Idioms, collocations, phrasal verbs and sayings

a piece of cake

very easy

dead

end

run the show

be in charge of a situation, organization, etc.

be on cloud nine

to be very happy

a couch potato

a person who watches a lot of television and does not have an active style of life

bite the bullet

to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation

go back to the drawing board

start again from the beginning

kill two birds with one stone

to accomplish two different things at the same time

like riding a bike

once you learn how to do something, you never forget it

face the music

accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions

it's not my thing

I don't like it

call it a day

to decide to stop working, especially because you have done enough or you are tired

a backseat driver

a person who gives unwanted advice or directions

spill the beans

to tell something that someone else wanted you to keep a secret

under the radar

not detected or noticed

a nest egg

an amount of money that you have saved so that you can use it for something special in the future

be born with the silver spoon in one's mouth

to be born in a rich family

take something with a grain of salt

to not completely believe what someone tells you, because you know that they do not always tell the truth

get out of hand

to become uncontrolled

cut someone some slack

to be less strict with someone

so far so good

everything is fine up to this moment

Break a leg!

Good luck!

beat around the bush

to avoid or delay talking about something embarrassing or unpleasant

nip something in the bud

to stop something before it has an opportunity to develop

the last straw

the latest problem in a series of problems, that makes a situation impossible to accept

in a nutshell

very briefly, giving only the main points

be bad to the bone

completely bad and evil; pure evil

I know it in my bones

to have a strong feeling about something

bear with me

be patient with me

wrap one's head around something

to understand something

in a fog

in a great confusion

when pigs fly

something that will never happen

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

it is hard to achieve something important without causing unpleasant effects

double

edged sword

get wind of something

to find out about something that was secret or not known before

a storm in a teacup

a lot of fuss about something that is not important

every cloud has a silver lining

there is something good in every bad situation

be in the bag

to be sure of winning or sure of getting something

up in the air

undecided, uncertain

hit the road

to start a journey

pull oneself together

to force yourself to stop behaving in a nervous, frightened, or uncontrolled way

to cut to the chase

leave out all the unnecessary details and just get to the point

go with the flow

to accept a situation without trying to change it

hit the sack

to go to bed

something is not rocket science

used to say that something is not difficult to do or understand

pull someone's leg

to joke, to kid or trick someone

play it by ear

to decide what to do according to the way a situation develops, without making plans before that time

chase rainbows

try to achieve the impossible

the best of both worlds

a situation in which you can enjoy the advantages of two very different things at the same time

awesome

very good

swanky

very fashionable and expensive

to keep/have one's finger on the pulse (of something)

to be aware of the latest things that are happening in (a certain industry, area, etc.)

have a tiger by the tail

to have a very difficult problem to solve

get a second wind

to have increased energy or strength after feeling tired or weak

by no means

in no way; not at all

make ends meet

to have only just enough money to buy the things you need

go off without a hitch

to happen successfully without any problems

take a rain check on something

used to tell someone that you cannot accept an invitation now, but would like to do so at a later time

blow off steam

to get rid of negative or bad feelings

speak of the devil

this expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives

cut corners

to save time, money, or energy by doing things quickly and not as carefully as you should

it beats me

used to say that you do not know something, or cannot understand or explain it

don't try to fit a square peg in a round hole

don't try to make something fit that, by its very nature, cannot

a perfect storm

the worst possible situation

the apple of someone's eye

a person or a thing that one cherishes the most

take somebody's word for it

to believe what someone says without any proof

we'll cross that bridge when we come to it

we'll deal with that problem when it actually happens

come rain or shine

whatever happens, no matter what

at a push

with some difficulty, by making a special effort

add insult to injury

to make a bad situation even worse

own up to (doing) something

to admit that you have done something wrong, especially something that is not serious

comparing apples and oranges

comparing two things that cannot be compared

drop

dead gorgeous

smell a rat

to suspect something is wrong

fall through the cracks

to not be noticed or dealt with

turn a blind eye to something

to deliberately ignore something that you know should not be happening

to test the water(s)

to check people's reaction to a plan before you decide to use it

keep your chin up

used to tell someone to make an effort to stay brave and confident when they are in a difficult situation

don't give up

keep trying

Roger (that)

I understand; got it

show one's true colours

to reveal one's true character; to show what one is really like

that's that

an expression that shows that something has ended

a drop in the bucket

a small, insignificant amount

drive somebody bananas

to annoy or irritate someone; to drive one crazy

go down the tubes

be wasted

go spare

get extremely angry

go ahead

used to give someone permission to do something, or let them speak before you

throw someone for a loop

to completely surprise or shock someone

beat the clock

do something within the deadline

do one's best

try as hard as possible

go bananas

to become extremely angry or excited

dead duck

someone or something that is very unlikely to be successful, especially because of a mistake or bad judgment

be second to none

to be the best

fight fire with fire

to use the same methods as your opponents in an argument, competition etc

be full of beans

to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm

ignorance is bliss

used to say that if you do not know about a problem, you cannot worry about it

day in and day out

done or happening every day for a long period of time

the time is ripe

used to say it is a very suitable time for something to happen

play + adjective; play the + noun

to pretend to be; to describe how someone behaves, when they are deliberately behaving in a certain way or like a certain type of person

at the eleventh hour

at the last possible moment