idioms Flashcards
no todo ha sido camino de rosas
it hasn’t all been plain sailing
Hemos puesto nuestro granito de arena viendo cómo está el terreno.
We’ve done our bit by seeing how the land lies
do what they said they would
keep sb word
stay calm
keep her cool
watch for someone to appear
keep an eye
try not to be noticed
keep a low profile
continue to know
keep track of
let someone know what’s happening
keep me posted on
stop yourself smiling or laughing
keep a straight face
hope things will turn out well
keep my fingers crossed
Having something that is certain is much better than taking a risk for more, because chances are you might lose everything.
A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush
Something good that isn’t recognized at first.
A Blessing In Disguise
Being upset for something that happened in the past.
A Chip On Your Shoulder
Anything that is common and easy to get.
A Dime A Dozen
A skeptic who needs physical or personal evidence in order to believe something.
A Doubting Thomas
A very small part of something big or whole.
A Drop in the Bucket
It’s easy for a foolish person to lose his/her money.
A Fool And His Money Are Easily Parted
Everyone involved must unify and function together or it will not work out.
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand
You cannot change who you are.
A Leopard Can’t Change His Spots
By not spending money, you are saving money (little by little).
A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned
A visual presentation is far more descriptive than words.
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words
A task that can be accomplished very easily.
A Piece of Cake
A very mild punishment.
A Slap on the Wrist
When you are mistreated the same way you mistreat others
A Taste Of Your Own Medicine
A result that is still unclear and can go either way.
A Toss-Up
Add Fuel To The Fire
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Rushed and short on time.
Against The Clock
When someone is threatening and/or aggressive but not willing to engage in a fight
All Bark And No Bite
Meaningless and incomprehensible like someone who cannot read,
speak, or understand any of the Greek language would be.
All Greek to me
When everyone is facing the same challenges
All In The Same Boat
Very expensive. A large amount of money
An Arm And A Leg
To have a dispute with someone
An Axe To Grind
Someone who is cherished above all others
Apple of My Eye
Anything that is high up in the sky
As High As A Kite
Willing to do something immediately.
At The Drop Of A Hat
People who criticize from the sidelines, much like someone giving unwanted advice from the back seat of a vehicle to the driver.
Back Seat Driver
Having to start all over again.
Back To Square One
When an attempt fails and it’s time to start all over.
Back To The Drawing Board
Thirteen.
Baker’s Dozen
A mistake made in something you are trying to achiev
Barking Up The Wrong Tree
To force an issue that has already ended.
Beat A Dead Horse
Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.
Beating Around The Bush
Do whatever it takes to help. Willing to do anything.
Bend Over Backwards
Stuck between two very bad options
Between A Rock And A Hard Place
To take on a task that is way to big
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
To avoid talking
Bite Your Tongue
The family bond is closer than anything else.
Blood Is Thicker Than Water
A rare event or occurance.
Blue Moon
A superstitious way to say ‘good luck’ without saying ‘good luck’, but rather the opposite
Break A Leg
To purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you drive it away.
Buy A Lemon
Someone who isn’t adequate enough to compete or participate.
Can’t Cut The Mustard
Someone who has no problems, complications or ill effects with eating anything or drinking anything.
Cast Iron Stomach
Stiffness in the leg / A leg cramp.
Charley Horse
Verbally scold someone
Chew someone out
Angry today about something that occured in the past.
Chip on his Shoulder
To eat.
Chow Down
To be very near and almost accomplish a goal, but fall short.
Close but no Cigar
An unbelievable tale.
Cock and Bull Story
Any difficult situation or obstacle
Come Hell Or High Water
To make someone laugh.
Crack Someone Up
One who was previously unknown and is now prominent.
Dark Horse
100% identical. A duplicate.
Dead Ringer
Someone who takes a position for the sake of argument without believing in that particular side of the arguement. It can also mean
one who presents a counter argument for a position they do believe in, to another debater
Devil’s Advocate
The hottest days of the summer season.
Dog Days of Summer
Don’t rely on it until your sure of it.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
When someone gives you a gift, don’t be ungrateful.
Don’t Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth
Do not put all your resources in one possibility.
Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket
Something outstanding.
Doozy
Something that ends at the last minute or last few seconds
Down To The Wire
When you are extremely desperate you need to take extremely desperate actions.
Drastic Times Call For Drastic Measures
To drink very heavily.
Drink like a fish
To irritate and/or annoy very much.
Drive someone up the wall
A large number of people either falling ill or dying.
Dropping Like Flies
Rehearsal.
Dry Run
A certain item is no longer available. Or this idiom can also mean, to throw away.
Eighty Six
The show has come to an end. It’s all over.
Elvis has left the building
Killing of a certain ethnic or religious group on a massive scale.
Ethnic Cleansing
Be optomistic, even difficult times will lead to better days
Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
Almost everything and anything has been included
Everything But The Kitchen Sink
Please forgive me for cussing
Excuse my French
An aggressive attack on someone by a group
Feeding Frenzy
An enjoyable day or circumstance
Field Day
To become more comfortable in whatever you are doing
Finding Your Feet
A very tasty food or meal.
Finger lickin’ good
Not willing or wanting to change from your normal way of doing something
Fixed In Your Ways
Something that shows potential or looks promising in the beginning but fails to deliver anything in the end.
Flash In The Pan
A swap meet. A place where people gather to buy and sell inexpensive goods.
Flea Market
This idiom can mean living material of which people are made of, or it can refer to anything in the end.
Flesh and Blood
To raise your middle finger at someone.
Flip The Bird
To be enraged and show it.
Foam at the Mouth
Iron pyrites, a worthless rock that resembles real gold.
Fools’ Gold
An open mouth kiss where tongues touch.
French Kiss
To go from being very poor to being very wealthy.
From Rags To Riches
An old-fashioned and foolish type of person
Fuddy-duddy
A mental institutional facility.
Funny Farm
To become serious about something.
Get Down to Brass Tacks
To move beyond something that is bothering you
Get Over It
Someone who is having a horrible day
Get Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed
Get fired from a job
Get Your Walking Papers
To get away from. To escape.
Give Him The Slip
To be received badly by an audience.
Go Down Like A Lead Balloon
To gamble everything you have
Go For Broke
Put yourself in a tough position in order to support someone/something
Go Out On A Limb
Going above and beyond whatever is required for the task at hand.
Go The Extra Mile
Someone who helps others when they are in need, with no discussion for compensation, and no thought of a reward
Good Samaritan
Working hours from about 12:00 am to 8:00 am. The time of the day when most other people are sleeping
Graveyard Shift
Intelligent people think like each other
Great Minds Think Alike
The waiting room, especially for those who are about to go on a tv or radio show
Green Room
A personal intuition you get, especially when feel something may not be right.
Gut Feeling
Quickly doing things results in a poor ending.
Haste Makes Waste
To have a dispute with someone.
Have an Axe to Grind
Angry and overcome by emotions.
He Lost His Head
Very excited and/or joyful, especially when in love
Head Over Heels
Deteriorating and headed for complete disaster.
Hell in a Handbasket
Slapping palms above each others heads as celebration gesture.
High Five
Living in Luxury
High on the Hog
To study, especially for a test or exam.
Hit The Books
Go to bed or go to sleep.
Hit The Hay / Hit The Sack
Do something exactly right or say something exactly right.
Hit The Nail on the Head
Be patient.
Hold Your Horses
In general, a term used in magic or trickery
Hocus Pocus
When you already have it good and get something on top of what you already have
Icing On The Cake
You are more likely to get in trouble if you have nothing to do.
Idle Hands Are The Devil’s Tools
To be easily successful, especially when sexual or romantic.
In Like Flynn
To have something secured.
In The Bag
Nude
In The Buff
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment
In The Heat Of The Moment
An aggressive and bold confrontation.
In Your Face
A two person conflict where both people are at fault
It Takes Two To Tango
You frequently see the same people in different places
It’s A Small World
A competition where the outcome is difficult to judge or predict.
Its Anyone’s Call
Crossing the street (from the middle) without using the crosswalk.
Jaywalk
Tricking me
Joshing Me
You should carefully watch him
Keep An Eye On Him
To earn a sufficient amount of money in order to keep yourself alive .
Keep body and soul together
To remain joyful in a tough situation
Keep your chin up
Die
Kick The Bucket
To understand the details.
Know the Ropes
To share a secret that wasn’t suppose to be shared.
Let The Cat Out Of The Bag
To act in a frenzied manne
Like a chicken with its head cut off
To state a fact so there are no doubts or objections.
Make No Bones About
Strange or crazy actions that appear meaningless but in the
end are done for a good reason
Method To My Madness
Getting a bad start on a relationship or task
Off On The Wrong Foot
No longer have to deal with a tough situation.
Off The Hook
Something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn’t
want attributed to him/her
Off the Record
Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of something.
On Pins And Needles
Undecided
On The Fence
Something that suddenly and unexpectedly occurs.
Out Of The Blue
To listen very carefully
Pick up your ears
To stop something. To bring something to an end.
Pull the plug
To tell noisy person or a group to be quiet.
Put a sock in it
to have just enough money to pay for the things that you need = llegar a fin de mes
make ends meet
