PNJA: Reading and Writing_test 2

(be) on an even keel

working or progressing steadily, to regularise something

(know something) off-hand

(know something) without asking or looking it up

a bit of a dark horse

person with hidden abilities

a night owl

person who enjoys staying up late

add insults to injury

make things even worse

after hours

outside regular business hours

as good as

practically, very nearly

at large

free, not caught

be beside oneself

to be extremely emotional, often with anger, joy, or grief

be exact double of/be the perfect image of somebody

look exactly like somebody

be in for the high jump

be about to be punished

be in jeopardy

be in danger

be in the know

be well-informed

be in two minds about something

not able to decide what to do

be overlooked for

to not be chosen or considered for something, despite being a potential candidate

be prone to

have a tendency or inclination toward something, often negative

be put off by something

to feel discouraged or repelled by something

be second to none

be the best

be sound asleep

sleep deeply

be subject to

be affected by or exposed to a particular condition, rule, or influence

be the life and soul of something

be the most lively and amusing person present somewhere

be to blame for something

be responsible for a mistake or a negative outcome

beat somebody at their own game

to defeat/do better than somebody in an activity considered their strength

before one can say Jack Robinson

extremely quickly

break the ice

ease the tension when one first meets people

bring to one’s knees

destroy/humble

bury one’s head in the sand

avoid or ignore reality/responsibility

catch a glimpse of somebody

to see someone briefly or only for a moment

come to a head

reach a critical point

come to conclusion

reach a decision or judgment after considering the evidence or situation

come to grief

something is unsuccessful

come under the hammer

something is sold at auction

come/get to grips with

consider seriously and start to take action

cross one’s mind

occur to one/have a sudden idea

cry over spilt milk

grieve over something that can’t be put right

dig one’s own grave

cause one’s own failure

do nothing but moon about

spend time aimlessly or absentmindedly, often because of being in love or feeling melancholic

do somebody/something justice

reproduce somebody/something accurately and show how good they are

do something at the drop of a hat

be willing/happy to do something; do something quickly

drop somebody a line

send somebody a letter

every nook and cranny

everywhere

express concern about something

show worry or anxiety about a situation

feel down in the mouth

feel discouraged/depressed

fine kettle of fish

confused state of affairs

fit like a glove

fit perfectly

flog a dead horse

waste time doing something useless

fly off the handle

lose your temper very suddenly

for good

permanently

from/since time immemorial

for a long time/throughout history

gain ground

make progress/become more popular

get a move on

hurry up

get off the ground

begin or start functioning

get on one’s nerves

irritate/annoy somebody

get out of hand

become out of control

get the hang of it

get in the habit of doing something

gild the lily

spoil something beautiful by additions

give somebody a free hand

allow somebody to do as they wish

give somebody one’s assurance

make a promise or guarantee to someone to provide confidence

give somebody one’s word

to make a sincere promise to someone

give the game away

reveal a secret or one’s feelings

give the green light to something/ somebody

give permission to proceed with something

go to any lengths

do anything necessary to get something you want

go to one’s head

to make someone overly proud, arrogant, or self-important

grey matter

brains, intelligence

grind to a halt

slowly stop/come to an end

hand on glove with somebody

be in very close contact with somebody

hand over fist

acquire/lose a lot of money very quickly

have a go at doing something

to attempt to do something, especially for the first time

have a job

find something difficult to do

have a lot going for you

have a lot of advantages in your favour

have a tendency to

often do or be likely to do something

have an early night

go to bed early

have greater depths to somebody

possess more complexity, intelligence, or emotional capacity than is immediately apparent

have kittens

be nervous/anxious about something

have many irons in the fire

to have a lot of plans/possibilities in progress at the same time

have one’s heart in one’s mouth

be extremely anxious about something

have somebody’s hands full

be very busy with something

have time on one’s hands

have free time

have to hand it to somebody

admire somebody and think they deserve praise

have/get itchy feet

have a strong desire to travel

hit the nail on the head

say exactly the right thing

hold one’s horses

wait, be patient

ill at ease

embarrassed, uncomfortable

in a jiffy

quickly

in a nutshell

briefly, in a few words

in the interests of

in order to achieve a certain aim

in the interim

in the meantime

in view of something

considering or taking into account a particular situation or fact

it’s a mystery to somebody

something is puzzling or hard to understand for someone

jog one’s memory

make one remember something

judging by

based on evidence or observation

jump for joy

extremely pleased or happy

keep one’s fingers crossed

hope that something will turn out well

keep oneself to oneself

live quietly, privately

keep out of harm’s way

keep out of danger

keep something under one’s hat

keep something secret

keep up with the Joneses

compete with others in status/material goods

knock somebody dead

impress somebody greatly

lend somebody a hand

give help to somebody

let your hair down

relax and enjoy yourself