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Advanced Idioms 2 Flashcards

(81 cards)

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1
Q

Against the clock

A

working in a rush to meet a deadline | “We’re racing against the clock to finish the project.”

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2
Q

Ahead of the curve

A

being more advanced than others | “Our new product keeps us ahead of the curve in the market.”

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3
Q

All bark and no bite

A

full of talk but lacking action | “He’s all bark and no bite when it comes to confronting problems.”

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4
Q

All in the same boat

A

in the same difficult situation | “We’re all in the same boat after the budget cuts.”

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5
Q

Around the corner

A

coming soon | “The holidays are just around the corner.”

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6
Q

At the end of your rope

A

out of patience or energy | “After weeks of stress

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7
Q

Back to square one

A

start again from the beginning | “The proposal was rejected

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8
Q

Bite off more than you can chew

A

take on too much | “I bit off more than I could chew by accepting two jobs.”

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9
Q

Break the bank

A

spend too much money | “The fancy dinner didn’t break the bank.”

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10
Q

Burn bridges

A

destroy relationships | “Don’t burn bridges with former colleagues.”

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11
Q

Burn your fingers

A

suffer due to risky actions | “He burned his fingers by investing in a failing company.”

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12
Q

Catch someone off guard

A

surprise someone | “The question caught me off guard during the interview.”

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13
Q

Climb the ladder

A

make progress in a career | “She’s determined to climb the ladder in her industry.”

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14
Q

Come clean

A

admit the truth | “It’s time to come clean about the mistake.”

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15
Q

Couch potato

A

someone who is very lazy | “He’s become a couch potato since getting that new TV.”

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16
Q

Cry over spilled milk

A

complain about something that can’t be changed | “There’s no use crying over spilled milk; let’s fix it.”

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17
Q

Curiosity killed the cat

A

being too curious can lead to trouble | “Don’t ask too many questions; curiosity killed the cat.”

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18
Q

Don’t cry wolf

A

don’t call for help unless it’s real | “He cried wolf so many times

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19
Q

Drive someone up the wall

A

annoy someone greatly | “Her constant complaining drives me up the wall.”

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20
Q

Eat humble pie

A

admit you were wrong | “He had to eat humble pie after his prediction was wrong.”

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21
Q

Every cloud has a silver lining

A

there’s something good in every bad situation | “Losing the job was tough

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22
Q

Fall flat

A

fail completely | “His joke fell flat at the party.”

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23
Q

Far-fetched

A

unlikely or unrealistic | “The idea sounded far-fetched

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24
Q

Feel the pinch

A

experience financial difficulty | “Families are starting to feel the pinch with rising prices.”

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25
Fifth wheel
an unnecessary or unhelpful person | “I felt like a fifth wheel at their dinner party.”
26
Find your feet
become comfortable in a new situation | “It took her a while to find her feet in the new job.”
27
Fish out of water
someone who feels out of place | “He felt like a fish out of water at the formal event.”
28
Fly in the ointment
a small problem that spoils something | “The only fly in the ointment was the lack of parking.”
29
Follow your nose
trust your instincts | “Just follow your nose
30
Food for thought
something to think about | “Her presentation gave us a lot of food for thought.”
31
From the horse’s mouth
directly from the source | “I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
32
Get off the ground
start something successfully | “The business idea finally got off the ground last year.”
33
Go back to the drawing board
start again with a new plan | “The design failed; we need to go back to the drawing board.”
34
Go out on a limb
take a risk | “I went out on a limb to support his idea.”
35
Hard pill to swallow
a difficult fact to accept | “Losing the championship was a hard pill to swallow.”
36
Have a bone to pick
have a complaint | “I have a bone to pick with you about yesterday.”
37
Have a lot on your plate
be very busy | “She has a lot on her plate with work and family.”
38
Hit the jackpot
achieve great success | “She hit the jackpot with her latest invention.”
39
If the shoe fits
accept it if it applies to you | “I wasn’t naming names
40
In the bag
certain to be successful | “With this proposal
41
In the driver’s seat
in control | “She’s in the driver’s seat on this project.”
42
It takes two to tango
both parties are responsible | “It takes two to tango in any argument.”
43
Jump the gun
act too soon | “Let’s not jump the gun; we need more information first.”
44
Keep your chin up
stay positive | “Keep your chin up; things will get better soon.”
45
Know the ropes
understand how to do something | “Once you know the ropes
46
Lend a hand
help out | “Can you lend a hand with these boxes?”
47
Let the chips fall where they may
accept the consequences | “I’ll speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may.”
48
Light at the end of the tunnel
hope after difficulties | “After months of work
49
Make a long story short
summarize | “To make a long story short
50
Miss the mark
fail to achieve the goal | “The new ad campaign missed the mark.”
51
Move heaven and earth
do everything possible | “They moved heaven and earth to find a solution.”
52
Not playing with a full deck
acting strangely or not very smart | “He’s not playing with a full deck lately.”
53
On the ball
alert and efficient | “She’s really on the ball with the new project.”
54
Once in a blue moon
very rarely | “We only see them once in a blue moon.”
55
Open a can of worms
create a complicated problem | “Changing the policy might open a can of worms.”
56
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
go from a bad situation to a worse one | “Switching jobs felt like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
57
Paint the town red
go out and celebrate | “Let’s paint the town red after the promotion!”
58
Pull strings
use influence to achieve something | “He pulled some strings to get the job.”
59
Put all your eggs in one basket
risk everything on one thing | “Diversify your investments; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
60
Put on a brave face
act confident despite problems | “She put on a brave face during the interview.”
61
Raining cats and dogs
raining heavily | “It’s raining cats and dogs outside!”
62
Raise the bar
set higher standards | “The new director has raised the bar for performance.”
63
Rock the boat
cause trouble | “Let’s not rock the boat by introducing drastic changes.”
64
Run out of steam
lose energy | “Halfway through the hike
65
Skeleton in the closet
a hidden secret | “Every family has its skeletons in the closet.”
66
Smooth sailing
easy progress | “After the initial problems
67
Spill the tea
share gossip | “Come on
68
Split hairs
argue about small details | “Stop splitting hairs and focus on the main issue.”
69
Start from scratch
begin again | “The project failed
70
Stir the pot
create trouble intentionally | “She loves to stir the pot in group discussions.”
71
Take it to the next level
improve or advance | “We need to take our marketing strategy to the next level.”
72
The tip of the iceberg
a small part of a bigger issue | “This problem is just the tip of the iceberg.”
73
Throw caution to the wind
take a risk | “He threw caution to the wind and invested in the startup.”
74
Under your belt
as an achievement | “With five years of experience under her belt
75
Up in the air
uncertain | “The plans are still up in the air.”
76
Walk a tightrope
be in a difficult situation | “He’s walking a tightrope trying to please both sides.”
77
Water under the bridge
past and no longer important | “Forget about it—it’s all water under the bridge.”
78
Weather the storm
survive difficult times | “The company managed to weather the storm during the recession.”
79
When it rains
it pours
80
Worth your salt
deserving respect | “Any manager worth their salt knows how to handle a crisis.”
81
You can’t judge a book by its cover
appearances can be misleading | “He looked unqualified

English (10 decks)

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