IDIOMS (UNITS 9-12) Flashcards
(190 cards)
get very angry
hit the roof
She hit the roof when her neighbours played the stereo at full volume for the 4th consecutive night
adhere strictly to the regulations as a form of protest.
More info: a job action in which employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract or job, and strictly follow time-consuming rules normally not enforced. This may cause a slowdown or decrease in productivity if the employer does not hire enough employees or pay the appropriate salary and consequently does not have the requirements needed to run normally.
work to rule
The bus drivers voted to work to rule in an attempt to break down the management’s resistance to their demands.
think very hard about sth
rack your brains
He had to rack his brains to remember where he had left his car keys.
unofficial(ly)
off the record
My boss couldn’t tell me anything officially but off the record he told me a promotion was imminent.
after a long period of time
in the long run
this may be an expensive purchase but in the long run it will save us a lot of money.
stuck in a monotonous routine
in a rut
After working int he same office for ten years, he felt he was in a rut.
it is logical
it stands to reason
You’ve eaten so much that it stands to reason you feel sick.
when all else has failed
as a last resort
I’d been unable to contact her for 3 days so as a last resort I drove the 30 miles to her house to see what was going on.
settle down
put down roots
HavIng lived and worked in many different countries, he hought it was about time to put down roots in one place.
from a short distance
at close quarters
When you see famous people at close quarters, they always appear much smaller than you imagined them.
know all the details of sth
know the ropes
Paul’s only just started working here, so he really doesn’t know the ropes yet.
keep sth secret
to not tell people about something
keep sth quiet
I’m quitting this job on Friday, but keep it quiet,OK?
deeply hurt sb’s feelings
cut sb to the quick
secretly
on the quiet
His wife found out he’d been seeing someone on the quiet.
makes ppl want to ask a particular question
sth begs the question
Spending the summer travelling around India is a great idea, but it does beg the question of how we can afford it.
To discuss the company’s future begs the question of whether it has a future.
“give up/stop
to agree to stop what you are doing”
call it quits
Let’s call it quits for today and get together first thing tomorrow.
Impossible
not possible or allowed
out of the question
Asking my father for money was completely out of the question.
Wearing a stained blouse to dinner was out of the question.
undecided/unsettled
open to debate
be confused, undecided. To be in a dilemma
be in a quandary
She’s in a quandary over which flat to chose, so she’ll probably end up staying on her parent’s house.
person or thing that one has no experience of
an unknown quantity
If you’ve never been published before, you’re an unknown quantity, so you’re going to have difficulty selling your first novel.
The presidential candidate is virtually an unknown quantity as almost nothing is known about him.
use/have sth not as acceptable as original
to use what is available although it is not enough or what you wanted
make do with sth
Can you make do with $5 for now and I’ll give you the rest tomorrow?
dismiss sb
ask that person to leave a place or a job because they have done something wrong
give sb their marching orders (informal)
Three players got their marching orders last week.
compete with sb as good as/better than you
to compete unsuccessfully with someone
meet one’s match
He was a good player, but he met his match in Peter.
try to be kind/helpful
mean well