note

Account for

to form the total of something; to explain the reason for something

On the spot

at the place where an event is happening; immediately

Make do with

to use what is available although it is not enough

On pins and needles

worried or excited about something that is going to happen

Have butterflies in your stomach

to feel very nervous about something that you are going to do

Have a bee in your bonnet

to keep talking about something again and again because you think it is very important

Come what may

whatever happens

Come rain or shine

whatever happens

Come hell or high water

determined to do it despite any difficulties

Take the initiative

to be the first one to do something, esp. to solve a problem

Be engrossed in

giving all your attention to something

Contrary to

opposite

Impertinent

rude and not showing respect

By leaps and bounds

very quickly

Cut down on

to eat or drink less of a particular thing

Be part and parcel of something

to be a feature of sth, especially a feature that cannot be avoided

Be like chalk and cheese

completely different from each other

From top to bottom

all parts of it

Odds and ends

various things of different types, usually small and not important

Narrow escape

a situation in which you avoid danger although you very nearly do not

Close shave

a situation in which you come very close to a dangerous situation

Close call

something bad that almost happened

Follow in one's footsteps

to do the same thing as someone else did previously

On the wrong track

not correct about something

Off the beaten track

in a place where few people go

Lead sb up the garden path

to deceive someone

In someone's capable hands

being dealt with by the person mentioned

Rise to fame

to become famous

Rise to the occasion/challenge

to show that you can deal with a difficult situation successfully

Lest

in order to prevent any possibility that something will happen

Be taken aback by sth

to be very surprised or shocked by something

Off the record

If someone says something off the record, they do not want it to be publicly reported

Rant and rave

to talk loudly and angrily in an uncontrolled way

Hold to

if you hold to a belief, principle, promise etc, you believe it or behave according to it

As a whole

when considered as a group and not in parts

On the whole

generally

Adhere to

to continue to obey a rule or have a belief

Come into play

to start to have a use or an effect in a particular situation

All walks of life

people from all professions and social classes

Date back to sth

to have existed since a particular time

Trace

to discover the causes or origins of something by examining the way in which it has developed

Ingrained

so firmly held that they are not likely to change

Have a low opinion of

to think that something is not very good

In store for sb/sth

planned or likely to happen

Take exception to something/someone

to be offended or made angry by something or someone

Look down one's nose at

to regard with contempt

A taste for sth

the fact of liking or enjoying something

Find fault with sb/sth

to criticize someone or something, especially without good reasons

Be in the dark

not informed about things that might be useful to know

Get (a)round sb

to persuade someone to do what you want by being kind to them

Bring sb around

persuade

Get round

if news or information gets round, it is told to a lot of people

Word gets around/round/ about

news spreads fast within a group of people

Get (a)round to Ving

to find the time to do something

In that

because

Boil down to

the main reason for it

Pick one's brain(s)

to ask someone who knows a lot about a subject for information or their opinion

Rack your brain(s)

to think very hard

Put down to

to think that a problem or situation is caused by a particular thing

Attribute sth to sth

to say that something is caused by something else

Ascribe sth to sth

to believe or say that something is caused by something else

Scrape through

to succeed in something but with a lot of difficulty

Waltz through

to complete something such as a test easily and successfully

Sail through

to succeed very easily in something, especially a test

Out of sorts

to be slightly ill or slightly unhappy

Out of bounds

If an area is out of bounds, people are not allowed to go there

Out of the woods

not having a problem or difficulty any longer

Out of breath

breathless

Out of the question

not possible or not allowed

Out of the way

completed

Out of reach

too expensive

On the mend

to be getting better after an illness or injury

To that/ this end

in order to achieve this aim

Here and there

in different places

There and then

immediately

Ups and downs

a mixture of good and bad things happens

Health scare

a state of alarm caused by a revelation concerning public health

Be snowed under with

to have so much work that you have problems dealing with it all

Be up to one's ears/ eyeballs/ eyes/ neck in sth

busy

Have your hands full

have a lot to do

Have sth on one's plate

to have sth, usually a large amount of important work, to deal with

Be wrapped up in sth

very interested in him, her, or it and ignore other people or things

Immerse yourself in sth

to become or make sb completely involved in sth

Be absorbed in sth

interested in sth

Many a

a great number of

Many's the

used to show something has happened many times or for long periods of time

Brush up on sth

to improve your knowledge of something already learned but partly forgotten

All the same

despite what has just been said

Small/ early hours

the early hours of the morning

Put sth to the test

to find out how good something is

Put sth into effect

to put (a law etc) into operation

Put into practice

to do, as opposed to planning

Put into action

to start using a plan, idea, knowledge etc

In other words

to explain it more clearly

Catch on

to become fashionable or popular

On offer

for sale, often cheaply