English Idioms
Sayings, phrasal verbs, and idioms.
49 flashcards · English · by lakesare
What does this mean: > I don’t know what they agreed to because I wasn’t in on the deal.
To take part in something that is being planned or discussed.
What does this mean: > Thieves’ Guild, where people put an edge on their crowbars
Where people sharpen their crowbars.
What does this mean: > Most countries have waved the legislation through.
To give approval for something immediately (and often without checking it properly).
What does this mean: > The policeman on duty waved me through.
To make a signal with your hand that shows you are allowing a person or vehicle to go through a gate or other entrance
To increase the amount of money or valuables hazarded in a gambling game?
To raise the stakes.
We cannot rest on our laurels after the efforts of the weekend.
Be so satisfied with what one has already done or achieved that one makes no further effort.
His integrity is beyond reproach.
Such that no criticism can be made; perfect.
The trade unions were a political force to be reckoned with.
A thing or person that is not to be ignored or underestimated.
He reckons|reckoned that the army should pull out entirely.
Be of the opinion.
The dream sequence in the film pays homage to the television show Twin Peaks. What does paying homage mean in this case?
To openly copy, simulate, or emulate someone or something in content or style as a means of honoring, admiring, or showing respect toward them or it.
Working the land from dawn to dusk.
The darker stage of twilight.
What's 'a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult'?
Coming of age
The chairman is to step down after four years at the helm.
A position of leadership.
They were regularly and troublingly flat-footed about situations in which smart, lively 18- to 22-year-olds should have had no difficulty leaning in and righting the world.
clumsy, awkward, or uninspired. having a condition in which the foot has an arch that is lower than usual.
Our daughter's penchant for spending endless hours paging through social media updates and re-watching episodes of The Office.
A strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something. Late 17th century from French, 'leaning, inclining'.
When confronted with our pampered daughters, my wife and I felt a heavy sense of failure.
Spoiled, given special treatment that makes you feel as comfortable as possible or gives you whatever you want
Somehow I had accidentally taught my children that a functioning household air conditioner is a fundamental staple of life.
A main or important element of something. A U-shaped metal bar with pointed ends for driving into wood to hold things such as wires in place. A piece of thin wire with two short right-angled end pieces which are driven by a stapler through sheets of paper to fasten them together.
These seemingly disparate stories are not in any way about politics.
Essentially different in kind; not able to be compared.
Grit your teeth and splash yourself with cold water!
Clench one's teeth, especially when angry or faced with something unpleasant.
When the _________ were cut, children learned that it was possible to be away from mom for six or eight or ten hours and still survive.
Apron strings If you say that someone is tied to another person's apron strings, you mean that they are controlled or influenced too much by the other person.
The story of the album is told from the vantage of the researchers who are piecing together information about the figures in the photos.
A place or position affording a good view of something. a position giving a strategic advantage, commanding perspective, or comprehensive viewsuperiority in a contest vantage point Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, shortening of Old French avantage ‘advantage’.
I understand that many contemporary students find these trends as annoying and even as worrisome as I do, and that not all students should be tarred with this brush.
Although well-meaning, our indulgent practices have tended to encourage complacency among our pampered offspring.
A feeling of smug satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.
The problem is that security in old age depends increasingly on the vagaries of the stock market.
An unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behaviour. Late 16th century (also as a verb in the sense 'roam'): from Latin vagari 'wander', вейгари.
She wondered if his cold, level gaze betokened indifference or anger.
Be a sign of, be a warning or indication of (a future event).
I'm not too confident that I'll get the lead in the play, so I'll hedge my bets by trying out for several roles.
To protect yourself against loss by supporting more than one possible result or both sides in a competition.
So far this approach has panned out.
To happen, end, or develop in a particular way - especially succeeded.
They thought that the deadline was a tall order.
An unreasonable or difficult demand.
The arrangement itself, frankly, was run-of-the-mill to dull.
Lacking unusual or special aspects; ordinary.
If you're looking for a nice enough, quirky and droll adventure film that you won't remember on Monday, then here's your movie,
Curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement.
The following evening the King added a request for a six-part fugue by Bach on his theme.
A contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase (the subject) is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts.
I'm not just a monkey dancing to the organ grinder's tune.
A street musician who plays a barrel organ.
In the thickly traded parts of the stock market, I doff my hat, I put aside my pride and kneel in true humility to accept the market’s beliefs as though they were my own.
To take off (the hat) in greeting or as a sign of respect.
What sheer folly it must be to fall in love if it makes one talk in such a silly manner.
A foolish act, idea, or practice.
Seeing his work here does give some context, even if I am a complete philistine when it comes to paintings.
A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts.
Locke argued that a person forfeits his rights when committing even minor crimes.
Lose or be deprived of (property or a right or privilege) as a penalty for wrongdoing.
For want of a better location we ate our picnic lunch in the cemetery
Because of a lack of (something).
Not only could we have printed long before Gutenberg, we actually did after a fashion.
To a certain extent (but imperfectly or unsatisfactorily).
They threw a wrench into the process by raising all sorts of petty objections.
His comments are sheer humbug.
Deceptive or false talk. A humbug is a person or object that behaves in a deceptive or dishonest way, often as a hoax or in jest. The term was first described in 1751 as student slang, and recorded in 1840 as a "nautical phrase". It is now also often used as an exclamation to describe something as hypocritical nonsense or gibberish.
Scruples VS qualms VS foibles
scruple - an ethical consideration or principle that inhibits action. qualm - a feeling of uneasiness about a point especially of conscience or propriety. Had no qualms about asking for their helpfoibles - a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior.
The resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt.
equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as.
Visually imagine "bikeshedding".
When people spend: more time discussing bike shed than discussing a power plant. A bike shed The law of triviality is C. Northcote Parkinson's 1957 argument that people within an organization commonly or typically give disproportionate weight to trivial issues. Parkinson provides the example of a fictional committee whose job was to approve the plans for a nuclear power plant spending the majority of its time on discussions about relatively minor but easy-to-grasp issues, such as what materials…
Visually imagine "iota" in "not one iota" phrase.
Uppercase Ι, lowercase: ι. Iota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. The word is used in a common English phrase, "not one iota", meaning "not the slightest amount". This refers to iota, the smallest letter, or possibly yodh (י) the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
Visually imagine a juxtaposition
The fact of two things being close together with contrasting effect.
The government has implemented strict measures ________ the spread of the virus _________.
The government has implemented strict measures to nip the spread of the virus in the bud.
One must, indeed, locate the __________ in one's own eye before locating the __________ in everybody else's.
One must, indeed, locate the beam in one's own eye before locating the motes in everybody else's. One saying that includes the words "beam" and "motes" is "The beam in thine own eye thou seest not, but the mote in thy neighbor's eye thou seest." This saying is derived from the Bible, specifically from the New Testament book of Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 3.
Visually imagine: mote VS motto.
mote - a tiny piece of a substance. "Mote" is a noun that refers to a small particle or speck, especially one that is visible in the air or floating in a liquid. It can also refer to a small, insignificant detail or fault.motto - девиз "Motto" is a noun that refers to a short, memorable phrase or slogan that expresses a principle, goal, or ideal, and that is often used as a guiding principle or a source of inspiration. A motto is often used by organizations, individuals, or groups to describe t…
Donations to the charity have _________________ since the scandal broke.
Donations to the charity have slowed to a trickle since the scandal broke. To decrease in amount or flow to a very small amount