Idioms and expressions Flashcards

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1
Q

Jump the gun

A

To start something before it is permissible, appropriate, or advisable. The phrase alludes to starting to run in a foot race before the starting gun goes off.

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2
Q

Clutch at straws

A
  1. To make a desperate attempt to salvage a bad situation.
    A: “But what about all those times I took the trash out when you hadn’t even asked me to?” B: “That has nothing to do with why you’re in trouble now, so stop clutching at straws.”
  2. To consider positive suggestions or thoughts in a bad situation.
    OK, you’re just clutching at straws now, fantasizing about a potential buyer when your house has been on the market for months.
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3
Q

On the mends

A

Healing or getting well; improving in health.
I broke my arm last month, so I’ve just been at home on the mend since then.
A: “How’s John doing?” B: “He had a rough week of it with the flu, but he’s on the mend now, thank God.”

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4
Q

Wallflower

A

A quiet person who does not mix with other people
“She’s a real wallflower. She didn’t dance all night”.

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5
Q

Cloud 9

A

A state of blissful happiness
“I’ve been on cloud 9 since I won a million dollars”.

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6
Q

Cry one’s eyes out

A

To cry for a long time
“She’s been crying her eyes out since her boyfriend left her”

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7
Q

Tied up

A

Very busy, kept occupied of engaged
“Miss Fox can’t talk to you now. She’s tied up with a client”.

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8
Q

In a stew

A

Upset, troubled.
“Sarah is really in a stew about her exam”

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9
Q

No one knows what goes on behind closed doors

A

A private situation can be very different from public appearances
“They seem happy, but no one knows what goes on behind closed doors”

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10
Q

Poison someone’s mind

A

To make someone think negatively about a situation
“Kelly used to love me until you poisoned her mind against me. Now she hates me”.

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11
Q

Rooted on the spot

A

Unable to move because of fear or shock

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12
Q

Doesn’t have a leg to stand on

A

Doesn’t have anything to support his/her argument

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13
Q

Sour grapes

A

To act as if something you couldn’t get was always undesirable
“He says it’s a terrible university. But that’s just sour grapes. He really wanted to get in there but they didn’t want him”

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14
Q

Butter someone up

A

To try to earn someone’s favour by flattering them
“He told his teacher she looked pretty, but he was just trying to butter her up so he’d pass his test”

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15
Q

Get down to brass tacks

A

To focus on the most important aspects of a particular situation.

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16
Q

You can lead a horse to water

A

but you can’t make it drink

Proverb: You can give someone an advantage or provide them with an opportunity, but you can’t force them to do something if they don’t want to.

17
Q

To do something in “fits and starts”

A

to do it intermittently or sporadically.

“Martina has been working on her master’s thesis in fits and starts; she needs to work on it consistently.”

18
Q

A change is as good as a rest

A

‘A change is as good as a rest’ is an old English proverb means that changing your job or profession is also as beneficial as taking a break. It also proves restorative.

19
Q

To make a mountain out of a molehill

A

To exaggerate a minor problem.

20
Q

The shoe is on the other foot

A

The roles (of two or more people) have been reversed, especially roles that were the opposite of each other.
I can see that you don’t like being told what to do, but now the shoe is on the other foot!

21
Q

Be pissing in(to) the wind

A

To be doing something totally pointless, fruitless, or futile; to be wasting one’s time doing something that will not or cannot come to pass.
To be perfectly honest, I feel like voting is just pissing in the wind, so I just don’t bother.
My mom and dad were pissing into the wind for years trying to get my brother to take his studies seriously; in the end, he dropped out anyway to pursue a career in music.

22
Q

Splash out

A

To spend a lot of money on something
“I splashed out on my Gojira tickets”

23
Q

Flogging a dead horse

A

The third season was like flogging a dead horse

24
Q

By word of mouth

A

By one person telling another in speech, not in writing
verbalmente, de palabra
“She got the information by word of mouth”.

25
Q

Cabin fever

A

The feeling of being angry and bored because you have been inside for too long:
“The rain had kept me indoors all weekend and I was beginning to get cabin fever”.

26
Q

I pulled a muscle on my back

A

Muscle contracture

27
Q

Bedridden

A

Having to stay in bed because of illness or injury:
“His aunt was 93 and bedridden”.