IDIOMS IN USE INTERMEDIATE

give sb a piece of your mind

to speak angrily to someone about something they have done wrong

e.g: I'm going to GIVE that mechanic PIECE OF MY MIND if the car is not fixed this time.

laughing stock

ngu mà nghĩ mình ngầu

act the goat

làm trò hề

come down to earth with a bump

ngừng viễn vông và bắt đầu suy nghĩ thực tế

put/ stick the knife in/into sb

đâm chọc

scare the (living) daylights out of someone

làm ai sợ chết khiếp

against (all) the odds/ against all odds

vượt qua mọi khó khăn gian khổ

hit sb where it hurts

sát muối vào nỗi đau

be man enough to do sth (chỉ dùng cho con trai)

đủ bản lĩnh đàn ông để làm điều gì đó

tie sb (up) in knots

lamf ai đó bối rối, khó hiểu

there's no rest for the wicked

vẫn phải tiếp tục làm việc mặc dù là rất mệt

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

ăn táo rất tốt

to stuff one's face

ăn đầy mồm

give someone pause (for thought)

làm ai suy ngẫm

on the road to recovery

đang hồi phục

be not all there

không minh mẫn

give up the ghost

chết

a sore spot/point

vấn đề nhạy cảm khó nói của ai đó

a bitter pill to swallow

thuốc đắng giã tật, sự thật mất lòng

sugar/sweeten the pill

làm giảm nỗi đau

get a (real) kick out of sth

rất thích cái gì

do sth for kicks

làm gì đó cho mình kích thích

be floating/walking on air

sướng đến nỗi nhảy cẫng lên

a misery guts

kẻ bất mãn

put a damper on

làm mất hứng

be after sb's blood

giận muốn đánh người

have/throw a fit

tức điên lên

give sb an earful

nói cho bõ tức

ruffle one's feathers

làm xù lông ai lên

can't for the life of me

không thể làm nổi

doesn't ring any bells with me

không quen với tôi

put it down to experience

một lần ngã là một lần khôn

what beats me

~ it beats me

không thể hiểu nỗi

goes from strength to strength

càng ngày càng tốt

do the trick

giải quyết được vấn đề, đáp ứng được yêu cầu

be a victim of your own success

là nạn nhân của chính sự thành công của mình

doesn't have the ghost of a chance

không đời nào

would go places

đi khắp nơi

come up against a brick wall

trứng chọi đá

spread oneself too thin

cố quá thành quá cố

be left holding the baby

đứng chịu trận

stumbling block

chướng ngại vật

draw a blank

Thất bại, không thể tìm thấy; không thể nhớ ra điều gì

a fact of life

something that you may not like but have to accept because it is always there or always true

The need to ration healthcare resources is a fact of life.

have had it (up to here) with

chịu đựng ai quá nhiều và không còn chịu được nữa:

I've had it up to here with you - get out!

I've had it with foreign holidays.

give it a shot

= give it a try

get to the bottom of

try to discover the truth about sth|

I'm not sure what is causing the problem, but I'm determined to get to the bottom of it.

in the bag

trong tầm tay

= under sb's thumb

an/the answer to somebody's prayers

something that someone wants or needs very much

The job was an answer to my prayers.

wave a magic wand

tìm ra 1 cách thông minh để giải quyết việc gì

tie up (some/a few) loose ends

phải hoàn thành những công việc còn tồn đọng. "Tie up loose ends" có nghĩa là kết thúc hoặc giải quyết chúng.

We still have to tie up some loose ends of the project.

pick up the pieces

to try to return to a satisfactory situation:

The fire was a blow, but we were determined to pick up the pieces and get the business back on its feet.

be a law unto yourself

to behave in a way that is independent and does not follow the usual rules for a situation: bất chấp luật lệ

Charlie, of course, never fills in the record forms but then he's a law unto himself.

get/let sb off the hook

to allow (someone who has been caught doing something wrong or illegal) to go without being punished

If you ask me, they let him off the hook too easily.

leave sb to their own devices

cho ai tự quyết định

be on/at the receiving end of sth

hứng chịu những cái chỉ trích,...

They are often on the receiving end of verbal abuse from angry customers.

spin doctor

someone who is skilled in public relations and who advises political parties on how to present their policies and actions.

hidden agenda /əˈdʒen.də/

mục đích ngầm

Some people were concerned about a hidden agenda behind the management's proposal.

vicious circle

vòng tròn luẩn quẩn

a continuing unpleasant situation, created when one problem causes another problem that then makes the first problem worse:

Many people get caught/trapped in a vicious circle of dieting and weight gain.

the acid test

/ˈæs.ɪd ˌtest/

the true test of the value of something:

It looks good, but will people buy it? That's the acid test.

be brought/called to account

to be forced to explain something you did wrong, and usually to be punished:

We must ensure that the people responsible for the violence are brought to account.

go/run round in circles

(argument, discussion): không có tiến triển, bàn đi bàn lại 1 vấn đề

I've been running round in circles trying to get all the reports finished before the meeting.

no such luck

quả là vận đen (cái gì bạn hi vọng nhưng không xảy ra)

I was rather hoping it would rain today and I wouldn't have to go for a walk, but no such luck.

there's nothing to it

dễ ẹt

how time flies!

thời gian trôi nhanh quá

neither here nor there

not important, or not connected with the subject being discussed:

Her age is neither here nor there - the real question is, can she do the job?

take it or leave it

said about something that you like, but that you do not love or need strongly: có cũng đc, ko có cũng đc

My sister's absolutely crazy about chocolate whereas I can take it or leave it.

you name it

vân vân

I've tried every diet going - you name it, I've tried it.

give as good as you get

xử lí, làm y hệt những gì mà đối phương làm cho bạn (argument)

There's a lot of teasing and fighting among the crew, and you have to be able to give as good as you get.

like gold dust

something that is very difficult to get because a lot of people want it:

Tickets for the concert are like gold dust.

all sweetness and light

to be very peaceful and friendly:

They'd had a big argument yesterday, but by this morning it was all sweetness and light again.

poke fun at sb

nhạo báng ai

out-and-out

hoàn toàn (miêu tả tính cách xấu)

That's an out-and-out lie!

have a lot to answer for

to be responsible for many bad things that have happened

The company executives have a lot to answer for.

have the edge on/over sb/sth

to be slightly better than someone or something else

on the big/expensive,... side

more expensive than you want it to be

The dress is beautiful, but it's just a little on the expensive side for me.

a dead loss

be completely useless

drive someone to distraction

to annoy someone so much that they become angry or upset

She was driven to distraction by his constant whistling.

make an exhibition of oneself

to behave in a foolish or embarrassing way in public

He got drunk at the wedding and made an exhibition of himself in front of everyone.

under false pretences

giả vờ

never does anything by halves

luôn luôn nỗ lực hết mình làm việc gì

look right/straight through sb

to look at someone as if you cannot see them, either intentionally or because you are thinking about something else:

I said hello but she looked straight through me.

leave sb in the lurch

bỏ mặc ai khi họ cần mình giúp đỡ ~ to leave someone at a time when they need you to stay and help

keep a lid on sth

control the level of sth and stop it increasing

give sb a hard/tough/rough time

to make things difficult or unpleasant for someone:

Her kids always give her a hard time when she takes them shopping.

let yourself go

relax

think nothing of

không coi cái gì là khó

bring a lump to one's throat/ have a lump in one's throat

to give you/to have a tight feeling in your throat because you want to cry:

It was quite a moving speech - it almost brought a lump to my throat.

fade/pale into insignificance

to seem not important when compared with something else:

My good grades faded into insignificance once my sister got home with news that she would be the lead in the school play.

you could've fooled me!

used for saying you do not believe something that someone is telling you

'Sam never meant to upset you.' 'Well, you could have fooled me!'

There's no accounting for taste

you can't understand why sb likes or hates sth

it is impossible to know why somebody likes somebody/something that you don't like:

"I love working at weekends." "Well, there's no accounting for taste!"

by all accounts

according to what other people say

theo thông tin thu nhận được

By all accounts, it was a very useful meeting.

strike while the iron is hot

chớp thời cơ, do dự thì thiệt

He doesn't often make such offers - I'd strike while the iron is hot if I were you.

Ex: "I considered too long before accepting the job offer, and now they've given it to someone else."

" You should have _____ while the iron was hot."

A. struck

B. beaten

C. heated

D. smacked

one way or another

Không bằng cách này thì bằng cách khác, chẳng hiểu sao nhưng tự nó diễn ra thôi

These bills have to be paid one way or another.

catch sb napping

something happens to that person that they are not prepared for:

The goalkeeper was caught napping and the ball went straight in.

The other team scored because our defense was caught _________.

A. dozing (doze: ngủ lơ mơ, (n): giấc ngủ chợp mắt)

B. sleeping /doʊz/

C. snoozing (ngủ gà ngủ gật) /snuːz/

D. napping

leave well alone

to allow something to stay as it is because doing more might make things worse: để nó yên đi

It's going to get in a muddle if you carry on. I should just leave well alone if I were you.

To be honest, you're better off leaving well _____ at this point. She's so angry that anything you say will just make things worse.

A. lonely

B. solely

C. only

D. alone

panic stations

a situation in which people feel worried and nervous because things need to be done quickly:

Two weeks before launching products, it's always panic _______ as we realize how much we still have to prepare.

A. terminals

B. stations

C. pit stops

D. depots

rather/too close for comfort

to be so close to you that you feel worried or frightened:

We won the match, but the results were rather too close for ______.

A. comfort

B. enjoyment

C. pleasure

D. relaxation

set alarm bells ringing

to cause people to begin to be aware of a problem in a situation

The islanders' fight for compensation has set alarm bells ringing round the world.

be hanging by a thread

nguy hiểm, ngàn cân treo sợi tóc