Idioms Flashcards
The rub
the particular problem that makes a situation difficult or impossible
You can’t get a job unless you have experience, but there’s the rub, you can’t get experience unless you have a job.
White lie
a lie about a small or unimportant matter that someone tells to avoid hurting another person
He told a (little) white lie as his excuse for missing the party.
Get the better of someone
to defeat someone in a competition (felülkerekedik)
He fought fiercely, but his opponent easily got the better of him.
Her curiosity got the better of her and she opened the door and peeped inside.
Hold your own (2 meanings)
to be as successful as other people or things in a situation (megállja a helyét)
Josie can hold her own in any argument.
to not become more ill or more weak (megvan)
He’s still ill but holding his own.
Punch above your weight
If a country or business punches above its weight, it becomes involved in, or succeeds in, an activity that needs more power, money, etc. than it seems to have (erején felül teljesít)
Although Brad isn’t the best track runner, I think that if he trains hard and punches above his weight, he’ll be able to qualify for the upcoming competition.
what with one thing and another
You say what with one thing and another when you want to explain that the reason you have failed to do something is because you have been very busy
What with one thing and another, I forgot to call you yesterday.
in the lap of luxury
living in very comfortable conditions because you have a lot of money
People are living on the streets while others live in the lap of luxury.
if nothing else…
Ha más nem…
If nothing else, we can go tot he cinema for a movie.
on a shoestring
If you do something on a shoestring, you do it with a very small amount of money
The film was made on a shoestring.
rough it
to live without comforts, esp. running water, heat, etc.
While the house was being decorated we roughed it in a tent..
may/might as well
used to suggest doing something, often when there is nothing better to do
We might as well walk there.
We may as well start the meeting - the others will be here soon.
on/to the verge/point of
If you are on the verge/point of something or come to the verge of something, you are very close to experiencing it
**on the verge of ** collapse/success/tears/death/disaster/war
Her husband’s violent and abusive behaviour drove her to the verge of despair.
in vain
unsuccessfully
I tried in vain to start a conversation.
All the police’s efforts to find him were in vain.
in the region of
approximately
They estimate that the temperature yesterday was (somewhere) in the region of -30°C.
go/walk down the aisle
to get married
I want to settle down, buy a home together, have a family and walk down the aisle.
