2401-2600 Flashcards
(200 cards)
1
Q
back-room boys
A
This term refers to people who do important work but have no contact with the public.
2
Q
blue around the gills
A
If a person looksblue around gills, (orgreenorpale) they look unwell or sick.
3
Q
pain in theneck
A
If you call someonea pain in the neck,you think they are very irritating or annoying.
4
Q
happy as Larry
A
If you are (as)happy as Larry,you are very happy indeed.
5
Q
besideyourself
A
If you arebeside yourself(with an emotion), you lose your self-control because of the intensity of the emotion you are feeling.
6
Q
acquired taste
A
Something that you dislike when you first taste it, but begin to like after trying it several times, isan acquired taste.
7
Q
back to the wall
A
If you have yourback to the wall, you are in serious difficulty.
8
Q
in cahoots
A
If one person isin cahootswith another, they are working in close partnership, usually conspiring to do something dishonest.
9
Q
tell someone a thing or two
A
If youtell someone a thing or two,you express you thoughts (usually criticism) very clearly.
10
Q
foam at the mouth
A
Someone whofoams at the mouthis extremely angry about something.
11
Q
stormy relationship
A
If you havea stormy relationshipwith someone, you have a lot of arguments and disagreements.
12
Q
hearton sleeve
A
If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you allow others to see your emotions or feelings.
13
Q
smoke like a chimney
A
Someone who smokes a large amount of tobacco on a regular basis is said tosmoke like a chimney.
14
Q
tickledpink
A
If you aretickled pink,you are very pleased about something.
15
Q
chase you (own) tail
A
Someone who ischasing their (own) tailis spending a lot of time and energy doing many things but achieving very little.
16
Q
not in the same league
A
If something isnot in the same league,it is of much lower standard than something else.
17
Q
head screwed on
A
Someone whohas their head screwedon is a sensible and realistic person.
18
Q
disaster written all over
A
If something, such as a plan or idea, hasdisaster written all overit, it is thought to be heading for complete failure, or will cause a lot of trouble.
19
Q
tough cookie
A
A person who is atough cookieis one who is self-confident and ambitious and will do what is necessary to get what they want.
20
Q
horse of a different colour
A
To describe a person or a problem asa horse of a different colourmeans either that the person does things differently from others, or that the nature of the problem is entirely different.
21
Q
paddle own canoe
A
If youpaddle your own canoe,you do what you want to do without help or interference from anyone.
22
Q
middle of nowhere
A
If a place isin the middle of nowhere, it is in a remote area, far from towns, villages or houses.
23
Q
test the waters
A
If youtest the water(s), you try to find out how acceptable or successful something is before becoming involved in it.
24
Q
fit to be tied
A
If you arefit to be tied, you areextremely irritated, upset or angry.
25
black sheep
The black sheep is one who behaves very differently or badly, and is considered disreputable by the other members of the family.
26
under one's belt
If you have something under your belt, you have acquired experience or have satisfactorily achieved something.
27
proof of the pudding
This expression means that something new can only be judged after it has been tested.
28
move the goalposts
During a course of action, if someone moves the goalposts they change the rules or conditions.
29
deck out
If you deck out someone or something, you dress or decorate them in a special way.
30
scratch the surface
When you only scratch the surface of a problem or subject, you deal with only a small part of it.
31
root and branch
If an action is performed thoroughly or completely, it is done 'root and branch'.
32
memory/brain like a sieve
Someone who has a memory (or brain) like a sieve has a very bad memory and forgets things easily.
33
two peas in a pod
Two people who are like two peas in a pod are very similar in appearance.
34
politically correct
When people are politically correct, they carefully choose the language they use in order to avoid offending particular groups of people.
35
put words in someone's mouth
If you claim that someone has said something, or suggest what they should say, you are putting words in their mouth.
36
miss the point
If you miss the point you fail to understand the essential part of what has been said.
37
never a dull moment
When there is never a dull moment, something is always changing or happening.
38
small fry
People or organisations that are considered unimportant can be referred to as small fry.
39
clear the way
If you clear the way, you allow something to happen by removing what was preventing it.
40
open doors to/for
If something opens doors, it provides opportunities or possibilities for the future.
41
throw pearls to pigs
This expression means that it is wasteful to offer something valuable or useful to someone who does not understand or appreciate it.
42
throw a wobbly/wobbler
When someone, usually a capricious person, throws a wobbly, they have a fit of nerves or bad temper and lose all self-control.
43
there for the taking
If something is there for the taking, it is easy to obtain.
44
disappear into thin air
If someone or something disappears into thin air, they vanish in a mysterious way.
45
neither fish nor fowl
People or things that are difficult to classify because they are neither one thing nor another are 'neither fish nor fowl'.
46
words fail me
This expression is often used when someone is so shocked, surprised or touched by something that they don't know what to say.
47
count your blessings
If you count your blessings, you focus your thoughts on all the good things in your life rather than on the negative ones.
48
live a lie
If you spend your life hiding something important about yourself, or inventing something which is not true, you live a lie.
49
dyed-in-the-wool
This expression is used to describe a person who has fixed, uncompromising, deep-felt beliefs to which they are committed.
50
low-hanging fruit
To refer to something as a low-hanging fruit means that it is a target that can be easily reached, or a goal that can be accomplished with a minimum of effort.
51
go with the flow
If you go with the flow, you follow the general tendency and go along with whatever happens.
52
more than meets eye
This expression means that something is more complicated or more interesting than it first appears.
53
die with one's boots on
A person who dies with their boots on dies while still leading an active life.
54
blue chip company
This term refers to a company with a solid reputation for the quality of its products and the stability of its growth and earnings.
55
on a shoestring
If you do something on a shoestring, you do it with very little money.
56
read between lines
To read between the lines means to understand the real meaning of what is written or said, without need for any further detail.
57
below the belt
An action or remark described as below the belt is considered to be unfair or cruel.
58
sound hollow
If an explanation, apology or promise sounds hollow, it seems false or insincere.
59
not for all the tea in China
To say that you would not do something for all the tea in China means that you would not do it under any conditions.
60
send about one's business
If you tell someone, in an irritated or unfriendly way, to go away, you send them about their business.
61
put the squeeze on
If you put the squeeze on someone, you put pressure on them to force them to do something.
62
French leave
If you leave an official or social event without notifying the person who invited you, you take French leave.
63
pour oil on troubled waters
If a person pours oil on troubled waters, they do or say something to calm a tense situation.
64
tried and tested
If a method has been tried and tested, it can be trusted because it has been used successfully in the past and is known to work.
65
chickens come home to roost
If you say that chickens have come home to roost, you mean that bad or embarrassing things done in the past by someone are now causing problems for that person.
66
here today, gone tomorrow
This is said of something which appears and disappears very quickly, or does not last long, The shops in this area change very often - here today, gone tomorrow.
67
bold as brass
Someone who is as bold as brass behaves without shame or embarrassment.
68
by degrees
If something happens or develops by degrees, it happens gradually or little by little as time goes by.
69
not up to scratch
Something which is not up to scratch fails to reach the expected standard.
70
in seventh heaven
If you are in seventh heaven, you are extremely happy.
71
dip toes in the water/ get one's feet wet
If you dip your toes in the water, or get your feet wet, you start to do something new or unfamiliar, or explore new territory for the first time.
72
swings and roundabouts
What you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts.
73
left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing
To say that 'the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing'means that within a group or organisation, communication is so bad that one person doesn't know what another person is doing.
74
cat can look at a king
This expression means that nobody is so important that an ordinary person cannot look at or be curious about them.
75
far cry from something
If one thing is a far cry from something else, they are very different from each other, especially in quality or size.
76
drag one's feet
If you say that a person is dragging their feet, you think they are unnecessarily delaying a decision which is important to you.
77
throw caution to the wind
If you throw caution to the wind, you start taking risks and stop worrying about the danger involved.
78
can't make head or tail of
If you can't make head or tail of something, you can't understand it at all.
79
rest is history
This is a way of saying that there is need to finish a story because everyone knows what happened next.
80
at stake
Someone who has a lot at stake is in a risky situation, with a lot to be won or lost.
81
go the whole hog
When you go the whole hog, you do something thoroughly or completely.
82
come to your senses
If you come to your senses you start to think clearly and behave sensibly.
83
recipe for disaster
If you refer to a plan or idea as a recipe for disaster, you think it is likely to produce bad results.
84
out like a light
If a person is out like a light, they are so tired that they fall asleep very quickly.
85
prick up one's ears
If you prick up your ears, you suddenly pay attention to what is being said.
86
gizmo
The term 'gizmo' refers to a gadget or any small technological item which is unusual or novel, and for which the proper term is unknown or forgotten.
87
straight from horse'smouth
If you learn something straight from the horse's mouth, the information is given to you by someone who is directly involved.
88
money for jam
A very easy way of earning money is called money for jam.
89
much obliged
Some people use this expression to say that they are very grateful.
90
black out
If you black out, you lose consciousness.
91
party is over
To say that the party is over means that a period of happiness, freedom, enjoyment etc.
92
dead man walking
A dead man walking is someone who will inevitably be in great trouble very soon, especially a person who is about to lose their job or position.
93
spick and span
To refer to something, usually a place, as spick and span means that it is very clean, neat and tidy.
94
dead wood
The term dead wood refers to people or things which are no longer considered useful or necessary.
95
dog with two tails
If someone is like a dog with two tails, they are extremely happy.
96
nitty-gritty
When people get down to the nitty-gritty, they begin to discuss the most important points or the practical details.
97
worth its weight in gold
Someone or something that is worth their weight in gold is considered to be of great value.
98
buy a lemon
If buy something, especially a car, that is defective, unsatisfactory, constantly gives trouble or stops running after a short time, you buy a lemon.
99
like a scalded cat
If something or something moves like a scalded cat, they move very fast, usually because they are frightened or shocked.
100
get a grip on yourself
If you get a grip on yourself, you try to control your feelings so as to be able to deal with a situation.
101
hammer and tongs
If people are going at it hammer and tongs, they are arguing fiercely, with a lot of energy and noise.
102
in dire straits
If a person or organisation is in dire straits, they are in a very difficult situation.
103
wrap your brain around
If you concentrate on something in an effort to understand, you wrap your brain around it.
104
go hell for leather
If you go hell for leather, you go somewhere or do something very fast.
105
to the best of one's ability.
When someone does something to the best of their ability, they do it as well as they possibly can.
106
tickle the ivories
This is a humorous way of talking about playing the piano.
107
bait and switch
This term refers to a deceptive commercial practice of advertising a low-priced item to attract customers, then telling them that the product is out of stock and persuading them to buy a more expensive article.
108
be up in arms
If you are up in arms , you are very angry about something and protest very strongly.
109
make headway
If you make headway, you make progress in what you are trying to achieve.
110
get cracking
When you get cracking, you start doing something immediately.
111
face that would stop a clock
Someone who has a face that would stop a clock has a shockingly unattractive face.
112
no smoke without fire
If many people say that something bad is happening, there is possibly some truth in it.
113
blind leading the blind
This expression describes a person with very little ability trying to help or guide a person with no ability.
114
red herring
A red herring is a fact or argument introduced into a discussion which draws attention away from the main point.
115
bite the dust
This expression is used to talk about death in a light-hearted way.
116
reap the harvest
If you reap the harvest, you benefit or suffer as a direct result of past actions.
117
act of God
This term refers to an natural event or accident, for which no person is responsible (such as an earthquake, lightning and similar acts of nature).
118
give the once-over
If you give someone or something a quick visual examination, to see what they are like or to check if everything is all right, you give them the once-over.
119
hand on a platter
If someone get something easily, without having to make an effort to obtain it, it is handed to them on a platter.
120
fight like cat and dog
Two people who fight or argue like cat and dog frequently have violent arguments, even though they are fond of each other.
121
live out of suitcase
Someone who lives of a suitcase travels a lot, moving from place to place, and is therefore restricted to the contents of their suitcase.
122
rub salt into wound
If you are in a difficult or unpleasant situation, and somebody rubs salt into the wound, they do or say something to make things worse.
123
put on ice
If a project or plan is put on ice, all further action has been suspended or postponed for an indefinite period of time.
124
between the devil and the deep blue sea
If you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a situation where there are two equally unacceptable alternatives.
125
chill wind
If you face or feel the chill wind of something, you are beginning to encounter the problems or trouble it causes.
126
written all over your face
When someone's feelings or thoughts are very clear, you can say that they are written all over their face.
127
cut the cackle
If you tell a group of people to cut the cackle, you are asking them to stop talking aimlessly and start dealing with more important or serious matters.
128
run down
A person who is run down is in poor physical condition.
129
cut no ice
If something cuts no ice, it has no effect or makes no impression on someone.
130
put house in order
If you tell someone to put their house in order, you are saying that they should organise their own affairs or take care of their own problems before giving advice to other people.
131
look the picture
If someone looks the picture, they look very pretty.
132
top of your lungs
If you shout at the top of your lungs, you shout as loudly as you possibly can.
133
come in all shapes and sizes
Something that can be found in many different forms, types or varieties, comes in all shapes and sizes.
134
yoke around one's neck
An obligation, commitment or restraint that becomes an oppressive burden is called a yoke around one's neck.
135
go nuts
To say that a person has gone nuts means that they have become completely foolish, eccentric or mad.
136
hammer home
If you hammer home a point or an argument, you repeat it often to make sure that it is fully understood.
137
battle lines are drawn
This expression is used to say that opposing groups are ready to defend the reason behind the conflict.
138
put someone on the spot
If you put someone on the spot, you put them in a difficult position, for example by asking difficult questions which they cannot avoid.
139
even keel
A situation or person who stays on an even keel manages to remain calm, stable and untroubled in all circumstances.
140
silver-tongued
A silver-tongued person is a smooth talker who speaks so convincingly that they manage to persuade others to do what they want.
141
strike gold
If you strike gold, you find exactly what you need : satisfaction, wealth, happiness, etc.
142
upper hand
If a person or organisation gets or gains the upper hand, they take control over a situation.
143
live high off the hog
Someone who lives high off the hog has a lot of money and a very comfortable lifestyle.
144
love me, love my dog
This expression means that if someone loves you, they must love everything about you, including everyone and everything you love.
145
no great shakes
To say that someone or something is no great shakes means that they are useless, ineffective or not very good.
146
make nothing of
If you make nothing of something, you attach no importance to it.
147
fit as a fiddle
A person who is as fit as a fiddle is in an excellent state of health or physical condition.
148
if memory serves well
If your memory serves you well, you remember correctly or you have not forgotten any details.
149
call someone's bluff
If you call someone's bluff, you challenge them to do what they threaten to do (while believing that they will not dare to do it).
150
smoking gun
A smoking gun is a piece of evidence or the indisputable sign of someone's guilt.
151
in raptures
If you are in raptures about something, you are delighted or very enthusiastic.
152
on the sly
If you do something on the sly, you do it secretly or furtively.
153
household name
When the name of something becomes very familiar because it is so often used, it is called a household name or word.
154
see the colour of money
If you want to see the colour of somebody's money, you want to be sure that the person in question has enough money to pay you before you accept to do something.
155
in the pipeline
If something is in the pipeline, it is currently in progress or being organised.
156
down in the dumps
Someone who is down in the dumps is depressed or feeling gloomy.
157
not in one's right mind
Someone who is not in their right mind is not behaving in a logical or sensible way.
158
in safe hands
If something is in safe (or good) hands, it is being looked after by a reliable person or organisation and is therefore at no risk.
159
black market
The black market refers to the illegal buying and selling of goods or currencies.
160
teach someone a lesson
If you teach somebody a lesson, you do something to punish them for behaving badly and make them understand that they should not do it again.
161
pick brains
If you pick someone's brains, you ask questions about a particular subject in order to obtain advice or information.
162
back to the salt mines
Saying that you have to go back to the salt mines is a humorous way of talking about returning to work, usually with some reluctance.
163
think on one's feet
A person who thinks on their feet is capable of making good decisions without previous thinking or planning.
164
sublime to ridiculous
If something goes from the sublime to the ridiculous, it deteriorates in quality from serious or admirable to absurd or unimportant.
165
no accounting for taste
This expression is used to indicate surprise at another person's likes or dislikes.
166
call a spade a spade
A person who calls a spade a spade speaks openly and truthfully about something, especially difficult matters.
167
trip down memorylane
If you take a trip (stroll or walk) down memory lane, you remember pleasant things that happened in the past.
168
tar with the same brush
When a person is tarred with the same brush, they are regarded as having the same faults or bad qualities as those they associate with.
169
at a loss
If a person is at a loss, they don't know what to say or do in a particular situation.
170
come out of one'sshell
To come out of one's shell means to be less shy or more talkative and outgoing.
171
live up to reputation
If someone or something lives up to its reputation, it is as good, or as bad, as people say.
172
no hard feelings
If you have no hard feelings, you feel no resentment or bitterness about something.
173
make sense of
If you make sense of something, you understand it or find the meaning.
174
no use crying over spilt milk
This expression means that it is useless to complain or have regrets about something that is done and cannot be changed.
175
grin like a Cheshire cat
When someone has a smile on their face because they are happy or satisfied about something, they grin like a Cheshire cat.
176
on ice
If a project or plan is put on ice, all further action has been suspended or postponed for an indefinite period of time.
177
one over the eight
If a person has one over the eight, they are slightly drunk.
178
cheek by jowl
When people are cheek by jowl, they are crammed uncomfortably close together.
179
like ships that pass in the night
This expression refers to people who meet briefly and are not likely to meet again.
180
stick out like a sore thumb
If something sticks out like a sore thumb, it is very obvious or visible in an unpleasant way.
181
fool's paradise
If someone is living in a fool's paradise, they are in a state of contentment that will not last because their happiness is based on illusion or false hope.
182
avowed intent
When someone makes a public declaration of their objective or goal, this is their avowed intent.
183
in one's element
When you are in your element, you are doing something that you do well, and you are enjoying yourself.
184
last legs
If you are on your last legs, you are in a very weak condition or about to die.
185
foot in one's mouth
If you put your foot in your mouth, you do or say something that offends, upsets or embarrasses someone else.
186
make no bones about something
If you make no bones about something, you don't hesitate to say something in a frank and open way.
187
down to earth
Someone who is down to earth is not a dreamer but a realistic and practical person who has sensible reactions and expectations.
188
daylight robbery
The term daylight robbery is used when the price of something is thought to be much too high.
189
chicken feed
An amount of money considered small or unimportant is calledchicken feed.
190
just around the corner
If something is just around the corner, it will happen very soon.
191
gatecrash
If someone gatecrashes, they attend a private social event without being invited.
192
leave high and dry
If you are left high and dry, you find yourself in a difficult situation without help or resources.
193
make someone see reason
If you make someone see reason, you persuade them to stop acting foolishly and behave more sensibly.
194
one hand washes the other (and together they wash the face)
This expression means that when people cooperate and work well together, there is a better chance of a achieving results.
195
waiting for a raindrop in the drought
When someone is waiting for a raindrop in the drought, they are waiting and hoping for something that has little chance of happening.
196
hear a pin drop
To say that you could hear a pin drop means that it is so silent you could hear the slightest noise.
197
do a world of good
If something does you a world of good, it is beneficial and makes you feel a lot better.
198
eat crow
If you eat crow, you admit that you were wrong about something and apologize.
199
get something off the ground
If you get something off the ground, you put it into operation after having organised it.
200
in one's own sweet time
If you do something in your own sweet time, you take as long as you please to do it, in spite of the wishes of others.
