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Advanced Idioms 1 Flashcards

(81 cards)

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1
Q

A blessing in disguise

A

something good that seems bad at first | “Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it led to better opportunities.”

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2
Q

A dime a dozen

A

very common and of no special value | “Cheap souvenirs are a dime a dozen in tourist areas.”

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3
Q

A drop in the ocean

A

a very small amount compared to what is needed | “The donation was generous but just a drop in the ocean.”

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4
Q

A hot potato

A

a controversial or sensitive issue | “The new tax policy is a hot potato in political debates.”

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5
Q

Actions speak louder than words

A

what you do is more important than what you say | “He says he cares

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6
Q

Add fuel to the fire

A

make a bad situation worse | “Her comments only added fuel to the fire of the argument.”

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7
Q

All ears

A

fully listening | “Tell me what happened—I’m all ears.”

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8
Q

At the drop of a hat

A

immediately

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9
Q

Bark up the wrong tree

A

pursue the wrong solution | “If you think I’m to blame

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10
Q

Beat around the bush

A

avoid saying something directly | “Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.”

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11
Q

Bite the bullet

A

endure a difficult situation | “I hate the dentist

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12
Q

Blow hot and cold

A

be inconsistent | “Her opinions blow hot and cold

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13
Q

Break the ice

A

make people feel more comfortable | “His joke helped break the ice at the party.”

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14
Q

Burn the midnight oil

A

work late into the night | “I had to burn the midnight oil to finish the report.”

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15
Q

Bury the hatchet

A

make peace | “After years of rivalry

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16
Q

By the skin of your teeth

A

just barely | “I passed the test by the skin of my teeth.”

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17
Q

Call it a day

A

stop working for the day | “Let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.”

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18
Q

Caught red-handed

A

caught in the act of wrongdoing | “He was caught red-handed trying to steal.”

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19
Q

Cross the line

A

go beyond what is acceptable | “His rude comment crossed the line.”

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20
Q

Cut corners

A

do something cheaply or quickly | “If you cut corners on safety

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21
Q

Cut the mustard

A

meet expectations or requirements | “He didn’t cut the mustard in his new role.”

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22
Q

Devil’s advocate

A

argue the opposite side to provoke discussion | “I’ll play devil’s advocate to test your idea.”

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23
Q

Draw the line

A

set a limit | “I’m willing to help

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24
Q

Drop the ball

A

fail at a critical moment | “I dropped the ball by forgetting the deadline.”

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25
Face the music
accept the consequences | “It’s time to face the music for your mistakes.”
26
Feather in your cap
an achievement to be proud of | “Winning the award is a real feather in your cap.”
27
Feel under the weather
feel sick | “I’ve been feeling under the weather all week.”
28
Fight tooth and nail
fight very hard | “They fought tooth and nail to save their business.”
29
Fit as a fiddle
very healthy | “Despite his age
30
Fly off the handle
lose your temper suddenly | “She flew off the handle when she heard the news.”
31
Follow suit
do the same thing | “When the CEO resigned
32
Get a second wind
gain energy after feeling tired | “After a short break
33
Get cold feet
hesitate or fear doing something | “She got cold feet before the wedding.”
34
Get out of hand
become uncontrollable | “The party got out of hand and the police were called.”
35
Give someone the cold shoulder
ignore someone | “She gave him the cold shoulder after their argument.”
36
Go the extra mile
do more than expected | “She always goes the extra mile for her clients.”
37
Have a chip on your shoulder
be easily offended | “He has a chip on his shoulder about his education.”
38
Hit the nail on the head
say exactly the right thing | “Her comment hit the nail on the head.”
39
Hit the ground running
start something with energy and enthusiasm | “She hit the ground running on her first day at work.”
40
In a nutshell
in summary | “The report
41
Jump on the bandwagon
join others in doing something popular | “Many companies are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon.”
42
Keep a low profile
avoid attention | “He decided to keep a low profile after the scandal.”
43
Kick the bucket
die | “He joked about kicking the bucket when he turned 90.”
44
Kill two birds with one stone
accomplish two things at once | “By studying on the train
45
Let sleeping dogs lie
avoid stirring up trouble | “Don’t bring up old arguments; let sleeping dogs lie.”
46
Let the cat out of the bag
reveal a secret | “He let the cat out of the bag about her promotion.”
47
Live and let live
accept others as they are | “Her motto is to live and let live.”
48
Lose your touch
lose a skill | “He’s lost his touch when it comes to cooking.”
49
Make a mountain out of a molehill
exaggerate a small problem | “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill about the delay.”
50
Miss the boat
miss an opportunity | “I missed the boat on buying that stock early.”
51
On cloud nine
very happy | “She’s been on cloud nine since her engagement.”
52
On thin ice
in a risky situation | “After the mistake
53
Out of the blue
unexpectedly | “He showed up out of the blue after years of silence.”
54
Pull yourself together
calm down and behave normally | “After the shock
55
Put all your eggs in one basket
risk everything on one idea | “Investing all your money in one stock is putting all your eggs in one basket.”
56
Put your foot down
be firm about something | “She put her foot down about not working late anymore.”
57
Rain on someone’s parade
spoil someone’s plans | “I hate to rain on your parade
58
Read between the lines
understand the hidden meaning | “You need to read between the lines to see what he’s implying.”
59
Roll with the punches
adapt to difficulties | “Life can be tough
60
See eye to eye
agree completely | “They don’t always see eye to eye on business decisions.”
61
Set the bar high
set high standards | “The new manager has set the bar high for performance.”
62
Shoot yourself in the foot
harm yourself accidentally | “By lying
63
Spill the beans
reveal a secret | “Don’t spill the beans about her surprise party.”
64
Steal someone’s thunder
take credit for someone else’s work | “She felt he stole her thunder during the presentation.”
65
Stick to your guns
refuse to change your opinion | “He stuck to his guns despite the criticism.”
66
Sweep under the rug
ignore a problem | “They tried to sweep the issue under the rug
67
Take it with a grain of salt
don’t take something too seriously | “I’d take his advice with a grain of salt.”
68
Take the bull by the horns
face a challenge directly | “She took the bull by the horns and fixed the issue.”
69
The ball is in your court
it’s your decision | “We’ve done all we can; now the ball is in your court.”
70
The best of both worlds
having all advantages | “Living in the city and working from home gives her the best of both worlds.”
71
The elephant in the room
an obvious issue no one discusses | “We need to address the elephant in the room: the budget cuts.”
72
Throw in the towel
give up | “He threw in the towel after years of trying to succeed.”
73
Tie the knot
get married | “They’re tying the knot next summer.”
74
Under the weather
not feeling well | “I’m under the weather today and staying home.”
75
Walk on eggshells
be very careful | “He’s so moody; we’re always walking on eggshells around him.”
76
Water under the bridge
past issues no longer important | “Let’s forget it—it’s water under the bridge now.”
77
Wear your heart on your sleeve
show emotions openly | “She wears her heart on her sleeve
78
When pigs fly
something impossible | “He’ll apologize when pigs fly.”
79
Wild goose chase
a pointless pursuit | “Finding that file in this mess is a wild goose chase.”
80
With flying colors
with great success | “She passed the exam with flying colors.”
81
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
can’t have it both ways | “You can’t have your cake and eat it too when choosing between time and money.”

English (10 decks)

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