CPE idioms unit 2

above board

honest

bark up the wrong tree

have a false idea about sth

be broke

have no/very little money

be full of beans

be very lively

be in sb's black books

out of favor

beat about/around the bush

avoid saying what one means directly

behind bars

in prison

big-headed

conceited; boastful (tự tin thái quá vào bản thân)

black and blue all over

covered with bruises

blessing in disguise

sth which appears bad at first but then turns out favorably

blue-eyed boy/golden boy

a favored person

bolt from the blue

suddenly

brainwave

sudden clear idea/thought

break even

show neither loss nor profit

browned off

fed up; bored

butter sb up

flatter sb (nịnh ai đó)

by and large

generally speaking

catch sb red-handed

be caught while committing a crime

chip off the old block

sb who is very like one of his parents

cost a bomb

very expensive

deal a blow to

damage one's hopes

hold your breath

wait for sb/sth anxiously

drive a hard bargain

be a tough businessman

drop a brick

say sth tactlessly (nói 1 cách làm ngkhac khó chịu/buồn)

feel in one's bones

feeling sth instinctively

get your own back

take/get revenge

have a bee in one's bonnet

have an obsession about sth

have butterflies in one's stomach

be very nervous about sth

in black and white

in writing

in the balance

uncertain

kick the bucket

die

lay bare

make public

make a clean breast of

confess

make one's blood boil

cause sb to become very angry

on the spur of the moment

without thinking about sth

out of the blue

suddenly and unexpectedly

ring a bell

remind sb of sth

see the back of

be glad to see sb leave

take the bull by the horns

deal with sth boldly and directly

wet blanket

dull person who spoils people's happiness