Good omens

crass and indolent

The new employee turned out to be (rude and lazy/insensitive and idle), often making offensive jokes while avoiding work.

pious

Her grandmother is deeply (religious/devout), spending every morning in prayer and never missing a Sunday service.

have the heart for/feel up to

I just didn’t (feel strong enough/want to) telling him the truth about failing the exam after he came home so excited.

have to do with

That argument doesn’t (relate to/be connected with) me, so I’d prefer to stay out of it.

break hard

The taxi driver had to (stop suddenly/press the brakes strongly) when a cyclist cut across the road.

see to it

The teacher told me to (make sure/check) that all the students signed the form before class ended.

bawl smb out

The manager (shouted at/scolded) the waiter in front of customers for mixing up the orders.

stifling injustice

Growing up under such (cruel and unfair/oppressive) laws left people feeling hopeless and powerless.

go on at smb

She constantly (nagged/criticized) her brother for not helping around the house, which annoyed him even more.

skid mark

After the crash, there was a long (brake trace/tire mark) across the highway showing where the car had swerved.

cast around

When the project failed, the team began to (search/look everywhere) for new ideas to save the company.

get around to

I keep meaning to call my aunt, but I never (manage/find time) to actually do it.

have no middle gear/off switch

When he’s working, he (either does nothing or works nonstop/has no balance), staying up all night to finish tasks.

have a line/inside track to

She has an (advantage/direct access) to the internship because her uncle is one of the directors.

hit and miss

His advice is really (unreliable/sometimes good, sometimes bad) — sometimes it helps, and other times it just makes things worse.

slot into place

After months of practice, all the pieces of the routine finally (fit together/made sense) during the performance.

average out

Some weeks are tough, but over the year the profits should (balance/become even) and keep the company stable.