english idioms in use inter unit 41

cross somebody’s path | people’s paths cross

1. ​if somebody ~ or ~, they meet by chance

   • I hope I never _ again.

   • _ again many years later.

~ gặp nhau tình cờ

(stuck) in a rut

too fixed in one particular type of job, activity, method, etc., and needing to change:

I need to change jobs - after 15 years here I feel I'm _.

round the bend/twist

(informal) crazy

• I would go _ if I had your job.

• The kids have been driving me _ today (= annoying me very much).

(right) up your alley/street

(informal) very suitable for you because it is something that you know a lot about or are very interested in

• A teaching job would be _.

~ diễn tả một điều gì đó rất phù hợp với sở thích, năng lực hoặc nhu cầu của một người

middle-of-the-road

1. (of people, policies, etc.) not extreme; acceptable to most people

   synonym moderate

   • a _ newspaper

2. ​(of music) pleasant to listen to but not very exciting

   • Their music is very _.

on the right/wrong track

​thinking or behaving in the right/wrong way

• We haven’t found a cure yet—but we are _.

• The new manager successfully got the team back onto _.

an uphill struggle/battle/task etc

something that is very difficult to do and needs a lot of effort and determination

• Rehabilitation will be _.

• Unless you have a goal your learning will be _.

go downhill

1. ​to get worse in quality, health, etc.synonym deteriorate

   • Their marriage _ after the first child was born.

   • He’s been going slowly _ since he came out of hospital.

off the beaten track

1. ​far away from other people, houses, etc.

   • They live miles _.

at a/the crossroads

at an important point in somebody’s life or development

• We are standing _ in the history of Europe.

• I knew I was _ of my career.

dead end

1. a road, passage, etc. that is closed at one end

   • The first street we tried turned out to be a _.

2. ​a point at which you can make no further progress in what you are doing

   • We had come to a _ in our research.

   • He's in a _ job in the local factory (= one with low wages and no hope of promotion).

from A to B

from one place to another:

Using this software, a driver can now figure out the quickest route _.

put somebody/something on the map

1. ​to make somebody/something famous or important

   • This chicken dish put the chef firmly _.

   • The exhibition has helped put the city _.

hit the road/trail

(informal) to start a journey

• The following spring I _.

road rage

[uncountable]

1. ​a situation in which a driver becomes extremely angry or violent with the driver of another car because of the way they are driving

   • A man was seriously injured in a _ incident.

   • A woman has been stabbed to death in a _ attack.

hit the road/trail

​(informal) to start a journey

• The following spring I _.