IDIOM

get cold feet

be nervous or frightened

with the naked eye

without the aid of binoculars or a telescope

his bark is worse than his bite

seem much more unpleasant, rude or violent than you really are

keep a straight face

seem not to be amused

out of breath

breathe heavily after exertion

beat about the bush

try to avoid saying sth or answering immediately

with flying colors

in an exceptionally successful way

be up in arms

be very angry about sth and protest strongly

let the cat out of the bag

disclose sth that was secret

at the drop of the hat

quickly, without hesitating

go to your head

make sb conceited

on the verge of

be just about to do sth

put his foot down

assert your authority to prevent sth from happening

get a chip on his shoulder

behave rudely or aggressively because you feel inferior or that you have been treated unfairly

ignorance is bliss

you are better off not knowing

slow on the uptake

take time to understand things, be unintelligent

at the seams

too full

in deep water

in serious trouble

born with a silver spoon in his mouth

born into a privileged family

give sb a piece of my mind

tell sb exactly what you think of their bad behaviour

catch 22 situation

a situation there is no way out of

cut no ice

fail to impress or influence

face the music

put yourself in a position where you will be criticised or punished

go without saying

be so obvious you dont need to say it

learn the hard way

learn from your mistakes

make ends meet

have just enough money to manage financially

read between the lines

be aware of sth although it is not expressed openly

run in the family

pass a characteristic of talent from one generation to another

have second thoughts

change the mind

spill the beans

let information slip out

sweep it under the carpet

discourage the discussion of an unpleasant subject

break the ice

help people to overcome their shyness and feel more at ease

tongue in cheek

not seriously meaning what you say

throw cold water on

say discouraging things about

in his element

in enjoyable conditions well suited to your tastes or abilities

hold a candle to

be fit to be compared with

when chips are down

when a situation is very serious or difficult

come under the hammer

be sold at auction

draw to a close

end gradually

jump to conclusions

draw an inference from insufficient evidence

self-fulfilling prophecy

a prediction which, when voiced, brings about the predicted outcome

look daggers at

look at sb with hatred or fury

make head or tail of

understand

bend the rules

interpret rules to suit your purpose, enabling you to do st that the rules usually prevent you from doing

carry the can

take all the blame

come out of your shell

overcome your natural reserve and speak freely

fall into line

conform to routine or custom

out of hand

out of control

turn over a new leaf

change your behavior, make a fresh start

vote with one’s feet

show your dissatisfaction by leaving

wishful thinking

a hope or wish that is very unlikely to come true

put one’s foot in it

cause embarrassment with a tactless remark

bandy words with

enter into an argument

the last straw

beyond the limit, the breaking point

call the shots

make the decisions

come up in the world

improve your professional and social standing

drive a wedge between

cause bad feelings in order to weaken a relationship

on the house

paid for by the restaurant, hotel etc

not turn a hair

not show any emotion or surprise

can’t get a word in edgeways

find it impossible to take part in a conversation because sb is talking continuously

in the red

be in debt

corner the market

obtain a monopoly of the supply of particular goods or services

fly off the handle

lose your temper or self-control

fresh-air friend

fanatical believer in the importance of fresh air to one’s health

get one’s hands full

be fully occupied, unable to accept any more work

leave sb cold

not impress sb

look down one’s nose at

regard with distaste or disdain

play it by ear

improvise

pull the wool over one’s eyes

deceive, mislead, cheat

put sb on a pedestal

credit sb with qualities he/she does not possess, consider sb to be above criticism

rub one’s nose in it

repeatedly draw sb’s attention to a blunder or failure

stand on ceremony

do st in the manner prescribed by custom or etiquette

bend over backwards

try as hard as you can

have axe to grind

have private and often selfish reasons for doing st

keep one’s eyes peeled

off the beaten track

in a quiet and isolated area

land on one’s feet

be lucky or successful after being in a difficult situation

rack one’s brain

try very hard to think of st

stick to one’s guns

defend your position against strong opposition

shed light on

make st easier to understand by providing more information

right up one’s street

st you are very interested in or know a lot about

allow the dust to settle

let a situation calm down before you try to do anything else

clutch at traws

put your hopes in st which is very unlikely to succeed, because all other ideas/ methods have failed

in hot water

in serious trouble

hand in one’s notice

resign

have one’s cake and eat it

you have a choice: either/ or, not both

keep up with the Joneses

try to maintain the same standard of material comfort as your neighbors

keep a low profile

avoid doing things that draw attention to you

let bygones be bygones

forgive and forget

pull strings

use your influence to get st done

hedge one’s bets

reduce the risk of loss or error by supporting more than one side

make a mountain out of a molehill

exaggerate a difficulty

put the cart before the horse

do things in the wrong order

run amork

behave in a violent or uncontrolled way

scratch the surface

discover very little of the truthhh