NO WAY, JOSE!
) ! ! !
Example:
- Do you smoke MARIJUANA?
- NO WAY, JOSE! I don't even smoke a cigarette.
b) !
Example:
A. John has won the lottery!
B. NO WAY, JOSE! So lucky of him!
WAY TO GO! - ! !
Example:
A. I'm so happy that Dana is promoted!
B. Way to go Dana! You deserved to have a vacation! You're a star in this company! Keep it up!
YOU'RE A STAR! - !
Example:
"You're such a very clever little girl, you're a star! I enjoyed watching you singing at your school concert".
KEEP IT UP! - () ! !
Example:
"Ben, you did such a good work, keep it up dude!"
"Keep it up John! I was impressed with your good character and work!"
ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!?! - ?! , ?
Example:
- Hey don't you dare cheating on me...
- Are you freakin' kidding on me? You're my one and only sweetheart!
Note: freaking - Slang. , : e.g. "Traffic was a freaking nightmare"
GET OFF ME! - !
Example:
"I can't believe what you're saying, get off me!"
"Stop annoying me, you better get off me! "
DON'T BOTHER -
Example:
"You will not be able to convince him. Don't bother, please"
HIT THE ROAD, JACK
1. , ! ! / !
Syn: Leave! Get lost! Get the hell out of here! Go away!
Examples:
"I don't like the way you talked to my girlfriend. You better hit the road, Jack. - , . ".
"Hit the road, Jack! I don't want to see you ever again! - ! !"
2. "Let's hit the road, Jack", "Time to hit the road, Jack" .. - ; ; , .
Examples:
"It's time to hit the road, Jack. We gotta be in New York in an hour. - . - ".
"Let's hit the road, Jack. It's getting late. - . ".
| Bye | ! | Whats up? | ? ( ?) |
| Bye-Bye | - | You made your choice | |
| See you later | I didnt mean to | ||
| Have a nice a day | It was an accident | ||
| See you tomorrow | Give me a chance | ||
| See you soon | It doesn't matter | ||
| Till next time | Its all so complicated | ||
| Good luck | Dont bother me | ||
| See ya | () | What is the problem | |
| Take care of | , | Never mind | () |
| Farewell | You make me mad | ||
| Talk to you later | Are you still here? | ? | |
| Until we meet again | This is an outrage | ( ) | |
| It's early (yet) | ! | No, thanks | , |
| Hello! | ! | No way | ! |
| I'm (so) sorry | Not a bit! | , | |
| I'm sorry, I can't | , | One minute, please | , |
| Exactly so | Very well | ||
| How are you | It can hardly be so | ||
| What a good chance | You are right | ||
| What colour ? | ...? | Yes, sure | , |
| How's it going? | ? | Maybe | |
| Don't mind it please | Attention! | ! | |
| Don't be late, please | , | Are you OK? | ? |
| I can't believe it! | ! | You got wrong number |
|
|
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| after all despite, nevertheless | - | I knew it! After all, I was right! |
| all along all the time | , | I knew about his little secret all along. |
| all ears eager to listen | I am all ears. | |
| all of a sudden suddenly | All of a sudden, he refused to pay. | |
| all the same no difference | , | If its all the same to you, lets start at two. |
| all thumbs clumsy | , | He cant fix anything, hes all thumbs. |
| apple of discord subject of envy or quarrel | This question is an apple of discord in our family. | |
| as a rule usually | As a rule, we offer a 5% discount. | |
| as far as I am concerned in my opinion | , | As far as I am concerned, both the book and the movie are good. |
| as for me/as to me in my opinion | As for me, you can rely on his support. | |
| as well also, too | , | He knows math, and physics as well. |
| at all (not) in the smallest degree | () | He doesnt know French at all. I dont like it at all. |
| at random without order | , | He chose those places at random. |
| at this point at this time | At this point, we cant turn back. | |
| be about to ready (to do) | I was about to leave when you called. | |
| be after someone insist, press | , | His mother is always after him to study. |
| be all in be extremely tired | Im all in, Id better go to bed now. | |
| be back on ones feet healthy again or better financially | Hes back on his feet after a long period of debt and unemployment. | |
| beat around the bush avoid giving a clear/definite answer | Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point! | |
| be beside oneself be very upset, nervous, worried, etc. | , . | She was beside herself with worry / with grief. |
| be better off be in a better situation (financially) | () | Hell be better off with a new job. |
| be broke have no money at all | ( ) | I spent all my money, Im broke. |
| be hard on something /someone treat roughly | - | My son is hard on shoes, they dont last long with him. Life was pretty hard on Tom. |
| be high on ones list be one of the most important things | A new car is high on my list of priorities. A new TV is not high on my list. | |
| be in charge of be responsible for | He is in charge of marketing. | |
| be in the red be in debt | Our sales were in the red last year. | |
| be into smth. be interested in | - | He is into computers. She is into sports. |
| bend over backwards try hard | I bent over backwards to help her. | |
| be on ones way | . | Im on my way. |
| be on the safe side not to take any chances | Take an extra key, just to be on the safe side. | |
| be out of be without | We are out of bread, cheese, and sugar. | |
| be out of shape be physically unfit | He needs to exercise, he is out of shape. | |
| be out of sorts in bad humor | Leave him alone, hes out of sorts today | |
| be pressed for time / money be short of; not have enough | Im pressed for time now. We are pressed for money at the moment. | |
| beside the point off the point | , | What I said to him privately is beside the point. |
| be to blame be responsible for a mistake / something wrong | , | Who is to blame for this awful mistake? Tom is to blame for this mix-up. |
| be touch and go be uncertain of the result | ; , | He was very sick, and for some time it was touch and go, but he is better now. |
| be up against be opposed by, have problems, be in danger | -, - | Our company is up against serious attempts of hostile takeover. |
| be up and around/about able to be out of bed after an illness | , | He was sick for a month, but now he is up and around. |
| be up to ones ears very busy | Im up to my ears in work. | |
| be up to something do mischief | , | I have to check what the kids are up to. |
| be up to someone be ones own decision or responsibility | , | Its up to you to decide. Its up to you to close the office every day at 8 oclock. |
| be used to be accustomed to | Im used to hard work. Hes used to heat. | |
| big shot important person | He is a big shot around here. | |
| bite off more than one can chew try to do more than one can | I couldnt handle two jobs and family. I really bit off more than I could chew. | |
| bite ones tongue stop talking | I almost told her, but bit my tongue. | |
| bite the dust die, be defeated | , | Many of them bit the dust in that war. |
| black sheep a good-for-nothing member of the family | Their second son is the black sheep of the family, he is good for nothing. | |
| blind date a meeting of a man and woman arranged by friends | She refuses to go on a blind date again because she had bad experience. | |
| blow it lose the chance | He understood that he blew it. | |
| blow over pass, end | , | Wait here till his anger blows over. |
| bottom line main result/factor | , | The bottom line is, I dont have enough money. |
| break into enter by force | ( ) | The police broke into the robbers house. |
| break ones heart hurt deeply | The news of her death broke his heart. | |
| break the ice overcome shyness in making the first step | The party was dull until someone broke the ice with a joke and we all laughed. | |
| break the news tell new facts | CNN is breaking the news right now. | |
| bring home the bacon earn the living for the family | He works very hard at several places to bring home the bacon. | |
| brush off give no attention to | The boss brushed off my project again. | |
| brush up on review | You need to brush up on the tenses. | |
| by all means -definitely, certainly | , | Do you need my help? By all means. |
| by heart by memorizing | Learn this poem by heart for tomorrow. | |
| by hook or by crook by any means possible | , | She will get what she wants by hook or by crook. |
| by the way incidentally | By the way, Ann is coming back today. | |
| call a spade a spade use plain, direct words | He always tells the truth and calls a spade a spade. | |
| call it a day consider work finished for the day | Weve been working for 10 straight hours. Lets call it a day. | |
| call off cancel | , | The police called off the search. |
| carry out fulfill | She never carries out her plans. | |
| carry weight be important | His advice always carries weight here. | |
| cast down depressed, sad | He was cast down by the bad news. | |
| castles in the air daydreaming about success | () | Instead of working hard, he spends time building castles in the air. |
| catch ones eye attract attention | This picture caught my eye. | |
| catch ones breath stop and rest | I cant run, I need to catch my breath. | |
| catch someone off guard catch someone unprepared | He caught me off guard with his question. | |
| catch someone red-handed find smb. in the act of doing wrong | , | The manager caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing cigarettes. |
| catch up become not behind | He needs to catch up with the others. | |
| close call a narrow escape, a bad thing that almost happened | - , | The speeding car almost hit the man. That was really a close call. |
| come across meet by chance | I came across that article yesterday. | |
| come down with become ill | - | Im coming down with a cold. |
| come to ones senses start acting reasonably, intelligently | , | He finally came to his senses, started to work hard, and passed his exams. |
| come true become reality | My dream came true when I met Pat. | |
| come up with suggest | Mike came up with a brilliant idea. | |
| count on depend on | You can always count on me for help. | |
| cut corners to take a short-cut; to limit ones spending | ; | He ran fast, cutting corners where he could. I have to cut corners this week. |
| cut down on reduce | You have to cut down on chocolate. | |
| cut out to be /cut out for it have the ability to do something | - | She isnt cut out to be a surgeon. Hes cut out to be a leader. |
| do ones best try very hard | , | I did my best to help him in his work. |
| do ones bit do whats needed | Ill do my bit, you can count on me. | |
| do over do again | This work is not good, do it over. | |
| do someone good be good for | Fresh air and exercise will do you good. | |
| do something behind ones back do (harmful) things secretively | () | I hate people who do things behind my back. He did it behind my back again. |
| do without live without | Ill have to do without a car for a while. | |
| down to earth practical | Hes quiet, sensible and down to earth. | |
| draw the line fix a limit | () | He drew the line for her at $100 a day. |
| dress up put on the best clothes | What are you dressed up for? | |
| drop off deliver somewhere | , | Can you drop me off at the bank? |
| drop out quit (school) | He dropped out of school last year. | |
| duty calls must fulfill obligations | He said, Duty calls and left for work. | |
| easier said than done | , | Its easier said than done, but Ill try to do it. |
| eat ones words take back words | He had to eat his words after her report. | |
| even so nevertheless, but | I work hard. Even so, I like my job. | |
| every now and then -occasionally | Every now and then I visit my old aunt. | |
| every other every second one | She washes her hair every other day. | |
| fall behind lag behind | The little boy fell behind the older boys. | |
| fall in love begin to love | Tom fell in love with Sue at first sight. | |
| fall out of love stop loving | They fell out of love and divorced soon. | |
| false alarm untrue rumor | I heard he quit but it was a false alarm. | |
| a far cry from something very different, almost opposite (neg.) | , | His second book wasnt bad, but it was a far cry from his first book. |
| feel it in ones bones expect something bad to happen | , | Something bad is going to happen, I feel it in my bones. |
| feel like doing something want to do, be inclined to do smth. | - | I feel like going for a walk. I dont feel like working now, Im tired. |
| feel up to be able to do | I dont feel up to cleaning the house. | |
| few and far between rare, scarce | Her visits are few and far between. | |
| find fault with criticize | He always finds faults with everybody. | |
| find out learn or discover | , | I found out that Maria left town. |
| firsthand directly from the source | , | You can trust it, its firsthand information. |
| first things first important things come before others | First things first: how much money do we have to pay right away? | |
| fly off the handle get angry | () | He flew off the handle and yelled at me. |
| follow in someones footsteps do the same thing | - , | Igor followed in his fathers footsteps, he became a doctor, too. |
| foot in the door a special opportunity for a job | Nina got a foot in the door because her friend works in that company. | |
| foot the bill pay the bill | Her father footed the bill for the party. | |
| for good forever | After her death, he left town for good. | |
| for the time being at this time | For the time being, this house is all right for us. | |
| frame of mind mental state | I cant do it in this frame of mind. | |
| from A to Z completely | He knows this town from A to Z. | |
| from now on now and in the future | From now on, I forbid you to go there. | |
| get a grip on oneself take control of ones feelings | Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself! | |
| get along with have good relations | , | Ann gets along with most coworkers, but doesnt get along with Laura. |
| get away with not be caught after doing wrong | The police didnt find the thief. He got away with his crime. | |
| get carried away get too excited and enthusiastic about something | - | He got carried away with opening a store and lost most of his money. |
| get cold feet be afraid to do | I wanted to try it but got cold feet. | |
| get even with have ones revenge | - | Ill get even with him for everything! |
| get in touch with contact | - | Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help. |
| get lost lose ones way | She got lost in the old part of town. | |
| Get lost! Lay off! | ! | I dont want to see you again. Get lost! |
| get mixed up get confused | I got mixed up, went the wrong way and got lost. | |
| get off ones back leave alone | - | Stop bothering me! Get off my back! |
| get on ones high horse behave haughtily towards someone | Every time I ask her to help me with typing, she gets on her high horse. | |
| get on (the bus, train, plane) | () | I got on the bus on Oak Street. |
| get off (the bus, train, plane) | () | I got off the bus at the bank. |
| get out of hand get out of control | - | If he gets out of hand again, call me right away. |
| get over recover after an illness or bad experience | , - | I cant get over how rude he was to me. She got over her illness quite quickly. |
| get rid of dispose of, discard | He got rid of his old useless car. | |
| get together meet with | My friends and I get together often. | |
| get to the bottom know deeply | He usually gets to the bottom of things. | |
| get to the point get to the matter | Get to the point! | |
| Give me a break! spare me | Come on, stop it! Give me a break! | |
| give someone a hand help | - | Can you give me a hand with cooking? |
| give someone a lift /a ride take to some place by car | - | Can you give me a lift to the bank? He gave her a ride in his new Porsche. |
| give someone a piece of ones mind criticize frankly | , , | She lost my umbrella again, so I gave her a piece of my mind about her carelessness. |
| give up stop doing something, stop trying to do something | -, | I gave up smoking. I gave up trying to fix my old car. |
| go back on ones word break a promise | , | First he said he would help me, but then he went back on his word. |
| go for it try to do a new thing | If I were you, I would go for it. | |
| go from bad to worse be worse | His business went from bad to worse. | |
| go out go to parties, movies | Do he and his wife go out often? | |
| go out of ones way -try very hard | He goes out of his way to please her. | |
| go to ones head make too proud | His acting success went to his head. | |
| go to pieces get very upset, fall apart | She went to pieces when she heard it. | |
| go with the flow lead quiet life | She always goes with the flow. | |
| grow on someone become liked | When she knew him more, he grew on her. | |
| had better should | , | You look ill, youd better see a doctor. |
| have a ball have a good time | Yesterday we had a ball at the party. | |
| have a bone to pick complain or discuss something unpleasant | -, - | Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with you. My mail was lost because of you. |
| have a word with someone talk to | - | Can I have a word with you? |
| have words with someone argue with someone about something | I had words with my coworker today because he used my computer again. | |
| have it in him have the ability | Laura has it in her to be a good doctor. | |
| have no business doing something have no right to do | , . | You have no business staying here without my permission. |
| have ones back to the wall be hard-pressed, on the defensive | I had no choice, I had my back to the wall. | |
| have ones hands full very busy | He has his hands full with hard work. | |
| have ones heart set on something want something very much | -, - | She has her heart set on going to New York. He has his heart set on Betty. |
| have pull have influence on | Does he have pull with the director? | |
| (not) have the heart (not) have the courage to do smth. unpleasant | () | I dont have the heart to tell him that he wasnt accepted, hell be so unhappy. |
| high and low everywhere | ( ..) | I searched high and low for my lost cat. |
| hit the nail on the head say exactly the right thing | You hit the nail on the head when you said our company needs a new director. | |
| hit upon something to discover | They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan. | |
| hold it against someone blame somebody for doing something | () - | I lost his book, but he doesnt hold it against me. |
| Hold it! Stop! Wait! | /! | Hold it! I forgot my key. |
| Hold on! Wait! | ! | Hold on! Ill be back in a minute. |
| hold ones own maintain oneself in a situation, behave as needed | , - | He can hold his own in any situation. We need men who can hold their own. |
| hold up rob using a weapon | This bank was held up twice last year. | |
| ill at ease uncomfortable | She felt ill at ease because of her cheap dress. | |
| in advance well before | He told her about his plan in advance. | |
| in a nutshell in a few words | , | In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land. |
| in care of someone write to one person at the address of another | ( ) | Im staying at Toms house. Write to me in care of Tom Gray, Chicago, Illinois. |
| in cold blood mercilessly | He killed her in cold blood. | |
| in fact actually, in reality | In fact, he works as a manager here. | |
| in general generally, generally speaking | , | In general, he likes to be alone. He described the place only in general. |
| in ones element what one likes | Hes in his element when hes arguing. | |
| in other words using other words | In other words, you refused to do it for her. | |
| in plain English in simple, frank terms | I didnt really like the concert. In plain English, the concert was terrible. | |
| the ins and outs all info about | He knows the ins and outs of this business. | |
| in someones shoes in another persons position | , | Id hate to be in his shoes now. He lost his job, and his wife is in the hospital. |
| in the long run in the end | In the long run, itll be better to buy it. | |
| in the same boat in the same situation | Stop arguing with me, were in the same boat and should help each other. | |
| in the clear free from blame | Pay the bill and youll be in the clear. | |
| in time (to do something) before something begins | , - ( -) | I came in time to have a cup of coffee before class. |
| it goes without saying should be clear without words | , | It goes without saying that he must pay what he owes right away. |
| Its on the tip of my tongue. | His name is on the tip of my tongue. | |
| its time should do it right away | Hurry up, its time to go. | |
| Its worth it. / Its not worth it. Its (not) worth buying, visiting, watching, etc. | / ; () , , .. | Watch this film, its worth it. Dont buy this coat, it is not worth it. This museum is worth visiting. This film is not worth watching. |
| it will do its enough | Stop reading, it will do for now. | |
| jump at the opportunity/chance accept the opportunity eagerly | His boss mentioned a job in Europe, and Peter jumped at the opportunity. | |
| just as soon prefer this one | () | Id just as soon stay home, Im tired. |
| just in case to be on the safe side | Take an extra shirt, just in case. | |
| Just my luck! Bad / Hard luck! | ! | They lost my job application. Just my luck! |
| keep an eye on take care of, watch, look after | , | Betty keeps an eye on my sons for me. Ill keep an eye on you! |
| keep a straight face not to laugh | I tried to keep a straight face, but failed. | |
| keep company accompany | She keeps me company quite often. | |
| keep ones word fulfill a promise | You promised, now keep your word. | |
| keep someone posted inform | Keep me posted about your plans. | |
| keep your fingers crossed hope that nothing will go wrong | , | I have a job interview today. Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you? |
| kill time fill/spend empty time | I went to the show to kill time. | |
| (not) know the first thing about not to have any knowledge about | - | I dont know the first thing about nuclear physics. |
| know the ropes be very familiar with some business | He knows all the ropes in this company. | |
| last-minute notice little or no time to prepare for something | His arrival was a last-minute notice, we didnt have time to prepare for it. | |
| lay ones cards on the table be frank and open | , | Finally, we asked him to lay his cards on the table and tell us about his plans. |
| lay ones life on the line put oneself in a dangerous situation | He laid his life on the line to fulfill this task, but nobody appreciated his efforts. | |
| lead a dogs life live in misery | He leads a dogs life. | |
| lead someone on make someone believe something that isnt true | - | They suspect that you are leading them on. You led me on! |
| leave it at that accept reluctantly | Leave it at that, what else can you do? | |
| leave word leave a message | He left word for you to meet him at the airport at 6. | |
| let bygones be bygones forget and forgive bad things in the past | Why dont you let bygones be bygones and forget about what he said? | |
| let go of release the hold | , | Let go of my hand or Ill call the guard. |
| let (it) go forget bad experience, return to normal life | Hes still in despair and cant let (it) go. You cant change anything, so let it go. | |
| let ones hair down be relaxed and informal with other people | She is always so formal. She never lets her hair down. | |
| let someone down disappoint, fail someone | - | Dont let me down this time! |
| let someone know inform | Let me know when you find a job. | |
| like father, like son be like ones parent in something | , | Paul won a prize in a chess tournament. Great! Like father, like son! |
| little by little step by step | Little by little, he got used to Tokyo. | |
| look for search for | What are you looking for? | |
| look forward to expect with pleasure | Im looking forward to your letter. Mary is looking forward to the party. | |
| look out be careful, watch out | Look out! The bus is coming! | |
| look up check with /in a dictionary or a reference book | If you dont know this word, look it up in the dictionary. | |
| lose ones temper become angry | He loses his temper very often. | |
| lose ones way get lost | I lost my way. Can you help me? | |
| lose track of not to know where someone or something is | I lost track of him years ago. | |
| lucky break a lucky chance | He got his lucky break when he got this job. | |
| make a living earn money to provide for life | He works hard. His family is big, and he has to make a living somehow. | |
| make allowance for take into consideration when judging | , | Dont criticize him so hard, make (an) allowance for his inexperience. |
| make a point of be sure to do something intentionally | - | Make a point of asking about his wife. Make it a point to be here by 10. |
| make ends meet to have and spend only what one earns | His doesnt get much money. I wonder how he manages to make ends meet. | |
| make friends become friends | Anton makes new friends easily. | |
| make fun of laugh at, joke about | He made fun of her German accent. | |
| make no bones about it say/do openly, without hesitation | , | Ill make no bones about it: I dont like your attitude to work. |
| make room for allow space for | We can make room for one more dog. | |
| make sense be logical | What you say makes sense. | |
| make the most of smth do the best in the given situation | Lets make the most of our vacation. | |
| make up become friends again | Im tired of fighting. Lets make up. | |
| make up for smth compensate | Ill make up for the time you spent on it. | |
| make up ones mind decide | When will you go? Make up your mind. | |
| make yourself at home be comfortable, feel at home | Come in please. Make yourself at home. | |
| man of his word one who keeps promises, is dependable | , | You can depend on his promise to help. Hes a man of his word. |
| mean well have good intentions | , | He meant well, but it turned out that he spoiled a couple of things for me. |
| might as well a good idea | I might as well telephone him now. | |
| missing person someone who is lost and cant be located | ( ) | The little boy disappeared. The police registered him as a missing person. |
| meet someone halfway compromise with others | - | Hes reasonable and tries to meet his coworkers halfway, when possible. |
| never mind it doesnt matter | , | Thank you. Never mind. |
| not to mention in addition to | We have three dogs, not to mention two cats. | |
| no wonder not surprising | , | He ate three big fish. No wonder hes sick. |
| now and again occasionally | I meet them now and again at the bank. | |
| odds and ends a variety of small unimportant things or leftovers | , , | I needed to buy some odds and ends for the kitchen. |
| off the cuff without preparation | Off the cuff, I can give you only a rough estimate. | |
| off the point beside the point | What I think about him is off the point. | |
| off the record not for the public, unofficially | , | Strictly off the record, I think the director is going to get married soon. |
| once and for all decidedly | You must quit smoking once and for all. | |
| on credit not pay cash right away | He bought a car on credit. | |
| on edge nervous, irritable | , | Hes been on edge ever since she left. |
| on guard on the alert | , | Hes cautious and always on guard. |
| on hand available | Do you have a calculator on hand? | |
| on ones own alone, by oneself | , , | She likes to live and work on her own. |
| on ones toes alert, attentive, prepared for difficulties | , | He was on his toes and produced a very good impression on them. |
| on purpose intentionally | , | I didnt do it on purpose, it just happened so. |
| on second thought after thinking again | Id like to sit on the aisle. On second thought, Id like a window seat. | |
| on the alert on guard | , | Hes cautious and always on the alert. |
| on the carpet called in by the boss for criticism | Yesterday the boss called her on the carpet for being rude to the coworkers. | |
| on the go busy, on the move | , | He is always on the go. |
| on the off chance unlikely to happen, but still | , | On the off chance that you dont find him at work, heres his home address. |
| on the other hand considering the other side of the question | Id like to have a dog. On the other hand, my wife likes cats better. | |
| on the spot right there | , | I decided to do it on the spot. |
| on the spur of the moment without previous thought / plan | He bought this car on the spur of the moment, now he regrets it. | |
| on time punctual | Jim is always on time. | |
| out of ones mind crazy | If you think so, youre out of your mind. | |
| out of ones way away from someones usual route | I cant give you a lift to the bank, its out of my way today. | |
| out of the question impossible | Paying him is out of the question! | |
| pack rat a person who saves lots of unnecessary things | , | Why does she keep all those things she never uses? She is a pack rat. |
| pay attention be attentive | Pay attention to his words. | |
| pick a fight start a quarrel | He often tries to pick a fight with me. | |
| pick up take, get | , | Ill pick you up at 7. |
| play ones cards right choose the right steps in doing something | If you play your cards right, hell agree to your plan. | |
| potluck supper a surprise meal, where nobody knows what dishes other guests will bring | , , | You know what happened at our last potluck supper? Everybody brought macaroni and cheese, apples, and beer! |
| pull oneself together brace oneself, summon your strength | c | Stop crying and complaining! You have to pull yourself together now. |
| pull the wool over someones eyes deceive, mislead someone | , | Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes? It wont do you any good. |
| put a damper on discourage | She always puts a damper on my plans. | |
| put in a word for someone say positive things about someone | Id be very grateful if you could put in a word for me when you speak to him. | |
| put off postpone | Dont put it off till tomorrow. | |
| put ones foot down object strongly | Her father put his foot down when she said she wanted to marry Alan. | |
| put ones foot in it do the wrong thing, make a fool of oneself | / | He put his foot in it when he told the boss his daughter wasnt pretty. |
| put up with accept, tolerate | , | I cant put up with your bad work! |
| quite a bit of much, a lot of | I had quite a bit of trouble with that car. | |
| quite a few many, a lot of | He wrote quite a few good stories. | |
| rack ones brain try hard to think | He racked his brain to solve the puzzle. | |
| read between the lines find or understand the implied meaning | His books are not easy to understand; you have to read between the lines. | |
| remember me to say hello to | Please remember me to your family. | |
| right away immediately | , | It very important to do it right away. |
| ring a bell remind someone of something familiar /half-forgotten | - | Annabel Lee? Yeah, it rings a bell, but I cant place it right now. |
| rock the boat make the situation unstable | , | Peter always rocks the boat when we discuss companys spending policy. |
| rub shoulders with meet with | He doesnt rub shoulders with the rich. | |
| rub someone the wrong way irritate, annoy, make angry | , - | His remarks rub many coworkers the wrong way. |
| run into meet by chance | I ran into an old friend yesterday. | |
| save face try to change the negative impression produced | He said a stupid thing and tried to save face by saying he misunderstood me. | |
| save ones breath stop useless talk | Theres no use talking to him about his spending habits, so save your breath. | |
| scratch the surface study something superficially | He examines all the facts closely, he doesnt just scratch the surface. | |
| see about make arrangements for | - | I have to see about our plane tickets. |
| see eye to eye agree | We dont see eye to eye any longer. | |
| serve someone right get what someone deserves | It serves him right that he didnt get this job, he despised all other candidates. | |
| serve ones purpose be useful to someone for his purpose | I doubt that hiring this man will serve your purpose. | |
| show promise be promising | This young actor shows promise. | |
| show up appear | I waited for hours but he didnt show up. | |
| size up evaluate someone | , | It took me 5 minutes to size up that man. |
| sleep on it postpone a decision till next morning | Dont decide now, sleep on it. | |
| a slip of the tongue a mistake | () | It was just a slip of the tongue! |
| slip (from) ones mind forget | It slipped my mind what she asked me. | |
| smell a rat suspect something | Im not sure what it is, but I smell a rat. | |
| so far up to now | , | So far, I have read 3 books by King. |
| so much the better its even better | If he can pay cash, so much the better. | |
| spill the beans tell a secret | Who spilled the beans about our plan? | |
| stand a chance have a chance | He doesnt stand a chance of getting it. | |
| stand out be noticeable | He stands out in any group of people. | |
| stand to reason be logical | , | It stands to reason that he apologized. |
| straight from the shoulder speak frankly | , | Dont try to spare my feelings, give it to me straight from the shoulder. |
| take a dim view of something disapprove of something | My sister takes a dim view of the way I raise my children. | |
| take a break stop for rest | Lets take a break, Im tired. | |
| take advantage of use for ones own benefit, to profit from | We took advantage of the low prices and bought a computer and a monitor. | |
| take after be like one of the parents | () | Tom takes after his father in character, and after his mother in appearance. |
| take a stand on something make a firm opinion/decision on smth. | , | People need to take a stand on the issue of nuclear weapons. |
| take care of look after, protect, see that smth. is done properly | -, - |
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to meet a colleague from abroad -
to answer questions for an application form
to chat about the news
to get to know each other during a break
to spend a lot of time
to love really
to be quite good at -
to be really into
to be interested in
to have enough time for
to hate absolutely
to hang out with friends
to text your friends
to be physically active
to chat on the phone
to use the Internet
to work longer hours
leisure time activity
to work fulltime
to do the main share of the housework
ready meals and takeaways
to have a full-time job
to socialize
to be keen on sport
to take part in sport
to waste a lot of time
the starling results
the vast majority of
to be stressed out and exhausted
home-cooked food
shopping malls
pensioners
according to recent research
to do sport
to send e-mails to friends
to live in a flat upstairs
to do a design course
to be incredible
to be really weird
the architecture is amazing
to improve English
to look after children and to do the housework
to be terrible at housework
to move to a new office
to be bored with smth , -
to look for smth -
to go and live abroad
to set up a travel business
to play the guitar, the violin
to wear smart and casual clothes
to have got a stomachache
to have got a cold
I did not do my homework neither did I
I did my course so did I
to write a letter straight away
to drop a line
to study at university
a sales manager
a gorgeous guy
unfortunately
to be married to smb ,
to get married to ,
an acquaintance
to start a journey
a carrier bag
the governments plans for education
to take antibiotics
to serve breakfast
in particular
tax cuts
a custom official
to disturb smb -
to look fantastic
a good way of investing money
to be fit and healthy
autographs
to work together
to be in a bad mood
to have a good word to smb -
to pick on smb -,
to be terrified by smb -
to cover for smb -,
to be downstairs
to shout at smb
to march straight up to smb -
a pathetic coward
to be stunned to silence
to walk off without saying any word ,
to be in a bad car accident
to break ones legs
to be in a wheelchair
to be amazed by courage
to have an injection
to complain about a considerable pain
to comfort smb -
to share smth -
a ward
adults
to be generous
to get in touch with
to be unbelievably kind and honest
to go shopping
at the checkout desk
to load up a car
to drop smth -
to start to panic
to knock at the door
a queue
to get an address from a driving license
to be grateful
to thank smb properly -
to own a gun
to have a motive for killing
the scene of the crime
to try an experiment
to believe in telepathy
a mammal
to drink liquids from eucalyptus leaves
the Aborigine word ,
the news headlines
a nutrition expert
junk food
to set a good example
to suffer because of indoor pollution
dangerous chemicals
to claim
to breathe the air
to have a bad headache
