Idioms/expression Flashcards
Sortir des sentiers battus
To think outside the box
Trahir un secret
Spill the beans
Souhaiter bonne chance à quelqu’un
Break a leg
Être d’accord
See eye to eye
My cousin and I see eye to eye on most things.
Agree
I think we should leave—do you agree?
bouche à oreille
word of mouth
He hoped that word of mouth would attract customers to his landscape business.
A bout de souffle
AT WITS’ END
If you say “I’m at the end of my rope” or “I’m at wits’ end,” it means “I’m completely annoyed, exhausted, or desperate, and I have no more patience or energy.” If your baby has been crying for hours and you can’t figure out what’s wrong or how to calm him down, you would probably be at your wits’ end!
En grande difficulté
in dire straits
In a very bleak or grim situation.
The recent nosedive in the stock market has left many companies in dire straits.
I was in dire straits there for a while, but I’m feeling much better after my hospital stay.
Tenir bon
tough it out
We’ve toughed out worse situations than this before; we’ll be OK.
Je pense que les chances sont minces, voire inexistantes.
I think the chances are slim to none.
Quelque chose que j’ai l’intention de faire
Something I have meaning to do
qui ne tente rien n’a rien
nothing ventured, nothing gained
Ça en vaut la peine
It’s worth it
En avoir marre, être tanné
Audrey en avait marre du mauvais temps. // Comme Joan en avait marre d’être baladée de bureau en bureau, elle s’est énervée.
Fed up with
Audrey was fed up with the bad weather. Fed up with being sent from one office to another, Joan lost her temper.
Avoir du flair, avoir un bon nez
have a good nose
Arrêter d’un coup
To stop doing or using something abruptly and completely. Most commonly said of drug, alcohol, or tobacco use, it can also refer to any bad habit.
Il a arrêté de fumer d’un coup.
go (or quit) cold turkey
He quit smoking, and he did it cold turkey.
I tried quitting smoking for several years, using nicotine patches, gums, and even hypnotherapy. Eventually, I just had to go cold turkey and rely on my own willpower.
I was eating way too much junk food and was gaining a lot of weight as a result. Finally, I just went cold turkey and stopped buying anything but healthy food.
J’ai arrêté…
J’ai arrêté le café
I went off coffee
I quit coffee
se ressembler comme deux gouttes d’eau
be as alike as two peas in a pod, be like two peas in a pod v expr
Se changer les idées
L’avantage de la course à pied, c’est qu’elle me permet de ne plus penser aux problèmes que j’ai
take your mind off something
The good thing about running is that it takes my mind off any problems I have.
remonter le moral à quelqu’un
cheer someone up
avoir du mal à faire qqch, avoir des difficultés à faire [qch], avoir des difficultés avec [qch]
J’ai du mal à me souvenir des mots de passe.
J’ai eu quelques difficultés à mettre la clé dans la porte.
J’ai des difficultés à comprendre l’algèbre.
Les étudiants ont des difficultés avec la grammaire anglaise.
have trouble doing [sth], have difficulty doing [sth], have difficulty with [sth]
I have trouble remembering passwords.
I was having trouble getting the key in the door.
I have difficulty understanding algebra.
The students have difficulty with English grammar.
Désolée pour la réponse tardive
I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner.
Sorry for the late reply.
Sorry for the Delay
Sorry for not responding sooner
De manière inattendue, sans avertissement ni préparation, à l’improviste ; comme un cheveu sur la soupe
Alors que je n’avais pas eu de nouvelles d’elle pendant six mois, elle m’a appelé à l’improviste pour me proposer un déjeuner.
Je n’arrive vraiment pas à comprendre comment une telle chose peut surgir de nulle part.
Out of the blue
After I hadn’t heard from her in six months, she called me out of the blue to meet for lunch.
I really can’t understand how something like this could simply pop up out of the blue.
tourner autour du pot, contourner un sujet
to beat around the bush
une bonne fois pour toutes
Tu as dit oui, puis non. Dis-moi une bonne fois pour toutes : veux-tu m’épouser ?
once and for all
You said yes, then you said no. Tell me once and for all, will you marry me?
j’en ai profité pour
I took the opportunity to
Être aux anges ou sur un nuage, au 7e ciel
To be over the moon
To be on cloud nine
To be in seventh heaven
To be thrill to bits
je n’ai presque rien fait
Je n’ai pratiquement rien fait.
I did almost nothing
I hardly did anything.
Moi aussi, moi non plu
John: I hate mushrooms.
Me: So do I (=I also hate mushrooms).
Lucy: I don’t live in London.
Me: Neither do I (=I also don’t live in London. For example, maybe Lucy and I both live in Paris).
John: I hate mushrooms.
Me: I do too (=I also hate mushrooms).
Lucy: I don’t live in London.
Me: I don’t either (=I also don’t live in London).
John: I hate mushrooms.
Me: Me too (=I also hate mushrooms).
Lucy: I don’t live in London.
Me: Me neither (=I also don’t live in London).
Me too’ and ‘me neither’ are very informal
The verb after ‘so’ or ‘neither’ changes depending on the tense of the verb in the first sentence.
John’s at the office. So am I.
John isn’t at the office. Neither am I.
They’ve been to Colombia. So have I.
They haven’t been to Colombia. Neither have I.
Edward will be at the cafe later. So will I.
Edward won’t be at the cafe later. Neither will I.
Ils vivent à 50 minutes en auto
c’est 5 heures de route
They live 50 minutes away by car.
it’s a 5 hour drive
Il y a de nombreuses explications à ce qu’il s’est passé.
There are multiple explanations to how it all happened.
évanoui, inconscient
Il est resté inconscient pendant quelques minutes
Out cold
he has been out cold for a matter of minute
de la part de, au nom de, pour le compte de
J'appelle de la part de ma fille, qui a une extinction de voix. Le millionnaire à envoyé quelqu'un faire une offre sur le tableau pour lui.
on behalf of [sb/sth]
I’m phoning on behalf of my daughter, who has lost her voice.
The millionaire sent somebody to bid on the painting on his behalf.
