english idioms advanced in use unit 25: FILMS, PLAYS AND BOOKS

be rolling in the aisles

to laugh without being able to stop:

The comedian had the audience _.

bring the house down

​to make everyone laugh or cheer, especially at a performance in the theatre

The clown sang a duet with the talking horse, which _ every night.

steal the show/scene

to be the most popular or the best part of an event or situation:

The child with the dog _.

on the edge of your seat

very excited, and giving all your attention to something, because you want to know what is going to happen:

• He could no longer keep his eyes open to watch any of the videos which, until quite recently, would have kept him _.

• The excitement of the finale had you _.

shiver (up and) down your spine

a frightened or excited feeling:

• At its most terrifying, his writing sends _.

• Whenever I hear that music, I feel a _.

SYN Make sb’s hair stand on end

wade through something

to spend a lot of time and effort doing something boring or difficult, especially reading a lot of information:

We had to _ pages of legal jargon before we could sign the contract.

page-turner

a book that is so exciting that you want to read it quickly:

Her latest novel is a real _.

hatchet job

a cruel written or spoken attack on someone or something:

Fleck was certainly not the only critic to do a _ on his latest novel.

→ một bài báo, lời nói, hay hành động mang tính chỉ trích nặng nề, cố tình làm mất uy tín hoặc danh tiếng của ai đó.

pick holes in something

to find mistakes in something someone has done or said, to show that it is not good or not correct

• Every time I show my brother one of my stories, he just _ it without saying anything that he liked about it.

• Critics _ his performance, but fans of the franchise seemed to love it.

an armchair critic

One who speaks critically on topics one actually knows little to nothing about.

• My uncle is such an _ about the classes I'm taking—the fact that he never went to college doesn't stop him from weighing in!

• Stop being an _ and let me fix my car, since I actually know what I'm doing here!

→ Người không có kinh nghiệm hay kiến thức thực tiễn về một chủ đề nào đó nhưng hay bình luận về nó, dựa vào kiến thức lượm lặt

have your name in lights

To be well known due to one's work in show business or the arts.

• Alice has always dreamed of _, so I'm not surprised that she's making her Broadway debut tonight.

• If you go into this profession with the sole aim of _, then you're in for a rough ride of it.

→ có tên trong ánh sáng → nghĩa là nổi tiếng nhờ các hoạt động nghệ thuật.

leading light

an important and respected person in a group or organization:

A _ in/of the art world, she was a close friend of the director.

tread the boards

to act in plays:

It's three years now since you've _, Ken - how does it feel to be back?

He seems to think that he's the greatest actor who's ever _.

play to the gallery

to behave in a way intended to make people admire or support you:

Politicians these days are more interested in _ than exercising real influence on world events.

= Đưa ra trưng bày -> chiều theo thị hiếu tầm thường của quần chúng.

crowd-puller

a person or thing that attracts a lot of attention and that people will pay to see

• The critics are saying that this film is going to be a real _, so we should buy our tickets before they sell out!

• Wow, I didn't realize this singer was so popular! Her signing event was way more of a _ than I thought it'd be.

→ một sự kiện hoặc một người có khả năng thu hút đông đảo người tham gia, khán giả.

wait in the wings

If someone or something is ~, they are not yet active or important, but are ready or likely to be so soon:

The team has several talented young players _.

take center stage

to be more important or receive more attention than anyone or anything else:

• He was happy for his wife to _.

• It was left to Heather to _ in the negotiations.

it’ll be all right on the night

used to say that something will be successful, even though there have been lots of problems

Workmen have yet to finish the new complex, but the organisers are confident it will be _.

→ Mặc dù chuẩn bị hoặc quá trình có thể rắc rối, gặp nhiều lỗi sai, hoặc lo lắng, nhưng đến lúc thật sự diễn ra (đêm biểu diễn, sự kiện, buổi ra mắt…) thì mọi thứ lại diễn ra suôn sẻ, ổn thỏa.