U1 Idioms + set expressions Flashcards
At loss of words
Sin palabras
At sb’s disposal
available for someone to use
Be in your face
shocking and annoying in a way that is difficult to ignore
Black hole of sth
sth that remains unexplored
Can’t get a word in edgeways
to not be able to say anything because smn else is talking all the time:
Clutch one’s face/ head
Agarrarse la cara/ cabeza
Clutching at straws
to be trying everything possible to find a solution or hope in a difficult situation, even though it will probably be unsuccessful
She offered to take a pay cut to keep her job, but she was just C@S
Come under fire
to be strongly criticised
Do your (own) thing
To do what you want without worrying about what anyone else thinks of you.
explain sth in layman’s terms
in simple language
Fall victim (to sth)
to be injured, damaged or killed by sth.
Feed the flames
to provoke further a debate or controversy, a person’s anger, etc.
Give maps to one’s own self
Expression which means that a book can act as a compass in helping us orient ourselves internally
Give sb the silent treatment
Refuse to speak to them because you are annoyed with them or disapprove of something that they have done.
To have its days
the period during which it was most successful or popular has now passed
Have more mileage (out of sth)
the amount of advantage or use that you can get from a particular situation
The newspapers wanted to get as much M from the story as they could.
He said, she said
a contentious dispute in which the parties express opposing accounts of an event or situation; an account of such a dispute lacking analysis or concrete evidence
Hold the interest of sb
-
In the same vein
in the same style of speaking or writing
Layers of understanding
Different levels of such things as meaning or misunderstanding
Long-winded
continuing for too long and therefore boring
Wordy
Looking glass
Espejo (metafórico)
Make allowance for sth
To take into consideration when planning sth or making calculations
Be worse off
poorer or in a more difficult situation
Manipulate smn to one’s advantage
-
Not being on speaking terms
if two people are not speaking, they do not talk to each other, usually because they have argued
Navigate changes
to find the right way to deal with a difficult or complicated situation
On the assumption that
to base ideas, plans etc on a particular fact that you think is true
On the brink of
a situation when you are almost in a new situation, usually a bad one
On the face of it
without knowing all of the relevant facts; apparently
On the fly
Deal with a situation while it’s happening
Perch (yourself) on sth
to sit on top of something or on the edge of something
Pecking order
Perched on/above sth
to be in a position on top of something or on the edge of something
Point of no return
a stage in a process or activity when it becomes impossible to stop it or do something different
Prop up one’s chin
Put your business on the street
Open your mouth (start talking)
Roll one’s eyes
-
Say sth under one’s breath
Secretive
Sb/sth set tongues wagging
to make ppl start gossiping (chismosear)
Talk the hind leg off a donkey
to talk incessantly/to talk
Talk the blue streak
To talk quickly and without stopping
Teeter on a the brink of collapse
to be very close to doing sth or of having some imminent event happen, especially that which is bad or disastrous
Tell a friend from a foe
Mistake for a friend an enemy or smn whose intetions are bad
Tip-of-the-tongue
Mistake for a friend an enemy or smn whose intetions are bad
Widen out the boundaries of sth
An experience or an emotion has pushed back the limits of your being.
Wince (at sth)
to suddenly make an expression with your face that shows that you are feeling pain or embarrassment
Talk about sb behind their back
-
Talk down to sb
to speak to sb as if they were less important or intelligent than you
Talk one’s head off
to talk to someone for a long time, usually loudly
Talk sb’s ear off
to talk too much to someone
