Idioms 401-449

Question 1

to be a tough one # Well, that’s a tough one but I would say “yes”, people can change. # And that’s a tough one to answer to a little kid.

Question 2

to have nothing to do # That has nothing to do with me!

Question 3

The thing is (that)… # Well, the thing is that I feel you don’t like me.

Question 4

it’s no use crying over spilt milk # Yes, we made a mistake, but there’s no point in crying over spilt milk. # Its no use crying over spilt milk – it was a bad investment, the money has been lost and there’s nothing we can do. # Mona was unable to accept the reality of her divorce. She was crying over spilled milk.

Question 5

to do your part # Even if you have the best teacher at your side, you’re not going to lean if you don’t do your part. # Each of you is going to have to do your part in keeping the community crime-free.

Question 6

to scrape through sth # He managed to scrape through his final exams. # There was only just room to scrape through between the tree and the edge of the stream.

Question 7

to dawn /dɔːn/ on sb sth # Suddenly it dawned on her that her remarks might have been offensive to the others. # I was about to pay for the shopping when it suddenly dawned on me that I’d left my wallet at home.

Question 8

and so? # Alright… and so? # What do you mean, “and so?”

Question 9

to found yourself in # I’ve never found myself in a similar situation. # For the first time I found myself in a forum in which I could share and debate ideas on narrative.

Question 10

to go unnoticed # His contribution did not go unnoticed. # Okay, this is probably not the best way to go unnoticed.

Question 11

to be torn between A and B # She’s torn between her loyalty and her desire to tell the truth. # I don’t know which to take. I’m torn between Fred and Alice.

Question 12

black and blue # His arm was black and blue.

Question 13

blood is thicker than water # As the proverb says, blood is thicker than water.

Question 14

without a thought # I would give my life for you without a thought.

Question 15

overnight # The rules are not going to change overnight. # He’s realistic enough to know he’s not going to succeed overnight. # Almost overnight, she had aged ten years and become fat.

Question 16

there’s nothing wrong with # Okay, there’s nothing wrong with having fun. # You know, there’s nothing wrong with wearing glasses.

Question 17

to change for the better/worse # He dreams of changing the world for the better. # Moving overseas was a huge undertaking, but I feel like it was a change for the better in the end. # The grandparents sigh and say how things have changed for the worse. # If so, this would be a change for the worse for Swedish citizens.

Question 18

This guy has balls the size of watermelons.

Question 19

it comes in handy # it really comes in handy to live in the centre of the city. # Having a bike really comes in handy if you live in Madrid.

Question 20

to be the tip of the iceberg # That’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Question 21

Don’t throw in the towel!

Question 22

A little bit will do.

Question 23

For [God’s | goodness’ | Pete’s /piːt/] sake! # For Pete’s sake, son! Put on your shoes!

Question 24

to pay off, to be fruitful # Sandra was determined to become a doctor and her persistence paid off. # All our work is starting to pay off. # Your hard work is paying off!! # Dan’s argument with his parents wasn’t very fruitful.

Question 25

to be all ears

Question 26

get blood out of/from a stone # Persuading Chris to buy a round of drinks is like getting blood from a stone. # Convincing fussy eaters to try new foods is like trying to get blood out of a stone. # The government can’t increase taxes any further—nobody has the money! You can’t get blood from a stone.

Question 27

the blind leading the blind # Just what we need - the blind leading the blind. # Don’t ask me to tutor someone in algebra because it would be the blind leading the blind. # Grandma teaching you to drive is like the blind leading the blind.

Question 28

There you go! # There you go, the complete works of William Shakespeare. # I know our political system isn’t perfect, but there you go. # There you go! I knew you’d get the hang of it eventually! # There you go! That’s the way! Good shot, Chuck! # There you go! You said it again.

Question 29

A tree will do. (to have a wee wee)

Question 30

Don’t shoot the messenger. # —What do you mean I’m being sued by my ex-wife? I’ll knock your lights out! —Hey man, I’m just doing my job. Don’t shoot the messenger!

Question 31

to be on the right track # These results suggest that we are on the right track.

Question 32

get up on the wrong side of the bed # Dad got up on the wrong side of bed, and he’s been grumpy all day.

Question 33

to bridge the gap between X and Y # The president singled out education as a vital tool in bridging the gap between rich and poor. # A lingua franca is used to bridge the gap between people who do not speak the same language. # The engineers decided to bridge the gap with a wooden structure.

Question 34

almost nothing, next to nothing # It says a lot about our society that teachers get paid next to nothing while some celebrities do next to nothing and get paid millions. # There was almost nothing in the room.

Question 35

to the sound of # …dancing to the sound of a drum.

Question 36

on the spot # He ordered me to do it on the spot because he couldn’t wait. # James was called to see the producer and got the job on the spot. # Give me one reason why I shouldn’t get rid of you on the spot.

Question 37

cry wolf # Stop crying wolf, or else no one will come to your help in case of need. # If you cry wolf too often, people will stop paying you any attention. # Some people believe the experts are crying wolf on climate change. # I’m sure there’s no real crisis—Janet is always crying wolf so that we’ll do her work for her. # Pay no attention. She’s just crying wolf again.

Question 38

crystal clear, (as) clear as a bell # The message is crystal clear–if you lose weight, you will feel better. # We are not going to devalue the pound. I have made that crystal clear. # His explanation was crystal clear. # These directions are as clear as a bell, so you shouldn’t have any questions.

Question 39

at a snail’s pace /peɪs/ # The roads were full of traffic and we were travelling at a snail’s pace for two hours.

Question 40

stone-age # The organization is criticized for its surly service and stone-age software.

Question 41

a before and an after # That slap marked a before and an after.

Question 42

to pay back # After he embarrassed her, she paid him back by playing a joke on him. # Some day I’ll pay you back for this! # I still haven’t paid you back for humiliating me in front of all my friends.

Question 43

to duck out of sth # You can’t duck out of your responsibilities. # It’s his turn to cook dinner, but I bet he’ll try to duck out of it.

Question 44

collar # Sue was shocked to discover lipstick on her husband’s collar. # My cat always manages to take his collar off.

Question 45

so what? # Okay, so I look fat in these jeans – so what? # So you made a minor mistake! So what! # So what if I enjoy a beer now and then?

Question 46

to feel funny # My head had begun to ache and my stomach felt funny. # I feel funny.

Question 47

never ever # Please never ever call me again. (WRONG: Please don’t call me never ever again) # There is something you should never ever forget.

Question 48

to catch someone [off guard | by surprise] # The news caught her completely off guard – she didn’t know what to say. # The strength of the storm caught many residents by surprise.

Question 49

in no time #