Idioms and phrasal verbs 6 Flashcards
iets afwegen
to weigh sth up
terecht of niet
rightly or wrongly
buikgevoel
gut feeling
be brave enought to do what you feel is right
have the courage of your convictions
pretend not to notice sth
turn a blind eye to sth
used for saying that you do not know which of two things to choose/will happen
it’s a toss up
the less unpleasant of two unpleasant choices
the lesser of two evils
be unable to decide about sth
to be in two minds about sth
decide not to do sth that you usually do
to give sth a miss
hier trek ik de grens
this is where I draw the line
ik zet er een punt achter
I’m drawing a line under sth
strootjes trekken
to draw lots
to bet money
to put money on sth
reduce the risk of losing by choosing several possibilities instead of just one.
to hedge your bets
take a risk by doing or saying sth that may be criticized or proved to be wrong
to stick your neck out
take a great risk
to risk your neck/to risk life and limb
help to explain sth by providing new information
to shed light on sth
be caused by sth
to be down to sth
be prepared to miss an opportunity rather than take a risk
to err on the side of caution
be paying all your attention to sth
to be glued to sth
niets om over naar huis te schrijven
nothing to write home about
have the possibility of succeeding or achieving sth
sth’s in the bag
be difficult to do, or involve a lot of effort or time
to take some doing
used to say that sth has no effect on sb (like criticism)
like water off a duck’s back
feel unfairly treated
to feel hard done by
used to say that seems logical and reasonable
that figures!
to die in order to protect or save sb
to lay down your life for sb
have power or influence
to hold sway
completely destroy a place/area
to lay waste to sth
to make sth definite or complete
to set the seal on sth
at the beginning of sth
on the threshold of sth
give no attention to sb
pay no heed to sb
with greater courage or effort than is used or expected
beyond the call of duty
having no permanent home
of no fixed abode
the crime of noisy or violent behaviour in a public place
breach of the peace
find it difficult to accept sth because they annoy you
to not take kindly to sth
because of sth
by virtue of sth
together with sth/sb
in conjunction with
obey a rule, decision…
to abide by sth/to adhere to sth
de kleine lettertjes
the small print
onder valse voorwendselen
under false pretences
have an effect on sb/sth (negative, formal)
to impinge on sb
stop employing sb or dismiss sb from their job
to dispense with sb’s services
accept sth unpleasant that cannot be changed or avoided
to resign yourself to sth
agree with an idea, opinion, or theory
to subscribe to sth
to elaborate
to enlarge on sth/upon sth
title of a section in a newspaper where jobs are advertised
situations vacant
if a place is…, you’re not allowed to go there
out of bounds
if a house is…, sb has agreed to buy it
under offer
to make use of a formal right to do sth if necessary
to reserve the right to do sth
according to what sb decides or wishes to do
at sb’s discretion
used at the beginning of a notice or document when it is not addressed to a particular person
To whom it may concern
kortingen
knockdown prices
a strong written attack on sb or their work
a hatchet job on sb
belangenvermenging
a conflict of interest
ze wijzen met de vinger naar
they are pointing the finger of suspicion at
een verloren zaak
a lost cause
a chance to achieve sth if you work very hard at it
a fighting chance
een druppel op een hete plaat
a drop in the ocean
an area of protected land around a city where building is not allowed
the green belt
an issue that causes angry debate and is difficult to deal with
a hot potato
a person who is no longer successful or effective in a particular role
a lame duck
een goed rapport
a clean bill of health
een gigantisch succes
a roaring success
een voorsprong
a head start
sth that quickly gives you more energy/confidence
a shot in the arm
de gulden middenweg
the happy medium
an exciting mix of dangerous activities
thrills and spills
a sudden or complete change of policy or opinion
a U-turn/a volte-face
het zwarte schaap
the black sheep
de rode loper uitrollen
put out the red carpet
een blauw oog
a black eye
official rules or procedures that seem unnecessary and cause delays
red tape
een leugentje om bestwil
a white lie
a thing that is completely useless or no longer needed, and may have cost a lot of money
a white elephant
een gouden kans
a golden opportunity
in de vuilbak
on the scrapheap
juist op tijd
in the nick of time
onder één dak
under one roof
information coming from sb who is directly involved
straight from the horse’s mouth
unusual
out of the ordinary
in uw goed recht zijn
to be within your rights
simple, clearly
in plain English
iets ligt bij de hand, klaar om te gebruiken
at your fingertips
volgens het boekje
by the book
unexpectedly
out of the blue
having nothing particular to do
at a loose end
having a lot of sth to do or deal with
up to your eyes in sth
so that you can remember a happy time in the past
for old time’s sake
it is very likely
in all probability
from the very beginnning
right from the outset
used for talking about true or secret feelings
in your heart of hearts
out of your mind
off your head
van kop tot teen
from head to toe
De lichten werken niet goed.
The lights are on the blink
in good/bad condition
in good/bad nick
iets loopt op zijn laatste benen
on its last legs
sb is annoyed with you because you have done sth wrong/je zit in de puree
you are in the doghouse
tense, nervous, irritable
on edge
anxious because you are waiting to find out about sth
to be on tenterhooks
living or working in a situation that never changes
to be in a rut
ik sta op een kruispunt in mijn leven
I’m at a crossroads
get sb in trouble
to get sb into hot water
The children are no longer my responsibility
The children are off my hands
voorhanden zijn
to be on hand
