Fichas
Idioms 3
Fichas del conjunto (200)
- 1pretty much/well He's pretty much living on the breadlinealmost
- 2on the breadline Most families of the unemployed are on the breadline.to be very poor
- 3fork sth out (on sth) I forked out ten quid for/on the ticket.to pay an amount of money, especially unwillingly:
- 4to be better off / to be worse off Obviously we're better off now that we're both working.to have more money than you had in the past or more money than most other people:
- 5to fall back on The organization has no income and no reserves to fall back on.to use something for help because no other choice is available:
- 6get/lay my hands on As soon as I lay hands on the book, I'll call you,Find, obtain,
- 7pay sth off We should be able to pay off the debt within two years.to pay back money that you owe:
- 8pay one's own way wanted to go to Florida this spring, but my parents say I have to pay my own way.to pay for one's own transportation, entrance fees, tickets, room, board, etc. I
- 9bail someone out I was going to be late with my report, but my roommate lent a hand and bailed me out at the last minute.to rescue someone or something from trouble or difficulty.
- 10land sb in sth Revealing confidential information to a rival company could land you in serious trouble with your boss.to cause someone to be in a difficult situation:
- 11do sth off your own bat I didn't ask her to buy them a present - she did it off her own bat.to do something without anyone else telling you or asking you to do it:
- 12err on the side of caution 25 people have replied to the invitation, but I've erred on the side of caution and put out 30 chairs.to be especially careful rather than taking a risk or making a mistake:
- 13have money/time to play with If you inveting it means that you have money to play withhave enough money/time for doing sth
- 14as time goes by These relationships are constantly evolving and improving as time goes byas time passes
- 15put someone off I was put off by his appearance. The experience put me off politics.to discourage someone from doing something, or from liking someone or something:
- 16put off something The meeting has been put off for a week.to delay or move an activity to a later time, or to stop or prevent someone from doing something:
- 17hold on to something Hold on to the instructions in case you have any problems.to not lose something, or to not let someone else have it
- 18add sth on (to sth) We’ve added on a couple of rooms to the house.to include or build something extra:
- 19come to sth That comes to £25.to be a particular total when numbers or amounts are added together:
- 20bear fruit Eventually her efforts bore fruit and she got the job she wanted.If something that someone does bears fruit, it produces successful results:
- 21with your open eyes I went into this marriage with my eyes open.knowing about all the problems there could be with something you want to do:
- 22have more money than sense He celebrated the birth of the baby by buying a sports car. He's got more money than sense!if you have more money than sense, you have a lot of money which you waste by spending it in a foolish manner.
- 23living life in the fast lane Ashmead decided that life in the fast lane wasn't much fun anymore, he turned his attention to another kind of business.an exciting, active style of living that usually involves great wealth When
- 24think nothing of sth When I was younger, I thought nothing of riding my bike 50 miles in a day.to consider that an activity is easy and not unusual:
- 25not come cheap If you want a qualified accountant, their services don't come cheap.f you say that something does not come cheap, you mean that it is of good quality and is therefore expensive:
- 26splash out (on sth) They splashed out £3,000 on a holiday.spend a lot of money on buying things, especially things that are pleasant to have but that you do not need:
- 27cost and arm and a leg The repair work cost an arm and a leg.to be very expensive
- 28set foot in/on/inside sth He refuses to set foot in an art gallery.to go to a place:
- 29money is no object .Please show me your finest automobile. Money is no object.it does not matter how much something costs
- 30in the lap of luxury I live ...living in very comfortable conditions because you have a lot of money
- 31live beyond your means He'd been living beyond his meansto spend more money than you receive as income
- 32live (from) hand to mouth My father earned very little and there were four kids, so we lived from hand to mouth.to have just enough money to live on and nothing extra:
- 33going cheap They’ve got a load of furniture going cheap.being sold for a lower price than is usual
- 34put sth aside Let’s put aside our differences.to ignore or not deal with something:
save or keep sth fro future use - 35put down a deposit He might be able to put down a depositpay some money to reserve sth, before paying for it in full
- 36Teh last I heard The last I heard, she was expecting her second child.used for giving the newest information that you know about a particular subject
- 37to say the least It's going to be awkward, to say the least.used to show that what you are describing is in fact much more serious or important than you have suggested:
- 38it's the same old story It's the same old story - the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.said when talking about a bad situation that has happened many times before:
- 39in arrears with I'm paid a week in arrears.If someone is paid in arrears, they are paid at the end of the period of time during which the money was earned:
- 40your normal/usual self Did she seem her normal self?you're not looking or behaving as you usually do
- 41off-colour under the weather I noticed that the cat was looking a little under the weather.not completely well:
- 42feel / look like death warmed up He shouldn't be working when he's so ill - he looks like death warmed up!to look or feel very ill:
- 43throw up I spent all night throwing up.to vomit
- 44keel over He finished the bottle, stood up to leave, and keeled over.to fall over suddenly
- 45pass out I was hit on the head and passed out. to become unconscious for a short time, for example when ill, badly hurt, or drunk:
- 46wear off Most patients find that the numbness from the injection wears off after about an hour.If a feeling or the effect of something wears off, it gradually disappears:
- 47come down with I think I'm coming down with flu.to start to suffer from an illness, especially one that is not serious
- 48go (a)round He caught a nasty flu virus that’s been going around.go around something if something such as an illness or a piece of news is going around, people are giving or telling it to each other
- 49pick sth up you could have picked up a bug anywherecatch an infectious illness
- 50take things /it easy I wasn't feeling too good, so I thought I'd take it easy for a couple of days.to relax and not use too much energy
- 51on the mend She's still in the hospital, but she's definitely on the mend.becoming healthy after an illness:
- 52take a turn for the worse/better The patient took a turn for the worse. Business should take a turn for the better next month.become worse/better
- 53go downhill After his wife died, his health started to go downhill.to gradually become worse:
- 54it is touch-and-go (whether) precarious; delicate: major surgery followed by a touch-and-go recovery.Dangerous and uncertain in nature or outcome
- 55pull through sth They said the operation had been successful and they expected his wife to pull through.to become well again after a serious illness, especially when you might have died:
- 56feel/be out of sorts I've been feeling tired and headachy and generally out of sorts.to be slightly ill or slightly unhappy:
- 57swell up (part of the body) The toothache made her face swell up.hincharse
- 58come out in sth This heat has made me come out in an itchy red rash.If you come out in something, such as spots, they appear on your skin:
- 59go away It was weeks before the bruises went away.to disappear:
- 60check sth out Their story just didn’t check out.if information checks out, you feel that it is true after examining it
- 61touch wood People sometimes touch something made of wood when they say this Ben’s making a good recovery, touch wood.used when you have said that you have had good luck in order to prevent bad luck from happening to you.
- 62better safe than sorry to be on the safe side It may be time-consuming to check the oil in your car every time you buy gasoline, but better safe than sorry.said when you think it is best not to take risks even when it seems boring or difficult to be careful
- 63to block sb/sth in Another car had parked behind me and blocked me in.to put a vehicle so close to another vehicle that it cannot drive away:
- 64cut in (on sth/sb) You're in steady stream of traffic, but there's always someone trying to cut in in front of youto drive past a vehicle and move quickly in front of it in a dangerous way
- 65flag sb down I managed to flag down a passing police car.to cause a vehicle to stop by waving at its driver:
- 66pull over Just pull over here, and I'll get out and walk the rest of the way.If a vehicle pulls over, it moves to the side of the road and stops:
- 67get from A to B What’s the cheapest way of getting our products from A to B?from one place to another
- 68as the crow flies We’re only 10 miles away as the crow flies, but it’s an hour’s drive by road.used to say that a distance is measured in a straight line between two points or places
- 69be murder It's murder finding a parking space in town.to be very difficult to do:
- 70drop sb off We dropped our luggage off at the hotel and went sightseeing.to take someone or something to a particular place, usually by car, as you travel to a different place:
- 71cut it/things fine He left the hotel at 9 am, which was cutting it fine for his 9.15 meeting.to give yourself only a very short amount of time to do something
- 72at a snail's pace The roads were full of traffic and we were travelling at a snail's pace for two hours.extremely slowly:
- 73miles from anywhere/nowhere They live miles from nowhere, in the middle of the countryside.a long distance from other houses or a town:
- 74step/move up a gear After a disappointing first half, United moved up a gear and took control of the game.to start to do something better, especially in sports, in a way that is easy to see:
- 75down the road Lots of things will have changed a few years down the roadin the future:
- 76give (sb/sth) the green light The project has finally been given the green light.to give official approval for something to be done
- 77put sth/sb on the map The governor has managed to put this sleepy state on the map.to make a thing, person, or place famous:
- 78the end of the road/line We've struggled on for as long as we could, but now we're at the end of the line.the point at w#hich it is no longer possible to continue with a process or activity:
- 79tick over How's business?” “Oh, just ticking over.to run or proceed in a steady but slow way
if a car engine is ticking over, it is operating but the car is not moving - 80run out of steam The peace talks seem to have run out of steam.to suddenly lose the energy or interest to continue doing what you are doing:
- 81go off the rails He went off the rails in his first year at university.to start behaving in a way that is not generally acceptable, especially dishonestly or illegally:
- 82go down that road I’ve tried being reasonable with him and I don’t want to go down that road again.to take a particular course of action
- 83grab a bit to eat We don't have a lot of time, so let's just grab a quick bite to eat before the movie starts.A meal, often a small or quick one.
- 84be full up "want another beer bro?" "nah...i"m full up man."If you are full up you have eaten or drunk so much that you do not want to eat or drink anything else.
- 85pick at sth Charles picked at his food in a bored fashion.to eat only a small amount of your food, showing no interest or enjoyment while you eat it:
- 86make your mouth water The smell of that bacon cooking is making my mouth water.f the smell or sight of food makes your mouth water, it makes you want to eat it:
- 87leftovers some leftover chicken from last night's mealA leftover part of something is the part that has not been used or eaten when the other parts have been:
- 88polish sth off He polished off the whole pie.to finish something quickly and easily, especially a lot of food or work:
- 89by word of mouth All the orders were given by word of mouth so that no written evidence could be discovered later.in speech but not in writing:
- 90settle up with sb I must settle up with Jim for the bike I bought for him. Bob paid the whole restaurant bill and we all settled up with him later.to pay someone what one owes; to pay one one's share of something.
- 91burn sth to a crisp/cinder The cook burned the meat to a crisp.to burn something totally or very badly.
- 92I could eat a horse I've had nothing but a sandwich all day - I could eat a horse.something that you say when you are very hungry
- 93the best thing since sliced bread This new phone is the ...to be an excellent person or thing
- 94have sb eating out of your hand Within two minutes of walking into the classroom, she had the kids eating out of her hand.to easily make someone do or think what you want:
- 95have egg on your face This latest scandal has left the government with egg on its face.If you have egg on your face, you look stupid because of something that you have done:
- 96out of the frying pan, into the fire My last job was hard enough, but this one is awful. It's out of the frying pan, into the fire.said when you move from a bad or difficult situation to one that is worse
- 97couch potato This boy is a real couch potatoa person who watches a lot of television and does not have an active life
- 98bite off more than you can chew We bit off more than we could chew in our original reform proposals.to try to do something that is too difficult for you:
- 99butter wouldn't melt in her mouth Tommy looked as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.used when someone looks as if they would never do anything wrong, although you feel they might:
- 100have a finger in every pie He's one of these businessmen who's got a finger in every pie.to be involved in and have influence over many different activities, often in a way that people do not approve of
- 101cry over spilt milk Yes, we made a mistake, but there’s no point in crying over spilled milk.to express regret about something that has already happened or cannot be changed:
- 102full of beans I've never known anyone be so full of beans before breakfast.to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm:
- 103it is not for lack/lack of trying If we lose this match, it won’t be for want of trying.used for saying that someone is trying very hard to do something even though they might fail
- 104night after night The howling of wild animals kept him awake night after night. every night
- 105show signs of The animals showed no signs of being upset. The economy was beginning to show signs of recovery.used for talking about what seems to be happening
- 106next to nothing After the company closed, investors were left with next to nothing.almost nothing
- 107have nothing/somenthing/little/a lot to show for sth I worked for two weeks, and $50 was all I had to show for it. I've been trying to write this essay all day and I have nothing to show for it.If you have something/nothing to show for your work or effort, you have/have not won any advantage from it:
- 108turn over a new leaf Apparently he's turned over a new leaf and he's not smoking any more.to start behaving in a better way:
- 109apply yourself You can solve any problem if you apply yourself.If you apply yourself to something, you work hard at it, directing your abilities and efforts in a determined way so that you succeed:
- 110with flying colours I'm pleased to say I've just passed my university with flying colours
If you do something such as pass an exam with flying colours, you do it very successfully. - 111scrape through sth He managed to scrape through his final exams.to succeed in something but with a lot of difficulty:
- 112tell sb off The teacher told me off for swearing.to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong:
- 113as a matter of routine/course Safety precautions are observed as a matter of course.If something is done as a matter of course, it is a usual part of the way in which things are done and is not special:
- 114cut sth outstop doing sth, especially sth wrong
- 115mark down sb They’ll mark you down for poor spelling.to give a student a lower mark for their work for a particular reason
mark someone down for something: - 116two weeks / three years / four times runningone after another
- 117come on His French has really come on since last year.to improve
- 118in/by leaps and bounds The company is growing by leaps and bounds this year.very quickly, in large amounts
- 119can't make head nor tail of sth I can't make head nor tail of these instructions on the packet.to not be able to understand something:
- 120get your foot/toe in the door She got her foot in the door working as a researcher on a TV show.to get an opportunity to start working in an organization or business, especially when this will give you more opportunities in the future
- 121go over your head I tried to take in what he was saying about nuclear fusion, but most of it went over my head.too difficult or strange for you to understand:
- 122take sth in your stride Somehow the kids took all the confusion in stride.to calmly deal with something unpleasant and not let it have an effect on you:
- 123pin your hopes on sb/sth Don't pin your hopes on others.to hope very much that something or someone will help you to achieve what you want
- 124go it alone Do you need help, or will you go it alone? I think I need a little more experience before Ito do something by oneself.
- 125put all your eggs in one basket I'm applying for several jobs because I don't really want to put all my eggs in one basket.to depend for your success on a single person or plan of action:
- 126keep in with sb I like to keep in with my ex-employer, you never know when you might need a reference.to continue to try to be friendly with someone, especially because they can help you:
- 127keep your ear to the ground John had his ear to the ground, hoping to find out about new ideas in computers. His boss told him to keep his ear to the ground so that he'd be the first to know of a new idea.to pay attention to what is happening, so that you know about any changes in a situation
- 128on the grapevine I heard through the grapevine that he was leaving - is it true?to hear news from someone who heard the news from someone else:
- 129make name for yourself He's made a name for himself as a talented journalist.to become famous or respected by a lot of people:
- 130keep you feet on the groundto be very practical and see things as they really are
- 131close on He's close on 60very nearly
- 132part of the furnituresomething or someone so familiar that you no longer notice it, him, or her
- 133sb's face doesn't fit He'd always wanted to star in action movies but his face just didn't fit.If someone's face doesn't fit, their appearance or personality is not suitable for a job or other activity.
- 134take sb under your wing I was a little bit lonely at the time and she took me under her wing.if you take someone under your wing, you start to protect and take care of them:
- 135the tricks of the trade Journalists have to learn the tricks of the trade quickly if they want to get the good stories.methods that help you to do a job better or faster:
- 136pass sth on (to sb) That's good news – I'll pass it on to the rest of the team.to tell someone something that another person has told you:
- 137dead-end job The companies that take care of these outsourced tasks provide lots of "dead-end" jobs.a job in which there is no chance of progressing to a better, more important job
- 138take some doing It will take some doing to finish this before five o’clock.used for saying that something will be very difficult to do
- 139throw your weight around/about The bosses don't throw their weight around with meto act as if you have a lot of power or authority
- 140I got the push /boot/ elbowto be dismissed from a job
- 141shore sth up The new public relations manager has the difficult task of shoring up the company's troubled image.to support or improve an organization, agreement, or system that is not working effectively or that is likely to fail:
- 142management buyout / buy sth out The group yesterday confirmed it was still in talks which could lead to a management buyout.the situation in which a company's senior managers buy the company that they work for, or enough shares in it to get control of it:
- 143fall through We found a buyer for our house, but then the sale fell through.to fail to happen:
- 144at the eleventh hour We only received the signatures at the eleventh hour.at the last moment or almost too late:
- 145thanks to sb/ sth It's thanks to Sandy that I heard about the job.because of someone or something:
- 146bailout Three years of huge losses forced the bank to seek a government bailout.the act of helping a person or organization that is in difficulty, usually by giving or giving or lending money:
- 147hang in the balance The game hung in the balance until the last minute.If a situation is in the balance, it has reached a stage where it will soon be decided one way or another:
- 148on the verge of (doing) sth on the verge of collapse/success/tears/death/disaster/warIf you are on the verge of something or come to the verge of something, you are very close to experiencing it:
- 149pull out of sth They’ll be pulling the rest of the troops out by next spring.to leave or no longer be involved in something:
- 150stand aside It's time he stood aside and let a more qualified person do the job. to leave a job or position so that someone else can have it instead:
- 151go to the wall After nine months of massive losses the company finally went to the wall. to be destroyed or fail:
- 152catch sb on the hop I'm afraid you've caught me on the hop - I wasn't expecting you until next week.to do something when someone is not ready for it and is not able to deal with it:
- 153make a comeback/stage a comeback. After years in mediocre movies, she made a comeback on BroadwayAchieve a success after retirement or failure,
- 154do sth up I'd like to buy a run-down house and do it up.to repair or decorate a building so that it looks attractive:
- 155bring sb in We need to bring in an expert to deal with this problem.to ask someone to do a particular job:
- 156fall off Sales have been falling off recently.If the amount, rate, or quality of something falls off, it becomes smaller or lower:
- 157be in the doldrums Her career was in the doldrums during those years. unsuccessful or showing no activity or development:
- 158buck the trend This company is the only one to have bucked the trend of a declining industry.to be obviously different from the way that a situation is developing generally, especially in connection with financial matters:
- 159branch out (into sth) This designer has recently branched out into children's wear.to start to do something different from what you usually do, especially in your job:
- 160win sb/sth back The telecoms giant cut prices in a move to win back customers from competitors.to get something that you had before but lost temporarily:
- 161slim down The firm had to slim downcut the number of jobs...
- 162be eating into The high cost of living in London is eating into my savings.to use or take away a large part of something valuable, such as money or time:
- 163the going rate the going rate for sth The going rate for a skilled architect in India is about $50,000 per year.the amount of money that something costs at the present time:
- 164play sb/sth off against sb/sth Management policy seemed to be to play one department off against another.to encourage one person or group to compete or argue with another, hoping to gain some advantage from this situation:
- 165cut out the middleman Why don’t you cut out the middleman and tell him what you think yourself?to deal directly with someone instead of talking to their representatives, or to avoid unnecessary stages in a process
- 166be in the right place at the right moment The key to success is to be in the right place at the right time.in the best position or place to take advantage of an opportunity:
- 167pay off All her hard work paid off in the end, and she finally passed the exam.If something you have done pays off, it is successful:
- 168a roaring success The party was a roaring success.something that is very successful:
- 169in/within a short space of time In a short space of time he was promoted from sales rep to area manager.before much time has passed
- 170rest on your laurels Just because you've got your degree doesn't mean you can rest on your laurels.to be satisfied with your achievements and not to make an effort to do anything else:
- 171plough sth back (into sth) All the profits are being ploughed back into the company.to spend the money that a business has earned on improving that business:
- 172be going strong After fifty years, the town's theatre is still going strong.to continue to exist and be successful or work well, after a long period:
- 173in retrospect In retrospect, I think my marriage was doomed from the beginning.
thinking now about something in the past: - 174keep/stay one step/jump ahead of sb/sth . Al kept one step ahead of Detective Rogers. Try to keep one step ahead of the investigators.to be or stay slightly in advance of someone or something
- 175miss the boat There were tickets available last week, but he missed the boat by waiting till today to try to buy some.to lose an opportunity to do something by being slow to act:
- 176delude yourself The President was deluding himself if he thought he was safe from such action...If you delude yourself, you let yourself believe that something is true, even though it is not true.
- 177flood the market Cheap imported goods are flooding the market.to make such a large number of goods or services available for sale that they cannot all be sold and the price falls
- 178cut corners When things got difficult we tried cutting cornersto not do a job as thoroughly as you should, especially because you want to finish it quickly or save money
- 179false economy When things got difficult we tried cutting corners it proved a false economysomething that you do because you think it will save you money, but in fact it costs you more
- 180be in deep water The Democrats are in deep water over their plans for tax increases.to be in or get into serious trouble:
- 181sell upto sell all (the possessions or assets) of (a bankrupt debtor) in order to discharge his debts as far as possible
- 182cut your losses The U.S. Government eventually decided to cut its losses with regard to the Vietnam War, and by the early 1970s withdrew all of its military forces from Southeast Asia.to extricate yourself from an impossible situation, where there is very little or no hope for improvement.
- 183top-heavy Looking back, I think our staff structure was top-heavya company or organization that is top-heavy has too many workers at senior level and not enough at junior level
- 184keep an eye on Will you keep your eye on my suitcase while I go to get the tickets?to watch or take care of something or someone:
- 185put/set sth up We have a little area set up for serving food.to prepare or arrange something for use (temporary things)
- 186roll up They rolled up at the party two hours late and rather drunk.to arrive at a particular place or event, usually late:
- 187make do (with sth) Can you make do with $5 for now and I’ll give you the rest tomorrow?to use what is available although it is not enough or what you wanted:
- 188leave sth /sb behind I think I must have left my keys behind.to forget to take something or someone with you:
- 189Come in handy/useful Keep it, it might come in useful. The money will come in handy when I want to travel.to be useful for a particular purpose:
- 190take the easy way out As soon as things got difficult he took the easy way out.what is easiest in a difficult situation
- 191wear yourself/sb out She was worn out from looking after her elderly mother. You need a holiday or you’ll wear yourself out.to make someone feel very tired
- 192go easy on sth The doctor told me to go easy on the spicy food for a while.to not take or use too much of something:
- 193have your doubts about sth He might be telling the truth, but I have my doubts.to have reasons why you do not feel certain about someone or something
- 194tip down We have a football match scheduled for tomorrow, but if it keeps tipping down like it is today,To be raining very heavily.
- 195be/get soaked to the skin I forgot my umbrella and got soaked to the skin when I had to go out this afternoon.to be extremely wet
- 196hold off the rain holds off.If rain or a storm holds off, it does not start immediately.
- 197kick off / opp. wind up We like to kick off the summer by having friends over for a barbecue.to begin something in a particular way
- 198stumble across/on/upon something We stumbled across him in the library.to find something, or to meet someone, by accident
- 199pull out of sth I pulled the arrow out of the injured soldier and tried to stop the bleeding. I pulled out the arrow.to withdraw something from someone or something.
- 200put sth on She put on a wonderful meal for us.to produce or provide something, especially for the good of other people or for a special purpose:
Información
- Descripción
- CAE English Fichas sobre Idioms 3, creado por Oscar Altide el 16/01/2017.
- Creado por
- Oscar Altide
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