Eat up 99 everyday English Phrases in less than a week

Question 1

make a fuss

Answer 1

complain about something (usually unimportant)

After work, I have to submit a report to my boss. I never want to forget it because if I do, she’ll definitely make a fuss about it and I don’t like her voice at all. In fact, nobody does.

Question 2

bang for the buck

Answer 2

worth the money you spend

Mac Book is relatively expensive but it gives you more bang for the buck. I get more things done since I bought it. And you should consider buying it too, because if you don’t get your work done on time, your boss will make a fuss about it.

Question 3

around the corner

Answer 3

coming up very soon.

The next IELTS exam is just around the corner. You study or you die. New Year is also around the corner too. You have to choose which one is your priority

Question 4

hands down

Answer 4

simply too obvious and not worth arguing at all

Calgary is the best city in Canada to get rich, hands down.

Siro-A is the hands down the best performer in America’s Got Talent this year.

Question 5

heads-up

Answer 5

an advance notice, just to remind you something is coming so better be prepared

It’s easier to get an A or A+ in Canada than in Vietnam because professors usually give students a heads-up before the exams on what chapters to focus on. I feel like I get more bang for the buck.

Question 6

big time!

Answer 6

used to stress the extreme (usually put at the end of the sentence)

I earned $3,000 from stock investing big time last week. However, yesterday’s market crash also made me lose, big time. To get more bang for the buck, I better do more research.

Question 7

back to square one

Answer 7

back to the starting point (square one), usually as a result of a failure.

After loosing all my money int the stock market, my saving is now back to square one/ But still I believe stock market is hands down the best place to make some bucks.

Question 8

pull off (pull it off)

Answer 8

successfully make something happen or accomplish something, succeed

I had a job interview last week and guess what, I pulled it off.
I just pulled of the $200,000 real estate deal with my client. Now I have money to spend.

Question 9

pull an all nighter

Answer 9

do not sleep at all to do some-freaking-thing. most used by college students.

Even though I’m well-prepared, I still have to pull and all-nighter for the exam tomorrow. Coffee is ready. Hopefully I can pull it off.

Question 10

goof off

Answer 10

waste time instead of studying of working

I don’t get it when Jim goof off all the time but still get an A+. He must have a secret sauce.

Question 11

a rip-off

Answer 11

something unreasonably expensive

$1000 for an IELTS course? Definitely a rip-off. They’re obviously trying to rip you off. So you better stay away. You will not get any bang for the buck at all.

Question 12

tie the knot

Answer 12

get married

I’m 23 this year and I’m gonna tie the know anytime soon. Getting married involves a lot of responsibility, both expected and unexpected. My friends, Jim and Lori, will tie the know this month and their wedding is just around the corner.

Question 13

step up my game

Answer 13

try harder and make it better

I want to go back to stock investing to make some money. I’m aware that to make a nice return, I’ll have to stop goofing off to step up my game.

Question 14

I’m buying it

Answer 14

Linh was always trying to convince me she saw an alien. At first, I was not buying it because her story was so sketchy. But then I saw it with my own eyes and I have to believe in it. I’m buying it.

Question 15

hold onto your hat!

Answer 15

be ready to hear something surprising.

Hi everybody, I got some good news. Please hold onto your hat. I finally have a girlfriend!

Question 16

screw it

Answer 16

whatever happens, I don’t care.

In teamwork, people often slack off. That really annoys me sometimes. But you know what, screw it. I’ll just do my part and I’ll pull an all-nighter as usual.

Question 17

crunch time

Answer 17

busy period of time when everyone has to work hard.

The tax season is just around the corner. In Canada, it’s between March and April. It’s crunch time for accountants to file tax for their clients.

Question 18

what’s the catch?

Answer 18

it sounds weird. what’s the reason behind it?

AT$T is giving away free iPhone. Really? So what’s the catch? You have to sign a 2-year contract with them costing you around $70 every month.

Question 19

recoup (v)

Answer 19

recover what you have lost

I lost $3,000 in stock market last week. Yesterday, I earned $4,000. I have not only recouped the money but made a profit after all.

Question 20

fit into the picture

Answer 20

fit with the overall plan

Having a job is important. But having the job that is not related to what you study doesn’t fit into the picture. And of course, doesn’t give you more bang for the buck after all.

Question 21

I wasn’t born yesterday

Answer 21

Come on, I’m not stupid.

One of my friends suddenly called me for the first time after 3 years and said he had a business opportunity that could help me ear several thousands dollars per day without working. Come on, I wasn’t born yesterday.

Question 22

up and running

Answer 22

active, actively working, functioning

My iPhone 4 is so slow and isn’t working sometimes. I may have to reset it to get it up and running again.

I love when I see my money-counting machine always up and running.

Question 23

hands-on

Answer 23

practical (experience)

Working gives you hands-on experience so you can be up and running for the job right after graduation.

Question 24

on my toes

Answer 24

be really ready, alert, attentive, focused

Whenever my boss is around, all employees are always on their toes. They don’t want to mess up or she may make a fuss about it.

Question 25

Look!

Answer 25

Listen, Attention Kien: You are not so smart, Jim. Jim: Kien, look, do you think you are?

Question 26

Out of hand

Answer 26

out of control, unable to control Greece's national debt is getting out of hand as the government is hands down unable to pay its debt.

Question 27

day in day out

Answer 27

Every day (used to emphasize) I don't know why I study IELTS day in day out but still cannot get above 7?

Question 28

pave the way

Answer 28

make it easier to do the next things Getting the IELTS certificate can pave the way for your dream of studying abroad. You'll need to study day in day out to get your English up and running. And of course, step up your game.

Question 29

I've been there. | been there, done that

Answer 29

I've experienced that. I did that, so I know. Your parents don't allow you to get married and you're sad? I've been there. I know how it feel. Wanna catch a movie?

Question 30

It slipped my mind

Answer 30

I forgot it. I already submitted my Marketing assignment via email to my professor. However, it totally slipped my mind since I did not attach the file to the email.

Question 31

in no time

Answer 31

instantly (well, almost) Many people believe attending IELTS classes can get them IELTS 7.0 in no time. But I believe that to step up their games, they have to stop goofing off and start hitting the book.

Question 32

Not so fast

Answer 32

don't be so eager believing in something just yet, slow down a bit. After you've done school, you think you can have freedom? Not so fast, face your boss at work and you will see how some freedom really looks like.

Question 33

on the verge of = on the edge of

Answer 33

very close to (often negative) Greece is on the verge of default if it cannot pay its debt on time. I'm on the verge of failing the IELTS test because I didn't put enough effort on studying

Question 34

go bananas

Answer 34

be wild, lose control Lena totally went bananas when students asked her about the class schedule.

Question 35

psyched up

Answer 35

ready and excited After reading Kien Tran's handbook, many are psyched up for the next big challenges

Question 36

no-brainer

Answer 36

something that is extremely easy to do or too obvious. Hacking the US government's website is a challenge to me but is a no-brainer to some famous hackers.

Question 37

cut and dry

Answer 37

too obvious and clear, no further explanations required. I don't know why I failed so many times just to make a cake although the instructions are very cut and dry. I'm going to go bananas.

Question 38

tag along

Answer 38

to follow or go with someone. Linh is going to catch a movie later today and I really want to tag along if she doesn't mind. But I'm pretty sure that she will be happy if I do so.

Question 39

bad-mouth

Answer 39

say bad thing about If you don't like someone, just ignore him or her. It's not a good idea to bad-mouth other people.

Question 40

Pump iron

Answer 40

lift weight (in the gym) after work, I have no energy left to pump some iron, But I used to pump iron in the gym all the time.

Question 41

on fire

Answer 41

doing so great that nobody is able to stop him or her My friend's totally on fire after she read my IELTS handbook. She is doing so much better than anyone else now and looks like she's not gonna stop. She told me she got psyched up every time after reading that handbook.

Question 42

leave me high and dry

Answer 42

leave me alone to do all the work, no help at all I got a bad experience with my professor when she left me high and dry with all the new learning materials that she never explained in class. Let's face it, those are not really cut and dry for me (or anyone) to self-study. And I think I'm on the verge of failing her class.

Question 43

turn me off

Answer 43

disappoint, disgust I kinda like the guy named Blank, but the fact that he never takes the shower really turns me off.

Question 44

make ends meet

Answer 44

earn just enough money to pay the bills (expense) and there is almost no money left after that If you are earning $50,000 per year, well, you're good. But if you only earn roughly$30,000 you may just make ends meet. If you only earn less than that, you're on the verge of poverty.

Question 45

money talks

Answer 45

money can make your problems go away In Vietnam, whenever you get caught by the police, just remember Money talks.It also works for hospital, or even in school. You want to get high marks? Well, money talks.

Question 46

early-bird

Answer 46

those who come earliest (than expected) Parking fee for early birds is $10 per hour. Regular fee is $5. Unless you really need to, don't come to early. It's a rip-off, I know.

Question 47

double-check

Answer 47

check again to make sure Before going to the CFA testing center, you should double-check to make sure you don't forget the financial calculator. Otherwise, the consequence would be catastrophic. If you can, have someone tag along with you to make sure everything's right.

Question 48

on the same page see eye to eye on the same wavelength

Answer 48

seeing thing the same way, in agreement After figuring out that my friend is also a stock trader, I know that we are on the same page. He knows what I know and vice versa. We can work extremely well with each other.

Question 49

in the same boat

Answer 49

in the same trouble, have the same problem or situation After figuring out that Linh was ripped off when she paid $3,000 for an useless bike, I felt like we're in the same boat as I also paid around $4,000 for a made-in-China bike. We had the same situation.

Question 50

get down to business

Answer 50

not talking about something else, just talking and doing business Get psyched up and get down to business because everything is now cut and dry. We need to work hard to step up our game.

Question 51

get off the ground

Answer 51

start successfully Let's get down to business. I want our business to get off the ground so we can earn at least $5,000 a month.

Question 52

get on my nerves

Answer 52

bother My brother gets on my nerves sometimes when he says inappropriate stuff in public and I usually make a fuss about it.

Question 53

screw up

Answer 53

cannot handle a situation properly, mess up If you still goof off, you'll screw up in the exam. So better pull an all-nighter to review all chapters so you can pump up some grades.

Question 54

fill me in

Answer 54

tell me more (about stuff I've missed) I was sleeping during class so my classmate had to fill me in after we got home, And she told me that there was nothing special. The professor just wanted to give us a heads-up on some new special events.

Question 55

filthy rich

Answer 55

super rich Doctors and lawyers make around $200 per hour. They're hands down filthy rich, But before getting there, they definitely have to study day in day out.

Question 56

do you follow me?

Answer 56

do you understand what I've said so far? After reading all the idioms and phrases, do you still follow me? Yes? Good, we should continue. And step up your games.

Question 57

for good

Answer 57

forever If you win the lottery, do you think you will change your life big time for good? Not so fast, many people get poorer after spending all the money. They can't even make ends meet.

Question 58

freebie

Answer 58

free stuff People who are just making ends meet tend to seek freebie. Some freebies are worthless. But some of them do give people bang for the buck.

Question 59

watch out

Answer 59

be cautious Canada's GDP is lowing down and could be on the verge of a recession

Question 60

recession

Answer 60

a significant decline in activity across the economy lasting longer than a few months.

Question 61

weed out

Answer 61

get rid off, remove It's easy to get through Accounting Basic. But the Advanced Accounting course is really the one that weeds out lots of lazy students who goof off all the time.

Question 62

well taken

Answer 62

true, significant Practice always leads to success is such a well taken statement. I'm really buying it.

Question 63

got it all planned out

Answer 63

ready, planned out, prepared I have done all the preparation for the company project and gotten it all planned out. All the key points will never slip my mind again.

Question 64

hit the hay/sack

Answer 64

go to bed

Question 65

how it plays out

Answer 65

how it happens I quite like the girl next door and I decided to talk to her tomorrow. I don't know what will happen, so let's see how it plays out, I guess. I will have to be constantly on my toes.

Question 66

in a bit

Answer 66

in a short moment I'm busy making this ebook now so I'll talk to you in a bit. It's crunch time for me. This book will be up and running very shortly.

Question 67

in a flash

Answer 67

very quickly, in no time In stock market, you can make a few thousands in a flash. Or you can lose the same in no time. Things sometimes get out of hand for even most sophisticated traders.

Question 68

in deep shit

Answer 68

in big trouble Lena was in deep shit last week that everyone wanted a piece of her. She doesn't seem to apologize. Let's see how it plays out.

Question 69

Yeah, no shit

Answer 69

yeah, obviously $50 for a bowl of Pho is a rip-off. Yeah, no shit!

Question 70

in mint condition

Answer 70

in very good condition (stuff) My iPhone 4 is 4 years old now and it still in mint condition. So what's the catch? I don't have to spend money to change cellphone.

Question 71

in the long haul

Answer 71

in the long run In the long haul, pumping iron day in day out will make you a model.

Question 72

keep it up!

Answer 72

continue doing the good work! Hey Nigahiga, you're hands down the best Youtuber. Please keep it up!

Question 73

know the ropes

Answer 73

have the skill and experience If you happen to be in Toronto, call me right away and I'll show you around. I know the ropes. What's the catch? You have to be my friend!

Question 74

Clam up

Answer 74

say nothing Whenever my friends ask me if I have a girlfriend, I tend to clam up. Maybe I need to pump some iron to step up my game.

Question 75

cry over spilt milk

Answer 75

complain about something unfortunate happened and cannot be changed One problem many people have is crying over spilt milk. I know it's a no-brainer to say but you cannot change the past so why bother?

Question 76

rock-bottom price

Answer 76

lowest possible price, can't be lower The rock-bottom price for this car is $2,000. Take it or leave it?

Question 77

tough call

Answer 77

a situation where it's difficult to make a decision or to judge It's a tough call for America's Got Talent judges to choodse between 2 best performers. They don't want to weed out any talent. Getting through this round can definitely pave the way for the success.

Question 78

your guess is as good as mine

Answer 78

I have no idea either Linh asked me how to pull off the magic trick like in TV and I honestly had no idea. Her guess is as good as mine.

Question 79

once in a blue moon

Answer 79

very rarely $30 is the rock-bottom price of this shirt and it only happens once in a blue moon. You have to buy it or it'll be all gone in no time.

Question 80

fair and square

Answer 80

very fair In Canada there'r no cheating and plagiarism. That keeps the system fair and square. Everyone has the motivation to work hard and really study. Many has to pull and all-nighter everyday because they don't want the courses to weed them out.

Question 81

spring for

Answer 81

pay for I'll spring for the telephone bill next week because right now I don't have money. My finance is now back to square one since I lost the money. I can recoup my money.

Question 82

in a blink of an eye

Answer 82

super fast Whenever there are freebies, they tend to be gone within a blink of an eye

Question 83

nail it down

Answer 83

finish it the due date for your IELTS exam is just around the corner. Step up your game and try your best to nail down all the mock tests.

Question 84

mock test, mock exam

Answer 84

an examination

Question 85

mock test, mock exam

Answer 85

an examination

Question 86

neck and neck

Answer 86

side by side, same speed The presidential election is just around the corner and two candidates seem to be running neck and neck as they are rated equally.

Question 87

out of the wood

Answer 87

out of danger After the exam, people tend to think they're out of the woods. But the new semester is coming and we don't know what's gonna happen. Let's see how it plays out.

Question 88

nest eggs

Answer 88

money for retirement If you put 10%of your income into your nest eggs and earn compound interest, you may not filthy rich but you won't have to make ends meet when you retire.

Question 89

no-frills

Answer 89

inexpensive, no luxury, just basic It doesn't fit into the picture when some filthy rich guys driving no-frills cars.

Question 90

I'm not just saying that

Answer 90

I'm serious I bought a no-frills backpack last week and I think I pull of the best deal because it's in mint condition. I love my life and I'm not just saying that. Do you follow me?

Question 91

no questions asked

Answer 91

Do you want a credit card? Just give us your student ID and we'll sign up for you, no questions asked. And we're not just saying that.

Question 92

There's no truth to it

Answer 92

create a credit card with just a student ID and no question asked? Come on, it's a scam. There's no truth to it. I wasn't born yesterday.

Question 93

a slim chance

Answer 93

very unlikely to happen there is a slim chance Kien will be the next president. If that happens, then we all clam up.

Question 94

a steal

Answer 94

a bargain, something ridiculously underpriced $5 for a printer is a steal. But there's a very slim chance that you will find a good one. Double check everything before you make the final decision.

Question 95

all ears

Answer 95

listening carefully Whenever Obama says anything people are all ears. He really pulls of his charisma and makes people like him.

Question 96

down the road

Answer 96

in the future 1 year down the road Obama will leave the White House. let's see how it plays out.

Question 97

play it safe

Answer 97

stay careful and not taking any chance Old people tend to play it safe with their money. they don't want to risk losing the value of their nest egg because if something bad happen, it'll take long for them to recoup all the lost money.

Question 98

politically correct

Answer 98

appropriate (words) Saying "I don't care" is politically correct. Saying "I don't give ain shit" isn't. Be careful with your word use and I'm not just saying that.

Question 99

pop up

Answer 99

show up, appear The name Donald Trump pops up quite often recently because he's running for the president of the USA. I like him because he's taking risk and not playing it safe.

Question 100

psyched out

Answer 100

lose confident My boss is making a fuss over a new employee, making him psyched out. Everybody's on their toes.

Question 101

fuss over

Answer 101

care too much for, pay too much attention to Linh just bought a new expensive phone and she's fussing over it day in day out.

Question 102

shed (or throw or cast) light on

Answer 102

help to explain (something) by providing further information about it. After watching season 2 of the famous Dark series, still no one could shed a light on what happened at Winden.