Unit9

hit the roof

to get very angry

work to rule

adhere strictly to the rules as a form of protest

rack your brains

to think very hard

off the record

unofficially

in a rut

be stuck in a monotonous routine

in the long run

after a long period of time

it stands to reason

it is logical

as a last resort

when all else has failed

put down roots

to settle down

know the ropes

know all the details of sth

keep sth quiet

keep sth secret

at close quarters

from a short distance

cut sb to the quick

deeply hurt sb's feelings

call it quits

give up, stop

out of the question

impossible

open to debate

undecided, unsettled

sth begs the question

makes people want to ask a particular question

be in a quandary

be confused; undecided

an unknown quantity

a person or thing whose qualities and abilities are not yet known

jubilation

a feeling of extreme joy

close resemblance to

if there is a close resemblance between two people or things, they are very similar, especially in the way they look

to bear

endure an ordeal or difficulty

no one but yourself to blame

not anyone else

with reluctance

unwillingly

to be shamefaced

to blush with embarrassment

make do with sth

use/have sth not as acceptable as original

give sb their marching orders

to dismiss sb

meet one's match

compete with sb as good as/better than you

mean well

to have good intentions

living beyond one's means

spending more than you can afford

on the mend

recovering from an illness or injury

mend one's way

begin to behave well

to put it mildly

used for saying that something is much more extreme than your words suggest

miles away

deep in thought

mint condition

in perfect condition

give sth a miss

decide not to do sth or go to a place

sb gets their money's worth

sb gets sth which is worth its price/the effort put in it

name names

identify sb who has done sth (usually immoral or illegal)

name of the game

the most important aspect

come naturally to sb

be very easy for sb to do

nearest and dearest

close relatives/friends

risk one's neck

put oneself in danger (physically or metaphorically)

touch a nerve

mention a sensitive subject

nest egg

An amount of money - usually saved over a long period of time - that is used to pay for something in the

future, like retirement.

slip through the net

avoid being caught by a system/trap set up to catch sb

none the wiser

know nothing more than before

poke one's nose into sth

try to interfere in sth

hand/give in one's notice

resign

full to the brim

completely full

on the verge of

about to do/happen

out of bounds

not allowed

river bank

The sides of a river