English idioms in use ADVANCED

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973 Terms

1
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put your foot in your mouth (US)

to say something by accident that embarrasses or upsets someone

2
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put all your eggs in one basket

to depend for your success on a single person or plan of action:

3
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take a shine to sb

to like someone immediately

4
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there's safety in numbers

said to emphasize that being part of a group makes you less likely to be harmed

5
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have a whale of a time

to enjoy yourself very much

6
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be of/in two minds

to be unable to decide about something:

7
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safe and sound

not hurt or damaged

8
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twist someone's arm

to get someone to do what you want by making it very difficult for him or her to refuse

9
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go cap in hand to sb

to ask someone in a polite and sincere way for something, especially money or to be forgiven

10
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foot the bill

to pay for something, esp. something expensive

11
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the apple of sb's eye

the person who someone loves most and is very proud of

12
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bury/have your head in the sand

to refuse to think about unpleasant facts, although they will have an influence on your situation

13
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run its course

to develop and finish naturally

14
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go/come up in the world

to have more money or a better social position than you had before

15
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lick your wounds

to spend time getting back your strength or happiness after a defeat or bad experience

16
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open the door to sth

to make something possible

17
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sink like a stone

to attract no support, attention, or interest. to fail completely

18
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prick up your ears

listen carefully

19
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whip sth/sb into shape

to take action to get something or someone into the good condition that you would like.

20
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the domino effect

the situation in which something, usually something bad, happens, causing other similar events to happen

21
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debt of honour/honor

a debt that one owes someone for moral rather than financial reason

22
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so far, so good

satisfactory up to this particular time

23
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get off your backside

to stop being lazy [slang]

24
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not soil your hands

to not become involved in something unpleasant or bad [Literary]

25
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pigs can fly (US)

said when you think that there is no chance at all of something happening [humorous]

26
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know sth inside out

to know everything about a subject [informal]

27
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have occasion to do sth

to need to do something [formal]

28
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send sb to Coventry

they refuse to speak to that person, usually as a punishment for having done something to upset the group [old-fashioned]

29
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hopping mad

very angry

30
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make a name for

become famous/respected for sth

31
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run a tight ship

control something firmly and effectively

32
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go spare

to become very angry

33
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behind someone's back

without someone knowing

34
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Feather your own nest

you use your position or your job illegally for personal gain.

35
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be beyond the pale

be unacceptable

36
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to be given the sack

to be fired/to be dismissed

37
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take centre stage

to be at the centre of attention

38
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make a mountain out of a molehill

to make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem

39
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join forces with

When two people or groups join forces, they act or work together [formal]

40
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minefield

a situation that contains hidden dangers or difficulties [formal]

41
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casualty

a person or thing that suffers as a result of something else happening. [formal]

42
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pull rank (on someone)

to use the power that your position gives you over someone in order to make them do what you want

43
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(take/catch/draw/get the) flak

strong criticism or opposition [informal]

44
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(give/get someone's) marching orders

you ask them to leave a job, usually because they have done something wrong [informal]

45
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see sense/reason

to be reasonable and have good judgment [formal]

46
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see the point of sth

to understand the importance of or the reason for something [formal]

47
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see the light

you suddenly understand something you didn't understand before [formal]

48
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get/see the joke

to understand something funny and find it funny yourself

49
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see red

to become very angry

50
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black mark

the fact of people noticing and remembering something that you have done wrong or failed to do

51
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be at a crossroads

to be at a stage in your life when you have to make a very important decision

52
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get nowhere

make no progress

53
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uncharted waters

a situation that is not well known and may be dangerous [formal]

54
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have sth up your sleeve

to have a secret plan or idea

55
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bluff your way into/out of/through something

​to succeed in dealing with a difficult situation by making other people believe something which is not true

56
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Tom, Dick, and Harry

used to refer to an ordinary person or all ordinary people [disapproving]

57
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where there's a will there's a way

if you are determined enough, you can find a way to achieve what you want, even if it is very difficult

58
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easy come, easy go

said when something, especially money, is easily got and then soon spent or lost [informal]

59
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off the top of your head

from the knowledge you have in your memory

60
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look on the bright side

to find good things in a bad situation

61
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cry your eyes out

to cry a lot

62
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at the top of your lungs/voice (US)

extremely loudly

63
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tip of the iceberg

a small, noticeable part of a problem, the total size of which is really much greater

64
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from (the) cradle to (the) grave

for all of a person's life

65
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out of one's own pocket

using one's own money

66
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be like a bear with a sore head (UK)

to be in a bad mood that causes you to treat other people badly and complain a lot [informal]

67
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the good old days

you mean a time in the past when you believe life was better

68
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sb's/sth's days are numbered

they will not exist for much longer

69
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clip sb's wings

to limit someone's freedom

70
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up-to-the-minute

Modern.containing the most recent information.

71
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at a loss for words

not knowing what to say, especially because you are very surprised or shocked

72
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sick (and tired) of someone/something

to have experienced too much of someone or something with the result that you are annoyed

73
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make a mountain out of a molehill

to make a big problem out of a small problem

74
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fringe benefits

Any financial extras beyond the regular pay check, such as health insurance, life insurance, paid vacation and/or retirement

75
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blow away someone

to surprise someone very much

76
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be on the same wavelength

to think in a similar way and to understand each other well

77
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be part and parcel of sth

to be a feature of something, especially a feature that cannot be avoided

78
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burn a hole in sb's pocket

If money is burning a hole in your pocket, you are very eager to spend it

79
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see eye to eye

they agree with each other.

80
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get your act together

to start to organize yourself so that you do things in an effective way.

81
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sit on the fence

to delay making a decision

82
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back to square one

return to the beginning because of a failure to accomplish the desired result

83
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right off the bat (US)

it happens immediately or at the very beginning of a process.

84
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throw someone a curveball (US)

unexpectedly present someone with a challenge or disruption.

85
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be batting a thousand (US)

to be successful in an endeavor or in multiple areas of one's life

86
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drop the ball (US)

do sth stupid or careless

87
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to be fresh out of something (US)

having just finished or sold all of something.

88
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isn't worth a dime (US)

has little or no value

89
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the frosting/icing on the cake

something that makes a good situation even better

90
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fight like cats and dogs (US)

argue violently all the time

91
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grunt/donkey work

hard boring part of a job or task

92
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take the biscuit (UK)

to be the most silly, stupid or annoying thing in a series of things

93
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cry buckets (US)

to cry a lot ( informal)

94
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cold/harsh cash

money in the form of coins or paper

95
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like the cat that ate the canary = like the cat that got the cream

very proud or pleased because of something you have achieved or got

96
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Sth from hell

frequently refers to difficult people or unpopular things

97
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To have fallen off the radar

been forgotten

98
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go the extra mile

to make more effort than is expected of you.

99
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does exactly what it says on the tin

does exactly what it claims to do

100
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like nailing jelly to a wall

difficult to understand or describe because it is not clear