idioms / expressions

PREY on you/on your mind

fall PREY to

fall PREY to

wind something up

thin on the ground

to exist only in small numbers or amounts

prompt in doing something

you do something that you are spposed to do without delay

to have something all of its own

it as a quality that is unique to it

to weight up something

you consider it carefully by looking at different aspects of it

let something show

you reveal it

set something against something else

you judge them by comparing

position yourself somewhere

youmove to a particular place

nothing short of + adjective/noun

absolutly equal to being that thing and not less than it

to do everything in your power to do something

to be justified in doing something

it is reasonable for you to do it and there are good reasons which mean that you are right to do it

so as to do something

in order to do something

have to contend with something

you have to face it or deal with it and it is a difficult thing to overcome or solve

all of a sudden

suddenly - quickly and unexpectedly

coming to grips

to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently

caught sight of

to see something only for a moment

no sooner (ex: had they seen)

used to show that one thing happens immediately after another thing

Put (someone) at ease

to make (someone) feel calm and relaxed.

to make a lasting impression

to make an impact or have a lasting effect on someone or something

without fail

do sth no matter what

up in the air

existing, but not talked about

up and coming

likely to be successful

under the weather

depressed/unwell

stay clear of

avoid something or someone

shed light upon

give new/further information

rack sb’s brains

think very hard about sth

a wild-goose chase

a hopless search

all in all

when everything is considered

be as thick as a brick

be stupid

be in the dark about sth

be unaware of sth

be second to none

be the best

be thrown off balance

be surprised

be up in arms

be very angry

beg the question

makes people want to ask a particular question

blessing in disguise

sth which appears bad at first but then turns out favourably

break even

show neither loss nor profit

by trial and error

learning from one’s mistakes

come out of one’s shell

gain personal confidence

cry over spilt milk

grieve over sth that can’t be put right

for all

in spite of

go without saying

be a foregone conclusion

grow out of sth

become to big for sth

keep in check

control

keep sth quiet

keep sth secret

kick the bucket

diek

kill time

pass time while waiting for sb/sth

kill two birds with one stone

achieve two things with one action

know the ropes

know all the details of sth

lay bare

make public

make a living

earn money

make a killing

have a sudden grat succes

make amends for

try to compensate for a past acion

make a name for oneself

become famous/respected for sth

make hay while the sun shines

take advantage of favourable circumstances

off the point

irrelevant

off the record

unofficial

on edge

tense/nervous/anxious

once in a blue moon

very rarely

open to debate

not decided/settled

out of the blue

suddenly and unexpectedly

out of the question

impossibe

pull a few strings

use influential contacts in order to obtain an advantage

put down roots

settle down

put one’s foot down

insist on sth

put words into one’s mouth

pretend that sb has said sth that they haven’t actually said