Idioms and phrasal verbs 6

Question 1

iets afwegen

Answer 1

to weigh sth up

Question 2

terecht of niet

Answer 2

rightly or wrongly

Question 3

buikgevoel

Answer 3

gut feeling

Question 4

be brave enought to do what you feel is right

Answer 4

have the courage of your convictions

Question 5

pretend not to notice sth

Answer 5

turn a blind eye to sth

Question 6

used for saying that you do not know which of two things to choose/will happen

Answer 6

it’s a toss up

Question 7

the less unpleasant of two unpleasant choices

Answer 7

the lesser of two evils

Question 8

be unable to decide about sth

Answer 8

to be in two minds about sth

Question 9

decide not to do sth that you usually do

Answer 9

to give sth a miss

Question 10

hier trek ik de grens

Answer 10

this is where I draw the line

Question 11

ik zet er een punt achter

Answer 11

I’m drawing a line under sth

Question 12

strootjes trekken

Answer 12

to draw lots

Question 13

to bet money

Answer 13

to put money on sth

Question 14

reduce the risk of losing by choosing several possibilities instead of just one.

Answer 14

to hedge your bets

Question 15

take a risk by doing or saying sth that may be criticized or proved to be wrong

Answer 15

to stick your neck out

Question 16

take a great risk

Answer 16

to risk your neck/to risk life and limb

Question 17

help to explain sth by providing new information

Answer 17

to shed light on sth

Question 18

be caused by sth

Answer 18

to be down to sth

Question 19

be prepared to miss an opportunity rather than take a risk

Answer 19

to err on the side of caution

Question 20

be paying all your attention to sth

Answer 20

to be glued to sth

Question 21

niets om over naar huis te schrijven

Answer 21

nothing to write home about

Question 22

have the possibility of succeeding or achieving sth

Answer 22

sth’s in the bag

Question 23

be difficult to do, or involve a lot of effort or time

Answer 23

to take some doing

Question 24

used to say that sth has no effect on sb (like criticism)

Answer 24

like water off a duck’s back

Question 25

feel unfairly treated

Answer 25

to feel hard done by

Question 26

used to say that seems logical and reasonable

Answer 26

that figures!

Question 27

to die in order to protect or save sb

Answer 27

to lay down your life for sb

Question 28

have power or influence

Answer 28

to hold sway

Question 29

completely destroy a place/area

Answer 29

to lay waste to sth

Question 30

to make sth definite or complete

Answer 30

to set the seal on sth

Question 31

at the beginning of sth

Answer 31

on the threshold of sth

Question 32

give no attention to sb

Answer 32

pay no heed to sb

Question 33

with greater courage or effort than is used or expected

Answer 33

beyond the call of duty

Question 34

having no permanent home

Answer 34

of no fixed abode

Question 35

the crime of noisy or violent behaviour in a public place

Answer 35

breach of the peace

Question 36

find it difficult to accept sth because they annoy you

Answer 36

to not take kindly to sth

Question 37

because of sth

Answer 37

by virtue of sth

Question 38

together with sth/sb

Answer 38

in conjunction with

Question 39

obey a rule, decision...

Answer 39

to abide by sth/to adhere to sth

Question 40

de kleine lettertjes

Answer 40

the small print

Question 41

onder valse voorwendselen

Answer 41

under false pretences

Question 42

have an effect on sb/sth (negative, formal)

Answer 42

to impinge on sb

Question 43

stop employing sb or dismiss sb from their job

Answer 43

to dispense with sb's services

Question 44

accept sth unpleasant that cannot be changed or avoided

Answer 44

to resign yourself to sth

Question 45

agree with an idea, opinion, or theory

Answer 45

to subscribe to sth

Question 46

to elaborate

Answer 46

to enlarge on sth/upon sth

Question 47

title of a section in a newspaper where jobs are advertised

Answer 47

situations vacant

Question 48

if a place is..., you're not allowed to go there

Answer 48

out of bounds

Question 49

if a house is..., sb has agreed to buy it

Answer 49

under offer

Question 50

to make use of a formal right to do sth if necessary

Answer 50

to reserve the right to do sth

Question 51

according to what sb decides or wishes to do

Answer 51

at sb's discretion

Question 52

used at the beginning of a notice or document when it is not addressed to a particular person

Answer 52

To whom it may concern

Question 53

kortingen

Answer 53

knockdown prices

Question 54

a strong written attack on sb or their work

Answer 54

a hatchet job on sb

Question 55

belangenvermenging

Answer 55

a conflict of interest

Question 56

ze wijzen met de vinger naar

Answer 56

they are pointing the finger of suspicion at

Question 57

een verloren zaak

Answer 57

a lost cause

Question 58

a chance to achieve sth if you work very hard at it

Answer 58

a fighting chance

Question 59

een druppel op een hete plaat

Answer 59

a drop in the ocean

Question 60

an area of protected land around a city where building is not allowed

Answer 60

the green belt

Question 61

an issue that causes angry debate and is difficult to deal with

Answer 61

a hot potato

Question 62

a person who is no longer successful or effective in a particular role

Answer 62

a lame duck

Question 63

een goed rapport

Answer 63

a clean bill of health

Question 64

een gigantisch succes

Answer 64

a roaring success

Question 65

een voorsprong

Answer 65

a head start

Question 66

sth that quickly gives you more energy/confidence

Answer 66

a shot in the arm

Question 67

de gulden middenweg

Answer 67

the happy medium

Question 68

an exciting mix of dangerous activities

Answer 68

thrills and spills

Question 69

a sudden or complete change of policy or opinion

Answer 69

a U-turn/a volte-face

Question 70

het zwarte schaap

Answer 70

the black sheep

Question 71

de rode loper uitrollen

Answer 71

put out the red carpet

Question 72

een blauw oog

Answer 72

a black eye

Question 73

official rules or procedures that seem unnecessary and cause delays

Answer 73

red tape

Question 74

een leugentje om bestwil

Answer 74

a white lie

Question 75

a thing that is completely useless or no longer needed, and may have cost a lot of money

Answer 75

a white elephant

Question 76

een gouden kans

Answer 76

a golden opportunity

Question 77

in de vuilbak

Answer 77

on the scrapheap

Question 78

juist op tijd

Answer 78

in the nick of time

Question 79

onder één dak

Answer 79

under one roof

Question 80

information coming from sb who is directly involved

Answer 80

straight from the horse's mouth

Question 81

unusual

Answer 81

out of the ordinary

Question 82

in uw goed recht zijn

Answer 82

to be within your rights

Question 83

simple, clearly

Answer 83

in plain English

Question 84

iets ligt bij de hand, klaar om te gebruiken

Answer 84

at your fingertips

Question 85

volgens het boekje

Answer 85

by the book

Question 86

unexpectedly

Answer 86

out of the blue

Question 87

having nothing particular to do

Answer 87

at a loose end

Question 88

having a lot of sth to do or deal with

Answer 88

up to your eyes in sth

Question 89

so that you can remember a happy time in the past

Answer 89

for old time's sake

Question 90

it is very likely

Answer 90

in all probability

Question 91

from the very beginnning

Answer 91

right from the outset

Question 92

used for talking about true or secret feelings

Answer 92

in your heart of hearts

Question 93

out of your mind

Answer 93

off your head

Question 94

van kop tot teen

Answer 94

from head to toe

Question 95

De lichten werken niet goed.

Answer 95

The lights are on the blink

Question 96

in good/bad condition

Answer 96

in good/bad nick

Question 97

iets loopt op zijn laatste benen

Answer 97

on its last legs

Question 98

sb is annoyed with you because you have done sth wrong/je zit in de puree

Answer 98

you are in the doghouse

Question 99

tense, nervous, irritable

Answer 99

on edge

Question 100

anxious because you are waiting to find out about sth

Answer 100

to be on tenterhooks

Question 101

living or working in a situation that never changes

Answer 101

to be in a rut

Question 102

ik sta op een kruispunt in mijn leven

Answer 102

I'm at a crossroads

Question 103

get sb in trouble

Answer 103

to get sb into hot water

Question 104

The children are no longer my responsibility

Answer 104

The children are off my hands

Question 105

voorhanden zijn

Answer 105

to be on hand