Idioms 3

Question	Answer
pretty much/well He's pretty much living on the breadline	almost
on the breadline Most families of the unemployed are on the breadline.	to be very poor
fork sth out (on sth) I forked out ten quid for/on the ticket.	to pay an amount of money, especially unwillingly:
to 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:
to 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:
get/lay my hands on As soon as I lay hands on the book, I'll call you,	Find, obtain,
pay sth off We should be able to pay off the debt within two years.	to pay back money that you owe:
pay 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
bail 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.
land 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:
do 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:
err 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:
have money/time to play with If you inveting it means that you have money to play with	have enough money/time for doing sth
as time goes by These relationships are constantly evolving and improving as time goes by	as time passes
put 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:
put 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:
hold 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
add sth on (to sth) We’ve added on a couple of rooms to the house.	to include or build something extra:
come to sth That comes to £25.	to be a particular total when numbers or amounts are added together:
bear fruit Eventually her efforts bore fruit and she got the job she wanted.	If something that someone does bears fruit, it produces successful results:
with 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:
have 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.
living 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
think 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:
not 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:
splash 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:
cost and arm and a leg The repair work cost an arm and a leg.	to be very expensive
set foot in/on/inside sth He refuses to set foot in an art gallery.	to go to a place:
money is no object .Please show me your finest automobile. Money is no object.	it does not matter how much something costs
in the lap of luxury I live ...	living in very comfortable conditions because you have a lot of money
live beyond your means He'd been living beyond his means	to spend more money than you receive as income
live (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:
going cheap They’ve got a load of furniture going cheap.	being sold for a lower price than is usual
put sth aside Let’s put aside our differences.	to ignore or not deal with something: save or keep sth fro future use
put down a deposit He might be able to put down a deposit	pay some money to reserve sth, before paying for it in full
Teh 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
to 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:
it'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:
in 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:
your normal/usual self Did she seem her normal self?	you're not looking or behaving as you usually do
off-colour under the weather I noticed that the cat was looking a little under the weather.	not completely well:
feel / 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:
throw up I spent all night throwing up.	to vomit
keel over He finished the bottle, stood up to leave, and keeled over.	to fall over suddenly
pass 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:
wear 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:
come down with I think I'm coming down with flu.	to start to suffer from an illness, especially one that is not serious
go (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
pick sth up you could have picked up a bug anywhere	catch an infectious illness
take 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
on the mend She's still in the hospital, but she's definitely on the mend.	becoming healthy after an illness:
take 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
go downhill After his wife died, his health started to go downhill.	to gradually become worse:
it is touch-and-go (whether) precarious; delicate: major surgery followed by a touch-and-go recovery.	Dangerous and uncertain in nature or outcome
pull 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:
feel/be out of sorts I've been feeling tired and headachy and generally out of sorts.	to be slightly ill or slightly unhappy:
swell up (part of the body) The toothache made her face swell up.	hincharse
come 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:
go away It was weeks before the bruises went away.	to disappear:
check sth out Their story just didn’t check out.	if information checks out, you feel that it is true after examining it
touch 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.
better 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
to 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:
cut in (on sth/sb) You're in steady stream of traffic, but there's always someone trying to cut in in front of you	to drive past a vehicle and move quickly in front of it in a dangerous way
flag sb down I managed to flag down a passing police car.	to cause a vehicle to stop by waving at its driver:
pull 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:
get from A to B What’s the cheapest way of getting our products from A to B?	from one place to another
as 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
be murder It's murder finding a parking space in town.	to be very difficult to do:
drop 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:
cut 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
at a snail's pace The roads were full of traffic and we were travelling at a snail's pace for two hours.	extremely slowly:
miles from anywhere/nowhere They live miles from nowhere, in the middle of the countryside.	a long distance from other houses or a town:
step/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:
down the road Lots of things will have changed a few years down the road	in the future:
give (sb/sth) the green light The project has finally been given the green light.	to give official approval for something to be done
put 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:
the 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:
tick 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
run 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:
go 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:
go 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
grab 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.
be 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.
pick 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:
make 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:
leftovers some leftover chicken from last night's meal	A leftover part of something is the part that has not been used or eaten when the other parts have been:
polish sth off He polished off the whole pie.	to finish something quickly and easily, especially a lot of food or work:
by 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:
settle 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.
burn sth to a crisp/cinder The cook burned the meat to a crisp.	to burn something totally or very badly.
I 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
the best thing since sliced bread This new phone is the ...	to be an excellent person or thing
have 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:
have 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:
out 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
couch potato This boy is a real couch potato	a person who watches a lot of television and does not have an active life
bite 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:
butter 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:
have 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
cry 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:
full of beans I've never known anyone be so full of beans before breakfast.	to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm:
it 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
night after night The howling of wild animals kept him awake night after night.	every night
show 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
next to nothing After the company closed, investors were left with next to nothing.	almost nothing
have 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:
turn 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:
apply 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:
with 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.
scrape through sth He managed to scrape through his final exams.	to succeed in something but with a lot of difficulty:
tell sb off The teacher told me off for swearing.	to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong:
as 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:
cut sth out	stop doing sth, especially sth wrong
mark 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:
two weeks / three years / four times running	one after another
come on His French has really come on since last year.	to improve
in/by leaps and bounds The company is growing by leaps and bounds this year.	very quickly, in large amounts
can'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:
get 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
go 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:
take 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:
pin 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
go it alone Do you need help, or will you go it alone? I think I need a little more experience before I	to do something by oneself.
put 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:
keep 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:
keep 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
on 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:
make name for yourself He's made a name for himself as a talented journalist.	to become famous or respected by a lot of people:
keep you feet on the ground	to be very practical and see things as they really are
close on He's close on 60	very nearly
part of the furniture	something or someone so familiar that you no longer notice it, him, or her
sb'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.
take 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:
the 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:
pass 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:
dead-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
take 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
throw your weight around/about The bosses don't throw their weight around with me	to act as if you have a lot of power or authority
I got the push /boot/ elbow	to be dismissed from a job
shore 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:
management 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:
fall through We found a buyer for our house, but then the sale fell through.	to fail to happen:
at the eleventh hour We only received the signatures at the eleventh hour.	at the last moment or almost too late:
thanks to sb/ sth It's thanks to Sandy that I heard about the job.	because of someone or something:
bailout 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:
hang 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:
on the verge of (doing) sth on the verge of collapse/success/tears/death/disaster/war	If you are on the verge of something or come to the verge of something, you are very close to experiencing it:
pull 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:
stand 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:
go to the wall After nine months of massive losses the company finally went to the wall.	to be destroyed or fail:
catch 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:
make a comeback/stage a comeback. After years in mediocre movies, she made a comeback on Broadway	Achieve a success after retirement or failure,
do 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:
bring sb in We need to bring in an expert to deal with this problem.	to ask someone to do a particular job:
fall off Sales have been falling off recently.	If the amount, rate, or quality of something falls off, it becomes smaller or lower:
be in the doldrums Her career was in the doldrums during those years.	unsuccessful or showing no activity or development:
buck 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:
branch 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:
win 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:
slim down The firm had to slim down	cut the number of jobs...
be 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:
the 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:
play 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:
cut 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
be 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:
pay 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:
a roaring success The party was a roaring success.	something that is very successful:
in/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
rest 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:
plough 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:
be 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:
in retrospect In retrospect, I think my marriage was doomed from the beginning.	thinking now about something in the past:
keep/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
miss 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:
delude 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.
flood 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
cut corners When things got difficult we tried cutting corners	to not do a job as thoroughly as you should, especially because you want to finish it quickly or save money
false economy When things got difficult we tried cutting corners it proved a false economy	something that you do because you think it will save you money, but in fact it costs you more
be in deep water The Democrats are in deep water over their plans for tax increases.	to be in or get into serious trouble:
sell up	to sell all (the possessions or assets) of (a bankrupt debtor) in order to discharge his debts as far as possible
cut 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.
top-heavy Looking back, I think our staff structure was top-heavy	a company or organization that is top-heavy has too many workers at senior level and not enough at junior level
keep 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:
put/set sth up We have a little area set up for serving food.	to prepare or arrange something for use (temporary things)
roll up They rolled up at the party two hours late and rather drunk.	to arrive at a particular place or event, usually late:
make 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:
leave sth /sb behind I think I must have left my keys behind.	to forget to take something or someone with you:
Come 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:
take the easy way out As soon as things got difficult he took the easy way out.	what is easiest in a difficult situation
wear 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
go 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:
have 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
tip down We have a football match scheduled for tomorrow, but if it keeps tipping down like it is today,	To be raining very heavily.
be/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
hold off the rain holds off.	If rain or a storm holds off, it does not start immediately.
kick 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
stumble across/on/upon something We stumbled across him in the library.	to find something, or to meet someone, by accident
pull 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.
put 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:

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	Created by Oscar Altide over 7 years ago