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Eng CSS - Idioms > 1990s > Flashcards

1990s Flashcards

(78 cards)

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1
Q

White elephant

A

A thing that is useless and no longer needed although it may have cost a lot of money

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2
Q

Blue blood

A

From a royal or noble family

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3
Q

The Augean stable

A

Used metaphorically to describe a situation where a large amount of corruption has to be cleaned away

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4
Q

Apple of discord

A

Anything causing trouble, discord or jealousy

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5
Q

In good books

A

Used to say that somebody is pleased with you

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6
Q

Between the devil and deep blue sea

A

To have two choices that are both equally unpleasant

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7
Q

Stare in the face / look in the face

A

Be evident

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8
Q

Make off

A

To steal something and hurry away with it

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9
Q

Sword of Damocles

A

Imminent danger

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10
Q

Every inch

A

Completely, wholly

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11
Q

To call a spade a spade

A

To say exactly what you think without trying to hide your opinion

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12
Q

On the sly

A

Done secretly, especially because you know you should not be doing it

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13
Q

Palm off

A

Pass off by deception, substitute with intent to deceive

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14
Q

Lip service

A

Proffered but not performed

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15
Q

Turncoat

A

A person who leaves political party to join that has very different views

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16
Q

A wild goose chase

A

A search for something that is impossible for you to find

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17
Q

Between the devil and the deep blue sea

A

To have two choices that are equally unpleasant or not convenient

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18
Q

A wild goose chase

A

A search for something that is impossible for you to find

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19
Q

Head and ears

A

Deeply, completely

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20
Q

Time and ride

A

One must not procrastinate or delay

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21
Q

To live from hand to mouth

A

With only the bare essentials, existing precariously

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22
Q

To beat about the bush

A

To talk about something for a long time without coming to the main point

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23
Q

To Fish in troubled waters

A

Try to take advantage of a confused situation

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24
Q

A bird’s eye view

A

A view of something from a high position looking down

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25
Play truant
To stay away from school without permission
26
Play down
Make little of, minimise
27
Turn turtle
Capsize, turn upside down
28
Turned the corner
Pass a milestone or a critical point, begin to improve
29
A fair-weather friend
Not good in crisis
30
To be under a cloud
If somebody is under a cloud, other people think that they have done something wrong and are suspicious of them
31
Burn one’s boats / burn one’s bridges
Commit oneself to an irreversible course
32
Horse trading
Bargaining
33
Between Scylla and Charybdis
In a position where avoidance of one danger exposes one to another danger
34
Hobson’s Choice
An apparently free choice that actually offers no alternative
35
Sting in the tail
An unpleasant feature that comes at the end and spoils the story
36
With open arms
Enthusiastically, warmly
37
Wash one’s hand of
Refuse to be responsible for
38
Count one’s chickens
Be over-optimistic
39
To burn the midnight oil
To study or work until late at night
40
Bear out
To show that somebody is right Witnesses will bear out what I say.
41
Back out / back out of something
To decide that you are no longer going to take part in something that has been agreed
42
Carry over
To keep something, usually merchandise, for a subsequent period
43
Come off
Happen, occur
44
Fall back
Give ground, retreat
45
Figure out
Discover, determine
46
Learn to live with
To accept a new but unpleasant situation that you cannot change
47
Set in
To fasten
48
Cover up
Wrap up and enfold in order to protect
49
Iron out
Get rid of problems or difficulties
50
To beat the air / beat the wind
Continue to make futile attempts, fight to no purpose
51
To beggar continue
To be too extreme, shocking to believe or describe
52
To bring to mind
Cause to be remembered
53
To call into question
Dispute, challenge, also cast doubt on
54
To cap it all / cap it all off
As the final unformatted incident in a long series
55
Clip the wings of
Prevent someone from acting freely
56
To cross the rubicon
Irrevocable commit to a course of action, make fateful and final decision
57
To the feel the pulse
Try to determine the intentions or sentiments of a person or group
58
To fly in the face of
Act in direct opposition to or in defiance of
59
To rise like a phoenix from its ashes
Emerge renewed after apparent disaster or destruction
60
The last ditch
A desperate final attempt
61
A square meal
A substantial and balanced meal
62
Go public
To tell people about something that is a secret
63
Run riot
Behave in a frenzied, out of control or unrestrained manner
64
The backroom boys
People who do important work for a person or an organizations but are not well known themselves
65
Foot the bill
The person who foots the bill pays for everybody
66
Set the pace
Establish a standard for others to follow
67
At times
Occasionally sometimes
68
Steal the show/ spotlight
Be the Center of attention
69
Grey matter
Intelligence
70
A jaundiced eye
Affected by bitterness, resentment or envy
71
A left handed compliment / backhanded compliment
An insult in the guise of praise
72
The ruling passion
An interest or concern that occupies a large part of someone’s time and effort
73
Tower of strength
Someone who can be relied on to provide support and comfort
74
Steal a march on someone
To gain an advantage over someone by doing something before them
75
In one’s bones
Felt, believed, known deeply about something
76
Hang in the balance
Uncertain
77
A fly in the ointment
A drawback or detrimental factor
78
Close-fisted
Stingy or unwilling to part with money

Eng CSS - Idioms (5 decks)

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