Idioms Flashcards
Apply oneself
Working very hard on a specific task.
E.g. if we apply ourselves, we should be able to clean up the house in two hours.
Aplicar-se
Be as hard as nails
Relating to a person who is strong and determined.
e.g. He won’t give up. He’s as hard as nails.
Be a wreck
To be in very bad physical condition, from nervousness ou exhaustion.
e.g. - Mary is a wreck about her upcoming hospital stay.
EX: estar um caco
be beside yourself
To be very nervous or upset.
e.g. - I’m just beside myself waiting for the results of my test.
EX: estar fora de si.
Be caught red-handed
To be discovered during the commission of criminal activities.
E.g. - He was caught red-handed as he attempted to put the stolen merchandise in his pocket.
EX: ser pego em flagrante.
Be in ruins
To be totally destroyed.
e.g. - The town was in ruins after the hurricane.
EX: estar arruinada.
beating around the bush
to avoid talking about a certain topic.
e.g. - I tried to get an answer out of her, but she kept on beating around the bush.
EX: dando voltas/ enrolando.
bend over backwards
to go to your best effort to do something well.
e.g. - I bent over backwards to do my best on my essay.
EX: se virar do avesso.
beyond my wildest dreams
to be better than your highest expectations.
e.g. - My vacation in Rome was beyond my wildest dreams.
EX: além da minha imaginação/ sonhos
blow your chances
to lose all opportunities for success in an activity.
e.g. - He blew his chances of buying a car by losing all his money gambling.
EX: estrague sua chance.
blue
relating to extreme sadness or depression.
e.g. - Julie felt blue after her boyfriend left her.
EX: deprimido.
bored to tears
very bored.
e.g. - The lesson was hardly interesting. In fact, I was bored to tears.
EX: entediado.
Buck
Dollar.
e.g. - I bought this sweater for twelve bucks.
butter somebody up
to win someone’s favor through flattery.
e.g. - He tried to butter me up by saying how beautiful I looked today.
EX: bajular alguém.
by leaps and bounds
with incredible or amazing speed.
e.g. - The world population crisis is evident in certain countries, where the population has grown by leaps and bounds.
EX: aos trancos e barrancos/ a passos largos.
call for something
to make something necessary or required.
e.g. this recipe calls for white wine.
EX: exigem algo.
cast aspersions on somebody’s character
to damage someone’s reputation through rumors or gossip.
e.g. - I’d never cast aspersions on his character. In fact, I know that he is a very nice person.
EX: difamar o caráter de alguém
cheat on
to be unfaithful to one’s spouse or romantic partner.
e.g. - Tom is filling for divorce because his wife was cheating on him.
EX: trair.
check something out
to look at or verify something.
e.g. - Check out the story in this newspaper. It’s really amazing.
EX: verificar.
count me in
to want to participate in an activity.
e.g. - I’ll come to the party with you. Count me in.
EX: conte comigo.
crack somebody up
to amuse someone.
e.g. Terry’s funny jokes really crack me up.
EX: fazer alguém rir.
cross that bridge when we come to
to wait and see what happens before making a decision.
e.g. - I think I might fail my exam, but I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
crushed
to be very disappointed.
e.g. She was crushed when her boyfriend left her.
EX: arrasado.
cut off your nose to spite your face
to hurt oneself by seeking revenge on others.
e.g. - I know that you don’t like your teacher, but telling her that she’s stupid was cutting off your nose to spite your face.
defeat the purpose of something
to make something pointless.
e.g. - If you eat cake after you exercise, it kind of defeats the purpose of working out.
EX: acaba com o propósito.
dig up
to discover as a result of searching extensively.
e.g. - Joe searched through his closet, trying to dig up something to wear.
EX: desenterrar.
don’t rain on my parade
don’t discourage me.
e.g. - I just know I’m going to win the lottery, so don’t rain on my parade.
EX: não me estrague a festa.
draw the line at something
to set a limit that states what you are unwilling or unable to do.
e.g. I can help you move those boxes, but I draw the line at lifting the furniture.
EX: estabelecer o limite.
drive a hard bargain
to be difficult to negotiate with.
e.g. - He’s not going to change his mind. He drives a hard bargain.
EX: difíceis a fazer negócio.
drop a hint
to give someone subtle ideas about something in order to express one’s likes or dislikes.
e.g. - He dropped a hint that he would like a new tie for his birthday.
EX: deixar uma pista/ dica.
fall into by accident
to start doing something by chance.
e.g. - I hadn’t planned on becoming a chef. I just fell into it by accident.
EX: cair/ entrar por acaso/ acidente.
face the music
to accept reality.
e.g. - Face the music! Your girlfriend isn’t coming back to you.
EX: encarar os fatos.
fair-weather friend
loyal only during times of good fortune.
e.g. - Don’t trust him. He’s a fair-weather friend.
EX: amigo só nas boas/ amigos dos bons tempos.
feel together
to feel organized and well.
e.g. - I wouldn’t approach your boss for a raise today. She can’t be feeling too together after staying out so late last night.
EX: mesmo sentimento/ sentir junto.
fizzle out
to reduce gradually in amount or quality.
e.g. - Interest in our exercise class has fizzled out. there are only two students left.
EX: fracassar.
flat broke
to be completely out of money.
e.g. - Alan is flat broke and is considering filling for bankruptcy.
EX: falido/ duro/ quebrado.
flirt with disaster
to become involved in a dangerous or risky situation.
e.g. - Every time you drive over the speed limit, you are just flirting with disaster.
EX: flertar com o desastre.
flog a dead horse
to speak so much about a particular topic that others become bored or fed up.
e.g. - She is flogging a dead horse by continuing to complain about it. The situation won’t change anyway.
EX: lutar por uma causa perdida/ batendo num cavalo morto.
for all intents and purposes
for all practical purposes; in effect.
e.g. - My computer is useless for all intents and purposes since I cannot install any new software on it.
EX: Para todos os efeitos.
for keeps
to take possession or ownership of something forever.
e.g. - He gave me a diamond rings for keeps.
EX: para sempre/ para eternidade.
get along like cats and dogs
to be entirely incompatible.
e.g. - I can’t live with my sister. We get along like cats and dogs.
EX: conviver como gatos e cães.
get in touch
to get in contact with someone.
e.g. - Get in touch with me next week to discuss the plan.
Ex: entrar em contato.
get on somebody’s good side
to win someone’s favor.
e.g. - He tried to get on the teacher’s good side by bringing her gifts.
Ex: entrar no lado bom de alguém/ ficar na direita.
get the lowdown on something
to obtain secret or inside information about something.
e.g. - Did you get the lowdown? I heard a rumor that the factory is going to close.
Ex: obter informações sobre alguma coisa.
give somebody a lift
to give someone a ride in your car.
e.g. - Can you give me a lift into town?
Ex: dar carona a alguém.
give somebody the creeps
to frighten someone.
e.g. - Horror movies give me the creeps.
Ex: dar arrepios.
give somebody a break
to stop giving harsh treatment to an individual.
e.g. - What do you mean? You won’t help me! Give me a break!
Ex: dá um tempo! Deixar em paz!
give somebody the benefit of the doubt
to decide to believe someone, even if you are not sure that they are telling the truth.
e.g. - She said she had nothing to do with the missing money, so we gave her the benefit of the doubt.
go ballistic
to become extremely angry.
e.g. - Her dad is going to go ballistic when he realizes that she snuck out last night without permission.
Ex: ficar furioso.
grab a bite
to go for a meal, esp. quickly.
e.g. - Let’s grab a bite for lunch.
Ex: comer alguma coisa/ fazer um lanche.
grasping at straws
to try many alternative solutions in desperation.
e.g. - You don’t know the answer to the homework, so now you’re grasping at straws.
Ex: atirando para todo lado/ tiro no escuro.
grow on
to like something more than previously.
e.g. I didn’t like my new school too much at first, but it has started to grow on me.
Ex: crescer em/ despertar em.
handle something
to endure or tolerate something.
e.g. I just can’t handle waking up so early in the morning.
Ex: lidar com.
Happy-go-lucky
carefree.
e.g. - He’s so happy-go-lucky that you’d think he didn’t have a care in the world.
Ex: despreocupado.
have a one-track mind
to have only one thing on your mind.
e.g. - Paula has a one-track mind. All she ever thinks about is money.
Ex: ter uma idéia na cabeça/ pensa só nisso.
have second thoughts
to doubt a decision you have already made or to re-think it.
e.g. - I’m having second thoughts about having sold my car.
Ex: pensando duas vezes/ mudando de ideia.
heard it through the grapevine
to hear some people talking or gossiping about a subject.
e.g. I wasn’t told the news about the situation directly. I told it through the grapevine.
Ex: ouvi através de um boato/ passarinho verde me contou.
