1. CRUNCH TIME: the period of time just before
a project has to be completed and everyone has to work hard: "I’m not
getting enough sleep these days. It’s crunch time at work".
2. LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY: to let others see your
uniqueness: "My
colleagues were surprised at the Christmas party- I let my freak flag
fly and showed them a break dance routine".
3. GET OUT OF HAND: when you lose control of
things, they get out of hand: "The party
got out of hand and
the guests started to throw bottles at each other".
4. GET YOUR HEAD AROUND IT: to understand something
·
I just can’t
get my head around the fact that Joe is leaving us.
5. DIG IN YOUR HEELS / STICK TO YOUR GUNS: to refuse to compromise or
change your mind
·
My parents
wanted me to give up writing, but I dug in my heels and went
on to become a famous writer.
·
My parents
wanted me to give up writing, but I stuck to my guns and went
on to become a famous writer.
6. POUND THE PAVEMENT: to walk the streets looking
for a job
·
I’d been
pounding the pavement for months before I found a job in a fast food
restaurant.
7. PULL A RABBIT OUT OF A HAT: to do something unexpected
that may have seemed impossible
·
I thought we
were going bankrupt, but my partner pulled a rabbit out of his hat and
we landed a major contract.
8. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED: to do everything you can to
achieve your goal
·
I’ll leave
no stone unturned until
I find out who did this.
9. GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM: to do something you’ve wanted
to do for a long time and don’t want to postpone any longer
·
I wasn’t
sure how she was going to react, but I had to get it out of my system,
so I told her I had found another woman.
10. STEP UP YOUR GAME: to start performing better
·
If you want
to win this competition, you’ll have to step up your game.
11. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER: to calm down and behave
normally
·
I understand
you’ve had a bad day, but pull yourself together and get on
with your job, will you?
12. SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT: either start performing better
or leave
·
This is the
last time I’m telling you to arrive on time. Shape up or ship out.
13. CUT SOMEBODY SOME SLACK: to give somebody a break/ not
to judge somebody severely
·
I was
extremely busy last week. Cut me some slack and I’ll finish
the report by tomorrow morning.
14. BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH: when you do something by the
skin of your teeth, you only just succeed/ nearly fail
·
I hadn’t
studied much, but passed the test by the skin of my teeth.
15. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: when something rarely ever
happens
·
We used to
see him all the time, but now he just visits us once in a blue moon.
16. GO DOWN IN FLAMES: to end or fail suddenly and
spectacularly
·
She’d wanted
to become Managing Director, but her career went down in flames when
they found out she’d been leaking information to our competitors.
17. TAR SOMEONE WITH THE SAME BRUSH: to believe that someone has
the same bad qualities as others in a group
·
I don’t
think much of that band, but the singer shouldn’t be tarred with the
same brush. She’s got a fantastic voice.
18. COME OUT SWINGING: to be confrontational and
strongly defend yourself at the beginning of a debate
·
Our local MP came
out swinging against the current leadership and demanded that the
government resign.
19. HANG IN THERE: wait and be patient
·
I know you’d
really like to call him, but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do now. Just hang in
there and he will call you.
20. SHOOT FROM THE HIP: to speak directly
·
If you want
to get on well with your boss, try not to shoot from the hip next
time. You don’t want to offend him, do you?
21. GO THE EXTRA MILE: to make a special effort/try
very hard to achieve your goal
·
If you want
to become proficient in English, you’ll have to go the extra mile and
start learning idioms.
·
My English
class was great, we learnt so much because our teacher was the best, she always went
the extra mile for us.
22. RUNNING ON FUMES: to continue to stay awake when
feeling exhausted
·
I’m sorry,
but I’ve got to go home now. I haven’t slept for twenty hours and I’m
running on fumes.
23. SOLD ME OUT: to snitch on someone, or let
their secret out
·
I asked you
to keep it to yourself! I can’t believe you sold me out, I trusted
you!
24. YOU SOLD ME (ON SOMETHING): you convinced me of something,
because you were persuasive
·
OK, you’ve
sold me. I’ll go to the match with you.
25. BLEW ME AWAY: when something blows you away,
you’re extremely impressed by it
·
The
exhibition just blew me away. I’d never seen so many beautiful
paintings before.
26. BLOW SMOKE: to exaggerate or say things
that aren’t true to make you seem better/ more knowledgeable than in reality
·
I’m not
blowing smoke. I have
honestly read War and Peace by Tolstoy.
27. CRY WOLF: to call for help when you
don’t need it
·
Do you think
Peter is in trouble or is he just crying wolf?
28. COULDN’T CARE LESS: used to express total lack of
interest in something
·
That man
stole a bottle of wine from the shop.
·
Oh, really? I
couldn’t care less.
29. BE CHUFFED TO BITS: to be pleased and happy
·
Hey, thanks
for the present! I’m chuffed to bits.
30. FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER: to be ill or unable to do
regular activities
·
I think I’m
going to have to take the day off work. I feel quite under the weather today.
31. BE TICKLED PINK: to be excited and happy
·
She was
tickled pink by all the compliments she’d received.
32. A BAKER’S DOZEN: thirteen
·
Check out
our baker’s dozen language learning tips.
33. COMFORT FOOD: food that makes you feel
better, because it reminds you of your childhood
·
After a
tiring day, it’s so nice to make some comfort food and settle
down with a good book.
34. SKELETON CREW: the minimum number of people
needed to keep a service/office operating
·
Can you come
back after the holidays? We’re operating with a skeleton crew at
the moment.
35. LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY: to let something happen, no
matter what happens next
·
I must tell
John how I feel about him, let the chips fall where they may.
36. NO-BRAINER: an easy decision
·
Do you think
I should propose to Judy?
·
Come on, it’s
a no-brainer. She’s such a fantastic woman!
37. A STONE’S THROW: very near
·
The
hotel was a stone’s throw from the beach. I loved it.
38. HEAR ON THE GRAPEVINE: to hear a rumour or
unconfirmed story
·
I heard on
the grapevine that Charlie
and Sarah are dating at the moment.
39. SIT ON THE FENCE: to stay neutral and not take
sides
·
Well don’t
you think I’m right, he’s been acting differently hasn’t he?
·
I’m sitting
on the fence with this
one, you’re both my good friends.
40. TAKE WHAT SOMEONE SAYS WITH A PINCH OF SALT: regard something as
exaggerated, or only believe a part of something
·
Did you hear
what Tina said happened in the office yesterday?
·
Oh, I
would take anything she says with a pinch of salt.
41. FREAK OUT: to become very angry, scared
or excited
·
Mum, don’t
freak out! I married a guy in Las Vegas.
42. BE A CATCH: be someone worth
marrying/having
·
John is
taking me out tonight. He’s such a catch, I hope
he’ll propose.
43. PIECE OF CAKE: when something is extremely
easy to do
·
Do you think
you could beat him in a race?
·
Yeah, piece
of cake. I’m definitely a lot faster than him.
44. HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD: used if something someone
says, is precisely correct
·
My doctor hit
the nail on the head. He knew exactly what was wrong with me!
45. COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG: when something is very
expensive
·
My son wants
that mountain bike for his birthday, but it’ll cost an arm and a leg!
46. HIT THE BOOKS: to study very hard
·
Do you want
to go for lunch somewhere nice?
·
No thanks,
I’m going to hit the books. I have an exam coming up soon.
47. BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW: to take on something that is
too much for you to handle
·
He recently
got promoted and took on some new responsibilities, but he’s just too busy. He bit
off more than he could chew, and I don’t think he can handle it anymore.
48. WHEN PIGS FLY: this means that something will
never happen
·
Aren’t you
going to buy that dream house you told me about?
·
Ugh, I will when
pigs fly. It’s just so expensive, I don’t think it’ll happen.
49. DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER: this means don’t make a
decision based on a brief impression or outward appearance
·
I don’t like
our new neighbours very much, they’re quite strange.
·
Hey, you shouldn’t
judge a book by its cover. Give them a chance, I think they’re just a bit
quirky but really nice!
50. YOU ROCK: you are great
·
Thanks for
the tickets, Rob. You rock!
51. MISS THE BOAT: when someone has missed their
opportunity to do something
·
Have you
applied for that job yet?
·
No, I think I may
have missed the boat. I should’ve done it last week.