Idioms Flashcards
(27 cards)
CALL IT A DAY
= to stop working for the day
Ex.: You’ve been studying hard – I think you should call it a day.
POKE FUN AT (sb/sth)
= to make fun of someone or something.
Ex.: You shouldn’t poke fun at me for my mistakes.
An old story about Thales pokes fun at him for being so busy wondering what was happening in heaven that he didn’t look where he was going and fell down a well.
LEAVE AN INDELIBLE IMPRINT ON (sb/ sb’s mind/heart)
= to leave a lasting impression on sb
No other single artist that not Bernin has left such an indelible imprint as he has on the city of Rome.
(sth) HANG(s) OVER ONE’S HEAD
= to threaten or be imminent
Every political leader has got the pandemic hanging over their heads right now
NOT BUDGE AN INCH
= to not move, change, or shift in any way at all.
Finally the car just stopped altogether, and, hard as he tried, it wouldn’t budge another inch.
THE LAST GASP OF (sth)
= the final part before the end of something, such as a period, movement, etc.
His work represented a nation’s last gasp of romanticism.
FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME
= an uncountable or indefinitely large number of times.
At one point – snubbing social distancing rules for the umpteenth time since the coronavirus crisis began – Brazil’s paratrooper-turned-president clambered onto a truck to address the hundreds-strong assembly.
HAVE THE BETTER OF (sb/sth)
= to have or gain superiority, mastery, or an advantage over someone or something; to have control over someone or something.
Exs.:
I knew I shouldn’t be meddling in other people’s business, but my curiosity had the better of me.
I know we could have beaten them in last week’s game, but they just had the better of us from the get-go.
TAKE PRIDE IN = BE PROUD OF
= to value sth and take satisfaction in it
I don’t think my parents take pride in me/ are proud of me
SHOW (one) THE ROPES
= to explain or demonstrate to one how to do or perform a job, task, or activity.
I know there’s a lot to take in, but your partner has been here for over 10 years and will show you the ropes.
This class is intense! You’re expected to know how to do everything from day one, without anyone showing you the ropes.
COUNT THE COST
= to realize the negative impact that something has had; to assess the consequences.
Rio’s favelas count the cost as deadly spread of Covid-19 hits city’s poor
ACROSS-THE-BOARD
= Including or applying to all categories or members: an across-the-board pay hike; an across-the-board ruling.
COME TO TERMS WITH
= to begin to or make an effort to understand, accept, and deal with a difficult or problematic person, thing, or situation.
“There is this grieving of life as we once knew it that wasn’t there before, as we try to come to terms with the new reality,” a psychologist in Manhattan said.
PROVIDE GROUNDS FOR
= provide the basis for some action or decision, often one that is disciplinary or legal in nature.
Bolsonaro’s opponents – who decry his assaults on the environment, the arts and Brazil’s democracy – hope the investigation could eventually provide grounds for his impeachment.
WREAK (havoc/destruction/damage/vengeance) (up) ON (sth/sb)
= to cause a lot of something very bad to happen to someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.)
Health specialists fear Covid-19 – which is moving into poor regions, having initially affected middle- and upper-class areas – could wreak havoc on Brazil’s most deprived and vulnerable communities.
NOUGHTS (O) AND CROSSES (X)
(Games, other than specified) (functioning as singular) a game in which two players, one using a nought, “O”, the other a cross, “X”, alternately mark one square out of nine formed by two pairs of crossed lines, the winner being the first to get three of his or her symbols in a row. US and Canadian term: tick-tack-toe or crisscross (US)
BY MY RECKONING
= pelas/nas minhas contas/cálculos…
Exs.:
By my reckoning, we should arrive in ten minutes.
The United States’ long history of racism is having a moment of reckoning.
WATERSHED (MOMENT)
= divisor de águas
The year 1969 was a watershed in her life – she changed her career and remarried.
The United States’ long history of racism is having a moment of reckoning. This watershed moment converges with Pride Month 2020, reminding us that Black members of the LGBTQ(IA+) community are particularly disadvantaged.
DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
= something that can be both beneficial and problematic.
Ex.: The president appeared to trivialise the virus, “Testing is a double-edged sword,” he told the rally.
MAKE (a, no, some, etc.) DIFFERENCE (TO/IN sb/sth)
= have an effect/no effect on sb/sth
Ex.:
The rain didn’t make much difference TO the game.
Your age shouldn’t make any difference TO whether you get the job or not.
Changing schools made a big difference TO my life.
(go/plunge down) the RABBIT HOLE
= something that is intricate or convoluted like a labyrinth and often has no outlet or resolution.
“She was plunged down a rabbit hole of benefits changes, paperwork deadlines, … insurance payoffs, and financial decisions” (Kristin Henderson).
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING (./THAT…)
= It is unambiguous, perfectly clear, or self-evident (that something is the case); it is already widely acknowledged, established, or accepted (that something is the case).
Ex.: In our digital world, letter-writing can seem anachronistic and more suitable for your grandmother, but it goes without saying that sending a handwritten note is often more meaningful than a DM, text, or email.
COME OFF (AS sth)
= to be interpreted in a particular way; to have an effect that is felt to have some quality.
Ex.:
His remarks came off as unfriendly.
The dinner party came off very well.
How do you come off as friendly and personable in a manner that’s genuine?
LEGEND HAS IT THAT…
Conta a lenda que…
