phrases Flashcards
throw caution to the wind
to take a risk; Even though he doesn’t have much experience, let’s throw caution to the wind and hire him.
by no means
definitely not; Of course you can run a marathon, but by no mwans is it going to be easy.
a close shave
a lucky escape from danger; That was a close shave. He almost caught me reading his private diary.
in the nick of time
just in time; I got paid just in the nick of time. I’d just run out of money.
run out of (something)
to use up all your supplies of something; We are about to run out of petrol/gas, so let’s stop at the next station.
to let go of staff
this is a nice way of saying ‘the staff member was fired or made redundant’. It is often used when it is not the employee’s fault, when the company can’t afford to employ them any longer; Because of the recession we have had to let half of our staff go.
rough patch
difficult period of time; After I lost my job I went through a rough patch financially.
ride it out
to endure a bad situation; I have no choice but to ride it out and wait for the economy to recover.
in retrospect
used when looking back at a situation/incident; In retrospect, I could have handed that better.
the upshot is
this is used when you want to say that there is a positive point to a (sometimes) negative situation; My job went from full time to part time so I have less money, but the upshot is that I get to spend more time with my family.
to pick (something) up
here we mean to gain or learn a new skill; He picks up languages very quickly.
to go out on a limb
to take a risk; Even though you don’t have that much experience, I’m goint to go out on a limb and hire you.
one thing after another
this phrase is always used about negative situations that happen repeatedly; First I lost my wallet and then my car was stolen. It’s been one thing after another recently.
to take a turn for the better/worse
this means when a situation changes for the better/worse, His health has really taken a turn for the worse.
to put one’s finger on something
to identify what the issue is, or to pinpoint the core of an issue; I can’t put my finger on it but I just don’t trust him for some reason.
things are looking up
when a situation is getting better or improving; Now that the economy is beginning to recover, things are really looking up for my company.
she/he can do no wrong
in my opinion they are perfect; I love that author, she can do no wrong in my opinion.
blow (something) out of proportion
to act or believe that something is more serious than it is (used in a negative way); I was only 5 minutes late but my boss is acting like I’ve just bankrupted the company. He’s always blowing things out of proportion.
vicious circle
this describes a bad situation that you can’t get out of. For example you have no money because can’t get a job > you can’t get job because you can’t afford the training > you can’t afford training because you have no money etc; If I work all the time I’m never at home and never see my family but if I take time off we won’t have enough money to survive. It’s a vicious circle.
to put something off
to delay something; I hate going there, so I keep putting it off.
it dawned on me that …
to realise something; It dawned to me that we are too busy, so we need to employ someone else.
there’s no time like the present
if you are going to do something you should do it now, not wait for some future time; I always wanted to go to Jamaica, then this morning I decided that there’s no time like the present so I booked my ticket and I leave next week.
over the moon
very happy; I was over the moon when I got my exam results.
bound to
this means that something is inevitable/that of course it happened/will happen; If you drink and drive, you are bound to have an accident.
as per usual
this means that what you are describing is unsurprising because it often happens; My bus was late this morning as per usual, so my boss got angry with me.
fly off the handle
to suddenly get overly angry; I always feel like I have to be careful with her as she has a tendency to fly off the handle over the smallest thing.
to back down
this is when you concede, or when you stop defending your position; Her husband backs down too easily and she always gets her own way.
to make up with someone
when you have a fight/argument with someone and make peace/become friends again with them afterwards; We do argue sometimes but we always make up afterwards.
I couldn’t believe my eyes/ears
used when what you are seeing/hearing is unbelievable; I couldn’t believe my eyes when he finally stood up to that bully.
to hold a grudge
to keep resenting (übel nehmen) someone/something; Usually I’m not one to hold a grudge, but I just can’t forgive him for what he did.
work out how to
to discover or think of the method for doing something; I could never work out how to iron a shirt properly.
make it to
to reach, or try to reach a destination; Even though I missed my train I still made it to work on time.
to let off steam
this is used when you use an activity (like drinking alcohol) to get rid of stress; I heard that lots of Japanese people go to karaoke to let off steam.
to give something a go
to try something new; I don’t usually like team sports but I’ll give it a go.
to come across something/someone
to find something/someone usually by chance; I came across this article about my old school when I was reading the paper this morning.
to go overboard
to do too much of something. For example if you go overboard with drinking, this means that you drank too much; I always go overboard at Christmas and spend too much money on presents.
make a run for it
to try to escape; The prisoner saw that the door was open so he tried to make a run for it.
not to mention
this is used when you are listing things and then mention something which is obviously important; This hotel is the best one I think, it’s close to the beach, clean, modern and not to mention it’s quite cheap.
turned out
was eventually; Even though it was raining this morning it turned out to be quite a warm sunny day.
once in a while
this means occasionally; Once in a while, I like go to the beach and swim in the sea.
to bring up children
this means to raise children. To have and look after children. It is often used as “I was brought up in England”; I was brought up near the sea so I could swim from an early age.
run into someone
to meet someone (usually someone you already know) by chance; I haven’t seen Bill since school, and then just by chance I ran into him on holiday in France.
it hit me
to have a sudden realisation; I didn’t know why I have been having trouble sleeping recently, then it hit me; the stress of work is causing it.
to draw the line at
this is a way of saying “this is the limit”. It basically means that one thing is acceptable but that another isn’t; I don’t mind people coming to work a few minutes late, but I draw the line at employees coming in around mid-morning.
to make excuses
to give (usually fictional) reasons why the situation is bad; The student was always making excuses as to why he didn’t do his homework.
to keep on
to continue; The experiment was a failure but the scientist decided to keep on trying.
to know where you stand with someone
This means that the other person is straight forward. Their position is clear; He may not be very friendly, but at least you know where you stand with him.
to get over with something
this means that you have recovered from a problem or an illness; I was sad when I broke up with my girlfriend but I got over it after a few months.
to get under one’s skin
this is very negative and describes the feeling that someone/something annoys or angers you and that you can’t stop this thing affecting you; I know that he is trying to help, but something about his manner really gets under my skin.
to give in
this means the same thing as “to give up”, so you submit or stop fighting/trying;
to stick to one’s guns
This is when you don’t back down and you stick to what you believe. Even if someone tries to change your mind you stay with your opinion; I respect people who stick to their guns. I find people who change their minds easily a bit difficult to deal with.
rub off on someone
when you are influenced by someone’s attitude or behaviour after spending time with them; After spending a week with such a nice family, I hope that some of that good behaviour has rubbed off on Harry.
caught off guard
when something unexpected happens and you feel unprepared for it; She completely caught me off guard when she asked me out on a date. I didn’t even think she liked me.
to burst out laughing
to suddenly start laughing; When he fell into the river, I couldn’t control myself and just burst out laughing.
to show someone up
to embarrass someone; He really showed himself up when he refused to help us with the preparations for the party. I mean it was his idea in the first place.
can’t help oneself
couldn’t control your own actions; Whenever I see chocolate, I can’t help myself, I have to eat it.
to beat around the bush
to be very vague and not say exactly what you mean; Stop beating around the bush and just say it. What do you really want to say?
get to the point
To go directly to the heart of the issue and to talk about it directly. The term can be used as a command/request (not very polite); Could you stop beating around the bush and get to the point?
to someone’s credit
Used to praise someone. This is often used to praise someone you would not usually praise; Even though he is a little lazy, to his credit he always studies hard for exams.
water under the bridge
when a past problem or disagreement is forgiven or no longer important; You shouldn’t feel guilty, as far as I’m concerned, it’s all water under the bridge. / it was water under the bridge
better off
this means that your situation is better if …; Some people think that you are better off not going to university and just getting a job immediately.
to get along/on
to have a good relationship with someone; I really get on with my boss
to hit the nail on the head
to perfectly sum up/describe an issue/situation; When you said that the situation was impossible, I really think that you hit the nail on the head.
Like chalk and cheese
this means that two people are compete opposites in their personalities; Those two are like chalk and cheese but they seem to get along pretty well.
to walk on eggshells
when you feel that you have to be overly cautious around someone, used when someone is overly sensitive; He gets so angry over the smallest thing, I really feel like I have to walk on eggshells around him.
the ball’s in your court
this is similar to “it’s up to you” but is used more seriously and means that you need to make the next move; I’ve done all I can to fix this problem, now the ball is in your court.
to cover something up
used when a crime or secret is concealed; The bank covered up the insider trading.
to show up / to turn up
Both of these phrases mean “to appear”. When used with items it usually refers to lost things. When used with people it can refer to someone who was lost or when a person appears in an unexpected place/situation; I lost my wallet but I’m sure it will turn up somewhere.
to brush something/someone off
to treat something/someone like it doesn’t matter; He just was really fun until some gatecrashers turned up an spoilt it.
to let someone off for something
this is used when one forgives or doesn’t punish someone after they’ve done something wrong; I’ll let you off this time but don’t be late again.
to drop out of university/college/school
This is when someone quits attending unversity/college/school. This noun is ‘drop out’ so ‘he’s a dropout’; My parents are really angry because my brother dropped put university to become a musician.
drift apart
This is used when two people naturally stip seeing each other. They don’t really stop being friends they just don’t really have any contact any more; Me and my brother sort of just drifted apart after he got married.
to take one’s shot
This means that you will take your opportunity for something. You have the chance to do something, so you will try your hardest to achieve it; When I was at school I had the chance to compete in a national competition. Even though I didn’t win, I’m glad I took my shot.
to skirt around an issue
to not say what you really mean and talk around a subject rather than talking about the real issues; It feels like we’ve been skirting around the issue, but I think that we need to discuss the real issues in detail.
my heart sank
this describes the feeling of being suddenly very disappointed; My son trained very hard for that competition so my heart sank when he lost.
on cloud nine
very happy; Since I won the award I’ve been on cloud nine.
everything is up in the air
This means that things are undecided. It also has the feeling that things are unsettled; Ever since the recession began, everything at work has been up in the air.
to cut a long story short
this means when you just tell someone the main point or the conclusion of a story without going into all of the details; I could tell you all of the details of the trial but that would take forever, so to cut a long story short ‘he was found not guilty’.
to show off
to be too proud of yourself and display it in an arrogant manner to get the attention of others; He is good at sports but he is always showing off so nobody wants to play on the same team as him.
see something through to the end
to complete a project even when you don’t want to; I hate my job but I’m going to see my contract through to the end.
to back out
this is when you agree to do something and then change your mind and not do it; The singer was supposed to play at the concert but backed out because the pay wasn’t high enough.
at the last minute
this means ‘at the last possible moment’; They were about to get married and then at the last minute the bride got scared and ran away.
to let someone down
to disappoint someone; You really let me down when you didn’t come to the party.
to be into something
this means to be really interested or enthusiastic about something; When I was younger I was really into skateboarding.
one’s calling in life
to discover one’S perfect vocation (Berufung) in life; On my first day of teaching, I knew that I’d found my calling in life.
over the top
when someone’s actions/reactions are much more than is necessary; I think firing him was a bit over the top, he only made a minor error.
in my case
this is used when talking about your own situation/personality/likes and dislikes.
duffle coats are in this year
this is often used to mean that someothing is currently popular; Perms were really in when I was young.
little did she/he/they know
this means that the person didn’t suspect something; She was never careful with her money. Little did she know that she was about to lose her job.
as per instructions
to follow instructions; As per my father’S instructions, I will donate half of his money to charity.
Keep your hair on!
used when you want to tell someone not to overreact (this is not that polite); Ok keep your hair on, it’s not that serious.
to work out
This is used when you think a bad situation will resolve its self. It will get better; Whenever I stress about work my wife just says ‘don’t worry everything will work out fine’.
on purpose
To wilfully do something. To decide to do something and then do it; He said that it was an accident but I think he did it on purpose.
turn out for the best
this is similar to ‘to work out’ and means that even if there were problems, the end result was good; I dropped out of University but I started a successful company so it all turned out for the best.
raining cats and dogs
to be raining really heavily; I was supposed to visit my mother but it was raining cats and dogs so I rang and cancelled.
to stick in one’s mind
this means that for some reason you remember a particular thing, event or person; The thing that sticks in my mind about school was how much I hated school dinners.
to get the better of someone
This is used when someone/something has a advantage over someone else. It has the feeling of someone being affected negatively by someone else. So if someone always manages to beat you at something, or if they can always upset you on purpose, we would say that they always get the better of you; Even though I try to ignore his comments, he always manages to get the better of me and I end up being stressed.
ended up
eventually this thing happened; I started as a waiter but I ended up owning the restaurant.
in no time
very quickly; I started as a regular employee but I worked really hard and was promoted to manager in no time.
on the spot
immediately, at that location; As soon as I met her I knew on the spot that I would end up marrying her.
to keep one’s head down
to keep out of trouble; He never gets involved in arguments at work. He just keeps his head down and gets on with his work.
to start from scratch
This means that you start from the very beginning. For example if you build a house from scratch, it means that you didn’t fix it, but started from the foundations; I lost my essay, so I had to start again from scratch.
make a goof something
to make a big effort to succeed; Even though my husband and I have been having troubles in our marriage we have decided to make a go of it and try to fix the problems.
one step forward two steps back
This phrase is used when you feel that you are not making any progress. So even if you move forward slightly, actually you are moving backwars further; As much as I try recently, I can’t seem to make any progress, it seems like I’m taking one step forward and two steps back.
going nowhere in life
to not be making progress with one’s life; After I lost my job I really felt that I was going nowhere in life.
it strikes me
this means that you realise something; It strikes me that you would be in a better position if you quit your job and went into business for yourself.
to come across something
to encounter something; I was looking through an old book store when I came across this book on ‘fishing’.
to overstep the line
This is used when someone says or does something that is unacceptable. So if there is a border between what is acceptable and what isn’t, this person has crossed over from acceptable to unacceptable; I don’t mind him criticizing me but he really stepped over the line when he started criticizing my wife.
to come to terms with something
to accept something as the situation; He needs to com to terms with the fact that his wife has left him and she’s not coming back.
once in a blue moon
very very occasionally; I do drink, but only once in a blue moon.
doesn’t count
this means when an action is invalid; That goal doesn’t count as he scored after the final whistle was blown.
to get the chance
Be able to. To have the chance to do something; I wish I got the chance to meet my grandfather but he died before I was born.
I assure you
this is another way of saying “please trust me”. It’s used when you want someone to not worry and believe you; I assure you, if it’s at all possible there will be no redundancies.
to pay attention
to concentrate on something; Stop talkin, and pay attention to your driving.
the same as usual
the same as always; I got up at 8 am, the same as usual.
about time
this means that after a long time of not doing something, it is the right time to do it; I haven’t cleaned my room in ages so I thought that it was about time I tidied up.
to throw a party
to have a party; We threw a welcome party for our new house guests.
to think back to
this is used when one is talking about one’s past; I try not to think back on my past and prefer to enjoy the present.
come to one’s senses
this is used when you suddenly realise that your thinking or actions are wrong or incorrect, and then correct them immediately; I almost did a bungee jump and then I came to my senses and backed out.
can’t stand
this means to hate something/someone; I can’t stand travelling, I always get sick.
drive one crazy
this mens to make someone very angry or frustrated; I hate this actor, his arrogance drives me crazy.
have the time of one’s life
to have a great time; I had the time of my life on holiday.
to have one’s head in the clouds
to always be daydreaming and never concentrating on real life; If he didn’t always have his head in the clouds he would probably make a success of his life.
to see potential in someone/something
to see that someone/something could be successful in the future even if it is not now; When everybody else thought that the project was a failure, I saw that there was some real potential in it.
in one’s element
to be really comfortable with a situation/action; A lot of people are scared of racing cars, but I’m in my elemt on the race track.
sun up to sun down
all day; I train sun up to sun down.
to go out of one’s way to help someone
to really help someone more that you have to; The students went out of their way to help the new student get used to the school.
for something to go out the window
this means when usual rules or agreements are discarded when the situation changes; During the divorce any type of goodwill towars each other went out the window.
at the end of the day
this means ‘in the end’, the eventual situation was/is …; Even though we are divorced, at the end of the day we will always be friends.
I can’t thank you enough
I am really thankful; I can’t thank you enough for coming here tonight.
from the vottom of my heart
sincerely (this is very very formal and polite); I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
