COLLOCATION&idiom ( TUTORIALS_6PARTS)

1) keep somebody in the dark 

– giấu ai đó một thông tin nào đó

– Keeping taxpayers in the dark about how their money is being spent is not how government should operate.

2) a pack of lies

– một đống lời nói dối – His alibi turned out to be a complete pack of lies

3) start the ball rolling

– bắt đầu, khởi xướng một việc gì đó – I'll start the ball rolling by introducing our first speaker.

4) a red herring

–ĐÁNH TRỐNG LẢNG - The detective realized the mysterious phone call was just a red herring.

5) a narrow escape – thoát chết trong gang tấc – We had a narrow escape when a tree fell just meters from our car.

– thoát chết trong gang tấc

6) toe the line

– tuân theo quy tắc – The new manager is strict and expects everyone to toe the line

7) learn the ropes – học việc, học những điều cơ bản – It will take a few months for the new intern to learn the ropes.

8) a hive of activity

– nơi nhộn nhịp, hối hả – The kitchen was a hive of activity as the chefs prepared for the grand wedding.

9) in dire straits – trong hoàn cảnh khó khăn, nguy cấp – After the factory closed, the whole town was in dire straits.

10) cut things fine – sắp xếp thời gian sát giờ – You're cutting it fine – your flight boards in ten minutes!

– sắp xếp thời gian sát giờ – You're cutting it fine – your flight boards in ten minutes!

11) a course of action – một hướng hành động, cách giải quyết – The committee agreed that the best course of action was to postpone the event.

– một hướng hành động, cách giải quyết – The committee agreed that the best course of action was to postpone the event.

12) spring to mind – lập tức nghĩ tới – When I think of a reliable car, Japanese brands always spring to mind.

13) once and for all – một lần dứt điểm – We need to settle this argument once and for all.

14) follow suit – làm theo, bắt chước – One bank lowered its interest rates, and the others soon followed suit.

15) in the long run – về lâu về dài – Studying might be hard now, but it will benefit you in the long run.

16) in the blink of an eye – trong chớp mắt – The race car was gone in the blink of an eye.

17) by leaps and bounds – tiến bộ nhanh chóng, nhảy vọt – Her Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds since she moved to Madrid.

18) carry the can – gánh vác trách nhiệm – The CEO resigned, but it was his assistants who had to carry the can for the scandal.

19) pale into insignificance – trở nên nhỏ bé, không quan trọng – My problems paled into insignificance when I heard about her loss.

20) dig your heels in – cứng đầu, ương bướng – The children dug their heels in and refused to go to bed.

21) a dark horse – người bí ẩn, có khả năng được giấu kín – He's a dark horse in this competition; nobody expected him to be so good.

22) be a far cry from – rất khác xa, một trời một vực – This luxurious hotel is a far cry from the hostels we used to stay in.

23) strike a chord – chạm đến cảm xúc, gây đồng cảm – The singer's song about home struck a chord with many immigrants in the audience.

24) keep a low profile – giữ một hình ảnh trầm lặng, ít thu hút sự chú ý – After the controversy, the actor kept a low profile for a year.

25) strike while the iron is hot – thừa thắng xông lên, nắm lấy cơ hội – They liked our proposal – we need to strike while the iron is hot and sign the contract now.

26) keep a lid on – kiểm soát, hạn chế – The government is trying to keep a lid on inflation.

27) add fuel to the fire – thêm dầu vào lửa – Bringing up his past mistakes just added fuel to the fire.

28) an acid test – bài kiểm tra khó khăn nhất – The World Cup will be an acid test for the young team.

29) call it a day – tạm dừng, kết thúc một ngày làm việc – We've been working on this for hours; let's call it a day.

30) career ladder – nấc thang sự nghiệp – He's climbing the career ladder quickly at his new firm.

31) be all at sea – bối rối, lúng túng không biết phải làm gì – I'm all at sea with this new software; can you help me?

32) cross your fingers – cầu mong, hi vọng – I'm crossing my fingers that I get the job.

33) a blessing in disguise – trong cái rủi có cái may – Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it pushed me to start my own business.

34) ruffle somebody's feathers – làm ai đó phật lòng, khó chịu – He has a tendency to ruffle feathers with his blunt comments.

35) the salt of the earth – người tốt bụng và đáng quý – My grandmother was the salt of the earth; she would help anyone in need.

36) keep somebody on their toes – làm ai đó luôn cảnh giác – My new boss keeps me on my toes with her constant questions.

37) take pot luck – chấp nhận bất cứ thứ gì có sẵn – We didn't book a restaurant, so we'll have to take pot luck.

38) keep your head down – tránh gây sự chú ý, giữ đầu xuống – Just keep your head down and do your work until the boss's mood improves.

39) once in a blue moon – hiếm khi, cả năm mới có một lần – He only visits his hometown once in a blue moon.

40) be at your wits' end – bó tay – I've tried everything to fix the computer, and I'm at my wits' end.

41) the luck of the draw – sự may rủi – Who you get as a teacher is just the luck of the draw.

42) bend the rules – làm lơ, không áp dụng luật lệ hà khắc – Sometimes you have to bend the rules a little to help a friend.

43) be larger than life – có tính cách mạnh mẽ, nổi bật – The actor was a larger-than-life character, both on and off the screen.

44) have had it up to here with – quá chịu đựng, quá ngán – I've had it up to here with their constant complaints!

45) leave somebody in the lurch – bỏ rơi ai trong lúc khó khăn – He promised to help, but he left me in the lurch at the last minute.

46) your best bet – lựa chọn tốt nhất – Your best bet is to take the train to avoid traffic.

47) stand on your own two feet – tự lập – By the age of 20, he was standing on his own two feet and paying his own rent.

48) get your lines/wires crossed – hiểu lầm nhau – We must have got our wires crossed; I thought you were bringing the drinks.

49) in the nick of time – vừa kịp lúc – The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.

50) kill two birds with one stone – một mũi tên trúng hai đích – By cycling to work, I kill two birds with one stone: I save money and get exercise.

51) have the edge over – có lợi thế hơn – Our team has the edge over theirs because of our experienced goalkeeper.

52) a breath of fresh air – luồng gió mới – The new manager is a breath of fresh air for this department.

53) take something to heart – ghi lòng tạc dạ, bị ảnh hưởng sâu sắc – He took the criticism to heart and worked hard to improve.

55) at a push – nếu cố gắng, nếu bắt buộc – We can fit five people in the car, six at a push.

56) sign on the dotted line – ký vào giấy tờ, đồng ý – All we need is for you to sign on the dotted line.

57) in cold blood – một cách lạnh lùng, có chủ đích – The victim was shot in cold blood.

58) at the end of the day – suy cho cùng – At the end of the day, the decision is yours.

59) put on a brave face – tỏ ra mạnh mẽ dù đang buồn – Even though she was nervous, she put on a brave face and went on stage.

60) as bold as brass – mặt dày, trơ trẽn – He walked into the meeting late, as bold as brass, and didn't even apologize.

62) fall into place – mọi thứ trở nên rõ ràng, đâu vào đấy – Once I found the main clue, the rest of the mystery fell into place.