Idioms (P1)

1.
In a lather: in a state of nervousness or anxiety

Ex: She was in a lather because she couldn’t find her passport
2. In a row= successively
Ex: After making losses four years in a row, the manager knew she had to
sack sb
3. In absentia= while absent
Ex: An Italian court convicted him in absentia for his terrorist activities.
4. Out of action = out of order
Ex: I’m afraid the TV’s out of action
5. In all one’s born days = ever
Ex: I’ve never seen such a beautiful girl in all my born days.
6. In due course = when the time is right
Ex: The kitchen will be painted in due course.
7. Quick/slow on the uptake: understand things easily/with difficulty
Ex: He’s a bit slow on the uptake, so you may have to repeat the questions a
few times.
8. Take stock (of) = to think carefully
Ex: After two years spent teaching abroad, she returned home for a month to
take stock of life.
9. Be out of woods = to no longer be in danger/difficulty
Ex: The club has been given funding for another years, but it’s not out of the
woods yet.
10.Split hairs: to argue about small details
Ex: When investigating wrongdoings, we split hairs over procedures,
jurisdiction and inter-government decorum.
11.On the horizon: likely to happen or exist soon
Ex: There is no new drug on the horizon that’ll make this disease easier to
treat.
12.Think on one’s feet: to make a quick decision
Ex: I had never heard about the firm before, so I had to think on my feet.
13.Out of one’s depth: unable to understand
Ex: I was out of my depth in the advanced class, so I would move to the
intermediate class
14.Steer clear of sb/st: to avoid sb or st that seems unpleasant, dangerous
Ex: They warned their children to steer clear of drugs.
15.Be in/ get into a state: to become nervous or upset
Ex: She got into a real state before her driving test.
16.Go/get/head nowhere: to not have any success or achieve anything
Ex: I’m trying to persuade her to come, but I’m getting nowhere.
17.A stone’s throw: a short distance
Ex: It’s a stone’s throw from here to my house.
18.In the long run= In the long term
Ex: In the long run, we’ll need different fuel for cars.
19.For the most part= On the whole
Ex: For the most part, I agree with your decision.
20.Here to stay: become generally used or accepted
Ex: Computers are said to be here to stay for development of mankind
21.Come rain or shine= do regularly
Ex: I listen to music everyday, come rain or shine.
22.Go to (great) lengths: to try very hard to achieve st
Ex: He’ll go to any lengths to get what he wants.
23.Be on thin ice: be in a risky situation
Ex: If you keep asking him, you’ll be on thin ice.
24.Rack one’s brains: to try hard to remember st
25.Be the salt of the earth: a kind and honest person
Ex: It’s impossible to imagine Jim harming sb. He’s the salt of the earth.
26.A turn up for the books: a surprising or unexpected events
Ex: He actually passed the exam! That’s certainly a turn up for the books.
27.Can’t hold a candle to sb: to not be as good as the person or thing
mentioned
Ex: Quite frankly, you can’t hold a candle to me when it comes to chess.
28.Music to one’s ears: to be st that you are very pleased to hear.
29.To be long in the tooth: very old
Ex: Don’t you think you are a bit long in the tooth to go climbing?
30.Let the genie out of the bottle: to allow st bad or unwanted to happen that
can’t then be stopped
Ex: I can still play tennis, but I’m past my prime.
31.St’s/sb’s claim to fame: the reason why st/sb become famous
Ex: This town’s claim to fame is that a president was born there
32.Off the bat= immediately
Ex: You can’t expect all your new classmates to like you right off the bat.
33.Be the luck of the draw: to be the result of chance and st that you have no
control over
Ex: You can’t choose who you play against – it’s just the luck the of draw
34.A bone of contention: st that most people argue strongly about
Ex: Education reforms have long been a bone of contention in this country.
35.After a fashion: If you can do st after a fashion, you can do it, but not well
Ex: I play football after a fashion, so I don’t think I can join the team.
36.Gut feeling: a strong belief about st that can’t be explained
Ex: I have a gut feeling that st bad would happen.
37.In words of one syllable= simply
Ex: It isn’t easy to explain how this machine works in words of one syllable.
38.In one’s bad/good books: not pleased/ pleased

39.Not by a long shot= not in any way
40.Go down the pan: to fail or to be lost or destroyed
Ex: She doesn’t want to see her plans go down the pan but she doesn’t know
what to do.

Idioms (P1)

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1.

In a lather: in a state of nervousness or anxiety

Ex: I can still play tennis, but I’m past my prime.

31.St’s/sb’s claim to fame: the reason why st/sb become famous

32.Off the bat= immediately

34.A bone of contention: st that most people argue strongly about

36.Gut feeling: a strong belief about st that can’t be explained

Ex: I have a gut feeling that st bad would happen.

37.In words of one syllable= simply

38.In one’s bad/good books: not pleased/ pleased

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