idioms Flashcards
an arm and a leg
very expensive
over the moon
extremely pleased or happy
jumping the gun
act prematurely or hastily without proper preparation
once in a blue moon
rarely happen
a chip on my shoulder
feeling inferior or having grievance about something
a piece of cake
very easy
a drop in the ocean
a very small part of something much bigger
a blessing in disguise
something positive that is not recognized until later
actions speak louder than words
It’s better to actually do something rather than just talking about it
a small world
meeting someone you would not expected to
back to the drawing board
when an attempt to do something fails and it is time to start all over again using different methods
stuck/caught between a rock and a hard place
having two very bad choices
bite my tongue
wanting to say something but stopping yourself
cut to the chase
leave out all the unnecessary details and get to the point
put all your eggs in one basket
putting all of ones resources into one possibility
every cloud has a silver lining
every bad situation has a positive side
found my feet
to become comfortable in what are you doing
fix in my ways
not wanting to change from the normal ways of doing things
got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning
having a bad day
go the extra mile
do extra effort
hit the nail on the road
say exactly the right thing
if it’s not one thing, it’s the other
when everything seems to be going wrong
the heat of the moment
saying or doing something without thinking about it (usually when you are angry)
keep an eye on him
watch someone/something carefully
let sleeping dogs lie
avoid a conflict
let the cat out of the bag
tell something that you weren’t supposed to
bite the hand that feeds me
hurt or upset someone who is helping you
sit on the fence
not making a firm decision between some choices
over the top
excessively
practice makes perfect
continuously doing something to improve
pul your leg
joking around
take a rain check
decline an offer that you will take up later
rule of thumb
strict principle
smell a rat
to sense something is not right
spitting image
to look exactly like someone
the ball’s on your court
telling someone it is now their turn to make a decision
until the cows come home
for a very long time
tongue-in-cheek
something said in humour
under the weather
unwell
water under the bridge
things from the past are not important anymore
working against the clock
not enough time
flogging a dead horse
attempting to continue with something that is finished or over
bend over backwards
doing all you can to help someone
play devil’s advocate
to put forward a side in an argument that may not be your own in order to show the counter-argument/ensure all sides are discussed
hold your horses
slow down or wait
Drive me up the wall
annoying or irritating
out of the blue
suddenly happen
in the red
not have money
give me greenlight
give permission
white lie
tell a lie for a good purpose
green with envy
to be jealous or envious
day and night
work without any stop
learn it by heart
memorize or know something very well
pass with flying colors
to pass a test with a high grade
donkey’s years
a very long time
as sharp as a knife
very intelligent/clever
Not the sharpest tool in the shed
not very clever/intelligent
calm and connected
very calm
getting on a bit
old
nothing ventured, nothing gained
if you don’t try or take risks, you won’t succeed
a loose cannon
to say things (often bad) without thinking or realizing it
get carried away
to talk a lot without realising you are talking too much
it runs in the family
it’s characteristics of most people in that family
as bright as a button
very clever
to think on your feet
to think quickly and improvise
to go back a long way
we have known each other a long time/we are old friends
hit it off
to get on/get along very well with someone
see eye to eye
agree
be a know-it-all
someone who thinks they know everything
set in your ways
to not like change
vertically challenged
not too tall/short
brought up
raised/developed
child’s play
very easy to do
like a kid in a candy store
very excited about something
to follow in someone’s footsteps
to achieve the same things that someone else did
as sick as a dog
feeling very ill
on the mend
recovering/getting better
show promise
to indicate possible success
kill two birds with one stone
to succeed in achieving two things in a single action
better late than never
it is better to do something late than not to try it
blind as a bat
cannot see, bad eyesight
plain as day
obvious/clear
step up your game
to start performing better
tip of the iceberg
the small easily visible part of a larger problem
take its toll
have serious, bad effect
take it in stride
bersikap tenang
come in handy
berguna
