Pharase4 Flashcards
Killing someone with kindness
Two face
با پنبه سر بریدن
Let the dust settle
We’ve had lots of complaints about the changes but let’s wait until the dust settles before we respond.
We’re busy moving house at the moment but I’ll give you a call when the dust settles.
Now the dust has settled after the restructuring, I think we can talk about recruitment.
wait for a situation to calm down
Nothing to shout about
This year’s bonus is nothing to shout about but I guess it’s better than last year.
My job is nothing to shout about but at least it pays the bills.
Her clothes are nothing to shout about – brown, cotton, cheap-looking, not very fashionable!
It’s used to describe something or someone that isn’t special, unremarkable or just ordinary. So Neil, the restaurant was nothing special but are was there anything youcouldshout about?
Neil
Oh yes. The prices! It was so cheap – that’s probably why the food wasn’t great. And on Monday’s they do a special ‘two for the price of one’ meal. That’s something to shout about.
Feifei
You’re easy to please!
Let sleeping dogs lie
I was going to mention the argument we had last night, but decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
Let’s not go over last night’s performance: let sleeping dogs lie and move on.
Don’t remind her about the divorce. Let sleeping dogs lie and talk about something else.
leave a situation as it is and avoid causing trouble or restarting an old problem
Bleed someone dry
My old car keeps breaking down. It’s bleeding me dry!
John is taking legal action against the company. He wants to bleed them dry for all the pain he has suffered.
This divorce has bled me dry – I can’t even afford to go on holiday now.
The West is bleeding poorer countries dry through interest payments on their debts.
Dodgy: dishonest
to bleed someone dry’, meaning to extract or drain all of someone’s money.
Small change
I’ve only got a cold so my health problems are small change compared with your broken leg.
Eating out every night is small change to Molly – she can afford it with the huge salary she’s on.
Where I sit on the plane is small change to me, as long as we arrive on time.
small change’, which describes something insignificant or trivial, meaning not important.
Neil
We can also describe someone as being ‘small change’ – so they are not important. Feifei, do you think I’m small change in this programme?
Feifei
Of course not, Neil. You are very important to this programme – and besides, we couldn’t afford the other presenter!
That’ll teach you
You lent some money to Dan and he didn’t pay you back – that’ll teach you!
My brother got a speeding ticket for driving too fast down the High Street – that’ll teach him!
The footballer got a red card for his bad tackle and now he’ll miss playing in the final – that’ll teach him!
‘that’ll teach you’ which is said to someone to mean they should learn from the bad effects of what they’ve done. I guess we could also say ‘it serves you right!’?
Neil
Yes, it’s a very informal but blunt way of saying ‘your suffering is your own fault’.
Ah well, that’ll teach you for staying out late – enjoying yourself!
An old hand ✋
Let’s get Mike in to solve our IT problem, shall we? He’s an old hand at fixing computers.
Miguel is an old hand at map reading, so let’s make him the leader on our mountain trek.
I can see you’re an old hand at project management; it would have taken me days to create a spreadsheet like that!
which describes someone who is skilled and experienced at doing something.
Out of the loop
# in the loop I've been out of the loop since I went on holiday. I didn't know Geeta and Bilal had got engaged!
They kept me out of the loop, so it was a shock to discover that they were moving our sales team to Birmingham!
Please keep me in the loop if you have any more discussions about the building work. Thanks!
Out of the loop
describes not having, or not being aware of the knowledge a particular group of people do have.
Rub it in
Don’t rub it in. I know you beat me at tennis but you don’t have to keep mentioning the score.
Carlos got into Oxford but I didn’t. That’s bad enough, but he keeps rubbing it in by talking about it all the time.
‘rub it in’. If a person ‘rubs it in’, it means they keep mentioning something another person wants to forget.
Smombie : smart phone + zombie
I’m too terrified to drive past the college these days. You never know when a smombie’s going step into the road in front of the car!
I was knocked flying the other day by a smombie as I was trying to get a bus. I don’t even think she knew she’d bumped into me!
People don’t know how to communicate with each other face-to-face any more. They are such smombies!
It is a German word and now English people use as well.
Freegan
I’m trying to do my bit for the environment by reducing food that’s thrown away – so I’m becoming a freegan.
My brother was so annoyed when he saw loads of food dumped in a bin at the back of the supermarket that he decided to collect it and give it to the homeless – I suppose you could call him a freegan.
Thrown away food isn’t rubbish, it’s free food! That’s why I’m a freegan.
being a freegan – that’s someone who only eats food that has been wasted or thrown away.
You’re not a freegan – you are a freeloader. Someone who expects things for free without giving anything in return.Come on admit it Rob.
Barking up the wrong tree
If you think I have enough spare cash to pay for your holiday, then you’re barking up the wrong tree.
You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I was the one who said you were leaving. It wasn’t me!
You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I’m going to lend you my car. I’ve seen how you drive!
‘barking up the wrong tree’. It means to make a wrong assumption about someone or something.
Clould cuckoo land
If my teacher thinks I can do my grammar homework and learn all my new vocabulary tonight, then he’s living in cloud cuckoo land!
If you think we’re going to win this match with only ten players, then you’re living in cloud cuckoo land!
He’s clearly living in cloud cuckoo land – how can we ever afford to buy a house with the little money we earn?
So living in cloud cuckoo land describes a situation where someone thinks doing something impossible is possible. So it’s about someone being unrealistic?
Neil
Exactly.
