Idiom in use(1)

English idioms in use advanced

Put your foot in it

+I really put my foot in it when I asked her how her boyfriend was,forgetting they had broken up last week.

To accidentally say or do sth embarassing,or offensive that upsets or compromises someone else

Take a shine to sb

To immediately like someone you just met

A flash in the pan

A short-lived success or one-hit wonder

Safe and sound

Bình an vô sự(=Unharmed)

See eye to eye

To agree completely with someone

Sink like a stone

To fail totally and fast

Prick one’s ears up

To start listening carefully

Go up in the world

To gain better social position and become more successful

Knock into shape

To improve sth that is in a bad or messy state

Run its course

To come to a natural end overtime

Open the door to sth

Mở đường cho điều gì đó

Like it or lump it

Accept a bad situation because you have no other choice

Like a rabbit caught in the headlights

So frightened,suprised,or nervous that a person cannot move,speak,or think clearly

Take centre stage

+It was left to Heather to take centre stage in the negotiations.

To be at the centre of attention

Combine/Join forces

+The media club and the English contest crew decided to join forces to produce a highly polished promotional video for the upcoming symposium.

To act together or combine resources with someone else in order to achieve a common goal.

Pull rank(on)

+He doesn’t have the authority to pull rank on me.

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

Get/Take the flak

+As the main director,I had to take the flak when the team’s final presentation video was accidentally corrupted right before the submission deadline.

To receive severe criticism,blame,or judgment for something you have done or are responsible for

Get marching orders

+After being caught inadvertently leaking the school’s advanced English tracking sheets to a rival team,the assistant got his marching orders.

Be dismissed/Get the sack

See sense/reason

+We talked to her for an hour,but we couldn’t make her see sense.

To be reasonable and have good judgment

See the light

+It wasn’t until I was in despair after failing that I saw the light and started to work hard.

Suddenly understand something you didn’t understand before

See red

+I saw red when I could'n’t give up doomscrolling.

Become very angry

Black mark

+If I’m late for work again,it will be another black mark against me.

Record of bad behaviour

Be at a crossroads

+I was at a crossroads bewteen being a teacher or studying abroad.

To be in a stage of important decision

Road to Damscus

An experience you have that you consider to be very important and that changes your life. ~Significant transformation

Go/get nowhere

+He was trying to persuade her to let him drive,but he was getting nowhere fast.

Make no progress

Get off on the right foot

+He really got off on the right foot with his plan.

To make a successful start

[Đi đúng hướng]

Uncharted territory/waters

+Unfortunately,this section accidentally examined my uncharted territory of new lesson.

Unknown area of experience

Have something up your sleeve

+I always have a great idea of achieving NEC up my sleeve.

To have secret plans or ideas

From the cradle to the grave

From birth to death

Every tom,dick and harry

+This was not information for every Tom,Dick and Harry to have access to.

Ordinary people

Out of your own pocket

+I had to pay for the repairs out of my own pocket.

Pay yourself

Like a bear with a sore head

+When i was under the weather,I’m like a bear with a sore head.

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

The good old days

+I love talking with my grandma about the good old days.

A time in the past when you believe life was better

Someone’s/Something’s days are numbered

+The lastest vote suggest that his days as leader are numbered.

will not exist much longer

Someone’s/Something’s claim to fame

This little town’s only claim to fame is that the president was born here.

A reason why some one or something is famous

At a loss for words

+I was at a loss for words when I witnessed my cousin’s laziness.

Speechless

Tie the knot

Get married

Fringe benefits

+Fringe benefits include a company car and free health insurance

extra benefits from job

Be blown away

+I was blown away by the massive knowlegde required for NEC.

Amazed by something

On the same wavelength

+Luckily,my husband and I are on the same wavelength about how to raise our kids.

Thinking in the same way as someone else

Be part and parcel of something

+Being recognized in the street is part and parcel of being a celebrity.

To be a feature that cannot be avoided of something

Burn a hole in someone’s pocket

+When i received my first salary,I want to burn a hole in my pocket to have a big meal.

to be eager to spend money

Get one’s act together

+She’s so disorganized - I wish she’d get her act together.

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

Sit on the fence

+You can’t sit on the fence any longer - you have to decide whose side you’re on.

To delay making a decision

Back to square one

+It is never too late to back to square one.

Start again from the beginning

(Right) off the bat

+You can’t expect to be accepted in a new town right off the bat.

Immediately

Throw a curveball

+Just when you think you have life figured out,it throws you a curveball.

Suprise with difficulty

Bat a thousand

+We’re batting a thousand,here, since we got both boys to school with time to spare.

To do something perfectly,extremely well

Drop the ball

+For God’s sake don’t drop the ball on this - we’re relying on you.

Do something stupid/careless

Catch/Cop/Get some z’s

+All I want to do is go home and catch some z’s.

To sleep

Fresh out of something

+I’m sorry,there are no chocolate brownies - We’re fresh out of them.

Just finished supply,have no more left

Be a dime a dozen or Be two/ten a penny

+Pseudo-intellectual books like this are a dime a dozen.

To be common and/or of very little value

Take the biscuit/cake

+And you say she’s opening your letters now?Oh,that really takes the biscuit.

To be especially annoying,surprising or to be the worst or best of its kind

Be off someone’s radar

+We recycle our waste ,but what happens to it afterwards is completely off our radar.

Be forgotten