Proficiency idioms Flashcards
avoir des doutes sur ce que je fais ou pas
to have half a mind to do something
Trop, c’est trop!
OTT (over the top)
faire un grand détour
to give a wide berth from
de mal en pis
from the frying pan into the fire
sourire de toutes ses dents
to grin from ear to ear
en vouloir à quelqu’un
to have a grudge against someone
laisse-toi aller
let your hair down
nager dans l’argent
to be rolling in money
prendre pour exemple
to take a leaf out of someone’s book
faire des sauts
to bound downstairs
être en forme
to be as fit as a fiddle, to be as right as rain
entamer quelque chose de trop grand pour soi
to bite off more than you can chew
être trop vieux/vieille
to be too long in the tooth
aller tout droit (imagé)
to make a bee line
qui le trouve le garde
finders keepers
cela ne me dit rien
it doesn’t ring a bell
prendre tes entrailles comme jaretières
to have your guts for garters
je ne dirai rien
mum is the word
très bien s’entendre
to get on like a house on fire
devenir fou
to loose one’s marbles
faire quelque chose avec très peu de moyen
to do something on a shoestring
de bouche à oreille
word of mouth
soulager quelqu’un
to take the load off of someone’s shoulders
trouver une issue pour son trop-plein d’énergie
to find an outlet for someone’s energy
être à couteaux tirés
to be at daggers drawn
je n’oserais pas le jurer
I wouldn’t bet on it
s’écarter du bon chemin
to stray from the right path
priver quelqu’un de quelque chose
to stint someone of something
I never stinted on time or affection
prendre ombrage de quelque chose
to shy at something
He never shied away from arguing his point with me
accaparer la vedette
to hog the spotlight
They never let me hog the spotlight
calembours, jeux de mots
he makes puns and jokes
peser les avantages
to weigh the odds
un changement pour un mieux
a change for the better
changer d’avis
to have a change of heart
quand quelque chose ne va pas bien
something goes downhill
when things are likely to happen
something is on the cards
when people know what happened next
the rest is history
manquer d’argent
to run out of money
i’m running out of money
remplacer quelqu’un
to step in for someone
quand quelque chose à laquelle on ne s’attendait pas arrive
out of the blue
porter le fardeau
to shoulder the burden
It’s part of a manager’s role to shoulder the burden of complaints made by customers
payer la facture
to foot the bill
Don’t worry about paying for your hotel. I’m happy to foot the bill.
faire face à la réalité
to face the music
On his return, he finally had to face the music and told his wife about his debts.
se conformer à
to toe the line
I always toed the line on company policy, even if I disagreed with it.
accepter l’idée
to stomach the idea
She couldn’t stomach the idea of moving to a big city.
écarter quelqu’un d’un coup de coude
to elbow somebody aside
The woman elbowed people aside in the queue. She wanted to get on the plane first.
contre vents et marées
through thick and thin
la gloire et la fortune
fame and fortune
When I was 18, I left home to find fame and fortune.
ne tenir qu’à un fil
touch and go
It was touch and go whether he could get to the airport on time.
avant tout
first and foremost
First and foremost, we need to solve the budget before we can move on to other issues.
à maintes reprises
time and again
Time and again, we see this pattern of behaviour repeating itself.
des concessions mutuelles
give and take
There needs to be a bit of give and take in every relationship.
être l’âme de quelque chose
to be the life and soul of
My brother is the life and soul of our family.
la chair de sa chair
flesh and blood
My aunt treats her relatives badly, considering they are her own flesh and blood.
être laissé pour compte
to be left high and dry
When the company closed down, I was left high and dry without a job.
être écrit noir sur blanc
to be in black and white
How could you not understand? Look at this letter. It’s all in black and white.
en toute justice
by rights
By rights, you should be in bed by 7pm.
se porter comme un charme
to be as right as rain
I have had a cold but now I’m feeling as right as rain.
être dans son droit
to be within one’s right
You’d be well within your rights to take that dress back to the shop - it’s torn at the collar.
to say the things you are expected to say
to make the right noises
He made all the right noises so I expect he will be promoted ahead of me.
être décontenancé - suggests s.o. has been taken by surprise and stopped in their tracks
to be taken aback
se préparer au pire - fermer les écoutilles - to prepare for trouble that is unavoidable and coming your way
to batten down the hatches
when somebody is totally at the mercy of third parties and unable to have any influence over the circumstances surrounding them - avoir quelqu’un à sa merci
to have somebody over a barrel
jusqu’au bout - the absolute end
the bitter end
tomber à l’eau
to go by the board
dans l’ensemble
by and large = broadly speaking
attirer l’attention de quelqu’un
to catch somebody’s eye
regarder quelqu’un dans les yeux
to look somebody in the eye
être attentif aux détails
to have an eye for
fermer les yeux
to turn a blind eye
être d’accord
to see eye to eye with
être sous les feux de l’actualité
to be in the public eye
when your luck has run out and you are close to failing altogether
when you have had your chips
pulling rapidly out of a difficult situation and escaping without disadvantage
to cut and run
when an idea or scheme has no chance of success
dead in the water
a time when we would be sitting around with nothing to do - ne pas trop savoir quoi faire
to be at a loose end
être à bout - you have reached the limit of your patience
to be at the end of someone’s tether
risquer de s’isoler - to put yourself in a disadvantaged position to support someone
to go out on a limb for someone
to do something for a long time
to do something until you are blue in the face
donner un nouveau souffle - to improve something that was old and out of fashion
to give something a new lease of life
agir par intérêt - to have a strong opinion about a subject which you express whenever you have the chance
to have an axe to grind
trimer sur quelque chose - to work very hard at something
to slog away at something
être à la traîne - to fail to keep up
to lag behind
Why have some states lagged behind others in improving their environmental policy?
empester, puer - to smell strongly of something
to reek of something
Ever since he got a job in that restaurant, he is reeking of fried food.
piger quelque chose - to get to know or understand something
to cotton on to something
It took me a while to cotton on to spicy food but now I love it.
harceler quelqu’un jusqu’à ce qu’il fasse quelque chose
to goad someone into doing something
When someone goaded her into quitting an activity, she would go out of her way to do it even more
développer - to give something more substance
to flesh something out
Talks are continuing between the UK and the EU to try to flesh out details of the agreement.
se débrouiller - to manage to get through something but without being organised or with a clear idea of what you are doing
to muddle through something
I managed to muddle through my exams and got the grades I needed to go to university.
atteindre son point le plus bas - to reach the lowest point of a changing situation with the prospect of it improving
to bottom out
Growth in the economy may have bottomed out, but inflation will remain a persistent problem.
totally determined
grim determination
a very special occasion
am auspicious occasion
a cautious estimate
a conservative estimate
when you are careful with food and money
a frugal lifestyle
people who have always hated each other
to be sworn enemies
to be very tempted indeed
to be sorely tempted
I was sorely tempted to report his incompetence to his line manager
when something stops and then starts again
if something happens in fits and starts
to be in a helpless or abandoned situation
to be high and dry
The strike at the bank left the customers high and dry over the weekend, with many unable to make withdrawals
ordinary members of a workforce as opposed to the management
the rank and file
every part of a place
every nook and cranny
être déclaré nul(le) et non avenu(e)
to be null and void
to save on money by spending less on things you’d normally buy or pay for
to scrimp and save
gagner quelque chose loyalement
to win something fair and square
when something is not liked at all
something goes down like a lead balloon
to have an excellent eyesight and notice everything
to have eyes like a hawk
when someone is very hard
if someone is as hard as nails
to be very safe indeed
to be as safe as houses
to be very boring
to be as dull as dishwater
to be very clean
to be as clean as a whistle
traficoter - when someone is involved in something not entirely within the rules, and perhaps gaining more than they should be
to be on the fiddle
