job, an official position, etc. until somebody is ready to take it, especially so that a third person cannot do so:
“She’s not the regular driver — she’s just keeping his place warm for him until he gets back.”
over the hill
(informal) (of a person) old and therefore no longer useful or attractive
“Youngsters seem to think you’re over the hill at 40!”
“I don’t think of myself as being over the hill yet.”
blood is thicker than water
(saying) family relationships are stronger than any others; to refer to relatives who have close genetic linkage with them.
“I don’t share the belief that blood is thicker than water.”
the salt of the earth
a very good and honest person that you can always depend on
“They were such a lovely couple. They really were the salt of the earth.”
“He was the sort of person referred to as salt of the earth: very friendly and straightforward.”
“It’s a community with a great sense of pride, full of salt of the earth people.”
“He’s a salt-of-the-earth type with absolutely no pretentions.”
olive branch
a symbol of peace; something you say or do to show that you wish to make peace with somebody
“Management is holding out an olive branch to the strikers.”
“Her speech offered an olive branch to Republicans.”
“The offer could be seen as an olive branch.”
