USE OF ENGLISH ADVANCED UNIT 11

line one’s pockets with dosh

to earn money using dishonest or illegal methods

square the circle

to do something that is considered to be impossible

Chew the fat'

nhai tóp mỡ -> nghĩa là quây quần tán dóc.

wave/show/fly the flag

to show support for the country, group, or organization that you belong to

"Put the lid on"

Đậy nắp lên cái gì -> (từ lóng) là đỉnh cao của, là cực điểm của; gây ra sự thất bại của cái gì, ngăn cản sự gia tăng/phát triển của cái gì.

go through the motions

to do or say something because you have to, not because you really want to

go with the flow

to do what other people are doing or to agree with other people because it is the easiest thing to do

go against the grain

to be against a person’s wishes, feelings etc

go along with something/someone

to support an idea, or to agree with someone's opinion:

be in over one’s head

be involved in a difficult situation that you cannot get out of

Pushing up the daisies" ->

nghĩa là đã chết.

knock on wood

said in order to avoid bad luck, either when you mention good luck that you have had in the past or when you mention hopes you have for the future

off one’s hands

no longer needing to be looked after etc

pour/throw cold water on sth

to criticize someone's opinions or ideas and stop people believing them or being excited about them

a bone of contention

something that two or more people argue about strongly over a long period of time

sit in judgment on/over sb/sth

to make a judgment on someone/something especially when you have no right to do so

get a grip on yourself

to make an effort to control your emotions and behave more calmly

Toe the line'

tuân theo ý muốn hay mệnh lệnh của cấp trên, cho dù mình không đồng ý với họ

tighten your belt

to spend less money than you did before because you have less money

to cap it all

used when you mention something in addition to all the other (bad) things that have happened

If you go through hell and high water,

you experience a lot of difficulties

move heaven and earth

to do everything you can to achieve something

the end of the line/road

the point at which it is no longer possible to continue with a process or activity

go off the rails

to start behaving in a way that is not generally acceptable, especially dishonestly or illegally

take a back seat

to choose not to be in a position of responsibility in an organization or activity

take a wrong turn

to go the wrong way

'Run out of steam'

hết hơi (à là hơi nước, hơi khi đun nóng nhé mấy bạn) -> giảm/mất động lực, năng lượng làm gì.

If/when it comes to the crunch

if/when a situation becomes extremely serious and a decision must be made

come to a standstill

to slow down and finally stop; to stop completely. (Usually refers to something that is progressing, such as work, traffic, negotiations.)

come to a dead end

Literally, to reach the end of a route where one cannot continue traveling.

come to the boil->

if a situation or feeling comes to the boil, it starts to become more serious or dangerous

by hook or by crook

by any method possible

by any chance

used in enquiring about the possibility of something

trial and error

hoàn thành một việc bằng cách thử dùng những biện pháp khác nhau cho đến khi tìm được biện pháp đúng.

by all means

used to give permission