Idioms

Question 1

CALL IT A DAY

Answer 1

= to stop working for the day

Ex.: You’ve been studying hard – I think you should call it a day.

Question 2

POKE FUN AT (sb/sth)

Answer 2

= to make fun of someone or something.

Ex.: You shouldn’t poke fun at me for my mistakes.

An old story about Thales pokes fun at him for being so busy wondering what was happening in heaven that he didn’t look where he was going and fell down a well.

Question 3

LEAVE AN INDELIBLE IMPRINT ON (sb/ sb’s mind/heart)

Answer 3

= to leave a lasting impression on sb

No other single artist that not Bernin has left such an indelible imprint as he has on the city of Rome.

Question 4

(sth) HANG(s) OVER ONE’S HEAD

Answer 4

= to threaten or be imminent

Every political leader has got the pandemic hanging over their heads right now

Question 5

NOT BUDGE AN INCH

Answer 5

= to not move, change, or shift in any way at all.

Finally the car just stopped altogether, and, hard as he tried, it wouldn’t budge another inch.

Question 6

THE LAST GASP OF (sth)

Answer 6

= the final part before the end of something, such as a period, movement, etc.

His work represented a nation’s last gasp of romanticism.

Question 7

FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME

Answer 7

= an uncountable or indefinitely large number of times.

At one point – snubbing social distancing rules for the umpteenth time since the coronavirus crisis began – Brazil’s paratrooper-turned-president clambered onto a truck to address the hundreds-strong assembly.

Question 8

HAVE THE BETTER OF (sb/sth)

Answer 8

= to have or gain superiority, mastery, or an advantage over someone or something; to have control over someone or something.

Exs.:
I knew I shouldn’t be meddling in other people’s business, but my curiosity had the better of me.

I know we could have beaten them in last week’s game, but they just had the better of us from the get-go.

Question 9

TAKE PRIDE IN = BE PROUD OF

Answer 9

= to value sth and take satisfaction in it

I don’t think my parents take pride in me/ are proud of me

Question 10

SHOW (one) THE ROPES

Answer 10

= to explain or demonstrate to one how to do or perform a job, task, or activity.

I know there’s a lot to take in, but your partner has been here for over 10 years and will show you the ropes.

This class is intense! You’re expected to know how to do everything from day one, without anyone showing you the ropes.

Question 11

COUNT THE COST

Answer 11

= to realize the negative impact that something has had; to assess the consequences.

Rio’s favelas count the cost as deadly spread of Covid-19 hits city’s poor

Question 12

ACROSS-THE-BOARD

Answer 12

= Including or applying to all categories or members: an across-the-board pay hike; an across-the-board ruling.

Question 13

COME TO TERMS WITH

Answer 13

= to begin to or make an effort to understand, accept, and deal with a difficult or problematic person, thing, or situation.

“There is this grieving of life as we once knew it that wasn’t there before, as we try to come to terms with the new reality,” a psychologist in Manhattan said.

Question 14

PROVIDE GROUNDS FOR

Answer 14

= provide the basis for some action or decision, often one that is disciplinary or legal in nature.

Bolsonaro’s opponents – who decry his assaults on the environment, the arts and Brazil’s democracy – hope the investigation could eventually provide grounds for his impeachment.

Question 15

WREAK (havoc/destruction/damage/vengeance) (up) ON (sth/sb)

Answer 15

= to cause a lot of something very bad to happen to someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.)

Health specialists fear Covid-19 – which is moving into poor regions, having initially affected middle- and upper-class areas – could wreak havoc on Brazil’s most deprived and vulnerable communities.

Question 16

NOUGHTS (O) AND CROSSES (X)

Answer 16

(Games, other than specified) (functioning as singular) a game in which two players, one using a nought, “O”, the other a cross, “X”, alternately mark one square out of nine formed by two pairs of crossed lines, the winner being the first to get three of his or her symbols in a row. US and Canadian term: tick-tack-toe or crisscross (US)

Question 17

BY MY RECKONING

Answer 17

= pelas/nas minhas contas/cálculos…

Exs.:
By my reckoning, we should arrive in ten minutes.
The United States’ long history of racism is having a moment of reckoning.

Question 18

WATERSHED (MOMENT)

Answer 18

= divisor de águas

The year 1969 was a watershed in her life – she changed her career and remarried.

The United States’ long history of racism is having a moment of reckoning. This watershed moment converges with Pride Month 2020, reminding us that Black members of the LGBTQ(IA+) community are particularly disadvantaged.

Question 19

DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Answer 19

= something that can be both beneficial and problematic.

Ex.: The president appeared to trivialise the virus, “Testing is a double-edged sword,” he told the rally.

Question 20

MAKE (a, no, some, etc.) DIFFERENCE (TO/IN sb/sth)

Answer 20

= have an effect/no effect on sb/sth

Ex.:
The rain didn’t make much difference TO the game.
Your age shouldn’t make any difference TO whether you get the job or not.
Changing schools made a big difference TO my life.

Question 21

(go/plunge down) the RABBIT HOLE

Answer 21

= something that is intricate or convoluted like a labyrinth and often has no outlet or resolution.

“She was plunged down a rabbit hole of benefits changes, paperwork deadlines, … insurance payoffs, and financial decisions” (Kristin Henderson).

Question 22

IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING (./THAT…)

Answer 22

= It is unambiguous, perfectly clear, or self-evident (that something is the case); it is already widely acknowledged, established, or accepted (that something is the case).

Ex.: In our digital world, letter-writing can seem anachronistic and more suitable for your grandmother, but it goes without saying that sending a handwritten note is often more meaningful than a DM, text, or email.

Question 23

COME OFF (AS sth)

Answer 23

= to be interpreted in a particular way; to have an effect that is felt to have some quality.

Ex.:
His remarks came off as unfriendly.
The dinner party came off very well.
How do you come off as friendly and personable in a manner that’s genuine?

Question 24

LEGEND HAS IT THAT…

Answer 24

Conta a lenda que…

Question 25

THE NUGGET (OF INFORMATION)

Answer 25

A particular or singular thing that someone has written or said which is especially informative, interesting, useful, etc. Can also be used sarcastically to imply that what is said is banal, useless, or uninformative.

Amidst the rather rambling speech delivered by the prime minister, there was one little nugget of information that voters would do well to keep in mind.

This book is a fascinating read, and it’s filled with nuggets of information about the war.

Thanks for that nugget of information, Jeff. I’m sure sunbathing tips will really come in handy in Iceland!

Question 26

CHOKE UP

Answer 26

To feel a strong emotion and struggle to speak because of it.

I thought I would be able to give the eulogy, but I became so choked up that I couldn’t do it.

Question 27

HOOK IN(TO) sth

Answer 27

1) To connect or link to something.
I bet those guys next door illegally hooked into our cable.

2) to become closely involved in something, often in a way that makes it difficult to stop being involved.
“And he clearly has taken advantage of resources that are available to him as a parent, and taken that advice.
He’s kind of hooked into some of the early childhood networks in that area. I get a little choked up even thinking about it.” (Ron Ferguson)