1-50

Question 1

make a fuss

Answer 1

complain about sth (usually unimportant)

ex: after work, i have to submit a report to my boss. i never want to forget it because if i do, she’ll definitely MAKE A FUSS about it and i don’t like her voice at all. in fact, nobody does.

Question 2

bang for the buck

Answer 2

worth the money you spend

ex: MacBook is relatively expensive but it gives you more BANG FOR THE BUCK. i get more things done since i bought it. and you should consider buying it too, because if you don’t get your work done on time, your boss will MAKE A FUSS about it.

Question 3

around the corner

Answer 3

coming up very soon

ex: the next ielts exam is just AROUND THE CORNER. you should study or you die. new year is around the corner too. you have to choose which one is your priority.

Question 4

hands down

Answer 4

simply too obvious and not worth arguing at all

ex: Calgary is the best city in Canada to get rich, HANDS DOWN
Siro-A is HANDS DOWN the best performer in America’s Got Talent this year.

Question 5

heads-up

Answer 5

an advance notice, just to remind you something is coming so better be prepared.

ex: it’s easier to get A and A+ in Canada than in vietnam because professors usually give students A HEADS- UP before the exams on what chapters to focus on. i feel like i get more BANG FOR THE BUCK.

Question 6

big time!

Answer 6

used to stress the extreme (usually put at the end of the sentence)

ex: i earned $3000 from stock investing BIG TIME last week. however, yesterday’s market crash also made me lose, BIG TIME. to get more BANG FOR THE BUCK, i better do more research.

Question 7

back to square one

Answer 7

back to the starting point (square one), usually as a result of a failure

ex: after losing all the money in the stock market, my saving is now BACK TO SQUARE ONE. but still i believe stock market is HANDS DOWN the best place to make some bucks

Question 8

pull off (pull it off)

Answer 8

successfully make sth happen or accomplish sth, succeed

ex: i had a job interview last week and guess what, i PULLED IT OFF!
I just PULLED OFF the $200,000 real estate deal with my client. now i have money to spend!

Question 9

pull an all nighter

Answer 9

do not sleep at all to do some-freaking-thing. most used by college students.

ex: even though i’m well-prepared, i still have to PULL AN ALL- NIGHTER for the exam tomorrow. coffee is ready. hopefully i can PULL IT OFF.

Question 10

goof off

Answer 10

waste time instead of studying or working

ex: i dont get it when Jim GOOFS OFF all the time but still get A+. he must have a secret sauce.

Question 11

a rip-off

Answer 11

sth unreasonable expensive

ex: $1000 for an ielts course? definitely a rip-off. they’re obviously trying to rip you off. so stay away. you will not get any BANG FOR THE BUCK at all.

Question 12

tie the knot

Answer 12

get married

ex: i’m 23 this year and i’m not gonna TIE THE KNOT anytime soon. getting married involves a lot of responsibility, both expected and unexpected. my friends. jim and lori, will TIE THE KNOT this month and their wedding is just AROUND THE CORNER.

Question 13

step up my game

Answer 13

try harder and make it better

ex: i want to go back to stock investing to make some money. im aware that to make a nice return, i’ll have to stop GOOFING OFF to STEP UP MY GAME.

Question 14

i’m buying it

Answer 14

i’m convinced!

ex: linh was always trying to convince me she saw an alien. at first, I WAS NOT BUYING IT because her story was so sketchy. but then i saw it with my own eyes and i have to believe in it. I’M BUYING IT.

Question 15

hold onto your hat!

Answer 15

be ready to hear sth surprising!

eg: hi everybody, i got some good news. please HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT. i finally have a gf! Oh, congrats! Unbelievable!

Question 16

screw it!

Answer 16

whatever happens, i don’t care

eg: in teamwork, pp often slack off. that really annoys me sometimes. but you know what, SCREW IT. i’ll just do my part and i’ll PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER as usual.

Question 17

crunch time

Answer 17

busy period of time when everyone has to work hard

eg: the tax season is just AROUND THE CORNER. in Canada, it’s between March and April. It’s CRUNCH TIME for accountants to file tax for their clients.

Question 18

what’s the catch?

Answer 18

it sounds weird. what’s the reason behind it?

eg: - AT&T is giving away free iPhone
- Really? so WHAT’S THE CATCH?
- You have to sign a 2-year contract with them costing you around $70 every month.

Question 19

recoup (v)

Answer 19

recover what you have lost

eg: I lost $3000 in stock market last week. yesterday i earned $4000. i have not only RECOUPED THE MONEY but made a profit after all.

Question 20

fit into the picture

Answer 20

does not fit with the overall plan.

eg: having a job is important. but having a job that is not elated to what you study doesn’t really FIT INTO THE PICTURE. and ofc, doesn’t give you more BANG FOR THE BUCK after all.

Question 21

i wasn’t born yesterday

Answer 21

come on, i’m not stupid

eg: one of my friends suddenly called me for the first time after 3 years and said he had a business opportunity that could help me earn several thousands dollars per day without working. come on, I WASN’T BORN YESTERDAY.

Question 22

up and running

Answer 22

active, actively working, functioning

eg: my iPhone 4 is so slow and isn’t working sometimes. i may have to reset it to get it UP AND RUNNING again.
i love when i see my money-counting machine always UP AND RUNNING.

Question 23

hands-on

Answer 23

practical (experience)

eg: working gives you HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE so you can be UP AND RUNNING for the job right after graduation.

Question 24

on my toes

Answer 24

be really ready, alert, attentive, focused

eg: whenever my boss is around, all employees are always ON THEIR TOES. they don’t want to mess up or she may MAKE A FUSS about it.

Question 25

look

Answer 25

listen! attention! (used a lot in conversation to get attention)

eg: - You are not so smart Jim - Kien, LOOK, do you think you are?

Question 26

out of hand

Answer 26

out of control, unable to control

eg: Greece’s national debt is getting OUT OF HAND as the government is HANDS DOWN unable to pay its debt.

Question 27

day in day out

Answer 27

every day (used to emphasize)

eg: i don’t know why i study ielts DAY IN DAY OUT but still cannot get above 7?

Question 28

pave the way

Answer 28

make it easier to do the next things

eg: getting the ielts certificate can PAVE THE WAY for your dream of studying aboard. you’ll need to study DAY IN DAY OUT to get your English UP AND RUNNING. and ofc, STEP UP YOUR GAME.

Question 29

i’ve been there

Answer 29

i’ve experienced that. i did that. so i know

eg: your parents don’t allow you to get married and you’re sad? I’VE BEEN THERE. I know how it feels. Wanna CATCH A MOVIE?

Question 30

it slipped my mind

Answer 30

i forgot it!

eg: i already submitted my Mar assignment via email to my professor. however, IT TOTALLY SLIPPED MY MIND since i did not attach the file to the email.

Question 31

in no time

Answer 31

instantly (well, almost)

eg: many people believe attending an ielts class can get them ielts 7.0 IN NO TIME i believe to STEP UP THEIR GAMES, they have to stop GOOFING OFF and start HITTING THE BOOK.

Question 32

not so fast

Answer 32

don’t be so eager believing in sth just yet, slow down a bit

eg: after you’ve done school, you think you can have freedom? NOT SO FAST, face your boss at work and you’ll see how freedom really looks like.

Question 33

on the verge of

Answer 33

very close to

eg: greece is on the verge of default if it cannot pay its debt on time.

Question 34

go bananas

Answer 34

be wild, lose control

eg: lena totally WENT BANANAS when students asked her about the class schedule.

Question 35

psyched up

Answer 35

ready and excited

eg: after reading KT’s handbook, many are PSYCHED UP for the next big challenge!

Question 36

no - brainer

Answer 36

sth that is extremely easy to do or too obvious

eg: hacking the US government’s website is a challenge to me but is a NO-BRAINER to some famous hackers.

Question 37

cut and dry

Answer 37

too obvious and clear, no further explanations required

eg: i don’t know why i failed so many times just to make a cake although the instructions are very CUT AND DRY. i’m going to GO BANANAS!

Question 38

tag along

Answer 38

to follow or go with someone

eg: linh is going to CATCH A MOVIE later today and i really want to TAG ALONG but am not really sure if she will be happy if i do.

Question 39

bad - mouth

Answer 39

say bad things about

eg: if you don’t like someone, just ignore him or her it’s not a good idea to BAD-MOUTH other people.

Question 40

pump iron

Answer 40

lift weight (in the gym)

eg: after work, i have no energy left to PUMP SOME IRON. but i used to PUMP IRON in the gym all the time.

Question 41

on fire

Answer 41

doing so great that nobody is able to stop him/her

eg: my friend’s totally ON FIRE after she read my ielts handbook. she is doing so much better than anyone else now and looks like she’s not gonna stop. she told me she got PSYCHED UP every time after reading that handbook.

Question 42

leave me high and dry

Answer 42

leave me alone to do all the work, no help at all

eg: i got a bad experience with my professor when she LEFT ME HIGH AND DRY with all the new learning materials that she never explained in class. let’s face it, those are not really CUT AND DRY for me to self-study. and i think i’m ON THE VERGE OF failing her class.

Question 43

turn me off

Answer 43

disappoint, disgust

eg: i kinda like a girl named ABC, but the fact that she never takes a shower really TURNS ME OFF.

Question 44

make ends meet

Answer 44

earn just enough money to pay the bills (expenses) and there is almost no money left after that

eg: if you are earning $50000 per year well you’re good. but if you only earn $30000, you may just MAKE ENDS MEET. if you only earn less than that, you’re ON THE VERGE OF poverty.

Question 45

money talks

Answer 45

money can make your problems go away

eg: in vietnam, whenever you get caught by the police, just remember MONEY TALKS. it also works for hospital, or even in school. you want to get high marks? well, MONEY TALKS.

Question 46

early birds

Answer 46

those who come earliest (than expected)

eg: parking fee for early birds is $10 per hour. regular fee is $5. unless you really need to, dont come too early. it’s a rip-off, i know.

Question 47

double-check

Answer 47

eg: before going to the CFA testing center, you need to double-check to see if you forget the financial calculator. otherwise, the consequence would be CATASTROPHIC. if you can, have someone TAG ALONG with you to make sure everything’s right.

Question 48

on the same page

Answer 48

seeing things the same way, in agreement!

eg: after figuring out that my friend is also a stock trader, i know that we are on the same page. he knows what i know and vice versa. we can work extremely well with each other.

Question 49

in the same boat

Answer 49

in the same trouble, have the same problem or situation

eg: after figuring out that Linh was ripped off when she paid $3000 for an useless bike, i feel like we’re IN THE SAME BOAT as i also paid around $4000 for a made-in-china bike. we had the same situation.

Question 50

fill me in

Answer 50

tell me more (about stuff i’ve missed)

eg: i was sleeping during class so m classmate had to fill me in after we go home. and she told me there was nothing special. the professor just wanted to give us a heads-up on some new special events.