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Idioms Flashcards

1
Q

A hot potato

A

A controversial topic.
Abortion and capital punishment are hot potatoes in my
country at the moment.

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2
Q

A piece of cake

A

Very easy.
Getting a visa will be a piece of cake for you.

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3
Q

A watched pot never boils

A

– A situation or event can take
far longer than expected. Don’t keep watching for
developments.
A watched pot never boils when you are waiting for
something to cook more quickly.

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4
Q

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

A

Being away for a
while from someone or something makes you
miss/appreciate that person or situation.
Absence made his heart grow fonder and he realised he
missed her terribly.

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5
Q

A drop in the ocean

A

A very small part of something
much bigger.
Just learning quotations is a drop in the ocean when it
comes to preparing for the exam.

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6
Q

Actions speak louder than words

A

It is better to actually
do something than just talk about it.
Lots of people have great business ideas but do nothing
about them. Actions speak louder than words, just do it.

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7
Q

put all your eggs in one basket

Are you putting all of your savings into that company?
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

A

Putting all of ones resources into one possibility

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8
Q

As a rule of thumb, I don’t study at weekends. I spend the
time with my family.

A

As a rule of thumb, I don’t study at weekends. I spend the
time with my family.

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9
Q

Back to the drawing board

A

When you attempt to do
something but fail and have to try again.
I got a 40% on the test! Oh well, back to the drawing
board.

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10
Q

Better late than never

A

It is better to finish something no
matter how long it takes to do.
It is better to finish something no
matter how long it takes to do.

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11
Q

Birds of a feather

A

People who are like-minded often
spend more time together.
Those two are birds of a feather. No wonder they meet
so often.

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12
Q

Come on, cut to the chase. We haven’t got all day!

A

Leave out all the unnecessary details and just get to the point

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13
Q

Costs an arm and a leg

A

Really expensive.
Those shoes must have cost an arm and a leg.

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14
Q

pulling your leg.
Don’t get upset about what he said. He’s just pulling your leg.

A

Joking around

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15
Q

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today –
Finish what needs to be finished today rather than
tomorrow.

A

Don’t put off until tomorrow – finish the project today.

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16
Q

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Don’t tell her what you really think of her if she’s helping
you with your English! Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

A

Hurt or upset someone who is helping you

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17
Q

Don’t upset the apple cart

A

Do not make a fuss.
Don’t upset the apple card by making a scene.

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18
Q

Down in the dumps

A

Sad.
I was really down in the dumps after my dog died.

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19
Q

Everything she does is very over the top.

A

Excessive.
She can’t just
have a few drinks – se has to get really drunk.

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20
Q

Found my feet

A

To become comfortable doing something.
Moving to a new city was difficult at first, but I soon
found my feet.

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21
Q

Getting a low score the first time I took IELTS was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to study extremely hard
so I got a much better score the next time.

A

Something positive that isn’t recognized until later

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22
Q

Go the extra mile

A

Do much more than is required.
I decided to go the extra mile and move to England to really perfect my English.

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23
Q

Good things come to those who wait

A

Be patient. Good
will come out of the situation.
Good things come to those who wait. Your promotion
will come soon.

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24
Q

Have you heard? John down the road has kicked the bucket.

A

Died

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25
He comes round to see me once in a blue moon.
Happening very rarely
26
He’s got a chip on his shoulder.
Feeling inferior or having a grievance about something
27
Hold your horses! We haven't won anything yet.
Telling someone who is getting ahead of themselves to wait / be patient
28
I bent over backwards to help him. I hope he appreciates it.
Doing all you can to help someone
29
I bumped into Jenny in town the other day. It's a small world.
Meeting someone you would not have expected to
30
I can smell a rat. He said he has a PhD but he can’t even remember which university he studied at.
To sense that something is not right
31
let sleeping dogs lie. I don’t want to argue with him again. It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Avoid a conflict
32
Cross your T's and dot your I's
שים לב לפרטים הקטנים
33
You need to screw your head on fast
אתה צריך להתאפס מהר
34
Dressed to kill
People also ask What does it mean to get Dressed to Kill? If someone is dressed to kill, they are wearing very smart or fashionable clothes because they want people to notice them and think they are attractive.
35
Don't ice me out
אל תרחיק אותי
36
I hate to rain on your parade
I hate to rain on your parade, but I really like snow
37
I’m really stuck / caught between a rock and a hard place.
Having two very bad choices. (note: stuck/caught can be omitted)
38
I have to bite my tongue so I don’t say what I really think of him!
Wanting to say something but stopping yourself.
39
I just said it in the heat of the moment
Saying or doing something suddenly without thinking about it
40
I think he got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning
To refer to someone who is having a bad day
41
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head
That’s the reason he didn’t get the job. Say exactly the right thing
42
I didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag.
Tell someone something that you were not supposed to
43
I was over the moon when he asked me to marry him.
Extremely pleased or happy
44
He’s sitting on the fence.
Not making a firm decision between different choices
45
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
the car still works so do not buy a new one.
46
Keep an eye on him
Watch someone or something carefully
47
Practice makes perfect
Continuously doing something to improve
48
Miss the boat
Miss an opportunity. I sent my application in late and I think I missed the boat.
49
My parents are very fixed in their ways
Not wanting to change from the normal ways of doing things
50
No time to lose
Something must be finished very soon
51
Off the top of my head
Saying something without thinking first
52
I'm playing devil's advocate here
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
53
On the same page
Two people are in agreement about a situation
54
Read between the lines
To understand something that may not be entirely clear
55
Run of the mill
Average, Ordinary Apple phones are very run of the mill these days
56
Set in their ways
Not wanting to change. My parents are quite traditional and set in their ways
57
She is driving me up the wall
She won't stop talking. Annoying or irritating somebody
58
feeling under the weather
Feeling unwell
59
She’s the spitting image of her mother
To look exactly like someone else
60
Break a leg.
Goos luck
61
I’ll take a rain check on that
To decline an offer that you will take up later
62
Soulmate
Someone you trust very deeply
63
Take the bull by the horns
Deal with the problem. Take the bull by the horns, you must sort out the major problems.
64
The ball's in your court now
Telling someone it's now their turn to make a decision
65
The elephant in the room
This relates to an obvious issue that is not being talked about. Talk about the elephant in the room and deal with the major issue that needs to be discussed now.
66
The in thing
Something fashionable The new iPhone is really the in thing at the moment
67
The real McCoy
Genuine or not fake. I don’t think her new handbag is the real McCoy
68
The sky’s the limit
A person can achieve anything they want. The sky’s the limit, work hard and you will progress to the top of the firm
69
a free lunch
There is no such thing as a free lunch. He wants you to invest in his company
70
Throw in the towel
To give up, leave or quit. He threw in the towel and left his job as he was unhappy.
71
If it’s not one thing, it’s the other
When everything seems to be going wrong
72
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Believing that every bad situation has a positive side / eventually leads to something good
73
until the cows come home
For a very long time. Unfortunately I think he’ll be studying for IELTS until the cows come home. His English is very poor
74
Uphill battle
There are many obstacles to sort out before we achieve what we want. There is an uphill battle to win the contract.
75
working against the clock
We're really working against the clock now. We must hurry.
76
it’s all water under the bridge
Things from the past that are not important anymore. We've had some big disagreements over the years, but it’ s all water under the bridge now. We get on fine.
77
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
When you are doing something new, act like others do in that situation. Try eating English food when in England. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
78
flogging/beating a dead horse
Attempting to continue with something that is finished / over. Why are we bothering? We're flogging/beating a dead horse. Our online business is making no money, so we should move on and do something else
79
Word of mouth
News which spreads very fast as people tell other people the same news.
80
jumping the gun
Doing or starting something too early. You are taking your IELTS test next week?? Aren’t you jumping the gun. You’ve only just started studying.
81
You are what you eat
If you eat bad food, you’ll be unhealthy, if you eat good food, you’ll be healthy
82
t judge a book by its cover
You can’t judge a book by its cover. I need to get to know him before I decide what he is like. The belief that outside appearances do not reveal what someone or something is really like
83
Saved by the bell
84
85
Three peas in a pod
דומים מאוד זה לזה. שלושה אפונים בתרמיל
86

Celpip (3 decks)

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