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IELTS > idiom > Flashcards

idiom Flashcards

1
Q

on the one hand/other hand

A

(SW) when you are comparing two different facts or opposite ways of thinking about a situation
Ex: On the one hand I’d like a job that pays more, but on the other hand I enjoy the work I’m doin’ at the moment

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2
Q

in the light of

A

(SW) because or as a result of something
Ex: In light of the problems we’re having, we have no choice but to close the business
Syns: as a result

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3
Q

in the hands of (or “in someone’s hands”)

A

(SW) Controlled or owned by someone
Ex: A large percentage of the nation’s wealth is in the hand of a very, very few people
Florida passed into American hands in 1821

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4
Q

bear in mind

A

(SW) keep in mind
Ex: Of course, repair work is expensive and you have to keep that in mind

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5
Q

in its own right

A

(SW) If you have a position in your own right, you have earned it by yourself
Ex: She’s a millionaire in her own right

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6
Q

along the lines of

A

(SW) similar in type
Ex: I was thinking of doing a meal along the lines of that dinner I did for Annie and Dave

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7
Q

in the long/short run

A

(SW) in long/short term

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8
Q

gold standard

A

(SW) A perfection that is used for measuring how good other similar things are

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9
Q

a step forward/backward

A

(SW) an improvement/going back to a worse state
Ex: the changes that have been introduced are being seen as a step forward/backward
Syns: advancement, progress, evolve, flourish

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10
Q

driving force behind/for/in sth

A

(SW) Some factor that has the power to make things happen
Ex: Trade is the driving force for sustained economic prosperity

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11
Q

hold the balance/equilibrium of power

A

(SW) to be able to support either opposing side in a competition and therefore be able to decide who will win
Ex: If independents do end up holding the balance of power, then they decide whether Labor or the Liberals govern for the next four years.

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12
Q

come into play (or “bring something into play”)

A

(SW) If something comes into play, it starts to have an effect, if it’s brought into play, it’s given a use or effect
Ex: In the summer months a different set of climatic factors come into play.
All the resources and staff available were brought into play to cope with the crisis.

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13
Q

last resort

A

(SW) the only choice that remains after all others have been tried
Ex: As a last resort, we could ask your mom to help

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14
Q

rule of thumb

A

(SW) a practical and approximate way of doing or measuring something
Syns: guidepost, guideline
Ex: A good rule of thumb is that a portion of rice is two handfuls.

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15
Q

go hand in hand with

A

(SW) 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
Ex: Prosperity goes hand in hand with investment.

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16
Q

on the face of it

A

(SW) used when you are describing how a situation seems on the surface
Ex: On the face of it, it seems like a bargain, but I bet there are hidden costs.
Syns: seemingly, apparently

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17
Q

the bottom line

A

(SW) the most important fact in a situation
Ex: The bottom line is that we need another ten thousand dollars to complete the project.
Syns: the main point, the most essential

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18
Q

go without saying

A

(SW) used to mean that something is obvious
Ex: Of course, it goes without saying that you’ll be paid for the extra hours you work.
Syns: obvious, apparent, consequently

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19
Q

trial and error

A

(SW) a way of achieving an aim or solving a problem by trying a number of different methods and learning from the mistakes that you make
Ex: There’s no instant way of finding a cure - it’s just a process of trial and error.

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20
Q

bridge the gap

A

(SW) to connect two things or to make the difference between them smaller
Ex: The president singled out education as a vital tool in bridging the gap between rich and poor.
Syns: fill the gap, connect

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21
Q

come/get to grips with

A

(SW) to make an effort to understand and deal with a problem or situation
Ex: The president has failed to come to grips with the two most important social issues of our time.
I can’t seem to get to grips with this problem.
Syns: face/deal with, tackle, solve

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22
Q

the high point

A

(SW) the best part of an experience
Ex: The high point of the trip for me was visiting the pyramids.

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23
Q

the whole story

A

(SW) everything

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24
Q

at the end of the day

A

(SW) something that you say before you give the most important fact of a situation
Ex: Of course I’ll listen to what she has to say but at the end of the day, it’s my decision

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25
Q

behind the scenes

A

(SW) If something happens behind the scenes, it happens without most people knowing about it, especially when something else is happening publicly
Ex: A lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes.

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26
Q

the big/overall picture

A

(SW) the overall situation

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27
Q

across the board

A

(SW) affecting everyone or everything within an organization, system, or society
Ex: The proposed across-the-board cuts for all state agencies will total $84 million.
The improvement has been across the board, with all divisions either increasing profits or reducing losses.
Syns: notorious (big fame in a bad way) , widely, universal, worldwide, populous, enormous, substantial

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28
Q

take on board

A

(S) to understand or accept an idea or a piece of information
Ex: Banks need to take on board the views of their customers.
Syns: appreciate, comprehend, understand, bear in mind

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29
Q

by and large

A

(S) when everything about a situation is considered together
Ex: There are a few small things that I don’t like about my job, but by and large it’s very enjoyable.
Syns: generally, mostly

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30
Q

take for granted

A

(S) to believe something to be the truth without even thinking about it
Ex: I didn’t realize that Melanie hadn’t been to college - I suppose I just took it for granted.
Syns: assume, presume

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31
Q

at the back of one’s mind

A

(S) If something is at/in the back of your mind, you intend to do it, but are not actively thinking about it
Ex: It’s been at the back of my mind to call José for several days now, but I haven’t got round to it yet.
Syns: almost forget, rarely touch on

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32
Q

(sit) on the fence

A

(S) to delay making a decision
Ex: You can’t sit on the fence any longer - you have to decide whose side you’re on.
Syns: wondering, confusing

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33
Q

how on earth

A

(S) used when you are extremely surprised, confused, or angry about something

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34
Q

down the line

A

(s) in the future
Ex: Lots of things will have changed a few years down the road

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35
Q

over the top

A

(S) too extreme and not suitable, or demanding too much attention or effort, especially in an uncontrolled way
Ex: The speech was a bit OTT.
Syns: too extreme, challenging my boundary, effort demanding

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36
Q

stepping stone

A

(SW) an event or experience that helps you achieve something else
Ex: I see this job just as a stepping stone to better things

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37
Q

from scratch

A

(SW) from the beginning, without using anything that already exists
Ex: Ben built the shed from scratch.

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38
Q

in the early days

A

(SW) from the very beginning of something

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39
Q

wrap someone’s head around

A

(S) Trying to understand something.
Syns: to understand, comprehend

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40
Q

keep an eye on

A

(SW) to watch or take care of something or someone
Ex: Will you keep your eye on my suitcase while I go to get the tickets?
Syns: observe, watch over

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41
Q

hang on a minute

A

(S) wait a minute

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42
Q

on the spot

A

(SW) at that moment or place
Ex: He was arrested on the spot
Syns: right there

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43
Q

full circle

A

(SW) returning to a previously held belief or position
Ex: I left publishing, tried teaching and writing, and now I’ve come full circle back to publishing.

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44
Q

that’s another story

A

(S) to be something that you do not want to say more about at this particular time

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45
Q

the other side of the coin

A

(SW) a different way of considering a situation, making it seem either better or worse than it did originally
Ex: I like having a white car, but the other side of the coin is that it soon gets dirty.
Syns: on the other hand, however, in contrast, despite that

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46
Q

good old days

A

(S) (self explanatory lol)

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47
Q

grey area

A

(SW) (also self explanatory)

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48
Q

out of the blue

A

(S) If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected
Ex: One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving
Syns: unanticipated, unforeseen, unexpected

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49
Q

touchy-feely

A

(S) kind and loving, especially by touching and holding people more than is usual, often in a way that makes other people uncomfortable
Ex: She’s one of those touchy-feely people, always putting her hand on your arm while she’s talking to you.

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50
Q

spring to mind

A

(S) to come quickly into your mind
Ex: Say the word “Australia” and a vision of beaches and blue seas immediately springs to mind.

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51
Q

on the right track

A

(S) in the correct way to succeed
Ex: You haven’t quite got the answer yet, but you’re on the right track.
Syns: on the right way,

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52
Q

have a stab at

A

(S) to attempt to do something although you are not likely to be very successful
Ex: I’d never tried snorkeling before but I had a stab at it while I was in Greece
Syns: attempt, try something out

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53
Q

spill the tea

A

(S) to reveal the secrets, or chit chat, or both

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54
Q

cost an arm and a leg

A

(S) extremely expensive

55
Q

my two cents

A

(S) someone’s opinion about something, esp. when it was not asked for or wanted
Ex: If the changes are going to affect me, then I want to put my two cents in.`
Syns: I would say, my opinion, pov

56
Q

do the trick/job

A

(SW) If something does the job, it performs the piece of work you want to be done and achieves the result you want
Ex: Here, this knife should do the job.

57
Q

behind the scenes

A

(SW) happening without people knowing it, especially when something else is happening publicly.

58
Q

hot potato

A

(S) a problem, situation, etc. that is difficult to deal with and causes a lot of disagreement
Syns: hot take, controversial problem/issue/phenomenon/trend/tendency, hot topic

59
Q

in the pipeline

A

(S) in smooth progress
Syns: going great

60
Q

on the back burner

A

If something is on the back burner, it is temporarily not being dealt with or considered, especially because it is not urgent or important
Ex: We’ve all had to put our plans on the back burner for a while.
Syns: put it aside

61
Q

for the sake of something

A

(S) you do it for that purpose or in order to achieve that result

62
Q

out of one’s hand

A

(S) out of someone’s control

63
Q

get something straight

A

(S) to understand what is true/the fact

64
Q

boil down to

A

(SW) to heat a liquid or food so that part of it is turned into gas and its amount is reduced, or to be reduced in this way.
to reduce information, usually so that it contains only its most important parts
Ex: He had boiled down a lengthy report to just a few paragraphs.
Syns: reduce into, concentrate

65
Q

in store

A

(S) going to happen soon
Ex: You never know what’s in store for you.
Syns: coming up for you

66
Q

make up one’s mind

A

(S): to make a decision about something
Syns: decide on

67
Q

have something up one’s sleeve

A

(S) to have secret plans or ideas
Ex: If I know Mark he’ll have one or two tricks up his sleeve.
Syns: undergo, hide from

68
Q

go down that route

A

(S) pursue a particular course of action (often negative)
Syns: repeat that same pattern

69
Q

golden rule/principal

A

(SW) any important rule

70
Q

have a mind of its own

A

A machine or other object can be said to have a mind of its own if it seems to be controlling the way it behaves or moves, independently of the person using it
Ex: This shopping trolley has a mind of its own.

71
Q

turn something on its head

A

(SW) to cause something to be the opposite of what it was before
Ex: These new findings turn the accepted theories on their head.
Syns: alter, turn the situation up side down (in a bad way)

72
Q

fall into place

A

(S) Syns: click
When things fall into place, they happen in a satisfactory way, without problems
Ex: If you plan the project well, then everything should fall into place.

73
Q

so far so good

A

(S) has gone well up to now

74
Q

in the same boat

A

(S) same difficult situation as others

75
Q

hot spot

A

(SW) a place of political unrest and potential violence
a point of intense heat or radiation

76
Q

set something in stone

A

(S) to be very difficult or impossible to change
Syns: has long been…, concrete

77
Q

go in one ear and out the other

A

(S) to quickly forget something (that was just said moments ago)

78
Q

in a nutshell

A

(S) sum up briefly

79
Q

with flying colors

A

(S) If you do something such as pass an exam with flying colors, you do it very successfully (or easily)

80
Q

take a toll on something

A

(SW) to cause harm or suffering
Ex: The constant stress takes its toll on emergency room workers.
Syns: do sb a disservice, harm something, make sb suffer from

81
Q

come in handy

A

(S) to be useful for a particular purpose
Ex: The money will come in handy when I want to travel.

82
Q

a penny saved is a penny earned

A

(S) something you say that means it is wise to save money
Ex: I’d advise anyone to put aside a proportion of their earnings - a penny saved is a penny earned.

83
Q

save the day

A

(S) to do something that prevents a likely defeat or failure
Ex: The team seemed to be heading for disaster until a late goal saved the day.

84
Q

not the end of the world

A

(S) not the worst thing that could happen

85
Q

in the bag

A

(S) certain to be won, achieved, or obtained
Ex: When the score got to 8 to 2 we knew the game was in the bag.
Syns: certain to be obtained/attained, in the hand

86
Q

the upper hand

A

(SW) If you have the upper hand, you have more power than anyone else and so have control
Ex: After hours of fierce negotiations, the president gained/got/had the upper hand.
Syns: domination

87
Q

someone’s bread and butter

A

(S) a job or activity that provides you with the money you need to live
Ex: Gardening is my bread and butter right now.

88
Q

get carried away

A

(S) to become so excited about something that you do not control what you say or do
Ex: There’s far too much food - I’m afraid I got a bit carried away.

89
Q

stand to reason

A

(S) said when something is obvious or clear from the facts
Ex: If 20 percent of the earth’s population has 80 percent of its resources, then it stands to reason that 80 percent of the population has only 20 percent of the resources.
Syns: consequently, which also means/can be directly translated into

90
Q

set foot in

A

(S) to go to a place
Ex: He refuses to set foot in an art gallery.

91
Q

get down to the nitty gritty

A

(S) the basic facts of a situation
Ex: Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty - how much will it cost?

92
Q

brain power

A

(S) ability to think

93
Q

go off the deep end

A

(S) to get very angry about something or lose control of yourself
Syns: (almost) burst a blood vessel

94
Q

cast an eye over

A

(S) to look quickly at something
Ex: Could you cast an eye over this report for me?
Syns: glance off, a quick look

95
Q

have a go

A

(S) Syns: give it a try

96
Q

in the same ballpark

A

(S) to be of a similar amount or cost
Ex: Jamie makes over two hundred thousand dollars and I don’t know how much Tom makes, but I guess it’s in the same ballpark.

97
Q

give someone a shout

A

(S) to contact someone to alert them to something
Syns: warn, alert, call out

98
Q

beat/get the hell out of something

A

(self-explanatory)

99
Q

get a move on

A

(S) to hurry:
Ex: We need to get a move on if we’re going to catch that train.
Syns: hurry up

100
Q

drag someone’s feet

A

(S) to do something slowly or not start it because you do not want to do it
Ex: He knows he should see a doctor, but he’s dragging his feet.
Syns: delay, hesitate, resist, refuse to

101
Q

off the top of one’s head

A

(S) from memory

102
Q

stuck in a rut

A

(S) fixed in a particular job or activity and needing a change
Ex: I need to change jobs - after 15 years here I feel I’m (stuck) in a rut.

103
Q

end of story

A

(S) said when you think your opinion is correct and there is no other way of thinking about it

104
Q

get someone on board

A

(S) to get someone’s support

105
Q

jump up and down

A

(S) to make a great display of emotion (especially anger or excitement)

106
Q

day and night

A

(S) all the time
Ex: you can hear the traffic from your room day and night

107
Q

for the most part

A

(SW) mostly or usually

108
Q

not the case

A

(S) not true

109
Q

cup of tea

A

(S) If something is not your cup of tea, it is not the type of thing that you like
Syns: not a fan

110
Q

piece of cake

A

(S) very easy to do

111
Q

down in the dump

A

(S) unhappy

112
Q

a drop in the ocean

A

(SW) a very small amount compared to the amount needed

113
Q

step on the gas

A

(S) going fast

114
Q

in the interim

A

(SW) in the time between two particular periods or events
syns: in the meantime, while/whereas

115
Q

ahead of your time

A

(SW) having a very outstanding idea/skill that no one else can be compared to during the time

116
Q

ahead of your time

A

(S) having a very outstanding idea/skill that no one else can be compared to during the time

117
Q

Sweet/salt tooth

A

(S) like to eat those kinds of food

118
Q

Rain like cats and dogs

A

(S) Raining heavily

119
Q

lie down on the job

A

(S) to fail to work as hard as you should
Syns: being lazy, demotivated, in a rut (of demotivation)

120
Q

sour grapes

A

(S) bad behavior that happens because someone else is more successful
Ex: Are his criticisms justified, or is this a case of sour grapes from a less successful artist?
Syns: irritate (feels annoying), annoying

121
Q

never offer to teach fish how to swim

A

(S) you should never try to flex in front of an expert

122
Q

run before you can walk

A

(S) learn the basics first, then attempt the advance

123
Q

money doesn’t grow on tree

A

(S) to confess that effort must be made to earn money, it’s not like just picking ripe fruit

124
Q

fall into a trap/rabbit hole

A

(S) fall into something that was intentionally setup in order to trick you or deliberately getting into a hobby

125
Q

double-edged sword

A

(SW) something that acts in both positive and negative way

126
Q

silence is golden

A

(S) sometimes it’s best to say nothing

127
Q

an apple a day keeps the doctor away

A

(S, but it’s weirdo) This means that eating an apple each day can help to keep you healthy.

128
Q

the bigger they are, the harder they fall

A

(S) said to emphasize that the more important or powerful a person is, the more difficult it is for them when they lose their power or importance

129
Q

sell your soul to the devil

A

(S) to be persuaded to do something, especially something bad, because of the money or other reward you will receive for doing it
syns: accede to something (agree to do something that is asked for), bow down to someone (to agree that someone is more powerful than you, resort to something (to do something that you do not want to do because you cannot find any other way of achieving something)

130
Q

cut to the chase

A

(S) to talk about or deal with the important parts of a subject and not waste time with things that are not important
Ex: I didn’t have long to talk so I cut to the chase and asked whether he was still married.

131
Q

once upon a time

A

(S) used when referring to something that happened in the past, especially when showing that you feel sorry that it no longer happens
(personally, I believe we can also use this in order to refer to some sort of miracle event)

132
Q

get the hang of

A

(S) learn how to do something, especially when it’s irritating

133
Q

under your belt

A

(S) learned or succeeded in, and now a part of your experience
Ex: now that you have got the required courses under your belt, you can take some electives (= a subject that someone chooses to study in addition to the current ones)

134
Q

in the first place

A

(SW) in the beginning

IELTS (3 decks)

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