UOE Inglesa IV idioms 9 to 12

An uknown quantity

A person or a thing whose abilities, powers, or effects are not yet known (The third candidate for the seat is a relatively unknown quantity.)

As a last resort

If all other methods fail (British police are supposed to use guns only as a last resort.)

At close quarters

(From) a short distance away (When you see famous people at close quarters, they always appear much smaller than you imagined them.)

To be in a quandary

To be in a state of not being able to decide what to do about a situation in which you are involved (I've had two job offers, and I'm in a real quandary about/over which one to accept.)

To beg the question

When a situation causes you to ask a particular question (To discuss the company's future begs the question of whether it has a future.)

To call it quits

To stop doing something (Let’s call it quits for today and get together first thing tomorrow.)

To cut someone to the quick

To hurt somebody’s feelings (Her thoughtless remark cut him to the quick.)

To hit the roof

To become very angry (Dad will hit the roof when he finds out I dented the car.)

To be in a rut

too fixed in one particular type of job or activity and needing to change (I need to change jobs - after 15 years here I feel I'm (stuck) in a rut.)

In the long run

At a time that is far away in the future (It seems a lot of effort but I'm sure it's the best solution in the long run.)

It stands to reason

Said when something is obvious ( If 20 percent of the earth's population has 80 percent of its resources, then it stands to reason that 80 percent of the population has only 20 percent of the resources.)

To keep something quiet

To not tell people about something (You're a qualified skiing instructor? You kept that quiet!)

To know the ropes

To understand the detail and procedure of a job (It’ll take you a while to get to know the ropes.)

Off the record

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

On the quiet

Secretly (His wife found out he'd been seeing someone on the quiet.)

Open to debate/dispute

Not certain (He says it's the best musical equipment you can buy, but I think that's open to dispute.)

Out of the question

not to be thought of as possible (It is quite out of the question for you to go out tonight.)

To put down roots

To feel that you belong in a place (Very quickly, settlers in Oregon built towns and put down roots.)

Work-to-rule

A form of protest in which employees do exactly what is stated in their contracts, and nothing more, in order to slow down production (A work-to-rule is seen as a way to protest against low pay or bad working conditions.)

To rack someone’s brain

To think very hard (I've been racking my brain all day but I can't remember her name.)

A long shot

Something you try although it is unlikely to be successful (It's a long shot, but you could try phoning him at home.)

To be all at sea

To be confused (I'm all/completely at sea with the new computer system.)

To be in someone’s shoes

To be in the situation, usually a bad or difficult situation, that another person is in (I wouldn't like to be in Mike's shoes when the boss hears what he's done!)

To be in the same boat

To be in the same unpleasant situation as other people (She's always complaining that she doesn't have enough money, but we're all in the same boat.)

To be the spitting image of someone

To look extremely familiar to someone (Josie is the spitting image of her granny at the same age.)

To be soaked to the skin

To be extremely wet, because rain or other water has gone through your clothes (We got soaked to the skin in a huge downpour.)

To have a close shave

To be in a situation in which you come very close to a dangerous situation (I had a close shave this morning - some idiot almost knocked me off my bike.)

Behind the scenes

In secret (A lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes.)

To come out of someone’s shell

To become more interested in other people and more willing to talk and take part in social activities (Derek has really come out of his shell since he started working here.)

Does it show?

Used to ask if an emotion, physical state, or hidden fact is visible or clear to other people (I am very nervous for this interview. Does it show?)

To give someone the slip

To escape from someone who is following or chasing you (The robber took to the rooftops, and that's how he gave the police the slip.)

For a song

Very cheapy (She bought the bed for a song at an auction.)

It goes without saying

Used to mean that something is obvious (Of course, it goes without saying that you'll be paid for the extra hours you work.)

To hit the sack

To go to bed (I’ve got a busy day tomorrow, so I think I’ll hit the sack.)

To live out of a suitcase

To travel often, not having a permanent home (Sarah's job involves so much travelling that she lives out of a suitcase.)

To make a scene

To behave in a loud, angry way in public (So he paid, too embarrassed to make a scene in front of his date.)

To do something on a shoestring

To do something with a very small amount of money (The film was made on a shoestring.)

To pull the strings

To be in control of an organization, often secretly (I want to know who's pulling the strings around here.)

To pull your socks up

To make an effort to improve your work or behaviour because it is not good enough (He's going to have to pull his socks up if he wants to stay in the team.)

To sleep on it

To wait before making a decision (Don’t give me an answer now – sleep on it and tell me whenever you’re ready.)

To smell a rat

To recognize that something is not as it appears to be or that something dishonest is happening (He's been working late with her every night this week - I smell a rat!)

To spill the beans

To tell people secret information (So who spilled the beans about her affair with David?)

To stand in someone’s way

To try to stop or prevent something or someone (You know I won't stand in your way if you want to apply for a job abroad.)

To take something with a pinch of salt

To not completely believe something that you are told, because you think it is unlikely to be true (You have to take everything she says with a pinch of salt, because she tends to exaggerate.)

The last straw

The latest problem in a series of problems, that makes a situation impossible to accept (The last straw was when the company fired most of the managers.)

Thick-skinned

Someone who is thick-skinned does not appear to be easily hurt by criticism (You do need to be thick-skinned to survive as a politician here.)

By trial and error

The process of experimenting with different methods until finding the most successful one (I learned how to bake the perfect loaf of sourdough bread mostly by trial and error.)

To be ahead of one’s time

To have ideas or produce work that is too advanced or innovative to be understood or appreciated by the society of that era (Leonardo da Vinci's designs for flying machines showed that he was centuries ahead of his time.)

To be as thick as a brick

To be exceptionally stupid or slow to understand (I tried explaining the rules of the game to him three times, but he's as thick as a brick.)

To be tickled pink

To be extremely pleased, happy, or delighted (She was tickled pink when she received the surprise gift.)

To come to a standstill

To slow down and completely stop; to reach a state where all movement or activity ceases (Traffic on the highway came to a complete standstill after the massive pile-up.)

To come to terms with

To gradually accept and learn to cope with a difficult or distressing situation (It took her several months to come to terms with the sudden loss of her job.)

For the time being

Temporarily; for the present moment (We are staying at my parents' house for the time being while our new apartment is being renovated.)

In a tick

Very quickly; in a very short amount of time (I just need to grab my keys and I'll be ready in a tick.)

In the nick of time

Just in time; at the last possible moment before it is too late (The paramedics arrived in the nick of time to save his life.)

To kill time

To engage in an activity to make time pass more quickly while waiting for something else to happen (We arrived at the airport three hours early, so we browsed the duty-free shops to kill time.)

To lay the table

To prepare a table for a meal by placing plates, cutlery, and glasses on it (Could you please lay the table while I finish cooking dinner?)

To not be one's cup of tea

Not to one's liking, preference, or taste (I can see why people enjoy horror movies, but they are just not my cup of tea.)

On second thoughts

After reconsidering a decision or opinion; having changed one's mind (I was going to walk to the store, but on second thoughts, it looks like it might rain so I'll drive.)

Out of turn

Speaking or acting at the wrong time, or saying something inappropriate, tactless, or presumptuous (I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but I feel we need to rethink this strategy.)

To paint the town red

To go out and celebrate exuberantly, typically by drinking, dancing, and visiting bars or clubs (After finishing their final exams, the students went out to paint the town red.)

To play truant

To stay away from school without permission or a valid reason (Instead of going to his afternoon classes, he decided to play truant and went to the cinema.)

To put two and two together

To draw a logical and obvious conclusion from the available facts or evidence (When I saw his car parked outside her house, I finally put two and two together.)

Red tape

Excessive bureaucracy or rigid adherence to official rules and formalities that delays or prevents action (We had to cut through a mountain of red tape just to get the permits approved for the new building.)

To take one’s time

To proceed slowly and without rushing; to do something at one's own pace (There is no need to hurry, so take your time looking through the menu.)

Through thick and thin

Under all circumstances, no matter how difficult or challenging; through good times and bad times (They have been best friends for twenty years and have supported each other through thick and thin.)

Touch and go

A delicate or precarious situation where the outcome is very uncertain (The doctor said it was touch and go for a few days after the accident, but she is finally recovering.)

To be all very well

To be acceptable or true in theory, but inadequate, unhelpful, or unsatisfactory when faced with reality or practical problems (It's all very well to talk about saving money, but when your car breaks down unexpectedly, those plans go out the window.)

To be on the up and up

To be becoming more successful, improving, or growing (Her career has been on the up and up ever since she started working in tech.)

To be up and about

To be out of bed and moving around normally after an illness, surgery, or period of rest (Even though she just had surgery yesterday, she was already up and about this morning.)

To drive somebody up the wall

To annoy, irritate, or exasperate someone intensely (The constant dripping of that leaky faucet is driving me up the wall.)

Frosty welcome

A reception that is cold, unfriendly, unwelcoming, or lacking in warmth and enthusiasm (The new manager received a frosty welcome from the staff when she announced major changes to their department.)

To get out of bed and on the wrong side

To be in a bad mood, irritable, or easily annoyed throughout the day, often starting right from when you wake up (Watch out for the manager today; he must have gotten out of bed on the wrong side because he's snapping at everyone.)

To get wind of

To hear about, discover, or find out secret, private, or confidential information (As soon as the media got wind of the celebrity's secret wedding, reporters rushed to the venue.)

To give vent to

To express or release strong emotions, feelings, or anger openly rather than keeping them bottled up (She slammed the door and began to give vent to her frustration about the unfair decision.)

To give way to

To surrender, submit, or yield to someone else's persuasion, demands, or a strong emotion (She tried to stay strong, but eventually gave way to tears.)

To not hold water

To fail to be logical, valid, or believable when examined closely, typically used to describe an argument, theory, or excuse (His explanation for being late doesn't hold water because the trains were running on time today.)

To make a flying visit

To pay a very brief or short visit to a place or person, staying only for a short time (She made a flying visit to her parents' house over the weekend before catching her flight back.)

To make waves

To create a disturbance, cause controversy, or attract a lot of attention by doing something unconventional or challenging the status quo (She wasn't afraid to speak her mind at the board meeting, even if it meant making waves.)

No/Little wonder

Unsurprising, natural, or expected given the circumstances (It's no wonder the team is exhausted; they've been practicing for six hours straight without a break.)

Quick/Slow on the uptake

Quick or slow in understanding, comprehending, or grasping new ideas, facts, or situations (He is usually quick on the uptake and learns new software within minutes, but today he's a bit slow on the uptake.)

Set in one’s ways

Stubbornly fixed or resistant to changing your habits, routines, beliefs, or behaviors (Grandpa is so set in his ways that he refuses to use a smartphone and still pays all his bills by check.)

To speak volumes

To express a great deal of information, meaning, or emotion clearly without using words (Her silence in response to the accusation spoke volumes about her guilt.)

Under the weather

Slightly ill, sick, or unwell (I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, so I think I'll stay home and rest.)

Up and coming

Making rapid progress, gaining popularity, or showing great potential for future success in a field or career (The gallery showcased works by several up and coming artists.)

Ups and downs

A mixture of good and bad times, successes and failures, or fortunate and unfortunate events throughout life or a specific process (Every long-term relationship has its ups and downs, but communication is key to getting through them.)

Wet behind the ears

Inexperienced, naive, or lacking worldly knowledge (Although he has a degree, he is still wet behind the ears when it comes to handling clients in the corporate world.)