Idioms U1 Flashcards
(44 cards)
To have a smattering of a language
To have very little knowledge
To be a chatterbox
One who engages in much idle talk, who talks a lot
To steer clear of a subject
To avoid a subject
To talk about somebody behind his back
To talk about someone without them knowing, in a way that is unfair
To set the tongues wagging
To do something that people will talk about in an unkind way
Angela’s divorce will certainly set tongues wagging.
To be long-winded
Continuing to talk for too long or using too many words in a way that is boring
Gloss-over (unpleasant facts)
To avoid talking about something unpleasant, or to say as little as possible about it
She glossed over the details of her divorce.
Harp on (sb’s bad habits)
To talk about something continuously, especially in a way that is annoying or boring
To talk down to sb
To talk to someone as if they are stupid, although they are not
The students felt that they were talked down to as though they were children.
To be at a loss for words
Speechless, mute, tongue-tied, inarticulate
To say sth under one’s breath
Secretive
To explain sth in layman’s terms
In simple language
Can’t get a word in edgeways
To not be able to say anything because someone else is talking all the time
To give sb the silent treatment
stop talking to somebody
To talk the hind leg off a donkey [Br]
To talk incessantly/to talk quickly without stopping
To talk a blue streak
To talk incessantly/to talk quickly without stopping
Lo and behold
Used to present a new scene or turn of events, often with the suggestion that, though surprising, it could in fact have been predicted.
“She thought the project was going to fail, but lo and behold, it turned
Widen out the boundaries of our being
An expression that would enable you to say that an experience or an emotion has pushed back the limits of your being
Layers of understanding
Different levels of such things as meaning or misunderstanding
To give maps to one’s own self
An expression that means that a book can act as a compass in helping us orient ourselves internally
Creative genius / icons
Enduring genius
a phrase applicable to a person to declare that he or she is so talented or famous as to be a symbol of creativity
Put something in black and white
To record in the form of writing
To have very little knowledge
To have a smattering of a language
One who engages in much idle talk, who talks a lot
To be a chatterbox
