Idioms Flashcards
He could lose face if other people see that he got everything wrong.
lose face
be less respected or look stupid because sth you have done
The teacher turned a blind eye to some of the children’s bad behaviour.
turn a blind eye (to sth)
pretend not to see or notice sth, usually sth bad
We could see lights in the distance
in the distance
far away, but able to be seen or heard.
I ring my mother every day without fail.
without fail
always
If all else fails, I’ll have to sell the car.
If all else fails
used to say what sb can do if nothing else they have done is successful
Do you want to go out ?
That depends.
It depends.
That depends. / It depends.
used to say that you are not certain about something because other things have to be considered.
I would steer clear of / stay clear of that place; it’s not very safe.
steer clear of / stay clear of sth / sb
take care to avoid sth or sb, because it or they may cause problems.
Why on earth are you shouting ? Be quiet !
How on earth did he pass the exam ? He did no work at all.
Why / How / Where / Who / etc. on earth
[informal] Used to emphasize a question when you are angry or surprised, or cannot think of an obvious answer.
She was in a terrible state, so I decided to stay and look after her.
be in / get into a state
- [Informal] be / become anxious or upset.*
- (terrible here means ‘extreme’, so ‘she was extremely anxious’.)*
It makes a lot of sense to buy now while houses are cheap.
Make sense
- be a practical and logical thing to do.*
- (A lot of here adds emphasis)*
How come you’re here so early ?
how come
- [informal] used to ask the reason for something which is surprising.*
- (Notice the word order after how come is in statement form, although it is a question.)*
I had to run like mad to catch the bus.
like mad
- [informal] very fast, hard, much, etc.*
- Synonym : flat out [informal]*
The minister is on the ropes now.
INFORMAL = having serious problems and likely to fail.
The boss found himself in a tight corner.
INF = in a difficult situation. SYN in a tight spot INF.
She plays her cards close to her chest.
keeps her plans or ideas secret.
I think he’s got something up his sleeve.
has a plan or idea he will keep secret until needed.
