idioms 2

We only received the signatures at the eleventh hour.

vào phút chót

The new book on the Dan Brown series is selling like hotcakes.

bán chạy

He worked off and on as a bicycle messenger, but he never found permanent work.

thỉnh thoảng, only some of the time

Let the children make believe they're film stars.

pretend, imagine

We made good time – I think it only took us an hour and fifteen minutes.

di chuyển nhanh, đi nhanh

The class ends at 2, and leaving before then is out of the question.

not possible, not allowed

All at once there was a loud crashing sound.

=suddenly

I don't mean to blow my own trumpet, but this pasta sauce I made is quite delicious!

bốc phét, khoác lác, khoe khoang

I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

very quickly, without thinking

The judge found himself in the firing line after his remarks about women staying home with their children.

bị chỉ trích

I think I really need to make hay while the sun shines and get down to work.

Việc hôm nay chớ để ngày mai

I heard on the grapevine that he was being promoted, but I don’t know anything further.

đồn đại, không chính thức

He's just putting on an act for the boss's benefit.

giả bộ, làm bộ

He's extremely irritable - he flies off the handle at the slightest thing.

dễ nổi giận

His youngest daughter was the apple of his eye.

bảo bối, cục cưng của ai

I dropped a brick on our first date by ordering veal, only realizing later that he's a staunch animal rights advocate.

do or say something that makes you feel embarrassed

She made it clear that her comments were strictly off the record.

không chính thức, không được công bố

The clown sang a duet with the talking horse, which brought the house down every night.

khiến cả rạp vỗ tay/ cười lớn

We paid through the nose to get the car fixed.

pay too much for something

We fought tooth and nail to get the route of the new road changed.

to try very hard to get something you want

All the drinks were on the house.

it is given to you free by a business

The way they have treated those people makes my blood boil.

make sb angry

After losing the championship game, the team had the blues for weeks.

to feel sad

My sister lives in Alaska, so I only see her once in a blue moon.

very rarely

I was quiet all through dinner because Phil's comments about my appearance left me burning with a low blue flame.

feel angry

He'll scream blue murder if he doesn't get his way.

to shout or to complain very loudly

Have you recently seen their car? It has truly gone to the dogs.

become worse and or decrease in quality

It’s best to keep your opinion to yourself around him. Just let sleeping dogs lie

said to warn someone that they should not talk about a bad situation that most people have forgotten about

The boss put on the dog when he was trying to attract new customers to the store.

to act as if you are more important than you are

He asked me for my phone number and I drew a blank

can't remember

There comes a time to draw a line under your failures and move on.

decide that sth is finished and you are not going to think about it again

He could win big if he gets the voters out

win a lot of money or a big prize

We were really unprepared for our last game, and the other team won hands down

win sb easily

you win some you lose some

you cannot always succeed

We've struggled on for as long as we could, but now we're at the end of the line.

the point at which it is no longer possible to continue with a process or activity, tới bước đường cùng

If you don't want the job, there's no end of people willing to take your place.

a lot of sth

If you don't get into business school, it won't be the end of the world

not cause very serious problems.

Even though everyone doubted her, Sarah went to bat for her best friend

to support sb

Even when told that a room in the hotel cost £235 per night, he didn't bat an eyelid

not be surprised or shocked when sth unexpected happens

There's no point in beating your breast about losing the money - you won't get it back.

to show how sad or guilty you feel in an obvious or public way

Tom still has hope that his wife will come back to him, but he is actually beating a dead horse. .

to waste effort on something when there is no chance of succeeding

take some beating

If something takes some beating, it is so good that it is hard to improve on it