unit 2 - idioms

28 flashcards · English · by Hanne Leysen

a fighting chance
a fair chance, a good chance
as dry as a bone
very dry
as fresh as a daisy
very fresh
a old as the hills
very old
as poor as a church mouse
very poor
as proud as a peacock
very proud
as pure as gold
very pure (morally good)
as quiet as a lamb
very quiet
as sweet as honey
very sweet
as thin as a rake
very thin
as white as a ghost
very white or pale
bobbing for apples
a brittish halloween game in which you tie your hand behind your back and try to take an apple out of a cauldron filled with water
bollocks
untruth, lies, nonsense (vulgar brittish)
to dig your own grave
to cause your own failure
to fight fire with fire
to fight using the same methods as your opponent
to fight tooth and nail
to fight very hard (not always literally)
half the battle
half of the job done
lay down one's arms
to give up/ stop fighting
an old wives' tale
something people believed in the past
to be on the warpath
to be very angry about something
tostick to your guns
to refuse to change your ideas, in spite of pressure
to be appreciative
to be thankful
to be hell-bent on
to be extremely determined to do something, without considering the risks or possible dangerous results
to be up in arms
to be angry about; to be protesting strongly
to be wrapped up in something
to be intensely absorbed in something
to go or quit something cold turkey
to quit a habit all at once
to keep mum
to keep something a secret
to talk turkey
to discuss a deal very seriously