idioms Flashcards
Come a cropper
to fail, to have a failure or near disaster.
To burn a hole in something
to cause a large financial loss or expenditure.
In the blues
feelings of sadness, depressed feelings.
Out of the blue
unexpected, without warning.
Have a dig at
to make a remark intended to annoy or upset somebody.
Tear into
to attack somebody or something physically or with words.
Salt of the earth
a very good and honest person that you can always depend on.
X-Factor
a special quality, essential for success and is difficult to describe.
To eat crow
to say and show that you are sorry for a mistake you made.
Zero in on
to fix all your attention on the person or thing mentioned.
Tamper with
to make changes without permission in order to damage.
To the hilt
support fully.
Sum up
to state the main points in a short and clear form.
Salad days
days of one’s youthful inexperience.
At home
comfortable.
Make heavy weather of
to make a situation seem more difficult than it really is.
Huffed and puffed
to be confused.
A force to reckon with
to consider somebody as a serious opponent or problem.
Draconian law
a law or punishment extremely cruel and severe.
Go down the drain
to be wasted.
Cupboard love
affection that somebody shows towards somebody else in order to get something.
In a shambles
a mess, a situation in which there is a lot of confusion.
Vis-a-vis
face to face.
Ad hoc
for the special purpose.
De facto
in fact, really.
Exparte
one sided.
A rope of sand
weak bondage.
A windfall
unexpected piece of good fortune.
Between the cup and lip
before plan is fully carried out.
To read between the lines
to understand the hidden meaning.
