Thẻ ghi nhớ: CPE unit 6a idioms/ fixed phrases | Quizlet

keep oneself to oneself (keeps herself to herself)

live quietly, privately

Although she enjoys an occasional evening out with friends, as a general rule she ______________________

fine kettle of fish

confused state of affairs

The tap is dripping, the bath's overflowing, the plumber's on holiday; what a ______________________ this is!

make a killing (made)

have a sudden, great success/profit

Starting with only a few thousand pounds, Tom ______________________________ on the stock.

bring to one's knees (brought to their knees)

destroy/ humble

The enemy were ___________________________ by a surprise air attack.

in the know

well informed

If you want to know about the new film you should ask someone who is ___________________________________ like a critic.

keep one's fingers crossed (kept her fingers crossed)

hope that sth will turn out well

She ___________________________________ all the time they were announcing the winners of the contest, hoping that her brother would get a prize.

pull sb's leg (pulling my leg)

tease or trick sb

Is it really your car or are you _______________________ ?

make(s)/ earn(s) a/one's living

earn money

She ____________________________________ as a

freelance journalist.

sleep(s) like a log

be sound asleep

David ______________________________. I'm not sure if he'd hear a bomb drop.

the lion's share

the biggest part/portion

Although she had several people to help her, Susan still did __________________________ of the work.

turn over a new leaf

make a new start

As he wanted to go to university, David decided to __________________________ and study harder.

on the level

honest/ sincere

I wouldn't have any doubts about trusting him; I'm sure he's completely __________________________.

drop sb a line (drop me a line)

send sb a letter/email If you have time, __________________________ while you're on holiday.

go to any lengths

do anything necessary to get sth you want

That man would __________________________ to get his own way.

shed light upon

give new/further information

Their research has __________________________ some aspects of the reproduction of cancer cells, but there is still much to be discovered.

make light of

treat sth as unimportant

Youd shouldn't __________________________ other people's problems, even if you don't consider them to be very serious.

bury one's head in the sand (bury his head in the sand)

avoid or ignore reality/responsibility

John has a tendency to __________________________ whenever he's faced with problems instead of facing up to them.

come to a head (came)

reach a critical point

The differences between management and the workers __________________________ when the Union called a strike.