16-20 Idioms Flashcards

run out of steam

lose energy or interest

go off the rails

start behaving in an unacceptable way

[amount of time] down the line

[amount of time] later

back on track

again on the way to achieving something

at/behind the wheel

be the driver

in the driving seat

to be in control of the situation

life in the fast lane

life that is active, exciting and dangerous

life in the slow lane

life that is lacking in excitement and danger

doing a U-turn

changing direction completely

go/move/step up a gear

start to work or play more effectively or quickly than before

be flying high

be very successful

fly by the seat of your pants

do something difficult without much experience or ability

do something on autopilot

do something without thinking

take a nosedive

go down suddenly and fast

be on a collision course

behave in such a way that is likely to cause a major disagreement or fight

come to a standstill

stop

be the cat's whiskers

better than everyone else (used as in arrogance and self-confidence)

not have a cat in hell's chance

have no chance at all

it's a dog life

life is hard and unpleasant

dog in the manger

keeping something so that other people can't use it, not because you really want it yourself

flog a dead horse

waste time trying to do something that won't succeed

straight from the horse's mouth

from the person concerned/involved

until the cows come home

for a very long time

sort the sheep from the goats

find the people or things of high quality from a group of mixed quality

might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb

might as well do something more serious as you are going to be punished anyway

shed crocodile tears

to fake sadness, grief, or sympathy to manipulate or deceive others

as sick as a parrot

extremely disappointed

a leopard can't change its spots

a person's character, especially if it is bad, will not change, even if they pretend that it will

cry wolf

call for help when it is not needed, with the effect that one is not believed when one really does need help

a wolf in sheep's clothing

someone or something that seems to be good but is actually not good at all

the elephant in the room

a major problem or controversial issue that is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so

bury your head in the sand

refuse to think about unpleasant facts or problems because you do not want to deal with them

head and shoulders above

a lot better than

to be one in the eye for

a disappointment for

have a good head for

is good at something; collocates strongly with business, figures or heights

hold/bite my tongue

stop myself from saying something which I really want to say

there's more to sth than meets the eye

it is more difficult to understand or involves more things than one thought

get one's tongue around

pronounce

put one's heads together

plan sth together

teething troubles

problems in the early stages of doing sth new

sth has gone to one's head

sth has made sb think they are very important and made them a less pleasant person

get one's teeth into

become involved in sth enthusiastically

lose face

lose the respect of others

one's face doesn't fit

one's appearance or personality is not suitable for the job

face-saving

done so that other people will continue to respect you

would give one's right arm for

would very much like to have

tread on one's toes

do something that could upset someone by getting involved in something that is their responsibility

point the finger at

accuse of being responsible for

make one's toes curl

make one feel extremely embarrassed or ashamed for someone else

keep one's finger to the pulse

stay up-to-date

Monopoly money

money that has no value and is used only in games

the dice were loaded against sb

sb would be unlikely to succeed

dice with death

take a great risk

poker-faced

expressionless

hold all the cards

to be in a strong position

keep/play one's cards close to one's chest

not reveal one's plans

play one's ace/trump card

use one's advantage, especially one others don't know about

move the goalposts

change the rules in a situation in a way that is not fair

knock sb for six

surprise and upset sb

get the red card

receive official criticism for bad behaviour

it's just not cricket

it's not right or fair behaviour; usually used humorously

a whole new ball game

a completely different situation

play hardball

be so determined to get what sb wants that they use unfair methods

take a rain check

something you say when you have to refuse someone's invitation to something that you would like to do at another time

not pull any punches

speak in an honest and direct way without trying to be tactful

be/feel punch-drunk

to be tired and confused

below the belt

an unfair attack

throw in the sponge/towel

admit defeat

Achilles' heel

a small, fatal weakness in an otherwise strong person or system

Pandora's box

a process that generates many complicated problems as the result of unwise interference in something

the Midas touch

the ability to make money out of anything one undertakes

a Trojan horse

a person or thing that joins and deceives a group or organization in order to attack it from the inside

the sword of Damocles

an imminent, ever-present, and inescapable peril or disaster hanging over someone in a position of power or prosperity

fiddle while Rome burns

be concerned with relatively trivial matters while ignoring the serious or disastrous events going on around one

rest on one's laurels

be so satisfied with what one has already achieved that one makes no further effort

leave no stone unturned

try every possible course of action in order to achieve something

the writing on the wall

clear signs that something will fail or no longer exist

the halcyon days

a very happy or successful period in the past

turn the other cheek

to decide not to do anything to hurt someone who has hurt you

a Pyrrhic victory

a victory that is not worth winning because the winner has lost so much in winning it

fall on one's sword

to take personal responsibility or blame for a failure, mistake, or scandal

parting shot

a remark that you make when you are leaving, so that it has a stronger effect

epic proportions

something of immense, colossal, or monumental size, importance, or intensity