Idiomatic Expressions 19

Vocabulary practice and idiomatic expressions covering common house, town, material, and behavior-related terms from lecture notes.

Lay the foundations of

Start sth important/build the base.

I have no foundation

Not based / no evidence.

Without foundation

Baseless/groundless

Foundation course

Beginner Course

Foundation stone

First stone of a building OR symbolic beginning

Move house

Change home

On the house

Free

House work

Cleaning/cooking

Housekeeping

Managing a home OR general maintenance

Housekeeper

Person who cleans

House wife

Women managing the home.

Houseproud

Very proud of keeping the house clean.

Mark sth with/on

Put a sign on

Leave a mark on

Have a strong effect

Burn/scratch/etc mark

Damage sign

The halfway mark

Middle point

Be quick/slow off the mark

React fast /slow

Hit/miss the mark

Succeed/ fail

Material goods/possessions

Physical things you own (money, Object)

Material rewards

Money /prizes (not emotional rewards)

Material resources

Money

Raw material(s)

Basic natural substances.

A matter of

sth depends on

In a matter of (days, etc)

Very quickly

No matter how/what

Doesn't change the result

To make matters worse

Make a bad situation worse

As a matter of fact/course/urgency

Actually, in Reality / naturally automatically

A matter of opinion

People may disagree

Subject matter

Topic /content

Precious metal

Valuable metal (gold, silver, platinum).

Metal detector

Machine that finds metal objects

Shape sth into

Form into

Take the shape of

Become that form

Take shape

Begin to develop/become clear

All shapes & sizes

Many different types

In/out of shape

Great fit /unfit

Keep a sharp eye on

Watch carefully

Sharp rise/increase/drop/fall

Sudden big Change

Sharp criticism

Strong/ harsh Criticism

To have a sharp tongue

Speaks in a hurtful way

Smooth the way for

Make sth easier

Smooth-talking

Very persuasive with words (sth not honest)

Smooth sailing

Easy progress, no problems.

Smooth operator

Someone Charming & clever socially

On the surface

Apparently at first glance.

Beneath/under the surface

Hidden truth

Surface area

Total outside area.

Kitchen surface

Work top

Set/clear/lay the table

Prepare/remove dishes

Table a proposal (UK)

Formally present sth for discussion

On the table

Being discussed/available

Table manners

Polite behavior when eating

Timetable

Schedule

Get tough with

Become strict or severe with someone.

Tough on you

Strict/severe toward

Tough luck

Bad luck

Tough love

Being strict because you want to help someone improve

Tough guy

Strong /aggressive or fearless

Town planning

Designing how a city/town is built

The town of

Used to name a town

The outskirts/edge of town

Outer areas, far from the Center

Town Centre

Main Central area with shops & offices

Window-shopping

Looking at shop display without shopping

Window dressing

Literal: decorating shop; Figurative: sth that only looks apart but has no real effect

Out (of) the window

Gone/lost/ no longer important

A window on /onto/into

Sth that gives a view or insight into sth.