IDIOMS (solo para el final) 1ERA PARTE DEL AÑO Flashcards
live quietly, privately
keep oneself to oneself
although she enjoys an occasional evening out with friends, as a general rule she keeps herself to herself.
confused state of affairs
Fine kettle of fish
The tap is dripping, the bath’s overflowing, the plumber’s on holiday; what a fine fettle of fish this is!
have a sudden, great success/profit
Make a killing
Starting with only a few thousand pounds, Tom made a killing on the stock.
destroy/humble
Bring to one’s knees
the enemy were brought to their knees by a surprise air attack
well-informed
In the know
If you want to know about the new film you should ask someone who is in the know like a critic
tease or trick sb
pull sb’s leg
hope that sth will turn out well
Keep one’s fingers crossed
She kept her fingers crossed all the time they were announcing the winners of the contest, hoping that her brother would get a prize.
earn money
make/ear a/one’s living
be sound asleep
sleep like a dog
the biggest part/portion
pista: “lion”
the lion’s share
ex:
Once a story has been inserted into public discussion, the incentives of media actors follow a familiar logic: Because journalists believe that certain kinds of stories are more likely to gain valuable and limited audience attention than others, they must respond when other journalists produce stories likely to garner the lion’s share of attention because of their salacious or dramatic elements.
make a new start
pista: leaf
turn over a new leaf
honest/sincere
on the level
send sb a letter/email
drop sb a line
do anything necessary to get sth you want
go to any lengths
give new/further information
shed light upon
treat sth as unimportant
make light of
avoid or ignore reality/responsibility
bury one’s head in the sand
reach a critical point
come to a head
come to an agreement/compromise
meet (sb) halfway
relax and enjoy yourself
let your hair down
sth is sold at auction
come under the hammer
acquire or lose a lot of money very quickly
to make/lose money hand over fist
allow sb to do as they wish
give sh a free hand
(know sth) without asking or looking it up
(know sth) off-hand
admire sb and think they deserve praise
have to hand it to sb
keep out of danger
keep out of harm’s way
not to understand sth at all
not to make head (n)or tail of sth
lose your temper very suddenly
fly off the handle
be willing/happy to do sth; do sth quickly
do sth at the drop of a hat
make progress
make a headway
feel encouraged by or optimistic about sth
take heart from sth
do sth very badly
make a hash of sth (informal)
(do) as much or as often as one wants
to one’s heart’s content
(of situation) be accepted as real even though it is painful/achieve the intended effect
strike/hit home
outside regular business hours
after hours
to fire sb
give sb the sack
go to bed early
have an early night
to be fired
to be given the sack
person who enjoys staying up late
a night owl
briefly, in a few words
in a nutshell
be the best
be second to none
That pianist is second to none in his interpretation of Mozart’s music
say exactly the right thing
hit the nail on the head
You hit the nail on the head when you called him the slowest worker on earth. I’ve never seen anyone do so little.
lose courage
lose one’s nerve
He was planning to ask his boss for a rise, but when it came to it he lost his nerve.
invalid/not legally binding
null and void
The contract was declared null and void when it was found that one of the parties had been forced to sign.
everywhere
every nook and cranny
She cleaned every nook and cranny of the house before she was satisfied that it was spotless.
become famous / respected for sth
make a name for oneself
irritate / annoy sb
get on one’s nerves
Endless telephone calls in the evening get on my nerves.
for a long time/ throughout history
from/since time immemorial
Those stones have been here since time immemorial
make things even worse
add insult to injury
He slammed my hand in the car door and, to add insult to injury, didn’t stop to apologize.
be the first person to act
take the initiative
affect sth negatively or destructively
make inroads into
Being out of work for so long has made inroads into the money he was keeping for a rainy day.
practically/in effect
to all intents and purposes
Greg has, to all intents and purposes, finished his degree course, with the exception of his final dissertation.
in order to achieve a certain aim
in the interests of
Students are requested in the interests of hygiene, not to bring food into the lecture hall.
in the meantime
in the interim
disagree and start arguing
take issue with sb
Alan took issue with his daughter over her coming home from the party in the early hours of the morning.
have a strong desire to travel
have/get itchy feet
Always having had itchy feet, Delia is off again, backpacking round India.
be in danger
be in jeopardy
Not wearing a seatbelt in the car can put your life in jeopardy
quickly
in a jiffy
This shoe repairer is so quick that he can sole and heel your shoes in a jiffy.
make one remember sth
jog one’s memory
In an effort to jog her memory Jo was shown pictures of the place where she was found.
extremely pleased or happy
jump for joy
The delighted children jumped for joy when they heard they were going camping.
postpone giving an opinion before more is known
reserve judgement on sb/sth
