Idioms 5 Flashcards
to give somebody spots or a rash
to bring somebody out in spots or a rash
e.g. I love chocolate milk, but I can’t drink it. It brings me out in spots
to use one’s power and influence to try to get what one wants from another group/person
to bring pressure to bear on somebody
e.g. The only way the unions could bring pressure to bear on the government was to organise a strike.
to be likely to experience something
to be in for something
e.g. If he thinks getting into university is going to be easy, then he’s in for a big surprise.
somebody is going to be in trouble
somebody is in for it
- when food has spoilt
- when a sports match has been cancelled
to be off
it is not acceptable or reasonable
something is not on
e.g. She expects me to work for four more hours a week without any extra pay. It’s not on, is it?
to talk about something, often for a long time or in an annoying way
to be on about something
e. g. She’s been on about getting a new car again. I reckon she thinks we’re made of money.
e. g. What are you on about?
a reduction or pause in something (fighting, bad weather, the amount of work that you have to do)
a let-up
e.g. There was no sign of any let-up in the rain.
a review written in a newspaper or magazine
a write-up
e.g. It should be good. It was given excellent write-ups in the press.
from/at the beginning
from/at the outset
to be continually telling somebody to do something in an annoying way
to keep on (at somebody about something)
e.g. I said I would fix the fence, so why do you have to keep on at me about it?
- to not leave a path
- to not break the rules
- to do what you agree to do
to keep to something
- keep to the path
- keep to the rules
- keep to an agreement
to pay the bill at a restaurant or hotel
to settle up (with somebody)
e.g. you settle up with the waiter, while I fetch the coats.
the change from one television channel to another
to turn over
e.g. This is rubbish. Do you mind if I turn over?
when the back of a building faces something
to back on to
e.g. Our old house backed on to the river Ouse.
to stay away
to hold of (for bad weather)
e.g. The sky was heavy with black clouds. We hurried, hoping the rain would hold off until we got the tents up.
to refuse to accept something which you think is insufficient and continue to demand more
to hold out for
e.g. In the end, the miners agreed to 10% pay rise, despite the fact that union leaders had promised that they would hold out for at least 20%
agreeing to something without realising that it won’t be good for you
to let yourself in for
You agreed to working for them? You do know what you are letting yourself in for, don’t you?
to not be allowed to forget
to not live it down
e.g. If they beat us, we’ll never live it down.
to increase production/efforts or intensify a campaign/publicity drive
to step up something
e.g. The firm is stepping up its economy drive.
to try for some time to persuade somebody to do/agree to something
to work on somebody
e.g. I’m sure we can persuade them. You work on mum, and I’ll work on dad.
to be equal to (with reference to money)
to work out at
e.g. They won 12% of 354000 pounds. So how much does that work out at?
to give answers, opinions, reasons, excuses that everyone has heard before so that people get fed up with hearing them and no longer believe them
to trot out (ideas/information/opinions/reasons/excuses)
e.g. Every time he’s late, he trots out the same excuse.
to consider your options, or the advantages and disadvantages of doing something, so that you can make a choice
to weigh (something) up
to sped time in a pleasant way doing something that doesn’t not require too much physical activity.
to while away the/one’s time.
e.g. He would while away the afternoons doing crosswords by the pool.
to get rid of a cold
to shake a cold off
to quickly take off an article of clothing
to slip (something) off
to pass through something which is intended to stop such a movement
to slip through
e.g. You let him slip through your fingers again!
to make a mistake
to slip up
to not be able to find the necessary words/answer
to be stuck for something
e.g. When asked about the scandal, the minister was clearly stuck for an answer.
to fall asleep, often while sitting down
to nod off
to look around somewhere curiously, to snoop
to nose around
to achieve a score or total
to notch up
e.g. That’s the tenth medal he has notched up so far.
to learn or acquire a new skill
to pick up
to start to speak, especially when you have been silent for some time
to pipe up
to give somebody a constant supply of something
to ply somebody with something
e.g. Auntie Edith plied us with so much food that I could hardly walk when it came time to leave.
to spend time doing small unimportant things that require little effort
to potter about
e.g. He likes nothing better than to spend his Sunday mornings pottering about in the garden.
to close/nearly close
to push (the door) to
e.g. It’s cold in here. Could you push the door to?
to reply forcefully
to hit back at somebody
e.g. The minister hit back at his critics.
to finish work for the day
to knock off (work)
e.g. What time do you normally knock off work?
to prepare and write out a document
to draw up
e.g. The lawyer was busy drawing up the agreement.
to find and bring to people’s attention an unpleasant or embarrassing fact or incident that had been forgotten
to dredge up
e.g. The old scandal they have dredged up could be very damaging for the government.
to just manage to beat somebody or get in front of them
to edge out
e.g. The company has edged out others in the same field.
to manage to earn just enough to live on
to eke out a living
e.g. For ten years he eked out a meagre living cleaning tables at the local fast food restaurant.
to find it very difficult to explain/understand something
to fathom something out
e.g. We couldn’t fathom out why she would want to leave such an excellent job.
to try and stop somebody complaining by giving them excuses, stories or explanations that are obviously untrue
to fob somebody off (with something)
e.g. I’ve rung up six times and I’m fed up with being fobbed off with your pathetic excuses.
to produce something in great quantities
to churn something out
e.g. At one point, the factory was churning out a million plastic dolls a week.
to make an obvious and special effort to do something
to be at pains to do something
e.g. He was a pains to emphasise that he had acted alone
to be experiencing a difficult or unpleasant situation which probably lasts for a long time
to be in the throes of
e.g. The country was in the throes of its worst economic crisis on record.
to be working towards/talking about different things without realising it
to be at cross purposes
e.g. He was talking about buying and his friend about renting. They were obviously at cross purposes.
hoping to
with a view to
e.g. He bought the land with a view to building on it when he retired.
if, and only if
on condition that
e.g. I will lend you my car on condition that you return it by ten o’clock.
to be very excited and a little nervous while waiting for something to happen
to be/to keep (somebody) on tenterhooks
e.g. Howard had been on tenterhooks all day, waiting for his exam results.
to be about to do something
to be on the point of (doing something)
e.g. We were on the point of signing the contract when he said he had changed his mind.
one after the other in succession
on the trot
e.g. he has missed six classes on the trot.
to not have paid something that must be paid on a regular basis
to be in arrears
e.g. He was horribly overdrawn at the bank and his rent was five months in arrears.
to abruptly stop any hopes of
to put paid to any hopes of
to put paid to my hopes of
with difficulty
at a push
e.g. I can be there by 5 o’clock at a push, but no earlier than that.
to be covered in something
to be strewn with something
e.g. His bedroom floor was strewn with odd socks, dirty shirts and crumpled pieces of paper
