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
ADJ (idiom). To be fed up, annoyed, irritated
molesto, irritado
browned off
on the whole, everything considered, generally speaking, in general, mostly.
By and large
(VER DIFERENCIA CON “all in all” y con “all told/altogether”)
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!”
in full view of the public / easily seen
in broad daylight
cause sb great difficulty or spoil their plans
deal a blow to sb or sth
“Breaking his leg dealt a bow to his chances of becoming a professional footballer”
protect oneself because one feels insecure or threatened
estar a la defensiva
be on the defensive
“She’s been on the defensive at work ever since she was criticised by her boss for losing an important contract.”
having a quality simply because of what it is
por definición
by definition
(for) a very long time
(for) a donkey’s years (informal)
punctually, exactly on time
on the dot
“Breakfast will be at 7 am on the dot; latecomers will go hungry!”
listen to sb in a careful and sympathetic way
lend an ear
“Jane is a sympathetic listener. She lent me an ear when I lost my job.”
act in a situation by responding to events rather than according to plan
play it by ear
“Todd hadn’t prepared for his TV appearance, so he had to play it by ear and improvise.”
at the forefront of (eg: technology)
at the cutting edge
“Our firm is so successful bc it is at the cutting edge of computer technology”
tense / nervous / anxious
on edge
“Julia’s really been on edge waiting for the results of her university entrance exam.”
unsuccessful; ineffective
to no effect (f)
(dis)agree with sb
(not) see eye to eye with sb
“Despite being identical twins, Deidre and Donna don’t see eye to eye on everything”
be good at judging, the worth / quality of sth
have an eye for
“Mrs Gibson is an extremely shrewd shopper and has an eye for a bargain.”
If there is __________________________, it is more difficult to understand or involves more things than you thought at the beginning
more to sth/sb than meets the eye
“Initially Brian appears shy and ontrospective but there’s more to him than meets the eye”
guard / protect sth
keep an eye on sth
be inexperienced
Be green
“-The new army recruit was green and had no idea what to do”
not work too hard, relax
Take it easy
“He decided to take it easy during the weekend after working so hard during the previous week”
have a feeling that sb’s talking about you
Feel one’s ears burning
“Cynthia could feel her ears burning as she walked past her two colleagues.”
manage to look serious
keep a straight face
“I could hardly keep a straight face when I saw the ridiculous that she was wearing.”
be very tired
be worn out
"”Tony said he was worn out after a twelve -hour day at work and just wanted to go to bed””
family member
one’s flesh and blood
“How could he turn his back on his own flesh and blood and throw his son out of his home?”
within the rules / just
Fair and square
“you won the game; you beat me square and fair.”
very quickly
In a flash
“An idea came to her in a flash, and she knew she had solved the problem.”
insist
Put one’s foot down
“I’m putting my foot down this time so no, you can’t stay out until 2 am.”
to make an unsuccessful start in something
get off ON the wrong foot
used to console someone whose romantic relationship has ended by pointing out that there are many other people with whom they may have a successful relationship in the future.
there are plenty more fish in the sea
to be able to speak easily and confidently, and to persuade people.
have the gift of the gab
(informal, saying) I cannot understand it
It’s all Greek to me
“She tried to explain how the system works, but it’s all Greek to me”
“a free exchange of ideas or opinions
A ________________________ is also the willingness to accept some of another person’s ideas and give up some of your own”
Give and take
"”We were simply told what to do – there wasn’t any give-and-take.
Any successful negotiation involves some give-and-take””
a nice way of saying that one heard the information by means of gossip and rumor.
hear sth through/on the grapevine
me contó un pajarito
“I heard on the grapevine that my sister-in-law got the promotion, but I really don’t know much about it.”
completely in love with another person
enamorarse completamente
fall head over heels in love
“Laura fell head over heels in love with Chris. “
say or do something tactless or embarrassing.
meter la pata
put your foot in it
difficulty speaking because your throat feels dry
tener una papa en la garganta??????????
have a frog in one’s throat
“I had a frog in my throat, and I had to clear my throat several times before I could answer.”
“Be/have easily available/have free access to
to have available for instant use.”
Be/have at one’s fingertips
“Living in the city centre means that you have all the necessary amenities at your fingertips.”
become very angry / to lose one’s temper
Blow a fuse
become important or popular
Come to the fore
try to hide one’s disappointment
Put on a brave face / put a brave face on
COLL: Put on a brave face / put a brave face on : a situation
(to do sth) no matter what
WITHOUT FAIL
I go to the gym every Monday and Wednesday, without fail.
scarce/rare
not happening or existing very often
Few and far between
“The chances of winning the lottery are unfortunately few and far between.”
in person
in the flesh
talking fluently and showing no sign of stopping.
IN FULL FLOW
to produce successful results.
Somebody ________ _________
BEAR FRUIT
“Eventually her efforts bore fruit and she got the job she wanted.”
judging by how sth appears
on the face of it
“On the face of it the economy seems to be improving but in reality there is the possibility of a recession.”
blame sb for sth
point the finger of suspicion
“the fact that Jane was the only one in the office points the finger of suspicion at her for the missing petty cash”
think suitable or right
see fit
penniless
flat broke
not know sth at all
not have the foggiest idea
“why are you accusing me of breaking the window? i haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about”
be nervous or frightened bc sth might fail
get cold feet
“Emilia is getting nervous and is getting cold feet”
used to doing sth without thinking
by/from force of habit
“I have tea and cereal every day for breakfast by force of habit”
(idiom of comparison) very strong, and not easily made weaker
CLUE: “tough”
As tough as old boots
“You couldn’t make her cry if you tried. She’s as tough as old boots.”
(idiom of comparison) very deaf
As deaf as a post
“You’ll have to speak louder; he’s as deaf as a post”
(idiom of comparison) pale
As white as a sheet
“She turned as white as a sheet when he told her the news about the accident”
(idiom of comparison) (of a person) very strong.
As strong as an ox
“Let him carry the trunk. He’s as strong as an ox.”
(idiom of comparison) (of a person) feeling completely well or healthy, typically after an illness or minor accident.
As right as rain
“You may not feel well now, but you’ll be as right as rain in a few days”
(idiom of comparison) extremely quiet.
As silent as the grave
“I promise to be as silent as the grave about the secret”
(idiom of comparison) very thin
pista: rastrillo
As thin as a rake
“Why is she dieting? she’s already as thin as a rake”
(idiom of comparison) very sick
As sick as a dog
“After eating 12 chocolate bars, he was as sick as a dog”
(idiom of comparison) very calm. cool
As cool as a cucumber
“Although everyone else was shaking with nerves, Betsy was as cool as a cucumber”
(idiom of comparison) very different
As different as chalk and cheese
“John and his brother are not at all alike; they’re as different as chalk and cheese”
act together to achieve aim
(sb) Make(s) common cause with (else)
“The teachers decided to make common cause with the administration in the school and together press for a salary increase.”
act and be successfull even though sth is new
Rise to the challenge
“Gavin will rise to the challenge of his new promotion”
give very exact detail
Give chapter and verse
“I found the info for the project in the encyclopaedia but I couldn’t give chapter and verse on it”
control; prevent from becoming too powerful
Hold/keep (sth) in check
“Firefighting teams worked relentlessly throughout the day and managed to hold the fire in check”
person with important job/position
Big cheese (informal)
“Mr Sirkins is the big cheese in the company as he has just been promoted to the position of Managing Director”
bravely accept criticism, punishment, etc
Take sth on the chin (informal)
“When his boss criticises his work, Jason never complains and takes it on the chin.”
keep changing (your mind)
Chop and change (informal)
“Sarah seems unable to make a final choice about her future career. She keeps chopping and changing.”
make sb feel sympathy or enthusiasm
Strike a chord
“His speech about his long battle with illness struck a chord with the audicence”
thing which makes sb unusual/important
claim to fame
“This little town’s only claim to fame is that the president was born here.”
admit the truth; confess
Come clean (informal)
“The employee reluctantly came clean about breaking kthe new computer and confessed to his boss”
avoid sth/sb
Steer/stay clear of
“If you want to lose weight permanently, you should steer clear of food containing a lot of fat.”
end association
Part company with (formal)
“He had to part company with his partner due to their continual disagreements.”
(formal) of no value/importance
Of no/little consequence
“Whether you attend the lecture or not is of little consequence to me.”
be less thorough
Cut corners
“In his attempt to meet the deadline he cut corners and handed in a poor presentation”
not as good as people say it is / overestimated
Not all it’s cracked up to be (informal)
“Having seen the film that won the Oscar, I was disappointed; it wasn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.”
restrict one’s behaviour in some way
Cramp one’s style (informal)
.
“I prefer to practice the violin alone in my bedroom as having other members of the family listen really cramps my style.”
be very angry
be up in arms
“The villagers are up in arms about the proposed motorway”
remove suspicion or bad feeling
clear the air
“Instead of bottling up your feelings, let’s talk about it and clear the air.”
(NO ESTÁ EN EL CPE, ESTÁ EN MEDIA STUDIES)
Being a characteristic example of its kind; classic.
A TEXTBOOK ILLUSTRATION / EXAMPLE
(NO ESTÁ EN EL CPE, ESTÁ EN MEDIA STUDIES)
Not to have a justifiable or logical basis for defense; to have no support.
NOT TO HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON
(no está en el CPE, está en EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES - y lo toman.)
(expression) to be progressively worse
be on a downhill slope
(Unidad de EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES)
to sound like sth one has heard before
have a familiar ring (to it)
(Unidad de EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES)
if you ___________, you accept it and believe it without thinking about it very much, even though it might be untrue.
take sth at face true
Statements from the groups involved should not necessarily be taken at face value.
(Unidad de EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES)
to pay attention to.
pay heed
He failed to pay heed to our advice.
uncomfortable or embarrassed.
ill at ease
(Unidad de EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES)
a moment of sudden realization, enlightenment, or inspiration.
A LIGHT-BULB MOMENT
“I had a light-bulb moment and vowed to start managing my money better”
(Unidad de EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES)
prepare the conditions for (the occurrence or beginning of something).
SET THE STAGE FOR
these churchmen helped to set the stage for popular reform
(Unidad de EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES)
to disagree WITH sb /over sth
BE AT ODDS WITH sb/over sth
They’re at odds over the funding of the project.
Her version of events was at odds with (= very different from) the police report.
(Unidad de EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES)
become more interested in other people and more willing to talk and take part in social activities, and if someone brings you out of your shell, they cause you to do this
come out of your shell
Derek has really come out of his shell since he started working here.
(of a thought) occur to one, especially transiently.
cross one’s mind (page 47)
it had not crossed Flora’s mind that they might need payment
to be likely to happen
Be on the cards (page 47)
“A - So you think they’ll get married next year?
B - I think it’s on the cards.”
to be very pleased
Be over the moon (page 47)
She was over the moon about/with her new bike. Feeling pleasure and happiness.
to dismiss (someone) suddenly from a job : to fire (someone)
Give (someone) the sack (page 47)
make an adverse criticism or objection, sometimes unfairly.
find fault (page 47)
“he finds fault with everything I do”
to look at, consider, or read something very quickly.
to look quickly at something
CAST AN EYE OVER STH (page 47)
He cast his eye over the bookcases. She was obviously an avid reader.
Could you cast an eye over this report for me?
a person who goes to a party or social event without being invited
gatecrasher
there were so many gatecrashers at the party that I couldn’t even see the people I had invited.
very nervous
clue: butterfly
Have butterflies in one’s stomach (page 32)
FIXED PHRASE: “nearly, almost
except”
All but
I’ve all but finished; just give me a few minutes
FIXED PHRASE: exhausted
all in (informal)
I don’t think I’ll go out tonight, I’m all in
FIXED PHRASE: altogether, everything considered.
SYN: all in all
All told
I’ve been reading this newspaper for 10 years all told
FIXED PHRASE: when everything is considered.
This phrase is used to introduce a summary, for example.
SYN: all told/altogether
all in all
All in all, it seemed to be quite a good suggestion
FIXED PHRASE: yet, however
all the same
He promised to come to the party on Friday; all the same I don’t think we could count on him
FIXED PHRASE: in spite of
for all
I don’t think we should count on him, for all his hard work, he didn’t get a promotion
FIXED PHRASE: i don’t care
for all i care
You can take the whole lot for all I care
FIXED PHRASE: as far as i know
for all i know
She told me her name was Joan but for all I know she could be lying.
FIXED PHRASE: from the beginning
all along
I don’t know how they found out, but they’ve known about it all along.
consider sth
take (sth) into account
bc of
on account of
I haven’t been able to travel much lately on account of my car having broken down
under no circumstances
on no account
the meeting tomorrow is very important; on no account should you be late
for this/that reason
on this/that account
There’s been a hurricane in Manila, and all flights have been cancelled on that account
broadcasting (opposite: off the air)
on the air
You can’t go into the studio just jet as the programme is still on the air
existing, but not talked about
in the air
There’s a feeling of anticipation in the aire at the moment
uncertain
up in the air
his future is still up in the air; he can’t decide whether to become a surgeon or a psychiatrist
be very angry
be up in arms
The villagers are up in arms about the proposed motorway
on the look-out; expecting sth.
estar en alerta, esperando algo
on the alert
the fire fighters are always on the alert for forest fires, particularly in the summer
halted temporarily
to stop sth from happening or being used at present
hold something in abeyance
the criminal charges are held in abeyance until the drug treatment programme is completed.
be homeless
not having a permanent place to live.
clue: abode
be of no fixed abode/address
or
have no fixed abode/address
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
in a general way
in the abstract
I’m not sure I can answer that. I’ve only thought about it in the abstract before.
automatically
of its own accord
you don’t need to worry. This kind of rush will usually clear up of its own accord
have not paid the money they owe
in arrears
households that are more than 6 months in arrears with their mortgage repayments will face repossession on their homes.
to have a strong feeling about something
feel sth in one’s bones
sense very strongly. He knew in his bones that he was wrong.
