Idioms

burn the midnight oil = pull an all-nighter
ex: she burned the midnight oil / pulled an all-nighter to finish her project

thức khuya làm việc

spill the beans

ex: tom accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party

tiết lộ bí mật

hit the sack

ex: i’m exhausted, i’m going to hit the sack

đi ngủ

jump on the bandgawon

ex: everyone is joining the new gym, so i decided to jump on the bandgawon

theo một xu hướng đang phổ biến

a penny for your thoughts

ex: you’ve been quiet today, a penny for your thoughts ?

nói cho tôi biết bạn đang nghĩ về cái gì

bite the dust

ex: the old computer finally bit the dust

thất bại, hỏng

blow off steam

ex: he went for a run to blow off some steam

giải tỏa cơn tức giận, stress bằng các hoạt động giải trí, chơi thể thao

hit the ground running

ex: she hit the ground running on her first day at the new job

bắt đầu làm gì với sự hứng khởi

let sleeping dogs lie

ex: dont bring up old agruments; let sleeping dogs lie

không nên khơi lại những chuyện đã qua

the ball is in your court

ex: i’ve given you all the information; now the ball is in your court

quyết định hay hành động tiếp theo phụ thuộc vào bạn

break the bank

ex: buying a new car will break the bank

tiêu tốn rất nhiều tiền

under your nose

ex: the keys were right under your nose the whole time

ở trước mắt ( nhưng không nhận ra )

wrap your head around sth

ex: i cant wrap my head around this math problem

hiểu cái gì đó khó hoặc phức tạp

throw in the towel

ex: after trying for hours, he finally threw in the towel

bỏ cuộc, chấp nhận từ bỏ

by the skin of your teeth

ex: he passed the exam by the skin of his teeth

hoàn thành điều gì trong gang tấc

keep your eyes peeled

ex: keep your eye peel for a good parking spot

cảnh giác, coi cẩn thận

pull someone’s leg

ex: i was just pulling your leg; i didn’t really win the lottery

trêu trọc ai đó

cry over spilled milk

ex: it’s no use crying over spilled milk; we cant change what happened

cứ mãi buồn vì chuyện đã xảy ra rồi

leave no stone unturned

ex: they left no stone unturned in their search for the missing ring

thử mọi cách có thể để đạt được thứ gì

in the same boat

ex: we’re all in the same boat after losing our jobs

chung hoàn cảnh khó khăn

go down in flames

ex: the business went down in flames after the scandal

thất bại một cách thảm hại

keep your chin up

ex: keep your chin up; things will get better soon

đừng nản chí

back to the drawing board

ex: the plan didn’t work, so it’s back to the drawing board

bắt đầu một kế hoạch mới vì kế hoạch trước đã thất bại

on the same page

ex: let’s make sure we’re all on the same page before we continue

có cùng suy nghĩ và quan điểm với ai

put your foot down

ex: she put her foot down and refused to let her children stay up late

tỏ ra kiên quyết

break the ice

ex: let’s break the ice by inviting our new neighbours for a meal

phá bỏ sự e ngại ban đầu

lie through your teeth

ex: he asked me how old I was and, lying through my teeth, I said "29"

nói dối một cách trắng trợn

let the cat out of the bag

ex: we wanted it to be a surprise birthday party for her, but someone let the cat out of the bag

để lộ bí mật

bite off more than you can chew

ex: we bit off more than we could chew in our original reform proposals

cố làm việc gì quá sức mình

face the music

ex: he had to face the music after being rude to the teacher

nhận hậu quả

when pigs fly

ex: he'll become a professional basketball player when pigs fly

còn lâu; điều không thể xảy ra

be/feel on top of the world

ex: after getting band score 9 in my ielts test, i was on the top of the world

cực kì hạnh phúc

be/feel under the weather

ex: tom didn’t go to school because he was under the weather with a fever

không khỏe

kick the bucket

ex: our teacher was really old, nobody liked him and he eventually kicked the bucket

chết

have egg on your face

ex: jack has egg on his face because he couldn’t remember how to spell “Batman”

điều gì khiến xấu hổ

keep/hold your cards very close to your chest

ex: it’s hard to know what susan intends to do with her hair. She keeps her cards very close to her chest

giữ bí mật

there are plenty more fish in the sea

ex: i know you’re upset about breaking up with tom, but there are plenty more fish the sea

còn nhiều trai gái lắm

deal a blow to sb/sth = deal sb/sth a blow

ex: the athlete’s bitter defeat in the match dealt a blow to his hopes of defending his title at the championship

giáng một đòn vào

in the shape of things to come

ex: hopefully, the green lifestyle will be in the shape of things to come years after

trở nên phổ biến trong tương lai

be on the horns of dilemma

ex: wendy is on the horns of dilemma: she just wonders whether to go for a picnic with her friends or to stay at home with her family

tiến thoái lưỡng nan; không quyết định được

not have a penny to your name = not have two pennies to rub together

ex: they are always optimistic although they dont have a penny to their name

không một xu dính túi

hit the books = study
ex: john cant hang out with his friends at the weekend since he needs to hit the books to prepare for the upcoming exam

học

a bolt from the blue = a bolt out of the blue

ex: his resignation came as a bolt from the blue. We were all very surprised

tiếng sét ngang tai

be as thick as thieves
ex: i'm sure she tells Ruth everything we say - they're as thick as thieves, those two.

rất thân thiết (có thể chia sẻ bí mật)

one step at a time

ex: He wanted to rush through the job, but I encouraged him to take it one step at a time.

chậm rãi, từ từ và cẩn thận

blood is thicker than water

ex: Family always supports each other; blood is thicker than water

một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước lã; mối quan hệ gia đình quan trọng hơn các mối quan hệ khác

bridge the gap

ex: The president singled out education as a vital tool in bridging the gap between rich and poor

giảm thiểu sự khác biệt

go from strengh to strengh

ex: the firm's gone from strength to strength since the new factory was built

ngày càng thành công

be (own) flesh and blood
ex: We may argue, but remember, we're still own flesh and blood

người thân của nhau

spread your wings

ex: she'd been working for the same company for 15 years and it was time to leave and spread her wings

tung hoành; mở rộng phạm vi hoạt động; mở rộng phạm vi quan tâm

black sheep of the family

ex: he's the black sheep of the family.

thành viên cá biệt trong gia đình

from the word go

ex: the operation was doomed to failure from the word go

ngay từ đầu

be worlds apart

ex: they are very good friends but in terms of sports they are worlds apart

hoàn toàn khác nhau

it’s not rocket science = uncomplicated

ex: my coach always said, "Basketball is not rocket science. It's about putting the ball in the basket.

không khó

have a narrow escape

ex: A woman had a narrow escape when the car came round the comer

thoát chết trong gang tấc

hit the ceiling = hit the roof = go through the roof
ex: Dad will hit the roof when he finds out I dented the car

cực kì tức giận

be on the fence

ex: i really want to book a vacation this summer, but i’m still on the fence about where to go

phân vân không quyết định được

easier said than done

ex: making foreign friends is easier said than done

nói thì dễ, làm thì khó

see eye to eye

ex: sometimes my job is really stressful because my boss and i dont see eye to eye on a lot of things

đồng tình

best of both worlds

ex: i want to work at a hotel, so i can learn english and get paid for it. It’s the best of both worlds

hưởng lợi từ hai cái cùng một lúc

think outside the box

ex: marketing can be really difficult because there’s so much competition. If you want to stand out, you’ll have to think outside the box

suy nghĩ khác biệt, tư duy sáng tạo

call it a day

ex: i’ve been working for 12 hours straight. I think it’s time to call it a day

kết thúc công việc, nghỉ ngơi

sth rings a bell

ex: that song rings a bell, but i cant remember the name of it

nghe quen quen (nhớ mơ hồ)

come under fire
ex: The company has come under fire for using child labor overseas.
ex: The city came under fire from anti-government forces last night.

bị tấn công (bởi súng); bị chỉ trích

the pot calling the kettle black

ex: emily: You eat so much junk food. It’s not healthy
mike: Seriously? The pot calling the kettle black! I’ve seen you with a bag of chips every day this week

một người đang buộc tội người khác về một lỗi hoặc hành vi tiêu cực mà chính họ cũng phạm phải; đạo đức giả; tự nói mình

suit you (right) down to the ground

ex: this job suits Maria down to the ground; she loves socializing

rất phù hợp với bạn; lí tưởng

through thick and thin

ex: they were friends through thick and thin

bất chấp điều gì xảy ra vẫn một lòng không thay đổi

be the best/greatest thing since sliced bread

ex: social media is the best thing since sliced bread for communication

vật / người thực sự rất tốt, tuyệt vời nhất

take something with a pinch/grain of salt

ex: you have to take everything she says with a pinch of salt, because she tends to exaggerate

không thực sự tin tưởng, xem nhẹ

come rain or shine

ex: come rain or shine, the community will hold the annual festival.

cho dù thế nào đi nữa

be as right as rain

ex: helen had flu last week, but now she’s as right as rain

hoàn toàn ổn, cảm thấy tốt

bread and butter = livelihood
ex: Gardening is my bread and butter right now.

nghề kiếm sống

bring home the bacon

ex: my mom works very hard to bring home the bacon

đem tiền về cho gia đình

paint the town red

ex: i'm ready to paint the town red with a few of my closest friends

chơi xả láng (go out)

have a lot on my plate = i am very busy

rất bận rộn

wear many hats

ex: i wear many hats, which means i handle a range of tasks from financial reports to marketing stragtegies

đảm nhận nhiều công việc

for better or (for) worse
ex: anyway, for better or for worse, I followed her advice.

dù tốt hay xấu

a big fish in a small pond
ex: as the manager of a local company, he enjoys being a big fish in a small pond.

một trong những người quan trọng trong một nhóm/tổ chức nhỏ

inside out
ex: there is no need for him to consult any reference books on this subject as he has already known it inside out

biết cái gì đó rất rõ

pay through the nose = cost an arm and a leg
ex: you have to pay through the nose for a good plumber these days

trả một cái giá cắt cổ

get in over your head

ex: Sean tried to pay his gambling debts, but he got in over his head.

gặp khó khăn

have deep pockets
ex: the politicians with the deepest pockets usually win the election

có rất nhiều tiền

burn a hole in your pocket
ex: if money burns a hole in your pocket, you want it as soon as you have it

mong muốn sài tiền nhanh

at a loss
ex: i’m at a loss to explain what happened

không biết gì để nói, để làm

at a loose end
ex: if you find yourself at a loose end, you could always clean the bathroom

không có việc làm

at loggerheads with sb
ex: they’re always at loggerheads with their neighbours

bất hòa, hay cãi cọ

fall into a coma
ex: the boxer fell into a coma after receiving a blow to the head

rơi vào cơn hôn mê

a tiny cog in a vast machine
ex: tired of being a tiny cog in a vast machine

một phần rất nhỏ trong một tổ chức lớn

the jury is (still) out
ex: the jury's still out on the safety of irradiated food

vẫn còn đang tranh cãi

hit the nail on the head
ex: you hit the nail on the head with that answer

vô cùng chính xác

bite the bullet
ex: i had to bite the bullet and tell her the truth

quyết định làm việc gì khó khăn; cắn răng chịu đựng

go the extra mile
ex: she always goes the extra mile to help her customers

cố gắng nhiều hơn nữa

once in a blue moon

ex: we only go out for dinner once in a blue moon

vô cùng hiếm

in the blink of an eye

ex: it all happened in the blink of an eye

trong nháy mắt

be in/get into a state
ex: she got into a real state before her driving test

trở nên lo lắng

put sth / sb on the map
ex: the governor has managed to put this sleepy state on the map

làm cho cái gì / ai đó trở nên nổi tiếng

put on an act
ex: he's just putting on an act for the boss's benefit

giả bộ, làm bộ

give your word
ex: he gave his word that he would marry her and she had no cause to doubt him

hứa nghiêm túc sẽ làm gì

make no bones about sth
ex: he made no bones about his dissatisfaction with the service

không ngần ngại nói về cái gì

argue the toss

ex: it doesn't matter what you say, he'll always argue the toss!

phản đối, không tán thành với ý kiến