IDIOMS - (UNITS 1 to 4) Flashcards
an apparent misfortune that eventually has good results.
a blessing in disguise for (page 32)
“losing one’s job has proved a blessing in disguise for some people”
a sudden and unexpected event or piece of news
Clue: “bolt”
a bolt from the blue
“the takeover came as a bolt from the blue”
a sudden clever idea
a brainwave
sb who is very similar in character to their father or mother
A chip off the old block
“to be a chip off the old block”
a person that says sth that stops others from enjoying themselves.
A wet blanket
“he’s a wet blanket, he’s always saying things that ruin a great moment”
COLL: to be a wet blanket
legal and honest; in a legal and honest way
Above board
“he likes to keep his business dealings above board”
EXPRESSION: stop arguing bc there is no chance of agreement
agree to differ/disagree
to be wrong about a reason for sth or the way to achieve sth
bark up the wrong tree
“the researchers realised they had been barking up the wrong tree when the first result came back negative.”
to be completely unable to understand or explain sth
BE BAFFLED (page 31)
“everyone was baffled by his speech”
to be extremely (angry / excited)
to experience a strong emotion, so strong that it makes you almost lose control
BE BESIDE ONESELF (with ______________)
He was beside himself with grief when she died.
Collocations: with anger/excitement/grief/sadness, etc
to have no money
be broke
when somebody is mad at you, you are in __________________.
TO BE IN SB’S BLACK BOOKS
“He’s in Melanie’s bad books because he arrived two hours late.”
To be IN ______ ____________: to reach a stage where it will soon be decided one way or another
be in the balance
“his life has hanging in the balance. We didn’t know if he could live or die”
be surprised/confused
Clue: “balance”
be thrown off balance
“the entire staff was thrown off balance by the announcement of the takeover”
to talk and talk without going straight to the main point
dar vueltas
beat around the bush
in prison
Behind bars
cruel and unfair.
If a remark is ___________ ___ ____________, it is very insulting and unfair.
below the belt
wait for a good opportunity
Clue: “Bide”
bide one’s time
“if you bide your time until the market imporves, you’ll get a better return on your investment”
(informal: dissapproving)
a person who thinks they are very important or clever
having a very high opinion of how important or clever you are
creido, arrogante
big-headed
“He’s so big-headed that he thinks he should get special treatment”
covered in bruises
Black and blue all over
to be black and blue all over the body
discover, explore sth new
blaze a trail
coll: blaze the trail IN sth
“doctors in world war II blazed a trail in plastic surgery techniques.”
to become very angry
Clue: “top”
blow your top (page 31)
“he blew his top when he heard he had damaged the car.”
a young boy/girl who they like better than anyone else and who therefore receives a better treatment than other people
el/la favorito/a
Blue-eyed boy/girl
to increase someone’s interest in and wish for something, usually by giving them a small experience of it.
Clue: “whet”
WHET SB’S APPETITE (FOR)
Examples:
That one kiss had whetted his appetite.
The experience has whetted my appetite for more.
show neither profit nor loss
break even
fed up, annoyed, irritated
molesto, irritado
browned off
on the whole, everything considered
By and large
to criticize (someone or someone’s actions or character) harshly or unfairly.
CAST ASPERSIONS
“He tried to avoid casting aspersions on his political opponents.”
be very expensive
cost a bomb
OR
cost an arm and a leg (informal)
“it was an extremely hostile article which cast aspersions on the conduct of the entire cabinet”
reduced to the/a minimum
CUT TO THE BONE
“Costs must be cut to the bone if the company is to survive the economic downturn”
do / say sth tactless
drop a brick
to strongly defend a position that is very much to your advantage when reaching an agreement
defender duramente / firmemente
drive a hard bargain (page 32)
He drives a hard bargain, but we finally made a deal.
very lively
Full of beans
to take revenge on sb bc of sth they have done to you
get your own back
“he’s always playing practical jokes on us; I think it’s time we got our own back”
be rejected/ignored, no longer possible
GO BY THE BOARD
Example: “my education just went by the board”
be a foregone conclusion, something obvious
go without saying
“it goes without saying that Mark will get the Job”
in writing or print
In black and white
“everything should be set out in black and white so that there will be no room for misunderstanding”
to keep talking about sth again and again bc you think it is very important
have a bee in one’s bonnet (about…) (page 32)
“he has a bee in his bonnet about dishonesty of lawyers”
no recalls of
have no recollection of
“Simon had no recollection of ever having met the woman”
not owing anybody any money (opp: in the red)
in the black
COLL: finances / bank account in the black
“until your finances are in the black, it’s not a good idea to take out a loan”
to make sth known
lay bare
“the scandal was laid bare by an ambitious journalist.”
to consider
make allowances for
“You need to make allowances for the fact that he hasn’t spoken French for years”
compensate or make up for a wrongdoing. compensar, remediar
make amends for
“try to make amends for the rude way you spoke to Lucy”
make sb really angry
make sb’s blood boil
sth / a situation makes your blood boil
“my parents’ attitude towards the less fortunate really makes my blood boil”
alert
on the ball
“the firefighters are on the ball for fires, esp during high temperatures in the summer>”
not working properly (of electrical equipment)
on the blink (inf)
“my tv was on the blink all week. I’ll have to call a repairman”
without having planned to
On the spur of a moment (page 32)
“he bought a new jacket on the spur of a moment”
1) outdoors
2) travelling from one place to another
out and about
“it’s nice to see him out and about again after his illness”
prohibited, forbidden (place)
out of bounds
“the swimming pool is out of bounds to all pupils unless accompanied by a teacher.”
ask sb to help with a problem/extract info from an expert
preguntarle a alguien si podés ayudarlo con un problema o sacar info de un experto
pick sb’s brain
“could I pick your brain on the subject before the meeting?”
suddently and unexpectedly
out of the blue
to sound familiar
ring a bell
to deal with a difficult situation in a very direct way
Take the bull by the horns
“i took the bull by the horns and confronted him”
Somebody who is very important to you, and you are extremely fond of them.
THE APPLE OF ONE’S EYE
“Being her only niece, Ann is the apple to her eye.”
to tell sb the truth about yourself or about sth wrong that you have done
to make a clean breast of sth
“he decided to make a clean breast of it and tell his wife exactly what had happened”
reveal one’s character
mostrar la hilacha
show one’s true colours
“He showed his true colours when he started throwing his weight around at work”
hopeless situation or case
lost cause
preside over a meeting
chair a meeting
“Paul was asked to chair the meeting as the director was away on business”
To be slightly unwell.
Un poco enfermo.
OFF COLOUR
Example: “you look off colour. Would you like me to call a dr for you?”
dare to do sth unreasonable / annoying
darse el tupé de
have the / a cheek (inf)
“I don’t know how he has the cheek to moan about my spelling when his is even worse”
get angry / upset
get a bit hot under the collar
“She got a bit hot under the collar when a colleague started criticising her work”
not be discouraged
keep one’s chin up (inf)
“John managed to keep his chin up despite his chronic illness”
with great success
with flying colours
“to pass an exam with flying colours”
to tell someone about something that has been worrying you or making you feel guilty for a long time
get a problem off one’s chest
“Instead of sitting there feeling bad, why not talk about it and get it off your chest?”
very different
como el agua y el aceite
different as chalk and cheese
“Bert and Tom are as different as chalk and cheese. It’s hard to believe that they are brothers!”
insult sb
insultar a alguien
call sb names
“Those boys are very rude to me. They are always calling me names”
act cleverly
jugar / actuar bien
play one’s cards right
“If you play your cards right and speak nicely to your father, hemight take you to the fair this afternoon”
receiving unemployment benefit/social security
recibir beneficios
on the dole
“I have plenty of spare time but very little money because I am on the dole”
hopeless persuit
una busqueda imposible
a wild-goose chase
“Looking for Susan in NYC is simply a wild-goose chase; she could be anywhere”
be caught while commiting a crime/ doing sth wrong
con las manos en la masa
be caught red-handed
“The little boy was caught red-handed taking the last piece of cake from the tin.
false tears
lágrimas de cocodrilo
crocodile tears
“You can’t fool me with your crocodile tears”
easy
papita
a piece of cake
wasted / lost
perdido
down the drain
“All the money I’d invested went down the drain when the stockmarket crashed.”
not cheerful, unhappy.
down in the dumps
“Kate is feeling down in the dumps bc her boyfriend has left her”
“She’s a bit down in the dumps because she failed one of her exams.”
fail / deteriorate
fallar, deteriorarse
go to the dogs
“While some people clain the country is going to the dogs, others think the new government will be able to improve matters.”
a very important day
a red-letter day
“June, 12th is a red-letter day for my sister. It’s the day she launched her own business.”
avoid mentioning a subject or taking action which could cause trouble
let sleeping dogs lie
“Please don’t bring up that old argument with joe when you see him. Just let sleeping dogs lie.”
ruin sth or make it less enjoyable
Put a damper on
“John’s losing his money and passport on the first day put a damper on his holiday”
be unaware of sth
Be in the dark about sth
“I am in the dark as to where Cris was last night”
continue to do sth you know rather than trying sth new
Don’t give up your day job (informal)
“I know you have a good voice and have ambitions to be an opera singer, but don’t give up your day job yet!”
