in use idioms

Question 1

a bone of contention

Answer 1

​a subject that causes people to disagree

Where to go on holiday is always a bone of contention in our family.

Question 2

as dry as a bone

Answer 2

very dry indeed

Question 3

rough and ready

Answer 3

​simple and prepared quickly but good enough for a particular situation

a rough-and-ready guide to the education system

Question 4

cool, calm and collected

Answer 4

relaxed, in control, not narvous

not upset : not very bothered by things

Question 5

(to cut a) long story short
(British English)
(North American English (to make a) long story short)

Answer 5

to tell the main points, but not all thr fine details

Question 6

pass the buck

Answer 6

refuse to accept responsibility
(to shift a responsibility to someone else)
===============
Stop trying to pass the buck and take responsibility for what you did.

Question 7

give me a hard/rough/tough time

Answer 7

make things difficult for me
(​to deliberately make a situation difficult and unpleasant for somebody)
=============
They really gave me a hard time at the interview.

Question 8

by hook or by crook

Answer 8

​using any method you can, even a dishonest one

Question 9

at loggerheads (with somebody) (over something)

Answer 9

​in strong disagreement

The two governments are still at loggerheads over the island.

Question 10

pay through the nose (for something)

Answer 10

​(informal) to pay too much money for something

Question 11

have second thoughts

Answer 11

​to change your opinion after thinking about something again

You’re not having second thoughts about it, are you?

Question 12

get, have, etc. a free hand

Answer 12

​to get, have, etc. the opportunity to do what you want to do and to make your own decisions

I was given a free hand in designing the syllabus.

Question 13

well-to-do

Answer 13

​having a lot of money
(rich, wealthy)
==================
a well-to-do family
They're very well-to-do.
She was the daughter of a respected and well-to-do London merchant.

Question 14

out of the blue

Answer 14

​unexpectedly; without warning

The decision came out of the blue.

Question 15

put your foot down

Answer 15

​to be very strict in opposing what somebody wishes to do

You’ve got to put your foot down and make him stop seeing her.

Question 16

put/set the cat among the pigeons

Answer 16

​(British English) to say or do something that is likely to cause trouble

Then she told them she was dropping out of college. That really set the cat among the pigeons.

Question 17

let the cat out of the bag

Answer 17

​to tell a secret carelessly or by mistake

I wanted it to be a surprise, but my sister let the cat out of the bag.

Question 18

drive sb around the bend

Answer 18

to make someone very bored or very angry:

My mother’s been driving me around the bend.
Staying at home all day was driving her around the bend.

Question 19

feel it in your bones

Answer 19

to believe something strongly although you cannot explain why:

It’s going to be a good summer - I can feel it in my bones.

Question 20

pick up the bill

Answer 20

​(informal) to pay for something
The company picked up the tab for his hotel room.
The government will continue to pick up college fees for some students.

Question 21

come back/down to earth (with a bang/bump) | bring somebody (back) down to earth (with a bang/bump)

Answer 21

​(informal) to return, or to make somebody return, to a normal way of thinking or behaving after a time when you/they have been very excited, not very practical, etc.

Question 22

stand your ground

Answer 22

to refuse to be pushed backwards, or to continue in your beliefs in an argument:

The battalion stood its ground in the face of repeated attacks.
Clare stood her ground in the meeting and refused to be intimidated even when Michael got angry.

Question 23

put/stick the knife into sb

also put/stick the knife in

Answer 23

to be unpleasant about someone, or try to harm someone:

The reviewer in the magazine that I read really put the knife in.

Question 24

be banging, etc. your head against a brick wall

Answer 24

(informal) to keep trying to do something that will never be successful

Trying to reason with them was like banging my head against a brick wall.

Question 25

frighten/scare the (living) daylights out of somebody

Answer 25

​(informal) to frighten somebody very much

Question 26

against (all) the odds/against all odds

Answer 26

If you do or achieve something against (all) the odds/against all odds, you do or achieve it although there were a lot of problems and you were not likely to succeed:

Against all the odds, he recovered.

Question 27

hit sb where it hurts

Answer 27

to do or say something to someone that will upset them as much as possible:

He’s always worrying about his weight, so if you want to hit him where it hurts, tell him he’s looking a bit fat.