Idioms Flashcards
(it’s) about time
[said when someone does something or something happens that you think should have been done or have happened much sooner]
[ya era hora, ya iba siendo hora]
- It’s about time she got a job.
a cut above
[better than someone or something]
His latest novel is a cut above the rest.
a problem shared is a problem halved
[used to say that if you tell someone about a problem, it is easier to deal with]
a rainy day
[a time when money might unexpectedly be needed]
- She had saved some money for a rainy day.
a state of affairs
[a situation, usually a bad one]
- This state of affairs can no longer be ignored.
a thing of the past
[something that no longer happens]
- Giving up your seat to an older person seems to be a thing of the past.
a whole lot
(informal)
[very much]
- Things were about to get a whole lot worse.
- He didn’t like them a whole lot.
[a large number]
- You take a whole lot less to heart
above and beyond something
[more than a particular amount or level]
We have faced costs far above and beyond what was anticipated.
Gifts above and beyond the $11,000 annual limit may be subject to tax.
up to speed
[al corriente, al tanto]
[If you are up to speed with a subject or activity, you have all the latest information about it and are able to do it well]
We arranged for some home tutoring to get him up to speed with the other children in his class.
an arm and a leg
[a lot of money]
[un ojo de la cara]
Had I just kept quiet, I would have ended up paying an arm and a leg in taxi fares
any day now
[very soon, especially within the next few days]
They’re due to make the announcement any day now.
around the clock
[all the time], [las 24 horas del día]
“The engineers are working around the clock to get the project finished on time.”
as you go along
[as you are doing a job or activity]
[sobre la marcha]
- We have a flexible approach to what we’re doing that allows us to make any necessary changes as we go along.
- I’ll explain the rules as we go along.
at (your) ease
[relaxed]
- The president seemed at ease during the press conference, and even cracked a few jokes.
at length
[for a long time]
[largo y tendido]
- He talked at length about his visits to various Roman sites.
- She’ll call her interior designer to discuss at length which lampshade to buy.
at stake
[If something that is valuable is at stake, it is in a situation where it might be lost]
Thousands of lives will be at stake if emergency aid does not arrive in the city soon
back then
[at a particular time in the past that you are talking about]
- Back then, more kids were interested in fishing.
barking up the wrong tree
[trying to do something in a way that will not work]
- His attorney suggested that the investigators might be barking up the wrong tree.
be (all) the rage
(old-fashioned)
[to be very popular at a particular time]
- Long hair for men was all the rage in the 70s.
be better off
[to have more money than you had in the past or more money than most other people]
- Obviously, we’re better off now that we’re both working.
- When his parents died, he found himself $100,000 better off (= he had $100,000 more than before).
[to be in a better situation, if or after something happens]
- He’d be better off working for a bigger company.
be hit hard/be hard hit (by sth)
[to be badly affected by something]
- Car makers were among the hardest hit as consumers bought fewer vehicles last month.
- The area has been hit hard by job losses in textiles and furniture.
be on the same page
[to have the same ideas as someone else]
- Everyone in the office has to be on the same page about what our top priorities are.
be out of your element
[to be unhappy and feel uncomfortable in a particular situation]
be worse off
(opposite of: better off)
[poorer or in a more difficult situation]
- If Rick loses his job we’ll be even worse off.
be/take a weight off your mind
[to allow you to stop worrying about a particular thing]
- It’s a great weight off my mind to know that the building is finally finished.
- It was a weight off my mind knowing that our finances were taken care of.
beat [sb] to it
[do [sth] before [sb] else], [adelantarse a alguien]
I you want to rent an apartment you have to beat everybody to it
better safe than sorry
[said when you think it is best not to take risks even when it seems boring or difficult to be careful]
[más vale prevenir que curar]
- Make sure you take an umbrella – I know it’s sunny now, but better safe than sorry.
bone dry
[extremely dry]
- The turkey was overcooked and bone dry.
bring something to an end
[to make something finish]
- He ran out of time and brought the interview to an end.
- We will have to use economic and military pressure to bring this situation to an end.
- With these allegations of abuse his career was brought abruptly to an end.
buy time
[to do something in order to be allowed more time]
[ganar tiempo]
- He tried to buy time by saying he hadn’t been well.
by all means
[of course, certainly], [por supuesto, claro]
May I sit here?
By all means
by and large
[when everything about a situation is considered together]
- There are a few small things that I don’t like about my job, but by and large it’s very enjoyable.
by heart
[exactly and from your memory]
- She baked muffins from recipes she knew by heart.
call it a day
[to stop what you are doing because you do not want to do any more or think you have done enough]
- After 14 years living and working in this country, she thinks it’s time to call it a day.
can stand [sth/sb]
[soportar, aguantar]
I hope that noise stops soon - I don’t think I can stand it much longer!
can’t/couldn’t help
[If you can’t/couldn’t help something, such as acting in a particular way or making a particular remark, you are/were not able to control or stop it]
- It was awful, but I couldn’t help laughing.
- “Stop giggling!” “I can’t help it!”
- I can’t help thinking (= my true feeling is that) she’d be better off without him.
catch [sb] off guard
[to surprise someone by doing something that they are not expecting or ready for]
The news caught her completely off guard – she didn’t know what to say.
come in handy
[venir bien, ser útil]
“It always comes in handy to have a quilt in the car”
come off better/worse/badly/well
[to finish in a particular condition after a fight, argument, etc., especially compared to someone else]
[salir mal parado, bien parado, etc]
- The smaller dog actually came off better, with only a few scratches.
- I always come off worse when we argue.
- Potts came off badly in the survey, with 52% of respondents describing him as a buffoon.
- The letters show the bitterness of divorce, and neither party comes off well.
- Kennedy won the debate because he came off better on television.
come to terms with something
[to accept something unpleasant by learning to deal with it]
[asimilar, aceptar]
- I think he’s still coming to terms with the death of his wife.
- He made little effort to come to terms with his critics.
could do with something
[If something could do with something, it needs it very much]
[venir bien]
- This place could do with a good cleaning.
do the trick
[ser suficiente, bastar]
“That will do the trick”
draw lots
[to make a decision by choosing from a set of objects such as pieces of paper or sticks that are all the same except for one]
- We drew lots to decide who would go.
- We drew lots to decide the order in which we would perform.
drive [sb] up the wall
[to make someone extremely angry]
[sacar a alguien de quicio, sacar a alguien de sus casillas]
My flat-mate is driving me up the wall.
ever since
[continuously since that time]
- He’s been depressed ever since he got divorced.
- Eric had a bone marrow transplant five years ago and has been healthy ever since.
- She’s had an irrational fear of sharks ever since watching the film ‘Jaws’.
- We met at a party in 2005 and we’ve been together ever since.
- He’s been fascinated by insects ever since he was a child.
every other something
[not each one in a series, but every two]
- The conference used to be held every year, but now it takes place every other year.
- We get together every other Saturday for lunch.
every so often
[sometimes but not often]
- Every so often I treat myself to a meal in an expensive restaurant.
- These memories come to the surface every so often.
- We waters his lawn every so often.
- He popped his head outside the door every so often to check the weather.
- Every so often she says someting that betrays her real opinions.
fall short
[to fail to reach an amount or standard that was expected or hoped for, causing disappointment]
[quedarse corto, no alcanzar, no ser suficiente]
- The amount of water in the reservoir falls short of our targets this year.
fear not (or: never fear)
[do not worry]
- Never fear, I’ll take good care of him.
feel the pinch
(mainly UK)
[to have problems with money because you are earning less than before]
- When my father lost his job and we had to live on my mother’s earnings, we really started to feel the pinch.
find a way
[to discover how to achieve or deal with something]
- Finding a way through the legislation is impossible without expert advice.
for a change
[refers to something unusual or new that is better or more pleasant than what existed before]
[para variar]
- Why don’t we eat on the porch for a change?
- It’s nice to see her smile for a change.
for the time being
[por el momento, por ahora, de momento]
My car broke down so I’m using my mother’s for the time being
fussy (adj)
/ˈfʌs.i/
[too concerned or worried about details or standards, especially unimportant ones]
[quisquilloso, delicado]
- fussy parents
- fussy (about something) Our teacher is very fussy about punctuation.
- She’s such a fussy eater.
- “Where do you want to go for lunch?” “I’m not fussy (= I don’t mind).”
- I don’t like dining with Mark because he’s always fussy about his food and sends it back to the kitchen multiple times.
get a grip on yourself
[to control your emotions]
- Get a grip on yourself, and tell me what happened.
get down to business (or: work)
[to start talking about the subject to be discussed]
If the introductions are over I’d like to get down to business.
something gets on top of someone
[If a difficult situation gets on top of you, it makes you feel so upset that you cannot deal with it]
[agobiar]
- She’s had a few financial problems, and I think things have just been getting on top of her.
get to know one another
[llegar a conocerse]
The two men got to know each other while they were both at college
get under someone’s skin
[to annoy someone]
- Jack really gets under my skin - he never buys anyone a drink.
get your act together
(informal)
[to start to organize yourself so that you do things in an effective way]
- She’s so disorganized - I wish she’d get her act together.
get your own way
/
get your way
[salirse con la suya]
Sue got her own way when her parents let her go to the party.
get/start the ball rolling
[to make something begin or happen]
- We have to get the ball rolling on this project soon.
give something/someone a wide berth
(informal)
[to avoid a person or place]
- I tend to give the city centre a wide berth on Saturdays because it’s so busy.
go all out
[to put all your energy or enthusiasm into what you are doing]
- The team went all out for a win
go wrong
[if someone goes wrong, he makes a mistake or a bad decision]
- If you just follow the signs to the park, you can’t go wrong.
[if a situation goes wrong, there are problems or there is a bad result]
- I was so worried that something had gone wrong that I called the police.
go your own way
[to do as you choose], [ir a tu bola]
It’s best to let her go his own way if you don’t want a fight
goes hand in hand with [sth]
[If something goes hand in hand with something else, it is closely related to it and happens at the same time as it or as a result of it]
[de la mano de algo va]
Prosperity goes hand in hand with investment.
have a, some, etc. say in something
[to be involved in making a decision about something]
- When he’s 18, he’ll begin to have a/some say in the running of the family business.
- The employees had little/no say in the restructuring of the company.
have seconds
[repetir plato]
have something under your belt
[to have learned or succeeded in something that might be an advantage in the future]
- Basic computer skills are a good thing to have under your belt.
have/keep your finger on the pulse
[to be/stay familiar with the most recent changes or improvements]
- The situation changes daily, so you need to keep your finger on the pulse.
hit the (or: a) wall
[to reach a point when you are running, exercising, playing sports, etc. where you are so physically tired you feel you cannot continue]
[la pájara]
- Many marathon runners hit the wall at around 20 miles.
- In the final, with a strained hamstring, I hit the wall.
- Every long-distance runner hits a wall at some stage.
hit the sack
[irse al sobre]
I’m gonna hit the sack, I’m drained
hoof it
/huːf/
[to walk somewhere, or to walk somewhere quickly]
[ir a pata]
We missed the bus and had to hoof it
in dire straits
[in a very bad situation that is difficult to fix]
- These kids are in dire straits, and the schools are doing nothing to help them!
in full swing
[at a stage when the level of activity is at its highest]
- When we got there, the party was in full swing.
- The economic recovery is now in full swing.
in hot water
[in a difficult situation in which you are likely to be punished]
- Emails that criticize others can land you in hot water, so be careful what you write.
in no time (at all)
[very quickly]
- Now that we’re on the highway, we’ll be there in no time.
in no way
[not at all]
- She added that she had in no way intended to offend anybody
in the long run
[at a time that is far away in the future]
- It seems a lot of effort but I’m sure it’s the best solution in the long run.
in the main
[generally or mostly]
- Her friends are teachers in the main.
- I like dogs in the main, but my sister’s dog’s a nasty vicious specimen.
inside out
[with the inside part facing out]
- She put her sweater on inside out.
[If you know something inside out, you know it very well]
- He’s the best person to tell you how to get there because he knows the city inside out.
it’s all Greek to me
[a way of saying that you do not understand something that is said or written]
just about
[You use just about to indicate that what you are talking about is so close to being the case that it can be regarded as being the case]
- He is just about the best golfer in the world.
- What does she read? Just about everything.
- ‘His memory must be completely back, then?’—’Just about.’
