Idioms lesson 8 - 10 Flashcards
To be about to
to be at the moment of doing something, to be ready This idiom is often sued with the adverb just.
-I was just about to leave when you telephoned.
-Oh, hi, John. We’re just about to eat dinner.
to turn around
to move or face in the opposite direction.
-The man turned his car around and drove back the way he came.
-The company has been very successful since the new business manager was able to turn it around.
to take turns
to alternate, to change people while doing something.
-During the trip, Darlene and I took turns driving so that neither of us would tire out.
-I have to make sure that my two sons take turns playing the video game.
to pay attention (to)
to look at and listen to someone while they are speaking, to concentrate.
-Please pay attention to me while I’m speaking to you!
-You’ll have to pay more attention in class if you want to get a good grade.
to brush up on
to review something in order to refresh one’s memory.
-Before I traveled to Mexico, I brushed up on my Spanish; I haven’t practiced it since high school.
-In order to take that advanced mathematics class, Sidney will have to
brush up on his algebra.
over and over (again)
repeatedly (also: time after time, time and again).
-The actress studied her lines in the movie over and over until she knew them well.
-Children have difficulty remembering rules, so it’s often necessary to repeat them over and over again.
-Time and again I have to remind Bobby to put on his seatbelt in the car.
to wear out
to use something until it has no value or worth anymore, to make useless through wear (S).
-When I wear out these shoes, I’ll have to buy some that last longer.
-What do you do with your clothes after your wear them out?
to throw away
to discard, to dispose of (S).
-I generally throw away my clothes when I wear them out.
-Don’t throw the magazines away; I haven’t read them yet.
to fall in love
to begin to love.
This idiom is used with the expression at first sight to indicate a sudden interest in love.
-Ben and Sal fell in love in high school, and got married after graduation.
-Have you ever fallen in love at first sight?
to go out
to stop functioning; to stop burning; to leave home or work (also: to step out).
-The lights went out all over the city because of an electrical problem.
-The campers didn’t have to put out the fire because it went out by itself.
-Gary isn’t here right now; he went out to the store for a moment.
-I have to step out of the office briefly to pick up a newspaper.
out of the question
impossible, not feasible.
-Stephen told Deborah that it was out of the question for her to borrow his new car.
-Don’t expect me to do that again. It’s absolutely out of the question.
to have to do with
to have some connection with or relationship to.
-Ralph insisted that he had nothing to do with breaking the window.
-What does your suggestion have to do with our problem?
to wake up
to arise from sleep, to awaken (S)
Compare wake up and get up (Lesson 1) as used in the first example.
-Marge woke up this morning very early, but she did not get up until about ten o’clock.
-My alarm clock wakes me up at the same time every day.
to be in charge of
to manage, to have responsibility for.
-Jane is in charge of the office while Mrs. Haig is a business trip.
-Who is in charge of arrangements for the dance next week?
as soon as
just after, when
-As soon as it started to snow, the children ran outside with big smiles on their faces.
-I’m busy now, but I’ll meet you as soon as I’ve finished this work.
to get in touch with
to communicate with, to contact.
-You can get in touch with him by calling the Burma Hotel.
-I’ve been trying all morning to get in touch with Miss Peters, but her phone is always busy.
to have a good time
to enjoy oneself.
-We all had a good time at the class reunion last night.
-Did you have a good time at the park? I really enjoyed it.
in no time
very quickly, rapidly.
This idiom can be used with the idiom at all to add emphasis to the certainty of the statement.
-Mac said that he’d be ready to leave in no time.
-We thought that the meeting would take two hours, but it was over in no time at all.
to cut down on
To reduce, to lessen (also: to cut back on)
-In order to lose weight, you have to cut down on your intake of sugar.
-The doctor told me to cut back on exercise until my back injury heals.
quite a few
many.
-Quite a few students were absent yesterday; in fact, more than half of them were not there.
-We did not expect many people to attend to affair, but quite a few of our friends actually came.
used to
formerly did, had the habit of…
This idiom is used to indicate a past situation, action, or habit that does not exist in the present. The idiom is always followed by a simple verb form.
-I used to live in New York, but I moved to California two years ago.
-Kim used to smoke cigarettes, but she stopped the habit last month.
to be used to
be accustomed to.
This idiom refers to a situation, action, or habit that continues in the present. The idiom is always followed by a noun or gerund phrase.
-He is used to this climate now, so the changes in temperature do not affect him much.
-I am used to studying in the library, so it’s difficult for me to study at home now.
to get used to
to become used to, to become adjusted to
This idiom describes the process of change that allows someone to be used to a situation, action, or habit.
-It took Yoshiko a long time to get used to the food that her American host family served her.
-Mark can’t seem to get used to wearing contact lenses; recently he’s been wearing his glasses a lot.
back and forth
in a backward and forward motion.
-The restless lion kept pacing back and forth along the front of its cage.
-Grandmother finds it relaxing to sit in her rocking chair and move back and forth.
to make sure
to be sure, to ascertain (also: to make certain).
-Please make sure that you turn off the radio before you go out.
-Could you make certain of the time? I don’t want to miss that TV show.
now and then
occasionally, sometimes (also: now and again, at times, from time to time, off and on, once in a while).
-I don’t see him very often, but (every) now and then we arrange to have lunch together.
-Gary gets a cold (every) once in a while even though he takes good care of himself.
every other (one):
every second (one), alternate (ones).
-I play tennis with my father every other Saturday, so I usually play twice a month.
-There were twenty problems in the exercise, but the teacher told us only to do every other one. Actually, doing ten problems was difficult enough.
to go with
to match, to compare well in color to design; to date, to accompany (also: to go out with).
-That striped shirt goes well with the gray pants, but the pants go poorly with those leather shoes.
first-rate
excellent, superb.
-The food served in that four-star restaurant is truly first-rate.
-The Beverly Hills Hotel provides first-rate service to its guests.
to come from
to originate from
-What country in South American does she come from? She comes from
Peru.
to make good time
to travel a sufficient distance at a reasonable speed The adjective excellent can also be used.
-On our last trip, it rained the entire time, so we didn’t make good time.
to mix up
to stir or shake well (S); to confuse, to bewilder (S)
-You should mix up the ingredients well before you put them in the pan.
to see about
to give attention or time to (also: to attend to, to see to)
-Who is going to see about getting us a larger room for the meeting?
to make out
to do, to succeed, to progress.
Charlie didn’t make out very well on his final examinations. He may have to repeat one or more classes.
by heart
by memorizing
-He knows many passages form Shakespeare by heart.
