Idioms Flashcards
Out of the blue
If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected:
One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving.
My old roommate called me out of the blue.
Money for old rope
Or
money for jam
money you get for doing something very easy:
Babysitting is money for old rope if the children don’t wake up.
It sounds like money for jam
All I have to do in my job is answer the phone occasionally; it’s money for old rope
To strike gold
To suddenly become very rich or successful as a result of finding or doing something
He seems to have struck gold with his first film
A few lucky people have struck gold by investing in this company
In due course
At the appropriate time (formal)
In due course the baby was born
The range will be extended in due course
You will get a promotion in due course
We will be in contact with you again in due course
I will look forward to hearing from you in due course
Speak truth to power
STANDING FOR SOMETHING
speaking what we believe to be true to someone in authority who might take it as a criticism or be offended and who has the power to punish us in some way.
We must speak truth to power when legislation tramples on our constitutional rights.
be wide of the mark
to be wrong:
Yesterday’s weather forecast was a little wide of the mark, then.
We made a rough calculation but it turned out to be very wide of the mark.
not have a care in the world
without worrying about anything:
Look at her, not a care in the world!
She acts as if she doesn’t have a care in the world.
think on your feet
to make a quick decision or give an answer quickly:
You have to think on your feet in this job
I’d never heard about the company before, so I had to think on my feet.
leap of faith
an act of believing something that is not easily believed:
Religious belief requires a ‘leap of faith’.
It took a big leap of faith to decide to quit my job and try something new.
go to the trouble to do something
also take the trouble to do something
to make an effort to do something:
If the police had gone to the trouble of looking up his record, they would not have released him
I wish I had taken the trouble to study this matter more carefully.
He takes a leap of faith when he needs to make a major lifestyle change.
put your money where your mouth is (informal)
used for saying that someone should do something, especially spend money, to show that they mean what they say instead of just talking about it
If you are really interested in helping the homeless you should put your money where your mouth is.
The company claims to care about the environment, but it should put its money where its mouth is.
Off the scale
If something goes off the scale it far exceeds the normal standards, good or bad, for something
Viewing figures are likely to go off the scale because of all the hype
Meteorologist warned that conditions would be brutal, with soaring temperatures and humidity off the scale
Turn the corner
A situation that starts to improve after a difficult period
After nine months of poor sales we’ve finally turned the corner
I knew that rehab has been hard on you, but I feel like you’ve been really turning the corner lately
to be a far cry from (something or someone)
to be completely different from sbd-sth
This flat is a far cry from the house they had before.
Life in Canada is a far cry from what she’s used to in Haiti.
The movie is a far cry from the book.
He’s a far cry from the idealistic young writer he once was.
