IDIOMATIC ENGLISH

 A bird in the hand worth two in the bush - It's better to have a lesser but certain
advantage than the possibility of a greater one that may come to nothing
 A friend in need is a friend indeed - A true friend is a person who will help you when
you really need help.
 A stich in time saves nine - A timely effort will prevent more work later.
 Absence makes the heart grow fonder - The lack of something increases the desire for
it
 As you saw so you shall reap - Things will happen to you good or bad, according to how
you behave.
 Beauty is only skeen deep - a person's character is more important than their appearance
 Better late than never - Doing something late is better than not doing it
 Better safe than sorry - You should be cautious—if you are not, you may regret it.
 Don't count your chickens before they're hatched - something that you say in order to
warn someone to wait until a good thing they are expecting has really happened before
they make any plans about it
 Don't cry over spilt milk - Do not be upset about making a mistake, since you cannot
change that now
 Don't judge a book by its cover - You shouldn't form an opinion on someone or
something based purely on what you see on the surface, because usually after taking a
deeper look, the person or thing will not be what you expected it to be.
 Don't throw the baby out with the bath water - Do not discard something valuable in
your eagerness to get rid of some useless thing associated with it.
 Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise - Going to bed
early and waking up early is good for success
 Every cloud has a silver lining - You can derive some benefit from every bad thing that
happens to you.
 God helps those who help themselves - You cannot depend solely on divine help, but
must work yourself to get what you want.
 Half a loaf is better than no bread - getting part of what you want is better than getting
nothing at all.
 Who laughs last laughs longest - If someone does something nasty to you, that person
may feel satisfaction, but you will feel even more satisfaction if you get revenge on that
person.
 Make hay while the sun shines - If you have an opportunity to do something, do it
before the opportunity expires.
 Necessity is the mother of invention - Difficult situations inspire ingenious solutions.
 Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today - you should not delay doing
something if you can do it immediately
 One man's meat is another man's poison - Something that one person likes may be
distasteful to someone else
 Out of sight, out of mind - If you do not see someone or something frequently, you will
forget about it
 Rome wasn't built in a day - it takes a long time to do an important job
 The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach - If you want a man to love you,
you should feed him good food
 The end justifies the means - You can use bad or immoral methods as long as you
accomplish something good by using them
 The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence - People always think they
would be happier in a different set of circumstances.
 Too many cooks spoil the broth - Too many people trying to manage something simply
spoil it
 Two heads are better than one - Two people may be able to solve a problem that an
individual cannot
 Wast not, want not - If you do not waste anything, you will always have enough
 When in Rome, do as the Romans do - It is polite, and possibly also advantageous, to
abide by the customs of a society when one is a visitor.
 You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink - You can present
someone with an opportunity, but you cannot force him or her to take advantage of it.
 You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear - something that you say which means
you cannot make a good quality product using bad quality materials
 Let sleeping dogs lie - Do not instigate trouble.; Leave something alone if it might cause
trouble.
 Hunger is the best sauce - Everything tastes especially good when you are hungry,
because you are so eager to eat it.

FOOD IDIOMS:

 The salt of the earth - Those of great worth and reliability

 A butter fingers - A person who tends to drop things
 A piece of cake - something easy to do.
 Cup of tea - Something or someone that one finds pleasing.
 A vegetable – never wants to do anything interesting, lazy
 Full of beans - to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm
 For peanuts - for nearly nothing; for very little money
 The cream of sth – the best of a particular group of things or people
 In a jam - in(to) a difficult situation
 It's no picnic - There is nothing easy or pleasant about it
 Nuts - Crazy; insane; Extremely enthusiastic
 Sour grapes - something that one cannot have and so disparages as if it were never
desirable
 Drop like a hot potato - to disassociate oneself with someone or something instantly.
 Be like two peas in a pod - to be very similar
 As warm as a toast - very warm and cozy
 As cool as a cucumber - extremely calm; imperturbable.
 Spend money like water - spend too much money
 Be packed like sardines – if people are packed like sardines, there are a large amount of
them in a small space
 Sell like hot cakes - to be sold very fast
 Go as red as a betroot - to become very red in the face, usually because you are
embarrassed
 As flat as a pancake - to be very flat
 Couch potato - a lazy individual, addicted to television-watching.
 Food for thought - something for someone to think about; issues to be considered
 Not my cup of tea - If something is not your cup of tea, you don't like it very much
 In a pickle - in a mess; in trouble.
 Go pear-shaped - if a plan goes pear-shaped, it fails
 Bread and butter - someone's basic income; someone's livelihood—the source of one's
food; One's trade, proffession or other means of earning.
 Stew in one's own juice - to be left alone to suffer one's anger or disappointment.
 Butter someone up - to flatter someone; to treat someone especially nicely in hopes of
receiving special favors.
 Cheesed off - angry; disgusted.
 Have egg on one's face - to be embarrassed by something one has done. (As if one went
out in public with a dirty face.)
 Be on the breadline - to be very poor
 Take sth with a pinch of salt - to listen to a story or an explanation with considerable
doubt.
 The best thing since sliced bread - if someone or something is described as the best
thing since sliced bread, people think they are extremely good, often better than they
really are
 The icing on the cake - an extra enhancement.
 Put all eggs in one basket - to make everything dependent on only one thing; to place all
one's resources in one place, account, etc. (If the basket is dropped, all is lost.)
 Variety is the spice of life - You should try many different kinds of experiences, because
trying different things keeps life interesting

EATING IDIOMS:

 It is not my taste – I do not like that

 Have to eat one's words - to have to take back one's statements; to confess that one's
predictions were wrong (eat your words - to admit that what you said is wrong)
 Have one's fill – be satisfied; have enough (or more than enough) of sth
 That did not go down well - To take place, happen
 Bit one's head off - to speak sharply and with great anger to someone.
 Make a meal of sth - to spend more time or energy doing something than is necessary
 I could eat a horse - something that you say when you are very hungry
 Have a sweet tooth - to desire to eat many sweet foods-especially candy and pastries
 Leave a bed taste in one's mouth - [for something] to leave a bad feeling or memory
with someone.; if an experience leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you have an unpleasant
memory of it
 Digest - arrange and integrate in the mind
 Have your cake and eat it – to have or do two good things at the same time that are
impossible to have or do at the same time
 Swallow one's pride - to forget one's pride and accept something humiliating.
 Sth to get one's teeth into - to begin to do something; to get completely involved in
something.; to start to do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm
 A second bite at the cherry – another opportunity to do something
 Bite off more than you can chew - to try to do more than you are able to do; to try to do
something that is too big or difficult to do

DANGER AND RISK:

 Close call (= Close shave) – a dangerous situation that could have been worse
 On the line – in danger, at risk
 Touch and go – risky and uncertain (dangerous situation is capable of developing in
more than one direction)
 Take a chance (= Go out on a limb) – to be willing to risk sth
 Stick one's neck out (= Risk one's neck) – to put oneself in a potentially risky situation
(the risk is usually to one's job or relationship with others, rather than to one's body)
 Be at stake – to be considered at risk, to be seriously involved
 Play it safe – to be careful, to avoid danger
 Out of the woods – no longer in a dangerous situation
 The chips are down – a situation has reached its most critical or worst point (this idiom
often occurs in a when clause)

PAIR PHRASES:

 Cloak and dagger - cloak-and-dagger behaviour is when people behave in a very secret
way, often when it is not really necessary
 Chop and change - to keep changing what you do or what you plan to do, often in a way
that is confusing and annoying for other people
 Pins and needles - a tingling feeling in some part of one's body, especially the arms and
legs. (on pins and needles - anxious; in suspense.; worried or excited about something
 Touch and go - very uncertain or critical.
 Length and breadth of somewhere – if you travel the length and breadth of a place you
go to every part of it
 Song and dance - a long and complicated statement or story, especially one that is not
true (usually + about )
 Fight sb/sth tooth and nail - to use a lot of effort to oppose someone or achieve
something
 Hard and fast - Rigidly adhered to - without doubt or debate.
 By and large - generally; usually. (Originally a nautical expression.); mostly
 Prim and proper - someone who is prim and proper behaves in a very formal and
correct way and is easily shocked by anything rude
 Safe and sound - if you are safe and sound, you are not harmed in any way, although you
were in a dangerous situation
 Sick and tired of sth- to be angry and bored because something unpleasant has been
happening for too long
 Pros and cons - advantages and disadvantages
 Ups and downs - a person's good fortune and bad fortune.; the mixture of good and bad
things which happen to people
 To and fro - [of movement] toward and away from something; in one direction and then
in the opposite direction
 Spick and span - a place that is spick and span is very tidy and clean
 Odds and ends - miscellaneous things.; a group of small objects of different types which
are not very valuable or important
 Ins and outs - the correct and successful way to do something; the special things that one
needs to know to do something.
 Up and about - if someone is up and about after an illness, they are well enough to get
out of bed and move around
 Down and out - someone who has no home, no job and no money
 Cut and dried - if a decision or agreement is cut-and-dried, it is final and will not be
changed; if a subject, situation, or idea is cut-and-dried, it is clear and easy to understand
 Bright and breezy - cheery and alert
 Free and easy – casual; relaxed and informal
 Hale and hearty – healthy; an old person who is hale and hearty is still very healthy and
strong
 Fight someone or sth hammer and tongs - to fight against someone or something
energetically and with great determination.
 Peace and quiet - peacefulness
 Go to rack and ruin - to become ruined; if a building goes to rack and ruin, its condition
becomes very bad because no one is taking care of it
 Touch and go - very uncertain or critical.
 Ins and outs of sth - the correct and successful way to do something; the special things
that one needs to know to do something.
 (Every) now and again - occasionally; infrequently; sometimes
 More or less - somewhat; approximately; a phrase used to express vagueness or
uncertainty
 Few and far between - very few; few and widely scattered; not very many or not
appearing very frequently
 Neither here nor there - of no consequence or meaning; irrelevant and immaterial; not
important
 On and off – if something happens on and off during a period of time, it happens
sometimes
 Grin and bear it - to endure something unpleasant in good humor; to accept an
unpleasant or difficult situation because there is nothing you can do to improve it; to
accept something unpleasant with good humor
 Chop and change - to keep changing what you do or what you plan to do, often in a way
that is confusing and annoying for other people
 Toss and turn - to be unable to sleep because of worrying
 Pick and choose - to choose very carefully from a number of possibilities; to be
selective; to take only what you want from a group
 Give and take - the practice of dealing by compromise or mutual concession;
cooperation; good-natured exchange of talk, ideas, etc.
 Wait and see - to be patient until a later time
 Blow by blow - a blow-by-blow description of an event gives every detail of how it
happened
 On the up and up - If you are on the up and up, you are making very good progress in
life and doing well; To say that something or someone is on the up and up means that the
thing or person is legitimate, honest, respectable
 All in all - All things having been taken into account.
 Bit by bit - in small amounts, little by little
 Again and again - repeatedly; again and even more [times]; many times over and over
(again)
 By and by - generally; usually. (Originally a nautical expression.); mostly

FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH

 Never look a gift horse in the mouth - you should not criticize or feel doubt about
something good that has been offered to you; Don't be ungrateful when you receive a gift.
 Give a taste of own medicine - to do the same bad thing to someone that they have often
done to you, in order to show them how unpleasant it is
 Throw somebody off the scent - to give someone false or confusing information so that
they will not discover something
 Wake up and smell the coffee - Try to pay attention to what's going on; to pay attention
and do something about a situation
 Straight from the horse's mouth - From the highest authority
 Get your tongue around something - to pronounce a difficult word or phrase
 To the bitter end - to the very end; if you do something to the bitter end, you continue it
until it is finished, although it is difficult and takes a long time
 Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth - Prim and proper, with a cool demeanor; Someone
is acting as if innocent.
 A slip of the tongue - a mistake you make when speaking, such as using the wrong word
 There's no accounting for taste - there is no explanation for people's preferences.
 As plain as the nose on your face - to be very obvious
 Kick up a stink - to complain angrily about something that you are not satisfied with; to
cause an argument about something that seems wrong
 Follow your nose - to make decisions by thinking of how you feel about someone or
something instead of finding out information about them; if someone tells you to follow
your nose when they are explaining how to go to a place, they are telling you to continue
in the same direction; to move forward
 Flavour of the month - someone or something that has suddenly become very popular,
but may not remain popular for long
 Keep a stiff upper lip - Act as though you are not upset.; Do not let unpleasant things
upset you.
 An acquired taste – sth that you dislike at first, but that you start to like after you had
tried it a few times
 Has the cat got your tongue - Why are you not saying anything? (Often said by adults to
children.)
 It is no skin off my nose - something that you say which means you do not care about
something because it will not affect you
 Make someone's mouth water - to make someone hungry (for something); to cause
saliva to flow in someone's mouth; if the smell or the sight of food makes your mouth
water, it makes you want to eat it
 Cut off your nose to spite your face - to do something because you are angry, even if it
will cause trouble for you; to hurt yourself in an effort to punish someone else
 Whisper sweet nothings - affectionate but unimportant or meaningless words spoken to
a loved one; romantic things that people who are in love say to each other
 Sniff around - Look around to see how good something is or to try to find something
better
 Be down in the mouth - to be sad
 Get up sb'b nose - to annoy someone
 My lips are sealed - I will tell no one this secret or this gossip; something you say to let
someone know that you will not tell anyone else what they have just told you

COLOUR IDIOMS:

 A black look – an expression on your face that is full of anger and hate
 A white elephant - A burdensome possession; creating more trouble than it is worth.
 A black sheep - someone who is thought to be a bad person by the rest of their family
 The black economy - A sizable hidden segment of a country's economy that operates on
numerous unreported private cash transactions; (Economics) that portion of the income of
a nation that remains illegally undeclared either as a result of payment in kind or as a
means of tax avoidanc
 Paint a black black picture of sth/sb – to describe a situation or person as extremely
bad
 A black spot - a place on a road where accidents frequently occur; any dangerous or
difficult place
 A white lie - An often trivial, diplomatic or well-intentioned untruth; a minor or
unimportant lie, esp one uttered in the interests of tact or politeness
 In a black and white - [of an agreement, contract, or statement] official, in writing or
printing; written down
 White collar - a white-collar worker is someone who works in an office, doing mental
rather than physical work (always before noun)
 As white as a sheet - to be very pale, usually because you are frightened or ill
 In the black - not in debt; in a financially profitable condition. (As opposed to in the
red.); in a situation in which you are earning more money than you are spending
 The black market - The illegal business of buying or selling goods or currency in
violation of restrictions such as price controls or rationing; A place where these illegal
operations are carried on.
 Black eye - a bruise near the eye from being struck; harm done to one's character.
 A black day - a day when something very unpleasant or sad happens (usually + for )
 Black and white - if you think facts or situations are black and white, you have a simple
and very certain opinion about them, often when other people think they are really more
complicated; a very clear choice that causes no confusion
 Black and blue - if a person or part of their body is black and blue, their skin is covered
with bruises
 Out of the blue - if something happens out of the blue, it happens suddenly and you are
not expecting it; happening suddenly and unexpectedly
 Red carpet treatment - very special treatment; royal treatment.
 Once in a blue moon - very seldom; very rarely
 Go as red as a beetroot - to become very red in the face, usually because you are
embarrassed
 Paint the town red - to go out and enjoy yourself in the evening, often drinking a lot of
alcohol and dancing
 Red tape - over-strict attention to the wording and details of rules and regulations,
especially by government workers; official rules which do not seem necessary and make
things happen very slowly
 See red - to be angry
 Scream blue murder - to shout or to complain very loudly
 Red in the face - embarrassed.
 Catch someone red-handed - to catch a person in the act of doing something wrong; to
discover someone doing something illegal or wrong (often + doing sth)
 Blue-eyed boy - a man who is liked and admired by someone in authority
 Blue movies - a film that shows a lot of sexual activity
 Be like a red rag to a bull – to be certain to produce an angry or violent reaction
 Be in the red - losing money. (*Typically: be ~; go [into] ~; as opposed to in the black.);
experiencing the situation of spending more money than you earned
 Red herring - a piece of information or suggestion introduced to draw attention away
from the real facts of a situation.
 Red-letter day - an important or significant day.
 Not be as black as he is painted - if people or situations are not as black as they are
painted, they are not as bad as people say they are
 Give sb/sth the green light - to give permission for someone to do something or for
something to happen (often + to do sth); to give permission for something to happen
 A bolt from the blue - something that you do not expect to happen and that surprises you
very much
 Have green fingers - to be good at keeping plants healthy and making them grow
 Green with envy - appearing jealous; appearing envious; wishing very much that you
had what someone else has
 A white-knuckle something - to survive something threatening through strained
endurance, that is to say, holding on tight

 Be off colour - to not be feeling as well as usual

 Be no oil painting - if someone is no oil painting, they are not attractive
 Sunday best - one's best clothing, which one would wear to church.
 She's starting to look her age – growing old
 Cut a dash (=cut a fine figure) - if someone cuts a fine figure, people admire their
appearance, usually because they are wearing attractive clothes
 Picture of health - in a very healthy condition.
 Have a face like thunder - to have a very angry expression
 Not so hot - not very good.
 I wouldn't put it past sb - something that you say when you think that it is possible that
someone might do something wrong or unpleasant
 Give sb a dirty look - to look at someone in an angry way
 Not much to look at - not attractive
 Be all smiles - to look very happy and friendly, especially when other people are not
expecting you to

TYPES OF PEOPLE

 A rough diamond - a person who does not seem very polite or well educated at first,
although they have a good character
 A dark horse - a person who does not tell other people about their ideas or skills and
who surprises people by doing something that they do not expect; a person who wins a
race or competition although no one expected them to (sometimes + for )
 A wolf in sheep's clothing - a dangerous person pretending to be harmless.
 A wet blanket - a dull or depressing person who spoils other people's enjoyment.
 A nosy parker - someone who is too interested in finding out information about other
people
 A shrinking violet - someone who is very shy and not assertive.
 A live wire - someone who is very quick and active, both mentally and physically
 A paper tiger - a country or organization that seems powerful but is not
 A smart alec - someone who is always trying to seem more clever than everyone else in
a way that is annoying
 A fair-weather friend - someone who is your friend only when things are pleasant or
going well for you.
 A man/woman of the world - someone who has a lot of experience of life, and is not
usually shocked by the way people behave
 A law unto yourself - a person who does things differently and ignores the usual rules

 Quick temper - a bad temper that can be easily aroused

 The gift of the gab - an ability to speak easily and confidently and to persuade people to
do what you want
 To be all talk and no action – used to describe someone who talks about doing sth but
never does it
 To talk the hind leg of a donkey - if you say that someone can talk the hind leg off a
donkey, you mean that they talk a lot
 Wouldn't harm a fly - if you say that someone wouldn't hurt a fly, you mean that they
are a gentle person and that they would not do anything to injure or upset anyone
 To have head in the clouds - to be unaware of what is going on from fantasies or
daydreams; to not know what is really happening around you because you are paying too
much attention to your own ideas
 Stick in the mud - a dull and old-fashioned person
 As pure as the driven snow - Entirely pure.
 Cold fish - a person who is distant and unfeeling.
 A good samaritan - someone who tries to help people who have problems
 Heart in the right place - if someone's heart is in the right place, they are a good and
kind person even if they do not always seem to be
 Have a good head on shoulders - to have common sense; to be sensible and intelligent.
 Wouldn't say boo to a goose - if someone wouldn't say boo to a goose, they are shy and
nervous
 Be a waste of space - if you say that someone is a waste of space, you mean that they do
not do anything useful and you do not like them
 Prophet of doom - someone who always expects bad things to happen
 A prima donna - someone who demands to be treated in a special way and is very
difficult to please

 A pain in the neck - to be very annoying

 A busybody - A person who meddles or pries into the affairs of others
 A rolling stone gathers no moss - A person who does not settle down is not attached to
anything or anyone. (Can be said in admiration or in censure, depending on whether or
not the speaker feels it is good to be attached to something or someone.) (rolling stone -
A person who moves about a great deal and never settles down)
 A crank - An eccentric person, especially one who is unduly jealous
 A sponger - a person who lives off other people by continually taking advantage of their
generosity; parasite or scrounger
 A tomboy - A girl considered boyish or masculine in behavior or manner
 A lone wolf - a person who prefers to do things on their own
 A battle-axe - a bossy old woman
 A day-dreamer - A dreamlike musing or fantasy while awake, especially of the
fulfillment of wishes or hopes
 A dare-devil - a recklessly bold person; a daring person, bodacious, take a chance
 A slow-coach - a person who moves, acts, or works slowly
 A golden boy/girl - someone who is successful and admired (often + of )
 A tear away - a reckless impetuous unruly person
 A clock-watcher - someone -- a worker or a student -- who is always looking at the
clock, anticipating when something will be over
 A layabout - A lazy or idle person; a loafer.
 A miser - One who lives very meagerly in order to hoard money; A greedy or avaricious
person; a person who hoards money or possessions, often living miserably; selfish person
 A wind-bag - A talkative person who communicates nothing of substance or interest; a
voluble person who has little of interest to communicate
 A slob - A person regarded as slovenly, crude, or obnoxious; a slovenly, unattractive, and
lazy person
 A litter-lout - a person who tends to drop refuse in public places; a person who litters
public places with refuse; a coarse obnoxious person
 A slave-driver - An overseer of slaves at work; A severely exacting employer or
supervisor; a demanding, unyielding taskmaster
 A name-dropper - someone who pretends that famous people are his/her friends
 A road-hog - someone who drives carelessly and selfishly
 A jay walker - a reckless pedestrian who crosses a street illegally
 A fare-dodger - a person who travels without a ticket

THE FAMILY:

 Baby of the family - The youngest member of an immediate family; A member of an

immediate family who behaves as, or is treated as though they were the youngest member
of a family; An adult member of an immediate family who is treated by others in the
family, esp. the parents, as though they were a child
 Blood is thicker than water - People who are related have stronger obligations to each
other than to people outside the family.
 Fight like cat and dog - to argue violently all the time
 Two peas in a pod - very similar two of a kind
 The black sheep of the family - the worst member of the family.
 Own flesh and blood - one's own relatives; one's own kin; if you say that someone is
flesh and blood, you mean that they have feelings or faults that are natural because they
are human
 Like father, like son - Fathers and sons resemble each other, and sons tend to do what
their fathers did before them
 Tie the knot - to get married
 Be the spitting image of sb – to look extremely similar to someone
 Follow in footsteps - to do the same job or the same things in your life as someone else,
especially a member of your family
 Broken home - a family in which the parents have separated or divorced
 Related on mother's/father's side
 Family tree - A genealogical diagram of a family's ancestry; The ancestors and
descendants of a family considered as a group.
 Run in the family - if a particular quality or ability runs in the family, a lot of people in
that family have it
 Long-lost relative – one whom you have not seen for many years
 Like chalk and cheese - if two people are like chalk and cheese, they are completely
different from each other

EYES:

 Apple of one's eye - the person who someone loves most and is very proud of
 Sight for sore eyes - a welcome sight; if someone or something is a sight for sore eyes,
you feel happy to see them
 Light at the end of the tunnel - something which makes you believe that a difficult or
unpleasant situation will end; the end of a difficult period or job
 Have eyes in the back of one's head - to seem to be able to sense what is going on
behind or outside of one's field of vision; to know everything that is happening around
you
 Can't see the wood for the trees - if someone can't see the wood for the trees, they are
unable to understand what is important in a situation because they are giving too much
attention to details
 Keep eyes peeled - to watch very carefully for something (often + for ); to watch
carefully for someone or something keep an eye out (for somebody/something)
 Take a dim view of sth - to disapprove of something
 (Damn) sight better - much better.
 Be all eyes - to watch something or someone with a lot of interest
 To stare into sth - to gaze fixedly into something.
 Cry your eyes out - to cry very hard; to cry a lot and for a long time
 Love is blind - If you love someone, you cannot see any faults in that person.
 Not see sb for dust - if you say that you won't see someone for dust, you mean that they
will leave a place very quickly, usually in order to avoid something
 Have a roving eye – if you say that someone has a roving eye, you mean that they are
always sexually interested in people other than their partner
 Look daggers at sb - to give someone a dirty look; to look very angrily at someone
 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - Different people have different ideas about what
is beautiful.
 Swear blind - to say that something is completely true, especially when someone does
not believe you
 Not take your eyes off sb/sth – to not stop looking at sb/sth
 See the light - to understand something clearly at last
 Turn a blind eye (to sb/sth) - to ignore something and pretend you do not see it; to
choose to ignore behaviour that you know is wrong

EARS:

 Have an ear for sth – be good at sth; to have the ability to learn music or languages.
 Face the music - to receive punishment; to accept the unpleasant results of one's actions;
to accept criticism or punishment for something that you have done
 Be out on your ear - to be forced to leave your job because you have done something
wrong, or because your work is not good enough
 Make a lot of noise (about sth) - to complain a lot about something
 Play it by ear - to play a piece of music after hearing it and without written music; to
deal with a situation as it develops and without a plan; to improvise; to decide one's next
steps after one is already involved in a situation.
 A big noise - an important or powerful person in a group or organization
 Love the sound of your own voice - to like talking a lot or too much, usually without
wanting to listen to other people
 Go in one ear and out of the other - [for something] to be heard and then soon ignored
or forgotten; if information goes in one ear and out the other, the person who is told it
forgets it immediately because they do not listen carefully enough
 Have (got) a familiar ring to it - [for a story or an explanation] to sound familiar; if
something has a familiar ring, you believe that you have heard it before
 Be like music to sb's ears - if something you hear is music to your ears, it makes you
very happy

 Be all ears - to be very eager to hear what someone is going to say

 Fall on deaf ears - [for talk or ideas] to be ignored by the persons they were intended
for.
 You could hear a pin drop - to be extremely quiet
 Ears are burning – if your ears are burning, you sense or know that people somewhere
else are talking about you in an unpleasant way (Your ears must be burning -
something that you say to someone who is being talked about)
 For crying out loud - I am annoyed or surprised by this; an exclamation of shock, anger,
or surprise.
 Keep ear to the ground - to devote attention to watching or listening for clues as to what
is going to happen; to watch and listen carefully to what is happening around you so that
you know about everything
 HAND:

 Touch (knock) wood - something that you say when you want your luck or a good
situation to continue
 Not lift a finger round - to do nothing to help someone; to refuse to make even a small
effort
 Be a dab hand at - to be very good at an activity (often + at )
 Fits like a glove - to fit very well; to fit snugly; if a piece of clothing fits someone like a
glove, it fits their body perfectly
 Be under one's thumb - at someone's mercy or command
 A rap over the knuckles - a punishment which is not very severe but which warns you
not to behave that way again
 Grasp at straws - to try any method, even those that are not likely to succeed, because
you are in such a bad situation (usually in continuous tenses); to try to find reasons to feel
hopeful about a situation when there is no real cause for hope
 Hand over fist - if you make or lose money hand over fist, you make or lose large
amounts of it very quickly
 Take one's courage in both hands - to nerve oneself to perform an action
 Know sth like the back of your hand - to know a place very well; to be very familiar
with something
 Slip through one's fingers - if something you hope to achieve slips through your fingers,
you do not manage to achieve it; if someone slips through your fingers they manage to
escape from you
 Be touch and go - very uncertain or critical
 Be all fingers and thumbs - to be awkward with your hands and keep making mistakes
 Be in safe hands - if someone or something is in safe hands, they are being looked after
by someone who can be trusted
 Hold on for dear life - to use a lot of effort to keep something

 Pot calling the kettle black - something that you say which means someone should not
criticize another person for a fault that they have themselves
 Make money hand over fist – make a lot of money very quickly
 The world is your oyster – if you have the freedom to do what you want and go where
you want
 Push the boat out - To spend generously. To spend more than one is normally
accustomed to doing, often to mark a special occasion
 Have a face like thunder – if you have a very angry expression on your face
 Have a lot on your plate – if you have a lot of things to do and a lot of responsabilities
 Be nothing more than skin and bones – very thin
 To have kittens - to get extremely upset
 Bob's your uncle - used when 'everything is alright' and the simple means of obtaining
the successful result is explained
 Take the bull by the horns – if you deal with a difficult or dangerous situation in a
direct and brave way
 Throw in the towel – if you stop doing sth because you know that you cannot succeed
 Make a mountain out of a molehill – if you make a small problem seem much more
serious than it really is
 Get the picture – if you understand what sb means, even if they do not say it directly
 Make a pig's ear of sth – if you make a mess of sth
 Wouldn't do it for all the tea in china – if you wouldn't like to do sth at all
 Could hear a pin drop - to be extremely quiet
 Look daggers at them – if you look very angrily at sb without speaking
 As plain as day – if sth is very easy to see or understand
 Red carpet – if you give an important visitor a very special welcome
 Sight for sore eyes – sb you are very pleased or relieved to see

HEART IDIOMS:

 Sb's heart sinks - if someone's heart sinks, they start to feel sad or worried; you become
discouraged or disappointed
 To lose heart - to lose one's courage or confidence; to stop believing that you can
succeed
 Set one's heart on sth/sb - to be determined to get or do someone or something; to
decide to achieve something
 Take heart - (from sth) to receive courage or comfort from some fact; to start to feel
more hopeful and more confident (often + from )
 Not have the heart to do sth - to be too compassionate to do something
 Break one's heart - to cause someone great emotional pain; to make someone who loves
you very sad, especially by telling them you do not love them any more; if an unpleasant
situation or event breaks your heart, it makes you feel very sad (often + to do sth)
 In my/sb's heart of hearts - if you know something in your heart of hearts, you are
certain of it although you might not want to admit it; if your true thoughts and feelings
were known
 Close to sb's heart - if something is dear to someone's heart, it is very important to them
 Have a change of heart - to change one's attitude or decision, usually from a negative to
a positive position.
 Sb after your own heart - someone who is similar to you
 Have sb's best interests at heart - to make decisions based on someone's best interests.
 Sb's heart's in the right place - if someone's heart is in the right place, they are a good
and kind person even if they do not always seem to be
 Have a heart of gold - to be generous, sincere, and friendly.
 Sb's heart's not in sth - if someone's heart is not in something that they are doing, they
are not very interested in it
 Learn sth by heart - to learn something so well that it can be written or recited without
thinking; to memorize something.
 Heart-to-heart - a serious conversation between two people in which they talk honestly
about their feelings

 Be up in arms - very angry

 Give one's right arm for sb/sth - to be willing to give something of great value for
someone or something
 Twisting sb's arm - to pressure someone. (Fig. on the image of hurting someone until
they agree to cooperate.); to persuade someone to do something that they do not want to
do
 To look after sth/sb - to take care of someone or something; to be responsible for
someone or something
 One's eyes are bigger than one's stomach - one has taken more food than one can eat
 Have itchy feet - to want to travel or to do something different
 Get cold feet - to suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to
do, especially something important like getting married
 Shot yourself in the foot - to do or say something that causes problems for you
 Let one's hair down - to relax and enjoy yourself without worrying what other people
will think
 Keep your hair on - a slightly impolite way of telling someone who is angry to try to be
calm and patient
 Tear your hair out - to be very anxious about something (often in continuous tenses)
 Be banging your head against the brick wall - to keep asking someone to do something
which they never do; difficult and frustrating event
 An old head on young shoulders - a child or young person who thinks and talks like an
older person who has more experience of life
 Pull sb's leg - to kid, fool, or trick someone; to tell someone something that is not true as
a way of joking with them (usually in continuous tenses)
 Costs (sb) an arm and leg - to be very expensive
 Not have a leg to stand on - to be in a situation where you cannot prove something

HEAD IDIOMS:

 Put one's head on the block (for sb/sth) - to take great risks for someone or something;
to go to a lot of trouble or difficulty for someone or something; to attempt to gain favor
for someone or something; to risk doing something which will make other people lose
their good opinion of you if it fails
 Go over sb's head - to talk to or deal with someone's boss without talking to them first;
if a piece of information goes over someone's head, they do not understand it
 Head and shoulders above sb or sth - clearly superior to someone or something; much
better than other similar people or things
 Could do sth standing on your head - if you could do something standing on your head,
you can do it very easily, usually because you have done it many times before
 Can't make head nor tail of sth - to not be able to understand something at all
 (Right) off the top of one's head - without giving it too much thought or without precise
knowledge; if you say something off the top of your head, you say it without thinking
about it for very long or looking at something that has been written about it
 Two heads are better than one - Two people may be able to solve a problem that an
individual cannot
 Have one's head in the clouds - to be unaware of what is going on from fantasies or
daydreams; to not know what is really happening around you because you are paying too
much attention to your own ideas

 Put our heads together - if a group of people put their heads together, they think about
something in order to get ideas or to solve a problem
 To keep one's head above water - to manage to survive, especially financially; to keep
up with one's work; to have just enough money to live or to continue a business
 Bury one's head in the sand - to ignore or hide from obvious signs of danger; to refuse
to think about an unpleasant situation, hoping that it will improve so that you will not
have to deal with it
 You need your head examined - if you tell someone they need their head testing, you
think that they are crazy because they have done something stupid or strange
 Go to sb's head - [for something, such as fame or success] to make someone conceited;
[for alcohol] to affect someone's brain; if an alcoholic drink goes to someone's head, it
makes them feel drunk very quickly; if success goes to someone's head, it makes them
believe they are more important than they are
 Laugh one's head off - to laugh very hard and loudly, as if one's head might come off.
 Heads will roll - people will get into severe trouble; something that you say which means
people will lose their jobs as punishment for making serious mistakes
 Have your head screwed on (right) - to have good judgment

 To keep sb/sth at arm's length - to avoid becoming connected with someone or

something
 It made sb's flesh creep - if someone or something makes your flesh creep, you think
they are extremely unpleasant or frightening (often in present tenses)
 Hand over fist - quickly and continuously
 Put one's foot down - to assert something strongly; to tell someone in a strong way that
they must do something or that they must stop doing something; to decide something and
express your decision
 Have sb in the palm of your hand – to have complete control over someone and to be
able to make them do anything you want them to
 Have her heart in her mouth – to be very nervous or scared about sth
 Soaked to the skin - to be extremely wet
 To lose heart - to lose one's courage or confidence; to stop believing that you can
succeed
 To have a finger in every pie - to be involved in and have influence over many different
activities, often in a way that other people do not approve of
 Grease sb's palm - to bribe someone; to give money to someone in authority in order to
persuade them to do something for you, especially something wrong
 Have sth on the brain - to not be able to stop thinking or talking about one particular
thing
 Give sb the elbow - to end a romantic relationship with someone
 Head over heels - Excited, and/or turning cartwheels to demonstrate one's excitement.
 Get off on the wrong foot - to begin doing something in a way that is likely to fail
 Have one's back to the wall - to be in a defensive position
 Have both feet on the ground - to not have your character spoilt by becoming famous or
successful
 Eat (one's) heart out - to grieve; to be sorrowful; to suffer from envy or jealousy.
(Usually a command.); (spoken) you should be sorry for the choices you have made
 Kick your heals - to be forced to wait for a period of time (usually in continuous tenses)
 Change hands - [for something] to be sold or passed from owner to owner. (From the
"point of view" of the object that is passed on.); to be sold by someone and bought by
another person
 Stick one's neck out (for sb/sth) - to take a risk; to give an opinion which other people
may not like or which other people are frightened to give
 Give sb a piece of one's mind - to bawl someone out; to tell someone off; to speak
angrily to someone because they have done something wrong
 Be run off your feat - to have to work very hard or very fast
 (Nearly) jump out of your skin - if you nearly jump out of your skin when something
happens, it makes you feel very surprised or shocked

PARTS OF THE BODY IDIOMS 3

 At first hand - from seeing or experiencing directly

 Cost an arm and leg - to be very expensive
 Fall on deaf ears - [for talk or ideas] to be ignored by the persons they were intended
for; if a request or advice falls on deaf ears, people ignore it
 Foot the bill - to pay for something; to pay for a bill; to pay for something (often + for )
 Get your fingers burnt - to suffer unpleasant results of an action, especially loss of
money, so you are not keen to try the same thing again; to have a bad result from
something, esp. to lose money
 Hand in glove - very close to someone; if one person or organization is working hand in
glove with another, they are working together, often to do something dishonest
 Keep one's head above water - to manage to survive, especially financially; to keep up
with one's work; to have just enough money to live or to continue a business
 Keep one's head - to remain calm and sensible when in an awkward situation that might
cause a person to panic or go out of control
 Not lift a finger - to not help someone to do something, usually because you are lazy
(usually + to do sth)
 Put your shoulder to the wheel - to work hard and make an effort
 Save your own skin - to protect yourself from danger or difficulties, without worrying
about other people
 See eye to eye - [for someone] to agree about someone or something with someone else;
if two people see eye to eye, they agree with each other (often negative; often + with )
 Thumb a lift – to hitchike
 To fight (sb/sth) tooth and nail - to use a lot of effort to oppose someone or achieve
something
 Try your hand at sth - to try doing something for the first time; to attempt to do
something

Colloquial english and slang

 Fancy - like
 Hang on
 Telly – TV
 Quid – pound
 Fiver – five pounds
 Smashing – wonderful
 Ta – thank you
 Thingmajig – sth that sb forgot how is called
 Whatsisname – the man whose name sb can't remember
 OK
 Kids
 Decent bunch – polite group
 Terrific bloke – great man
 I'm not to keen – i don't like
 Guy
 Yeah
 A big-head
 Throws his weight around – he is showing off
 Hassle – problems
 Guts – courage
 You'd get the sack – you'd lose your job
 Posh – high class
 We're having a bit of a do – we're having a party
 On me – I am paying
 Mo – moment
 Plastered – drunk
 You look a bit fed up – worried, depressed
 Someone's pinched my brolly – stolen my umbrella
 It's coming down in buckets – raining heavily
 Tough luck – bad luck
 Chap falls for a girl – a man falls in love with a girl
 Tear-jerker – very sad
 Corny – unoriginal
 Have a part in it
 She must be pushing 70 – almost 70
 I think my old banger's clapped out – my old car has stopped working
 It does look past it – to old to function anymore
 Classy – high class
 It'll cost you a packet – it'll be very expensive

Life is a journey

 Be in a rut - to do the same things all the time so that you become bored, or to be in a
situation where it is impossible to make progress
 Not know if you are coming or going - to be confused or unable to control something
that is happening to you
 Short-cut to success
 Get side-tracked - To be distracted
 Light at the end of the tunnel - something which makes you believe that a difficult or
unpleasant situation will end; the end of a difficult period or job
 Go your separate ways - to end your relationship
 On the road to recovery - recovering; getting better; improving.
 Taken off - [for someone] to leave in a hurry; [for something] to start selling well; to
become active and exciting; (for some place) to leave for some place; (on sth) to start out
speaking on something; to begin a discussion of something.
 At a crossroads - at the point where a decision must be made
 Go off the rails - to start behaving strangely or in a way that is not acceptable to society;
to be spoiled by bad management
 No turning back
 Follow in sb's footsteps - to do the same job or the same things in your life as someone
else, especially a member of your family
 A dead-end job - offering no possibility for advancement:
 Get nowhere fast - not to make progress; to get nowhere.
 Run out of steam - to suddenly lose the energy or interest to continue doing what you are
doing
 Have arrived - to have reached a position of power, authority, or prominence.
 Life is gambling

 A bit of a gamble - to do something risky that might result in loss of money or failure,
hoping to get money or achieve success
 A lousy hand - to receive bad cards in a card game, to receive disadvantages in
something
 Something up your sleeve - If you have something up your sleeve, you have some
hidden or secret plan, idea, etc, to use to your advantage when the time is right.
 Play your cards right - something that you say to someone which means that if they
behave in the right way, they might succeed at something
 I wouldn't put money on it (I would not bet on it) - something that you say when you
do not think that something is likely to happen or to be true
 The chips are down - when you are in a difficult or dangerous situation
 Show your hand - to tell people your plans or ideas, especially if you were keeping them
secret before
 At stake - in danger of being lost; ready to be won or lost; at risk; hanging in the balance.
 Be on the cards - to be likely to happen
 You win some, you lose some - You cannot always succeed. (You can say this when you
have not succeeded, to show that you are not discouraged.)
 Bliiffmyway
 The luck of the draw - the results of chance; the lack of any choice.
 Against all the odds - despite very low probability; in a most unlikely way
 A toss-up - a situation where two or more possibilities are equally likely (often
+ between )
 Take your chances - to depend on luck
 Hit the jackpot - to be exactly right; to find exactly what was sought; to be very
successful, often in a way which means you make a lot of money

Collocations:

Chronic arthritis
Acute/Chronic illness/disease
Throbbing/Dull/Acute/Chronic pain
Acute pneumonia
Inflamed/swallen glands
Inflamed/Sore/Swallen/Sprained knee
Swallen/Inflamed leg
Inflamed/Sore/Swallen throat
Break/Come out in a rash/spots
Come/Go down with a cold/an illness
Contract an illness/tuberculosis/a disease
Run a fever/temperature
Ward off a cold/disease/illness
 Cold-blooded – hladnokrvan; bešćutan, nemilosrdan
 Cold-hearted – hladna srca; bešćutan
 Hard-headed – praktičan; trijezan, nesentimentalan
 Hard-hearted - tvrda srca; bezosjećajan; krut
 High-minded – plemenit; otmjene duše, visokih načela
 High-spirited – ponosan; vatren
 Hot-blooded – žarki, strastven, vatren
 Hot-headed – naprasit, nagao, usijane glave
 Hot-tempered – nagao, lako raspaljiv
 Level-headed – promišljen, razuman, razborit, trijezan
 Strong-minded – energičan, odlučan, jake volje, snažnog duha
 Strong-willed
 Week-willed
 Sweet-tempered – blag, dobroćudan, krotak