Idioms & Expressions Flashcards
Something that produces the situation you want
Something falls into place
When something gradually becomes worse
Something goes downhill
Something likely to happen
Something is on the cards
When you are sure people know what happened next, you say at the end….
….., the rest is history
A place where few people go, far from any main roads and towns:
The farmhouse we stayed in was completely ____.
I like getting ________ during holidays.
off the beaten track
To live without comforts, esp. running water, heat, etc.:
We ______ until our house was repaired.
I don’t know if I’d like going on a camping trip… I’d have to ______ and I guess I won’t like it.
to rough it:
roughed it
If you do something ______, you do it with a very small amount of money:
The film was made _____.
Our schools are running _____.
I’m just trying to get by ________ .
ON A shoestring (budget)
to start living a more simple life, often in the country
I’d like to do as Sergillo and try to …
TO GET BACK TO NATURE
in very comfortable and expensive conditions
They live together _____ in a beautiful Victorian mansion.
I don’t need to live _______, but an infinity pool would be amazing.
IN THE LAP OF LUXURY
Something that provides your main income
Tourism is Frigiliana’s ___________.
BREAD AND BUTTER
extremely successful:
a _______ teacher as Luis Anes
the _________ was the girl
high-flying
high-flier
to start saying something different about a subject or situation, or to start behaving in a different way
They _______ in the class when I show my angry teacher face.
change smns tune: change their tune
if something ______, it gets a new owner
Genesis _______ and now it’s so cool
to change hands
to start to behave much better
They _________ and now it’s a pleasure to teach them.
to change ways
to take someone’s position while they take yours
I offered L. to __________ for one day.
to change places
a situation that is boring and difficult to change
to be _____________
RUT
TO BE STUCK IN A RUT
be (stuck) in a rut: If you’re in a rut, change jobs.
to no longer know where someone or something is or what is happening
Sometimes when I’m teaching, I feel like I’ve ________ of the kids, they get distracted so easily!
lose track (of) lost track
to think about the good parts of a situation that is mostly bad
Don’t be so pessimistic, you have to …… of the situation.
look on the bright side
to be very different from someone or something
Frigiliana is definitely ________ from Warsaw, trey are so different.
to be a far cry
to regularly give someone information about something that they are interested in, for example how a situation is changing or developing
Dude ______!
keep someone posted
keep me posted
to tell the truth about something after someone else has not told the truth about it
set the record straight
proverb One’s focus should not be the end result or the destination, especially to the extent that the journey becomes unenjoyable.
It’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive
If something is ______ (NOUN) / (GERUND/NOUN), it is likely that the situation will happen soon:
(FORMAL, WRITTEN)
The journalist reported that the city was
…………………………………. a crisis.
Tom was …………………………………. downloading the file
when he realised it might have a virus attached
(teetering) on the brink of
on the verge/point of
I have no regrets ____ it
about
I would have no hesitation ____ booking a ticket,
in
I have no intention ___ (go)on a holiday there.
of going
to annoy someone very much:
People driving reckless really ______
to get sms goat
…gets my goat
to become so excited about smt that you lose control (entusiasmarse)
I try not to _______ when I go shopping
There’s far too much food - I’m afraid I…
to get carried away
…I got a bit carried away.
to pay an amount of money, especially unwillingly (desenbolsar) .
Ok, it was my fault, I will… … the bill
to fork out for smt
..fork out for
large in amount, size, force
A _____ bill
Harry Potter is such a _____ book.
hefty
a shoestring budget is also a…
tight budget
Behaving as they want, without being controlled by anyone
It’s risky to let the children ______, they can get crazy
run wild
to be very determined to do smt
I’m _____ becoming a good teacher.
to be dead set on doing smt
similar to hitchhiking
to thumb a lift
to be thumbing lifts
to accept criticism or punishment for something you have done
to face the music
to push people in a queue
I was there … trying to be the first to get a beer in Park,
to elbow people aside
elbowing people aside
to take on a responsibility.
I will be there to ______ if there’s any problem.
to shoulder the burden
to pay a bill
to foot the bill
to behave according to an official rule, especially when you do not agree with it
For some kids is always impossible to …..
toe the line
to be able to accept an unpleasant idea or watch something unpleasan
to stomach/face the idea
_______ workers do work needing strength or physical skill rather than office work.
blue-collar
____ aims or principles deserve to be admired because they are based on high moral standards.
Few people can meet his ____ standards.
lofty
not immediately but at some time in the future
_____, I’d like to work in the USA
In the long run
to show that you can deal with a difficult situation successfully:
In the exam I will ____ and I’ll write a brilliant essay.
rise to the challenge/ocassion
If you are left to ____, you are given no help so that you succeed or fail completely by your own efforts:
When I started teaching, I was left to _____; nobody helped me
sink or swim
to enjoy the effects or experience of something as much as possible:
I love to lie on the beach and ____ the sun.
Just stroll around the bazaar and ____ the atmosphere
soak up the… sun, atmosphere
to find out how good something is:
My teacher’s skills are constantly ______ by parents.
to put to the test
put to the test
not at all:
It is ____ certain that I’ll easily pass the C2 exam.
by no means
in the limits of what is acceptable and possible:
We can wear anything we like to the school, ________.
within reason
based only on a person’s or thing’s qualities and not on what other people say about that person or thing:
Judge the product ____, and not on what the ads say.
on its own merits
too extreme and not suitable, or demanding too much attention or effort, especially in an uncontrolled way:
(abbreviation?)
I thought the decorations for the doors were way _____.
Working with ABP in the school was extremely ____.
over the top
OTT
in disagreement:
During our trip to the north R and I were constantly ____.
His behavior is clearly _____ what the school expects from its students.
at odds (with someone/something)
much more or much better than expected
The hotel was ____ , we really enjoyed it.
beyond (all) expectation
beyond our expectations
if there is ____ between people, each person allows the other to get something that they want
They said the secret of a happy marriage was a little bit of ________.
GIVE AND TAKE
Very often
used for saying that something happens many times
time and (time) again
again and again
without resources or help.
Our family would be left ____ by the death of the breadwinner”
high and dry
used for emphasizing the main point or the most important reason for something
He was _______an educator who cared about his students.
First and foremost
If you support or stay with someone _______, you always support or stay with them, even if there are problems or difficulties:
Robertillo as supported Patetis t____.
through thick and thin
If a situation is ____, it is uncertain:
The doctor says that it’s _____ whether AK will be okay.
touch-and-go
PEOPLE (used for saying that someone has the same qualities that all people share, especially qualities that limit what people are capable of)
This decision is not about legal theory, it’s about _____, about boys and girls who deserve a decent education.
FLESH AND BLOOD
someone who is energetic and funny and at the centre of activity during social occasions
Carlitos was, during the Erasmus, the ….
THE LIFE AND SOUL OF THE PARTY
feeling doubt or not feeling certain (2 options and adverb of frequency)
I’m ____ _________ about his promises to change his ways.
I’ve always been _____ ______ of/about alternative therapies.
I’m RATHER DUBIOUS about his promises to change his ways ˈdʒuː.bi.əs/
I’ve always been RATHER SCEPTICAL about alternative therapies.ˈskep.tɪ.kə
if someone or something ____ you, you cannot understand or explain (and advert)
I was ___ ____ by her decision.
mistify (mistifies)
completely mystified
(more than) ____ certain
fairly
said to mean that greed is the cause of a particular problem or the cause of society’s problems in general
I believe the amount involved in this project is a substantial sum, and ______, as they say.
money is the root of all evil
This means that a friend who helps you when you really need help is a true friend.
a friend in need is a friend indeed
said to emphasize that you cannot depend on something happening before it has happened
don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched
to be good for a particular use:
The book really_______being turned into a film.
This type of camera was particularly
relevant to Cartier-Bresson . It ……………. not only to spontaneity but to anonymity as wel.
lend itself to something
If you do something such as pass an exam _____, you do it very successfully.
WITH FLYING COLOURS
to learn to understand and accept something:
My grand mother has finally ___________ living alone.
come to terms with something
to be extremely good for someone:
I’ve been working too hard and some time off would ______ .
DO SB A POWER OF GOOD
DO ME A POWER OF GOOD
out of bed, for example after an illness, and able to live a normal life:
He was _____ again two days after the operation.
UP AND ABOUT
NOT AT ALL =
NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST
to guess the facts about a situation without having enough information:
Don’t _____! Perhaps it was his daughter he was dancing with.
JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS
If you have a ____, you change your opinion or the way you feel about something:
She was going to sell her house but had a ______at the last minute.
CHANGE OF HEART
a
To behave as if a problem is not important or does not worry you:
She seems all right but I think she’s just _____.
putting a brave face on it.
used to show that you completely agree with what someone has said:
“It’s hot!” “Yeeep, ___________ .”
You can say that again
to not be upset or troubled by something
When you become a politician, you soon learn to __________. (criticism)
to take criticism in stride.
the latest problem in a series of problems, that makes a situation impossible to accept:
The _____ was when they sent me as a substitute in year 3.
THE LAST STRAW
If something is _____, it is not the type of thing that you like:
Thanks for inviting me, but karting isn’t really _____.
NOT MY CUP OF TEA
my cup of tea
something that especially annoys you:
Reckless driving is one of my _____.
PET PEEVES
used to introduce or append an expression, drawing attention to its status as a saying or as not part of one’s normal language.
____, is better to travel hopefully than to arrive
As the saying goes
laughing very hard: 2 options
Paquillo R. had me _____.
Paquiilo R. ______ / There’s something about that guy’s face that just ____.
rolling in the aisles
made me crack up
Cracks me up.
to use or enjoy something as much as possible:
I tried to _____ of my Erasmus experience.
MAKE THE MOST
to get something good as a result of your own actions:
Society will of course _____ of these relevant advancements.
She studied every evening and ____at exam time.
reap the benefit
reaped the benefit
something such as a speech, piece of writing, or act that encourages people to take action about a problem:
The film is a ________ on climate change.
CALL TO ACTION (CTA)
to express an opinion or feelings (CONCERN, DISPLEASURE, FEARS, DOUBTS)
Opponents also _____ concern about the potential traffic produced by the project.
voice
It can stand on its own as an allusion to Star Trek, point out that something looks retrofuturistic, or serve as a humorous request to escape a certain situation.
Galileo, beam me up!
a bad situation or habit that, after it has started, is likely to get very much worse:
You’re on a _____ once you start lying about your age!
slippery slope
used as a way of ordering someone to remove something:
___ his head!
____ your jacket!
Off with
a subject that someone prefers not to talk about because it makes them angry or embarrassed:
Don’t ask him about the job search - it’s a bit of a ___.
sore point
sore spot
sore subject
meant to be understood as a joke, although it might appear to be serious: (irónico)
Her latest play is a firmly ____ look at the world of advertising.
tongue-in-cheek
tʌŋ.ɪnˈtʃiːk
to be easy and without problems:
The roads were busy as we drove out of town, but after that it was ______.
plain sailing
a piece of cake
