Idiomatic Expressions Flashcards
(44 cards)
To be in dire straits
To be in a very bad or difficult situation.
To come out of left field
To be very surprising and unexpected.
That question came out of left field.
Running to the hills
To leave quickly from somewhere
The haunted house sent me running to the hills!
What in tarnation… ?
De que diabos… ?
What in tarnation are you laughing at?
To not find hide or hair
To not see someone at all over a period of time.
I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her since last year.
Driving me nuts
To make (someone) very irritated, angry, or annoyed.
Your constant complaining drives me nuts!
Stay tuned
Mantenha sua atenção, continue assistindo; Não mude de canal
Mas não necessariamente usado num contexto de mídia (rádio, TV, etc.)
On top of your game
A master, an expert
The golf player is on top of his game.
Get a grip
To make an effort to control your emotions and behave more calmly.
Get a grip, man!
Take a load off
Relax
Welcome! Grab a drink, take a load off, and enjoy! Load = peso
To catch someone’s eye
To attract someone’s attention.
The colorful display in the shop window caught my eye.
To keep an eye on
To watch or monitor something or someone closely. (Ficar de olho em)
Can you keep an eye on my bag while I use the restroom?
To miss the boat
To miss an opportunity or chance to do something. (Perder a oportunidade)
I wanted to invest in Bitcoin, but I missed the boat.
To take a backseat
To take a secondary or less prominent role. (Ficar em segundo plano)
The CEO took a backseat and let the new team lead the project.
To go the extra mile
To make extra effort or do more than what is expected.
(Dar um passo a mais)
The hotel staff went the extra mile to ensure the guests had a nice stay
To hit the jackpot
To achieve a great success or gain a substantial amount of money. (Ganhar muito rapidamente, geralmente na loteria mas não necessariamente)
Sarah hit the jackpot when she found Tom.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Escaping one problem only to enter a worse one. (Saltar da frigideira para o fogo)
“He thought leaving his old job would be good, but he went out of (…)
To beat around the bush
Avoiding the main topic or being indirect. (Enrolar/Encher linguiça)
“Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you really think.”
To bark up the wrong tree
Accusing or looking in the wrong direction. (Latir para a árvore errada)
If you think I took your book, you’re barking (…). I haven’t seen it.
Don’t cry over spilled milk
Don’t dwell on past mistakes or misfortunes. (Não adianta chorar sobre o leite derramado)
“I made a mistake, but there’s no use crying (…). Let’s move on.”
To put all your eggs in one basket
To rely entirely on one thing, which is risky. (Colocar todos os ovos na mesma cesta)
“Investing all your money in a single stock is like putting all (…)”
To kill two birds with one stone
Accomplish two things with a single action. (Matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só)
“By studying during my commute, I can kill two birds with one stone.”
The early bird catches the worm
Those who act promptly have an advantage. (Deus ajuda quem cedo madruga)
“She always arrives at work early. The early bird catches the worm.”
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Don’t rely on something before it happens.
“I know you’re excited about the promotion, but don’t count your chickens…”
