IDIOMS Flashcards
Be at each other’s throat
To be in a violent argument or conflict.
Pick up a fight / quarrel
To provoke or initiate a fight or argument.
Stir things up (hostilities)
To cause trouble or create conflict
Come to blows
To engage in physical fighting.
Be looking / itching for a fight
To be eager to argue or start a fight.
To have a scrap
To have a small fight or quarrel.
Patch up your differences
To reconcile or resolve a conflict.
Bury the hatchet
To make peace and end a conflict.
Clear the air
To resolve a misunderstanding or tension.
To keep a stiff upper lip
To remain calm and unemotional during difficulty.
give/pay lip service
to say that you agree with something but do nothing to support it
A budget of possibilities
A range of potential options or outcomes.
To flout the rules
To deliberately break or ignore rules.
Bear a grudge against
To hold resentment or anger towards someone.
To vent one’s spleen at/on sb
To express anger or frustration towards someone
To carry torches
To hold onto strong feelings of anger or desire
To grab sb by their necktie/collar
To physically confront or intimidate someone.
To be split over an issue
To have differing opinions on a matter, causing division
To drive a wedge between sb
to cause disagreement or anger between 2 ppl
To clash over sth
To argue or fight because of differing views on an issue.
To feud with sb over sth
To have a prolonged and bitter conflict with someone.
To trade recriminations
To exchange accusations or blame with someone.
To be at a loss for words
Unable to find words to express oneself
To talk down to sb
To speak condescendingly or patronizingly to someone.
To explain something in layman’s terms
To simplify complex information so that it can be easily understood by non-experts.
To talk the hind leg off a donkey
To talk excessively or without stopping.
To talk a blue streak
To talk very rapidly or continuously.
To harp on somebody’s bad habits
To repeatedly criticize or nag someone about their negative behaviours.
Can’t / couldn’t get a word in edgeways
Unable to interject or speak because someone else is talking too much.
To have a smatter of a language
To have a small or rudimentary knowledge of a language.
To be a chatterbox
To talk excessively or habitually.
To steer clear of a subject
To avoid discussing a particular topic.
To talk about sb behind their back
To speak about someone when they are not present often in a critical or gossiping manner.
To set tongues wagging
To cause gossip or rumours to spread.
To be long-winded
To speak or write in a lengthy or verbose manner.
To gloss over (unpleasant facts)
To avoid discussing or acknowledging unpleasant truths or details.
To say sth under one’s breath
To mutter or speak quietly so that others may not hear
To give somebody the silent treatment
To not speak to them for a period of time because you are annoyed at something they have done.
To poke fun at sb
to make someone seem stupid by making jokes about them or laughing unkindly
To get it off your chest
To talk about something that’s bothering you
To keep a stiff upper lip
To remain resolute and unemotional in difficult circumstances
To have a mind of your own
To have one’s own opinions and ideas
To see eye to eye (on sth)
To agree with someone
To be under sb’s thumb
To be controlled or dominated by someone
To put on a brave face
To act as if everything is alright when it is not
To keep one’s head
To remain calm in a difficult situation
To pull/tear your hair out
To be extremely worried or frustrated
To make one’s mind up
To decide
To fall head over heels (in love) with
To be very much in love
To get/give sb the cold shoulder
To deliberately ignore or be unfriendly to someone
To keep a cool head
To stay calm in a difficult situation
To cry one’s eyes out
To cry a lot uncontrollably
To be out of one’s mind
To be crazy or very foolish
To hold one’s tongue
To refrain from speaking
To put your foot in it / your mouth
To say something by accident that embarrasses or upsets someone
To be a pain in the neck
To be very annoying
A Cornelian dilemma
A situation where one must choose between two equally bad options
A hedgehog’s dilemma
The difficulty of achieving intimacy or closeness without hurting oneself or others
To create/pose/solve/resolve/find a way out of a dilemma
To generate confront
To be caught in/be faced with/face/confront a dilemma
To encounter or have to deal with a difficult choice
To be in a fix/in a tight spot/in a corner/in a (double) bind
To be in a difficult or tricky situation
To be in a quandary (over sth)
To be uncertain about what to do in a situation
To be on the horns of a dilemma
To be faced with two equally difficult options
To be between a rock and a hard place
To be in a situation with two very bad choices
To have no qualms about sth/doing sth
To have no doubts or ethical concerns about something
To raise a variety of ethical issues
To bring up multiple moral questions or concerns
To be treading on thin ice/on a moral slippery slope
To be in a risky situation especially ethically
To be objectionable on ethical grounds
To be unacceptable or wrong based on moral principles
To weigh things up
To consider the pros and cons or various aspects of a situation
To balance the pros and cons of something
To consider the advantages and disadvantages of something
(To choose) the lesser of two evils
To choose the less harmful or problematic of two bad options
To sleep on a problem - have a pillow talk
To postpone a decision or problem until the next day
To sit on a problem or decision - delay
To postpone or delay dealing with a problem or decision
To lay/put/bear the blame for something
To be held responsible or at fault for something
To lay oneself open to criticism
To make oneself vulnerable to criticism
To be a giant leap forward
To make a significant and positive advancement
To pose a threat to
To be potentially dangerous or harmful to something
To put sb / sth in jeopardy
To put something at risk or in danger
To be hailed as
To be praised or celebrated as something
To reap the benefits of
To gain advantages from something
To be a silver bullet solution
To be a simple and seemingly magical solution to a problem
To line sb’s pockets
To make money often in a dishonest or unethical way
To pride oneself on
To be proud of a particular quality or skill
To get hooked on
To become addicted or very interested in something
Cross a moral boundary
to do something that is ethically wrong
An area of contention
A subject or issue that people have different views about
To scrutinize ethical issues
To examine moral questions closely
A moral minefield
A situation with many potential ethical problems
Step into moral snares
To get involved in ethically problematic situations
To tweak genetics to our desires
To alter genetic makeup according to our preferences
To tamper with nature/the truth
To interfere or meddle with natural processes or truth
To tinker with nature
To make small changes to nature often experimentally
To be in a predicament
To be in a difficult challenging
To shirk the responsibility
An attempt to reduce or minimize one’s level of accountability or the scope of one’s duties.
Unfathomable reasons
Reasons or explanations that are extremely difficult or impossible to understand or comprehend
To hit / run into a snag
To encounter an unexpected problem/obstacle or difficulty that hinders progress or creates a delay in a plan or process
To sort it out on the spot
To address, resolve or manage a situation immediately and w/o delay.
To shoulder the responsibility
To accept or take on a responsibility, duty
To pass the buck
To avoid taking responsibility for a decision by transferring it to sb else
To come / get to grips with it
To confront, deal with a challenging or difficult situation.
To endure the HARDSHIPS of life
Facing and persevering through the difficult challenging adverse aspects of one’s existence
To come up against a brick wall
Encountering an insurmountable obstacle or facing a situation where progress or success seems impossible.
To face a stumbling block
Encounter an obstacle or challenge that hinders progress
Shirk from problems
Avoid or evade dealing with difficulties or challenges.
Wash your hand on the matter
Disassociate yourself from a responsibility or problem.
Take the bull by the horns
Confront a difficult situation directly and assertively.
Have sb over a barrel
Have someone in a vulnerable or disadvantageous position.
Tackle the problems
Address or deal with challenges or issues.
