Proficiency idioms Flashcards
(109 cards)
1
Q
avoir des doutes sur ce que je fais ou pas
A
to have half a mind to do something
2
Q
Trop, c’est trop!
A
OTT (over the top)
3
Q
faire un grand détour
A
to give a wide berth from
4
Q
de mal en pis
A
from the frying pan into the fire
5
Q
sourire de toutes ses dents
A
to grin from ear to ear
6
Q
en vouloir à quelqu’un
A
to have a grudge against someone
7
Q
laisse-toi aller
A
let your hair down
8
Q
nager dans l’argent
A
to be rolling in money
9
Q
prendre pour exemple
A
to take a leaf out of someone’s book
10
Q
faire des sauts
A
to bound downstairs
11
Q
être en forme
A
to be as fit as a fiddle, to be as right as rain
12
Q
entamer quelque chose de trop grand pour soi
A
to bite off more than you can chew
13
Q
être trop vieux/vieille
A
to be too long in the tooth
14
Q
aller tout droit (imagé)
A
to make a bee line
15
Q
qui le trouve le garde
A
finders keepers
16
Q
cela ne me dit rien
A
it doesn’t ring a bell
17
Q
prendre tes entrailles comme jaretières
A
to have your guts for garters
18
Q
je ne dirai rien
A
mum is the word
19
Q
très bien s’entendre
A
to get on like a house on fire
20
Q
devenir fou
A
to loose one’s marbles
21
Q
faire quelque chose avec très peu de moyen
A
to do something on a shoestring
22
Q
de bouche à oreille
A
word of mouth
23
Q
soulager quelqu’un
A
to take the load off of someone’s shoulders
24
Q
trouver une issue pour son trop-plein d’énergie
A
to find an outlet for someone’s energy
25
être à couteaux tirés
to be at daggers drawn
26
je n'oserais pas le jurer
I wouldn't bet on it
27
s'écarter du bon chemin
to stray from the right path
28
priver quelqu'un de quelque chose
to stint someone of something
| I never stinted on time or affection
29
prendre ombrage de quelque chose
to shy at something
| He never shied away from arguing his point with me
30
accaparer la vedette
to hog the spotlight
| They never let me hog the spotlight
31
calembours, jeux de mots
he makes puns and jokes
32
peser les avantages
to weigh the odds
33
un changement pour un mieux
a change for the better
34
changer d'avis
to have a change of heart
35
quand quelque chose ne va pas bien
something goes downhill
36
when things are likely to happen
something is on the cards
37
when people know what happened next
the rest is history
38
manquer d'argent
to run out of money
| i'm running out of money
39
remplacer quelqu'un
to step in for someone
40
quand quelque chose à laquelle on ne s'attendait pas arrive
out of the blue
41
porter le fardeau
to shoulder the burden
| It's part of a manager's role to shoulder the burden of complaints made by customers
42
payer la facture
to foot the bill
| Don't worry about paying for your hotel. I'm happy to foot the bill.
43
faire face à la réalité
to face the music
| On his return, he finally had to face the music and told his wife about his debts.
44
se conformer à
to toe the line
| I always toed the line on company policy, even if I disagreed with it.
45
accepter l'idée
to stomach the idea
| She couldn't stomach the idea of moving to a big city.
46
écarter quelqu'un d'un coup de coude
to elbow somebody aside
| The woman elbowed people aside in the queue. She wanted to get on the plane first.
47
contre vents et marées
through thick and thin
48
la gloire et la fortune
fame and fortune
| When I was 18, I left home to find fame and fortune.
49
ne tenir qu'à un fil
touch and go
| It was touch and go whether he could get to the airport on time.
50
avant tout
first and foremost
| First and foremost, we need to solve the budget before we can move on to other issues.
51
à maintes reprises
time and again
| Time and again, we see this pattern of behaviour repeating itself.
52
des concessions mutuelles
give and take
| There needs to be a bit of give and take in every relationship.
53
être l'âme de quelque chose
to be the life and soul of
| My brother is the life and soul of our family.
54
la chair de sa chair
flesh and blood
| My aunt treats her relatives badly, considering they are her own flesh and blood.
55
être laissé pour compte
to be left high and dry
| When the company closed down, I was left high and dry without a job.
56
être écrit noir sur blanc
to be in black and white
| How could you not understand? Look at this letter. It's all in black and white.
57
en toute justice
by rights
| By rights, you should be in bed by 7pm.
58
se porter comme un charme
to be as right as rain
| I have had a cold but now I'm feeling as right as rain.
59
être dans son droit
to be within one's right
| You'd be well within your rights to take that dress back to the shop - it's torn at the collar.
60
to say the things you are expected to say
to make the right noises
| He made all the right noises so I expect he will be promoted ahead of me.
61
être décontenancé - suggests s.o. has been taken by surprise and stopped in their tracks
to be taken aback
62
se préparer au pire - fermer les écoutilles - to prepare for trouble that is unavoidable and coming your way
to batten down the hatches
63
when somebody is totally at the mercy of third parties and unable to have any influence over the circumstances surrounding them - avoir quelqu'un à sa merci
to have somebody over a barrel
64
jusqu'au bout - the absolute end
the bitter end
65
tomber à l'eau
to go by the board
66
dans l'ensemble
by and large = broadly speaking
67
attirer l'attention de quelqu'un
to catch somebody's eye
68
regarder quelqu'un dans les yeux
to look somebody in the eye
69
être attentif aux détails
to have an eye for
70
fermer les yeux
to turn a blind eye
71
être d'accord
to see eye to eye with
72
être sous les feux de l'actualité
to be in the public eye
73
when your luck has run out and you are close to failing altogether
when you have had your chips
74
pulling rapidly out of a difficult situation and escaping without disadvantage
to cut and run
75
when an idea or scheme has no chance of success
dead in the water
76
a time when we would be sitting around with nothing to do - ne pas trop savoir quoi faire
to be at a loose end
77
être à bout - you have reached the limit of your patience
to be at the end of someone's tether
78
risquer de s'isoler - to put yourself in a disadvantaged position to support someone
to go out on a limb for someone
79
to do something for a long time
to do something until you are blue in the face
80
donner un nouveau souffle - to improve something that was old and out of fashion
to give something a new lease of life
81
agir par intérêt - to have a strong opinion about a subject which you express whenever you have the chance
to have an axe to grind
82
trimer sur quelque chose - to work very hard at something
to slog away at something
83
être à la traîne - to fail to keep up
to lag behind
| Why have some states lagged behind others in improving their environmental policy?
84
empester, puer - to smell strongly of something
to reek of something
| Ever since he got a job in that restaurant, he is reeking of fried food.
85
piger quelque chose - to get to know or understand something
to cotton on to something
| It took me a while to cotton on to spicy food but now I love it.
86
harceler quelqu'un jusqu'à ce qu'il fasse quelque chose
to goad someone into doing something
| When someone goaded her into quitting an activity, she would go out of her way to do it even more
87
développer - to give something more substance
to flesh something out
| Talks are continuing between the UK and the EU to try to flesh out details of the agreement.
88
se débrouiller - to manage to get through something but without being organised or with a clear idea of what you are doing
to muddle through something
| I managed to muddle through my exams and got the grades I needed to go to university.
89
atteindre son point le plus bas - to reach the lowest point of a changing situation with the prospect of it improving
to bottom out
| Growth in the economy may have bottomed out, but inflation will remain a persistent problem.
90
totally determined
grim determination
91
a very special occasion
am auspicious occasion
92
a cautious estimate
a conservative estimate
93
when you are careful with food and money
a frugal lifestyle
94
people who have always hated each other
to be sworn enemies
95
to be very tempted indeed
to be sorely tempted
| I was sorely tempted to report his incompetence to his line manager
96
when something stops and then starts again
if something happens in fits and starts
97
to be in a helpless or abandoned situation
to be high and dry
| The strike at the bank left the customers high and dry over the weekend, with many unable to make withdrawals
98
ordinary members of a workforce as opposed to the management
the rank and file
99
every part of a place
every nook and cranny
100
être déclaré nul(le) et non avenu(e)
to be null and void
101
to save on money by spending less on things you'd normally buy or pay for
to scrimp and save
102
gagner quelque chose loyalement
to win something fair and square
103
when something is not liked at all
something goes down like a lead balloon
104
to have an excellent eyesight and notice everything
to have eyes like a hawk
105
when someone is very hard
if someone is as hard as nails
106
to be very safe indeed
to be as safe as houses
107
to be very boring
to be as dull as dishwater
108
to be very clean
to be as clean as a whistle
109
traficoter - when someone is involved in something not entirely within the rules, and perhaps gaining more than they should be
to be on the fiddle
