Metaphors, expressions and idioms

keep someone/something on a tight rein

have a lot of control over someone/something

ex. Her parents kept her on a tight rein, so she had to be home early every night

hotheaded

someone that acts quickly on the basis of their feelings without thinking first

ex. She can be hot-headed and make quick mistakes when she feels stressed

bring dividends

bring you advantages

ex. Studying hard for your exams now will bring dividends when you apply to college

half baked idea

idea that is not fully thought through or developed

ex. His scheme to build a treehouse entirely out of cardboard was completely half-baked

to take something/someone at a face value

to accept something/someone as how they appear at first, without thinking they could be something else

ex. I took his apology at face value and didn't suspect he was lying.

falling into place

on the point of starting to work well

ex. When she explained her reasons, the whole mystery finally fell into place

rule of thumb

calculating something in a way that is not exact but will allow to be accurate enough

ex. A good rule of thumb for cooking pasta is to use one quart of water for every four ounces of pasta.

complete shambles

totally disorganised and chaotic event

ex. The train schedule was a complete shambles after the sudden snowstorm cancelled half the departures

to be fed up to the back teeth

to be extremely unhappy, disappointed

ex. I am fed up to the back teeth with his constant excuses.

to be down in the dumps

to be depressed

ex. She is a bit down in the dumps because she failed one of her exams

got our wires crossed

miscommunication/misunderstanding

ex. We must have got our wires crossed- I thought we were meeting for lunch at noon, but you thought we were meeting at 1

you’ve lost me there

to be confused by something someone said or done

ex. I agreed with your first point, but you lost me when you said we should cancel the whole project.

the last straw

the final, small problem or annoyance in a series of bad events that makes a situation completely impossible to accept

ex. She was already unhappy that he never helped clean the house, but when he forgot their anniversary, it was the last straw.

worked like a charm

completely successful, highly efficient, and achieved the desired result with zero trouble

ex. I restarted my frozen computer, and it worked like a charm

walking on air

to feel extremely happy, excited, or elated because something wonderful has happened

ex. After she found out she won the teaching award, she was walking on air.

cast light on

to provide new information or an explanation that makes a confusing or unknown situation easier to understand

ex. The new fossil discovery helped scientists cast light on how the ancient species lived.

moving the goalpost

to change the rules while someone is trying to do something in order to make it more difficult for them

ex. We'd almost signed the contract when the other guys moved the goalposts and said they wanted more money.

ran like clockwork

it went smoothly, with no difficulties

ex. The large corporate event ran like clockwork, with every speaker arriving and finishing right on schedule.

to be on the top of the world

feeling extremely happy, successful, joyful, or confident

ex. Lisa was on top of the world when she received the big promotion at her job

to be on the ball

be very aware of things and ready to act

ex. She is really on the ball and never misses a deadline

keep an eye on something

to watch, care for, or monitor it carefully over time to ensure it stays safe, correct, or out of trouble

ex. Please keep an eye on the boiling pot while I answer the phone.

go hand in hand with

two things are closely connected, happen at the same time, or cause one another

ex. Economic growth often goes hand in hand with higher energy use

investing time

dedicating your hours, energy, and effort to an activity or goal with the expectation of a future reward

ex. Leila had invested her time in voluntary work before she joined a university in England.

flood of people

a large group of people arriving or moving into a place suddenly and in overwhelming numbers

ex. A flood of people arrived at the concert gates right before the band started playing.

its a mystery to me

something is completely baffling, unknown, or impossible for someone to understand

ex. It's a mystery to me why she turned down such a great job offer.

its a real nightmare

an extremely unpleasant, difficult, or terrifying real-life situation

ex. Losing your entire unsaved project five minutes before the deadline is a real nightmare.

cognitive snacking

consuming small pieces of information instead of engaging with deeper ideas or critical thinking 

ex.

Where there's a will, there's a way

if you are determined enough, you will find a way to achieve your goal or solve a problem, no matter how hard it seems

ex. She didn't know how to code, but she practiced every night until she built her own app, proving that where there's a will, there's a way.

see the light

to suddenly understand something or realize the truth about a situation after a period of confusion

ex. After months of arguing, she saw the light and agreed that a budget was necessary.

blow hot and cold

someone who is entusiastic at one time and not at another

ex. I wish he would make up his mind; he blows hot and cold so often that nobody knows where they stand with him