CPE 11B no sentences

be as thick as a brick

be stupid [głupi jak but]

on second thoughts

having changed one’s mind [po namyśle / jednak]

lay the table

prepare/set the table for a meal [nakryć do stołu]

play truant

stay away from school without permission [wagarować]

red tape

unnecessary bureaucracy [biurokracja]

touch and go

with uncertain result [niepewny, ryzykowny]

put two and two together

arrive at the truth by looking at the facts [połączyć fakty]

in a thick

shortly, soon [za chwilę / wkrótce]

through thick and thin

whatever happens [na dobre i na złe]

out of turn

not in the correct order/time [nie w kolejności / bez pozwolenia]

by trial and error

learning from one’s mistakes [metodą prób i błędów]

not be one’s cup of tea

not suit one’s taste [nie być czyjąś bajką]

be ahead of one’s time

have progressive ideas [wyprzedzać swoje czasy]

be behind the times

opposite for progressive ideas [być zacofanym]

for the time being

temporarily [na razie]

in the nick of time

just in time [w samą porę]

kill time

 pass time while waiting for sb/sth [zabić czas]

come to terms with

accept a difficult situation [pogodzić się z czymś]

be tickled pink

be really pleased [być wniebowziętym]

paint the town red

have a great time [zaszaleć na mieście]

take one’s time

not hurry [nie śpieszyć się]

be prone to

likely to do or suffer from something [mieć skłonność do]

thoughtless of sb

inconsiderate, not thinking of others [bezmyślne z czyjejś strony]

abundance

a large quantity of something [obfitość]

prohibit

 officially stop something from happening [zabronić]

dawn on sb

someone suddenly realizes something [dotrzeć do kogoś]

depend on

need someone/something to succeed or happen [zależeć od / polegać na]

lack sth

not have something [brakować czegoś]

hear of sth

refuse to allow or consider something [nie chce o czymś słyszeć / nie zgadza się na coś]

be swamped with

have too much to deal with [być zawalonym (czymś)]

earmark (for)

 reserve something for a specific use [przeznaczyć na]

be dwarfed by sth

seem small or unimportant next to something bigger [być przyćmionym przez coś]

be the butt of someone’s jokes

be the person others laugh at [być obiektem żartów]

take sth in your stride

deal with something calmly, without fuss [przyjąć coś ze spokojem]

be out of step with

 not in agreement or not fitting in [nie nadążać za / nie pasować do]

have too much on one’s plate

 be too busy with many responsibilities [mieć za dużo na głowie]

at one’s own pace

at speed which is comfortable for one [we własnym tempie]

go to great pains

try hard to do sth because it is important [bardzo się starać]

feel below/under par

 feel tired and unable to work etc. as well as usual [czuć się niewyraźnie / gorzej niż zwykle]

pass up

 not take a chance or opportunity [przepuścić (okazję)]

in passing

 incidentally [mimochodem, przy okazji]

not put it past sb

not be surprised if sb did sth they should not [nie zdziwiłoby mnie, gdyby to zrobił]

not a patch on (inf)

not nearly as good as; not comparable [nie dorastać do pięt]

bring sb down a peg or two

 reduce sb to their true status [sprowadzić kogoś na ziemię]

phase in

introduce gradually [stopniowo wprowadzać]

say your piece

give your view or opinion [powiedzieć, co się myśli]

pile up

mount up [nagromadzić się]

feel the pinch

be in a difficult financial situation [odczuwać brak pieniędzy]

play at (inf)

do sth others don’t understand [udawać, bawić się w coś]

take the plunge

take a risk [zdobyć się na odważny krok]

pluck up the courage

make an effort to be brave [zdobyć się na odwagę]

plumb new depths

be worse than ever [sięgnąć dna]

go to pot (inf)

deteriorate [popsuć się, zejść na psy]

keep sb posted

keep sb informed [informować na bieżąco]

pit your wits against sb (or sth)

 compete with sb/sth in intelligence [zmierzyć się z kimś intelektualnie]

at a premium

a higher price than usual because it is scarce OR wanted/needed but difficult to get or achieve [na wagę złota / bardzo pożądane]

press on/ahead

continue determinedly [kontynuować z determinacją]

better safe than sorry

it's wiser to be careful than take a risk and regret it later [lepiej dmuchać na zimne]

he who pays the piper calls the tune

 the person who provides the money has control or makes the decisions [kto płaci, ten wymaga]

all that glitters is not gold

 appearances can be deceptive; something that looks valuable may not be [nie wszystko złoto, co się świeci]

a trouble shared is a trouble halved

talking about your problems makes them easier to bear [wspólny problem to połowa problemu]

blood is thicker than water

family relationships are the strongest and most important [więzy krwi są silniejsze niż inne]

he who hesitates is lost

 if you delay or hesitate, you might miss an opportunity [kto się waha, przegrywa]

a stitch in time saves nine

fixing a small problem early prevents it from becoming bigger [lepiej zapobiegać niż leczyć]

in for a penny in for a pound

once you start something, you may as well finish it completely [jak szaleć, to szaleć]

what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

 losses in one area are balanced by gains in another [raz się traci, raz się zyskuje]

familiarity breeds contempt

 knowing someone or something too well may lead to a lack of respect [zbytnia zażyłość rodzi lekceważenie]

go well with

to match or look good together [wyglądać dobrze razem]

staffed

a place has enough employees available [dużo ludzi w robocie]

hand down

to pass something from older to younger members, especially within a family [przekazywać z pokolenia na pokolenie]

come in for a good few of sth

to receive (usually blame or criticism) [spotkać się z (np. krytyką, pochwałą)]

be provoked into sth

to be pushed or incited to do something, often as a reaction to someone else’s actions [zostać sprowokowanym do czegoś]

overcome with

to be strongly affected by a feeling [być ogarniętym (uczuciem)]

to go round

to be sufficient for everyone to have a share [wystarczyć dla wszystkich]