Wordskills unit 27 Flashcards
Force or try to persuade sb to do sth; that person is then under pressure
Put pressure on sb (to do sth)
(Of secret information) become know to the public.
Leak out
Used for saying that a remark is not official or intended to be made public.
Off the record/ OPP on the record
Make sth seem much worse or more dangerous than it really is
Blow sth (up) out of (all) proportion
A name known to everyone; a famous person
A household name
Try to cause arguments or problems
Stir sth up
Make people feel less certain about sth
Cast doubt(s) on sth
If a difficult situation …, people stop talking about it and soon forget about it
Blow over
Disappear
Go away
Get rid of sth that is wrong or dangerous, often with force
Stamp sth out
As soon as possible
The sooner the better
Suffer the worst part of sth unpleasant
Bear the brunt of sth
If sth …, you don’t believe it, even though you cannot explain why
Not ring true
Try in a determined way to achieve sth. (If you will…), you are so determined to achieve sth that you would act in an extreme way if necessary. )
Go to great lengths (to do sth) / go to any lengths (to do sth)
Used to say who or what is preventing sth from happening
If it weren’t/ wasn’t for sb/ sth
Try to keep sth a secret, especially sth you have done wrong
Sweep sth under the carpet
(Of sth that was previously secret) become known.
Come out in/into the open/ SYN come to light
Upset sb by doing or saying more than you should.
Overstep the mark/ SYN go too far
State your opinions in public, especially in order to protest against or defend sth.
Speak out (against sth)
Feel both positive and negative about sth/sb
Have mixed feelings about sth/sb
People often remember the bad things they hear about someone, even if they are later shown to be false
Mud sticks
If something bad is said about something, it usually has some truth in it
There’s no smoke without fire
