Spoken Phrases

Made by: Rizwan Ahmed Mmeon

Email: RizwanAhmedMemon@gmail.com
Mobile: 03433846385
Add: Larkana (Sindh Pakistan)

( Category - A )
That's about it/all :

a) Used to tell someone that you have told them everything you know

 He was a quiet chap, married with kids. That's about it, really.

b) Used to say that there is nothing else available

 There's some cheese in the fridge and that's about it.

What's this in aid of? : (BrE)

Used to ask what something is used for or why someone is doing something

 What's this meeting tomorrow in aid of, then?

Be all in : (BrE)

To be very tired

Somebody/something is not all that :

Used to say that someone or something is not very attractive or desirable

 I don't know why you keep chasing her around. She's not all that.

And another thing :

Used to introduce something additional that you want to say to someone about a different
subject

 And another thing. You were late for work again this morning.

Can't answer for somebody :

Used to say that you cannot make a decision for someone who is not there, or give their
opinion

 I'm sure John will help us - I can't really answer for the others.

Anything you say :

Used to tell someone you agree with what they suggest

 Yes, of course, anything you say.

While I'm/you're etc at it :

Used to suggest that someone should do something while they are doing something else

I'm just going for a cup of coffee. Shall I bring you one while I'm at it?

So/As far as I am aware :

Used when you are saying something that you think is true, although you might be wrong
because you do not know all the facts

 As far as I am aware, they are a happily married couple.

Spoken Phrases ( Category - B )

Be on somebody's back :

To be trying to make someone do something they do not want to do

 Why are you and Dad always on my back?

Not too/so bad :

Used to say that something is not as bad as expected

 The exams weren't so bad

It's bad enough... :

Used to say that you already have one problem, so that you do not want to worry about or deal
with another one

 It's bad enough having to bring up three kids on your own without having to
worry about money as well!

Get a bang out of something : (AmE)

To enjoy something very much

Bang on :

Exactly correct

 'Is that right?' 'Bang on!'

Bang goes something : (BrE)

Used to show that you are unhappy because something you had hoped for will not happen

 Bang goes my brilliant plan.

Bear with me :

Used to ask someone politely to wait while you find out information, finish what you are doing
etc

 Bear with me a minute, and I'll check if Mr.Garrard's in.

(It) Beats me : (MI)

Used to say that you do not know something or cannot understand or explain it

 Beats me why he wants such a big car.

 'What's he saying?' 'Beats me.'

Beat it! : (MI)

Used to tell someone to leave at once, because they are annoying you or should not be there

Can you beat that/it? : (MI)

Used to show that you are surprised or annoyed by something

They've got eight children! Can you beat that?

Beat your brains out : (MI)

To think about something very hard and for a long time

I've been beating my brains out all week trying to finish this essay.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em : (MI)

Used when you decide to take part in something even though you disapprove of it, because
everyone else is doing it and you cannot stop them

I beg to differ : (Formal)

Used to say firmly that you do not agree with something that has been said

 I must beg to differ on this point.

Be going begging : (BrE)

If something is going begging, it is available for anyone who wants it

 There's a beer going begging if anyone's interested.

Can't begin to understand/imagine etc :

Used to emphasize how difficult something is to understand etc

 I can't begin to imagine how awful it must have been.

Can't/don't believe something : (MI)

Used when you are very surprised or shocked by something

 I can't believe he's expecting us to work on Sunday as well!

 I couldn't believe it when he told me what had happened.

Can hardly/scarcely believe something :

 I could scarcely believe my luck.

Believe it or not : (MI)

Used when you are saying something that is true but surprising

 He enjoys school, believe it or not.

Would you believe it! / I don't believe it!: (MI)

Used when you are surprised or angry about something

 And then he just walked out. Would you believe it!

Believe (you) me : (MI)

Used to emphasize that something is definitely true

 There'll be trouble when they find out about this, believe you me!

You'd better believe it! : (MI)

Used to emphasize that something is true

Don't you believe it! : (MI)

Used to emphasize that something is definitely not true

Can't believe your eyes/ears : (MI)

Used to say that someone is very surprised by something they see or hear

If you believe that, you'll believe anything : (MI)

Used to say that something is definitely not true, and that anyone who believes it must be
stupid

Seeing is believing / I'll believe it when I see it : (MI)

Used to say that you will only believe that something happens or exists when you actually see
it

Give somebody a bell : (BrE)

To telephone someone

 I must give Vicky a bell later.

Drive somebody round the bend : (BrE)

To annoy someone

 His attitude drives me round the bend.

Be/go round the bend : (BrE)

To be or become crazy

 I sometimes feel I'm going round the bend looking after young children all
day.

None of your beeswax : (BrE)

Used to tell someone that what they have asked you is private or personal

be for the best : (Especially Spoken)

Used to say that a particular event may seem bad now, but might have a good result later

 I still don't want him to go but maybe it's for the best.

You bet! :

Used to emphasize that you agree with someone or are keen to do what they suggest

 'Going to the party on Saturday?' ' You bet!'

You (can) bet your life/your bottom dollar :

Used when you are sure that you know what someone will do or what will happen

 You can bet your bottom dollar he won't be back.

(Do you) Want to bet? / Wanna bet? :

Used to say that you think something that someone has just said is not true or not likely to
happen

 'I'm sure Tom'll be here soon.' 'Wanna bet?'

Don't bet on it / I wouldn't bet on it :

Used to say that you do not think something is likely to happen

 He said he'd finish by tomorrow, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Your best bet :

Used when advising someone what to do

 Your best bet is to put an advert in the local newspaper.

 The train might be a better bet.

My bet :

Used when saying what you expect to happen in the future

 My bet is he'll be back this time next week.

Better late than never :

Used to say that even if something happens late or someone arrives late, this is better than it
not happening or their not arriving at all

What's biting you/her etc? :

Used to ask why someone is annoyed or upset

Something/somebody bites : (Not Polite)

Used to say that you dislike someone or something very much or think that something is very
bad

 Somebody only has himself/herself to blame :

Used to say that someone's problems are their own fault

 If he fails his exams, he'll only have himself to blame.

Blow somebody's mind :

To make you feel very surprised and excited by something

 Seeing her again really blew my mind.

Bob's your uncle! : (BrE)

Used to say that something will be easy to do

 Just copy the disk, and Bob's your uncle!

Have a bone to pick with somebody :

Used to tell someone that you are annoyed with them and want to talk about it

Spoken Phrases ( Category - C )

To cap it all (off) :

Used before a statement to say that something is the last in a series of annoying, unpleasant,
or funny events

 To cap it all, the phones didn't work, and there was no hot water.

Be on the case:

If someone says they are on the case, they know about a problem and are going to try to solve
it

Get off my case :

Used to tell someone to stop criticizing you or complaining about you

 OK, OK, just get off my case!

Catch you later :

Used to say goodbye

 'I'll give you a call in a couple days.' 'Okay. Catch you later.'

Catch a ride : (AmE)

To go somewhere in someone else's car

 I caught a ride as far as Columbus.

You won't catch me doing something / You won't catch me somewhere :

Used to say that you would never do something

 I love dancing but you won't catch me being the first on the dance floor!

Certainly not :

Used to disagree completely or to refuse to give permission

 'May I go?' 'Certainly not!'

Chance would be a fine thing! : (BrE)

Used to mean that the thing you want to happen is very unlikely

 'Do you think you'll get married?' 'Chance would be a fine thing!'
Get no change out of somebody : (BrE)

To get no useful information or help from someone

 I wouldn't bother asking Richard - you'll get no change out of him.

Get a charge out of something (AmE)

To be excited by something and enjoy it very much

 I got a real charge out of seeing my niece take her first steps.

As clear as mud :

Used humorously to say that something is very difficult to understand

Be climbing the walls :

To become extremely anxious, annoyed, or impatient

 If I don't get a drink soon, I'll be climbing the walls.

join the club :

Used to say that you and a lot of other people are in the same situation

 'I'm having difficulty knowing what today's debate is about.' 'Join the club,
Geoffrey.'

Come off it! (BrE) :

Used to tell someone that you do not believe what they are saying

 Oh come off it! You can't seriously be saying you knew nothing about any of
this.

There's no comparison :

Used when you think that someone or something is much better than someone or something
else
There's no comparison between:

 There's just no comparison between canned vegetables and fresh ones.

Consider it done :

Used to say yes very willingly when someone asks you to do something for them

 'Could you drive me to the airport tomorrow?' 'Consider it done.'

I couldn't : (BrE)
Used to politely say that you do not want any more food or drink

 'Would you like another piece of pie?' 'Oh, no thanks, I couldn't.'

(It) cuts both ways :

Used to say that something has two effects, especially a good effect and a bad one

 The higher the interest rate, the greater the financial risk - which, of course,
cuts both ways.

It's the same old story : (MI)

Used to say that the present bad situation has often happened before

 It's the same old story - too much work and not enough time.

It's a long story : (MI)

Used to tell someone that you do not want to give them all the details that a full answer to
their question would need

To cut a long story short / To make a long story short : (AmE) (MI)

Used when you only give the main point of something you are talking about, and not all the
other details

But that's another story : (MI)

Used when you have mentioned something that you are not going to talk about on this
occasion

That's not the whole story : (MI)

Used to say that there are more details which people need to know in order to understand the
situation

That's the story of my life : (MI)

Used after a disappointing experience to mean that similar disappointing things always seem
to happen to you

End of story : (MI)

Used to say that there is nothing more to say about a particular subject

 As far as I'm concerned Terry is still a friend, end of story.

Cut it/that out :

Used to tell someone to stop doing something because it is annoying you

  Hey, you guys, cut it out - Mom's trying to get some sleep.

Spoken Phrases ( Category - D )

What's the damage? :

Used humorously to ask how much you have to pay for something

It's (just) one of those days : (MI)

Used to say that everything seems to be going wrong on this particular day

It's not somebody's day : (MI)

Used when several unpleasant things have happened to someone in one day

 It really wasn't Chris's day - he overslept and then his car broke down.)

Make a day of it : (MI) (BrE)

To spend all day doing something for pleasure

 If the weather's nice, we'll make a day of it and take a picnic.

That'll be the day : (MI)

Used to say that you think something is very unlikely to happen

 'Bill says he's going to start going to the gym.' 'That'll be the day!'

Not have all day : (MI)

Used to say that you want someone to do something faster because you do not have enough
time to wait for them to finish

 Hurry up! I haven't got all day!

It's not every day (that) : (MI)

Used to say that something does not happen often and is therefore very special

 Let's go out and celebrate. After all, it's not every day you get a new job.

Be on days : (MI)

To work during the day at a job you sometimes have to do at night

 I'm on days this week.

40/50/60 etc if he's/she's a day : (MI)

Used to emphasize that someone is at least as old as you are saying

 She's ninety if she's a day.

Over my dead body :

Used to say that you are determined not to allow something to happen

 You'll marry him over my dead body!

There's no denying (that/something) :

Used to say that it is very clear that something is true

 There's no denying that this is an important event.

Be dying for something/to do something :

To want something very much

 I'm dying for a cup of coffee.

 She was dying to ask where he'd got it.
 I'm dying to see what it is.

Never say die :

Used to encourage someone not to give up

Die laughing :

To laugh a lot

 We nearly died laughing when he told us.

Wouldn't dream of (doing) something :

Used to say that you would never do something because you think it is bad or wrong

 I wouldn't dream of letting strangers look after my own grandmother!

Who would have dreamt that ...? :

Used to express surprise about something that has happened

 Who would have dreamed that this would happen?

Spoken Phrases ( Category - E )

It's/that's easy for you to say :

Used when someone has given you some advice that would be difficult for you to follow
Would you be good/kind enough to do something? :

Used to ask someone politely to do something for you

 Would you be good enough to hold the door open?

Spoken Phrases ( Category - F )

Get in somebody's face : (Informal)

If someone gets in your face, they really annoy you

Get out of my face : (Informal)

Used to tell someone in an impolite way to go away because they are annoying you

The facilities : (AmE)

The toilet, used to be polite

 Excuse me, I have to use the facilities.

The fact (of the matter) is :

Used when you are telling someone what is actually true in a particular situation, especially
when this may be difficult to accept, or different from what people believe

 The fact of the matter is that he's just not up to the job.

Fair enough : Especially (BrE) (MI)

Used to say that you agree with someone's suggestion or that something seems reasonable
=OK

 'I think we should split the bill.' 'Fair enough.'

To be fair : (MI)

Used when adding something after someone has been criticized, which helps to explain or
excuse what they did
= In fairness

 She should have phoned to tell us what her plans were although, to be fair,
she's been very busy.

Be fair! : (MI) Especially (BrE)

Used to tell someone not to be unreasonable or criticize someone too much

 Now Pat, be fair, the poor girl's trying her hardest!

Fair's fair : (MI)

Used when you think it is fair that someone should do something, especially because of
something that has happened earlier

 Come on, fair's fair - I paid last time so it's your turn.

Fair comment : (MI) (BrE)

Used to say that a remark or criticism seems reasonable

you can't say fairer than that : (BrE) (MI)

Used to say that an offer you are making to someone is the best and fairest offer they can
possibly get

 I'll give you £25 for it - you can't say fairer than that, can you?

It's a fair cop : (BrE) (MI)

Used humorously to admit that you should not be doing something that someone has caught
you doing

With your own fair hands : (BrE) (MI)

If you do something with your own fair hands, you do it yourself without any help - used
humorously

It's as easy as falling off a log :

Used to say that something is very easy to do

Somebody nearly/almost fell off their chair :

Used to say that someone was very surprised when something happened

 When I saw my brother on the stage I nearly fell off my chair.

So far so good :

Used to say that things have been happening successfully until now

 We've reached the semi-finals. So far so good.

Far from it :

Used to say that the opposite of what has just been said is true

 'Are you bored?' 'Far from it. I could listen all night'
 Local people aren't objecting - far from it.

As/So far as something is concerned :

Used when you want to talk about a particular thing

  As far as money's concerned, there shouldn't be a problem.

As/So far as I know/I can remember/I can tell/I can see etc :

Used to say that you think that something is true, although it is possible that you do not know
all the facts or cannot remember completely

 There weren't any buildings there at all,

 As far as I can remember. As far as I can see, there's nothing else to discuss.

Far be it from me to do something :

Used when saying that you do not want to criticize someone or say what they should do,
especially when this is what you are really about to do

 Far be it from me to try and teach you your job, but don't you think you
should have been more careful?

Not so fast :

Used to tell someone not to be too eager to do or believe something

 Not so fast. We've got to prove it first, haven't we?

(A) fat lot of good/use :

Not at all useful or helpful

 Fat lot of use you are in the kitchen.

Feel like (doing) something :

To want to have something or do something

 He didn't feel like going to work. Do you feel like another drink?

Feel free :

Used to tell someone that they can do something if they want to

 'Could I use your phone for a minute?' 'Feel free.'

Feel free to do something

 Please feel free to make suggestions.

I know (just/exactly) how you feel :

Used to express sympathy with someone or with a remark they have just made

 I know how you feel, Mark, but maybe it's better not to confront him.
Not feel yourself :

To not feel as healthy or happy as usual

 I don't know what's wrong. I just don't feel quite myself.

I know the feeling :

Said when you understand how someone feels because you have had the same experience

 'It's so embarrassing when you can't remember someone's name.' 'I know the
feeling.

The feeling is mutual :

Said when you have the same feeling about someone as they have towards you

 My dad hated my boyfriend, and the feeling was mutual.

That figures/(it) figures : Especially (AmE)

a) Used to say that something that happens is expected or typical, especially something bad

 'It rained the whole weekend.' 'Oh, that figures.'

b) Used to say that something is reasonable or makes sense

 It figures that she'd be mad at you, after what you did

Go figure : (AmE)

Said to show that you think something is strange or difficult to explain

 'He didn't even leave a message.' 'Go figure.'

Light a fire under somebody : (AmE)

To do something that makes someone who is being lazy start doing their work

Be fixing to do something : (AmE)

To be preparing to do something - used in some parts of the US

 I'm fixing to go to the store. Do you need anything?

Tell somebody flat : (BrE)

To tell someone something directly and definitely

= Straight out

I told him flat that I didn't want to see him again.

Go fly a kite : (AmE)

Used to tell someone to go away, stop saying something, or stop annoying you

There are no flies on somebody : (BrE)

Used to say that someone is not stupid and cannot be tricked

Any fool can do something :

Used to say that it is very easy to do something or to see that something is true

 Any fool could have seen what would happen.

More fool you/him etc : (BrE)

Used to say that you think someone was stupid to do something, and it is their own fault if this
causes trouble

 'Jim smashed up my car.' ‘More fool you for letting him borrow it!'

Be (in) for it :

To be likely to be blamed or punished

 You'll be in for it if she finds out what you've done!

Be frozen (stiff) :

To feel very cold

 You must be frozen! Come and sit by the fire.

I'm not being funny (but) : (BrE)

Used when you are serious or do not want to offend someone

 I'm not being funny, but we haven't got much time.