Clarifying your own ideas: In other words, What I mean is . . . What I'm trying to say is . . .

What I wanted to say was . . . To clarify, Asking for Clarification: What do you mean (by that)? What are you trying to say? What was that again? Could you clarify that? Clarifying another's ideas: You mean . . . What you mean is . . . What you're saying is . . . (I thin ) what she means is . . . What he's trying to say is . . . If I understand you, (you're saying that . . . ) If I'm hearing you correctly, !o, you thin (that) . . . !o, your idea is . . . Interrupting politely "#cuse me, $ardon me, !orry to interru%t, &ay I interru%t (for a minute)? Can I add something here? I don't mean to intrude, but . . . Could I in'ect something here? (o you mind if I 'um% in here? Getting back to the topic )nyway, *ow, where was I? Where were we? What were you saying? You were saying . . . To get bac to . . . Introduction: (+ood morning, afternoon, e,ening) I'm ha%%y to be here. I'm glad to ha,e this o%%ortunity to . . .Today, I'd li e to tal (to you) about . . .&y to%ic today is . . .The focus of my remar s is . . .I'd li e to share some thoughts on (to%ic) Main points -et me start by . . ..irst, let me tell you about . . .I',e di,ided my to%ic into (three) %arts/ (They are . . .) Giving examples .or instance, -et me illustrate,To illustrate, Conclusion In conclusion, To conclude, To summari0e, To sum u%, ((o you) now what I mean? (o you now what I'm saying? (o you understand? )re you following me? )re you with me (so far)? 1a,e you got it? )ny 2uestions? +ot it? howing !nderstanding I see. I understand. I get it.3I got it. +otcha. (Informal) "xpressing #ack of !nderstanding I don't get it. (I'm sorry.) I don't understand. What do you mean? I'm not following you. I don't 2uite follow you. I'm not sure I get what you mean. What was that again? That may be true, but . . . I may be wrong, but . . . You might be right, but . . . You ha,e a good %oint, but . . . You could say that, but . . . Correct me if I'm wrong, but . . . I don't mean to be rude, but . . . I hate to bring this u%, but . . . I don't mean to be negati,e, but . . . This may sound strange, but . . . Comenting: That's interesting. I thin that... Interesting %oint. I would add... 1mmm. I hadn't thought of that before. 4uestions can also be a useful way of bringing new ideas into a con,ersation/ What do you thin about . . . 1a,e you considered . . . What about . . . !ometimes a more direct a%%roach is a%%ro%riate/ Can I add something here? ((o you) mind if I inter'ect something here?

$ara%hrasing/ !o . . . (re%hrase the other %erson's ideas) In other words . . . (%ara%hrase) I understand. (You're saying that . . .) 5h. I see. (You want to say that . . . ) I get it. (You mean . . .) !o, what you mean is . . . -et me see if I understand you correctly. . . What I thin you're saying is . . . If I'm hearing you correctly . . .

Idioms )ll set If you're all set, you are ready for something. )ll s in and bone If a %erson is ,ery underweight, they are all s in and bone, or bones. )ll6singing, all6dancing If something's all6singing, all6dancing, it is the latest ,ersion with the most u%6to6date features. )lways a bridesmaid, ne,er a bride If someone is always a bridesmaid, ne,er a bride, they ne,er manage to fulfill their ambition6 they get close, but ne,er manage the recognition, etc, they cra,e. )n old flame )n old flame is a %erson that somebody has had an emotional, usually %assionate, relationshi% with, who is still loo ed on fondly and with affection. )round the cloc If something is o%en around the cloc , it is o%en 78 hours a day. .or e#am%le, an air%ort is o%en around the cloc . )s cold as ice This idiom can be used to describe a %erson who does not show any emotion. )t the to% of your ,oice If you tal , shout or sing at the to% of your ,oice, you do it as loudly as you can. 9are your heart If you bare your heart to someone, you tell them your %ersonal and %ri,ate feelings. ('9are your soul' is an alternati,e form of the idiom.) 9eat your brains out If you beat your brains out, you thin hard about something but cannot sol,e, understand or remember it. 9een there, done that $eo%le say this when they ha,e already e#%erienced what is being discussed. 9ehind bars When someone is behind bars, they are in %rison. 9ehind someone's bac If you do something behind someone's bac , you do it without telling them. 9etter half Your better half is your husband or wife. 9etter safe than sorry This idiom is used to recommend being cautious rather than ta ing a ris . 9ite your tongue

If you bite your tongue, you refrain from s%ea ing because it is socially or otherwise better not to. 9itter end If you do something to the bitter end, you do it to the ,ery end, no matter how unsuccessful you are. 9lac shee% !omeone who is the blac shee% doesn't fit into a grou% or family because their beha,iour or character is not good enough. 9lin of an eye If something ha%%ens in the blin of an eye, it ha%%ens so fast it is almost im%ossible to notice it. 9ottom line In accountancy, the bottom line is net income, and is used idiomatically to mean the conclusion. 9rea a leg This idiom is a way of wishing someone good luc . 9rea the ice When you brea the ice, you get o,er any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start con,ersing. 9ull6headed If you're a bull6headed, you're stubborn or infle#ible. 9urn your fingers If you burn your fingers, you suffer a loss or something un%leasant as the result of something you did, ma ing you less li ely to do it again. 9y heart If you learn something by heart, you learn it word for word. Change of heart If you change the way you thin or feel about something, you ha,e a change of heart. Clean hands !omeone with clean hands, or who ee%s their hands clean, is not in,ol,ed in illegal or immoral acti,ities. Close to your heart If something is close to your heart, you care a lot about it. Come what may If you're %re%ared to do something come what may, it means that nothing will sto% or distract you, no matter how hard or difficult it becomes. Crac of dawn The crac of dawn is ,ery early in the morning. (ead and buried If something is dead and buried, it has all long been settled and is not going to be reconsidered. (ee% %oc ets If someone has dee% %oc ets, they are wealthy. (on't %ush my buttons: This can be said to someone who is starting to annoy you. (own and out

If someone is down and out, they are des%erately %oor and need hel%. (own6to6earth !omeone who's down6to6earth is %ractical and realistic. It can also be used for things li e ideas. (raw the line When you draw the line, you set out limits of what you find acce%table, beyond which you will not go. "arn a li,ing To ma e money "#/ We need to get a good 'ob to earn a decent li,ing. "asier said than done If something is easier said than done, it is much more difficult than it sounds. It is often used when someone ad,ises you to do something difficult and tries to ma e it sound easy. "asy come, easy go This idiom means that money or other material gains that come without much effort tend to get s%ent or consumed as easily. ",ery man for himself If it's e,ery man for himself, then %eo%le are trying to sa,e themsel,es from a difficult situation without trying to hel% anyone else. .ace li e thunder If someone has a face li e thunder, they are clearly ,ery angry or u%set about something. .all on our feet If you fall on your feet, you succeed in doing something where there was a ris of failure. .eel at home If you feel rela#ed and comfortable somewhere or with someone, you feel at home. .eeling blue If you feel blue, you are feeling unwell, mainly associated with de%ression or unha%%iness. .eet on the ground ) %ractical and realistic %erson has their feet on the ground. .our6eyes ) %erson who wears glasses +et away with murder If you get away with murder, you do something bad and don't get caught or %unished. ('+et away with blue murder' is also used.) +et the %icture If you get the %icture, you understand a situation fully. +i,e me a hand If someone gi,es you a hand, they hel% you. +o hand in hand If things go hand in hand, they are associated and go together. +o round in circles If %eo%le are going round in circles, they ee% discussing the same thing without reaching any agreement or coming to a conclusion. +reen light If you are gi,en the green light, you are gi,en a%%ro,al to do something. 1a,e a go

If you ha,e a go, you try to do something, often when you don't thin you ha,e much chance of succeeding. 1a,e a tric u% your slee,e If you ha,e a tric u% your slee,e, you ha,e a secret strategy to use when the time is right. 1a,e the floor If someone has the floor, it is their turn to s%ea at a meeting. 1a,e your fill If you ha,e had your fill, you are fed u% of somebody or something. 1ere today, gone tomorrow &oney, ha%%iness and other desirable things are often here today, gone tomorrow, which means that they don't last for ,ery long. 1it and miss !omething that is hit and miss is un%redictable and may %roduce results or may fail. 1it the road When %eo%le hit the road, they lea,e a %lace to go somewhere else. 1old all the aces If you hold all the aces, you ha,e all the ad,antages and your o%%onents or ri,als are in a wea %osition. 1ow come If you want to show disbelief or sur%rise about an action, you can as a 2uestion using 'how come'. 1ow come he got the 'ob? (You can't belie,e that they ga,e the 'ob to somebody li e him) In a flash If something ha%%ens in a flash, it ha%%ens ,ery 2uic ly indeed. In cold blood If something is done in cold blood, it is done ruthlessly, without any emotion. It ta es a ,illage to raise a child It ta es many %eo%le to teach a child all that he or she should now. It ta es two to tango This idiom is used to suggest that when things go wrong, both sides are in,ol,ed and neither side is com%letely innocent. ;ust around the corner If something is 'ust around the corner, then it is e#%ected to ha%%en ,ery soon. <ee% in touch If you ee% in touch with someone, you ee% communicating with them e,en though you may li,e far a%art. <ee% %osted If you ee% %osted about something, you ee% u%6to6date with information and de,elo%ments. <ee% your eye on the ball If you ee% your eye on the ball, you stay alert and %ay close attention to what is ha%%ening. <noc 'em dead '<noc 'em dead' is used as a way of wishing someone luc before they gi,e a %erformance or ha,e to a%%ear before %eo%le, as in an inter,iew, etc. ('em = them)

-arger than life If something is e#cessi,e or e#aggerated, it is larger than life. &a e my day If something ma es your day, it satisfies you or ma es you ha%%y. &ar my words &ar my words is an e#%ression used to lend an air of seriousness to what the s%ea er is about to say when tal ing about the future. You often hear drun s say it before they deli,er some %articularly s%urious nonsense. &o,e mountains If you would mo,e mountains to do something, you would ma e any effort to achie,e your aim. When %eo%le say that faith can mo,e mountains, they mean that it can achie,e a lot. &usic to my ears If something someone says is music to your ears, it is e#actly what you had wanted to hear. &y way or the highway This idiom is used to say that if %eo%le don't do what you say, they will ha,e to lea,e or 2uit the %ro'ect, etc. 5ff the chart If something goes off the chart, it far e#ceeds the normal standards, good or bad, for something.