VOCABULARY

Antiquity: antigüedad

Arguably: podría decirse que…

Admittedly: ciertamente

Assuredly: lo más seguro

Conceivably: posiblemente

Compel: obligar, forzar

Compelling: convincente, persuasivo

Creditworthy: solvente

Disposable: disponible

Dispose: predisponer a alguien

Domesticity: domesticidad

Downfall: precipitación (lluvia, nieve), perdición

Downturn: recesión, desaceleración económica

Drowsiness: somnolensia

Kinship: parentesco

Misfortune: infortunio, mala suerte

Opinionated: testarudo

Outbreak: brote (gripe – flu outbreak)

Outfall: desagüe

Roadworthy: con la ITV pasada

The rest is history

Upturn: mejora, incremento, dar la vuelta

Windbreak: cortavientos

Windfall: dinero caído del cielo (dinero imprevisto)

Windproof: resistente al viento

Hefty: considerable (cantidades) – The restaurant serves hefty portions.

Lore: sinónimo de sayings – dicho popular

Effeminacy: afeminamiento

Effeminate: afeminado

Scoop: usar la cuchara para apartarse comida - He scooped the ice cream into a bowl.
Fussy: quisquilloso

In vogue: de moda – one-hand eating is in vogue.

Prong: diente del tenedor

Carve: tallar una escultura / cortar comida

Perpetuate: perpetuar (causar la continuación de algo en el tiempo)

Perpetually: perpetuadamente, continuamente

Gratefulness no = gratitude

Lead sb to believe: dar a entender

Go unpunished: quedar impune

Retort: replicar – Don’t let your children near my house, the neighbour retorted rudely.

Mutter: hablar entre dientes – My granddad absent-mindedly muttered where his glasses
were.

Absent-minded: forgetful

Scoff (at): mock – I scoff when people at the gym tell me I’ll be hooked after 2 sessions.

Attest to: testificar – I can attest to its toning abilities.

Yank: pull with a jerk – Don’t yank the door open like that or you’ll break it.

Harangue: lecture sb at length with aggressive manners – She harangued me for an hour about
the need to keep fit.

Seethe: be very angry – Jo was seething when his phone was stolen.

Unearth: discover – The boys unearthed some interesting old photos.

Flout: disregard a rule – Trevor flouted the rules of the gym and used the equipment.

Scrounge: seek to obtain money, borrow, garronear – Can I scrounge 5 quids from you?

Crave: desire – My sister craved coal when she was pregnant.

Bother with / can’t be bothered: molestarse en / no tener ganas de

Resolve to do sth: be determined to

Tend to do sth: be inclined to

Put a crimp in sth: be a problem – This might have put a crimp in your social life.

METAPHORS

Bruised egos – hurt

Contagious criticism
Fatal dose of scepticism

Fatal flaw in argument

Feverish state of activity – with fever, high temperature

Healthy bank balance

Healthy criticism

Healthy dose of scepticism

Healthy turnout of voters

Jaundiced criticism – affected with resentment

Jaundiced sense of humour

Sick bank balance

Sick sense of humour

Sore loser

VOCABULARY FOR SOPHISTICATION

Awe-inspiring: impressive - The asteroid shower was an awe-inspiring sight.

Indistinct: indistinto, confuso – her words were indistinct.

Unimaginable: inimaginable - This technology would have been unimaginable five years ago.

Dazzling: impressive, that blinds - The actor has had a dazzling career.

Flamboyant: showy, llamativo - That's a very flamboyant yellow coat!

Peril: danger - The sailing boat was in peril as the storm grew stronger.

Quick-thinking: quick to think things - A major crash was avoided thanks to quick-thinking
drivers.

Sharp-witted: quick to notice things (espabilado) - She’s a sharp-witted interviewer with a

knack for extracting embarrassing quotes.

Sharp-eyed: observador - Sharp-eyed readers may have already spotted this.

Short-sighted: con poca vsión de futuro - Congress' bill to reduce taxes on greenhouse gas
companies was short-sighted.

Far-sighted: con ideas de futuro - far-sighted ideas on education

Well/Poorly thought-through, thought-out: bien/mal elaborado – You better have a well

thought-out argument to explain this.
Long-running: lleva mucho tiempo - Train drivers in the north of England continued a long-
running dispute over pay this week.

Sway: influence - His speech swayed the voters.

Hold sway over sth/sb: tener influencia sobre - The political advisor holds sway over the mind
of the President.

Jangle: tintinear – He always jangles his keys before coming in.

Shun: avoid – He shunned the elevator.

Fathom: understand - Mindy couldn't fathom her sister's motives for dropping out of school.

Pervade: affect all aspect of sth – Lying has pervaded every aspect of our lives.

Plausible: verosímil - Their explanation of the phenomenon simply isn't plausible.

Untrustworthy: liar – He is specialised in dealing with untrustworthy clients.

Amiss: wrong – Doctors failed to find anything amiss with his hearing.

The springboard to: the starting point – Training with a personal trainer seems like a
springboard to a better future.

COLLOCATIONS

Armchair traveller: viajar con la imaginación, no físicamente – My father has always been more
of an armchair traveller.

Discerning traveller: con juicio, entendido | Judicious es sinónimo de wise – Hilton is a resort
for discerning travellers.

Seasoned traveller: con experiencia – seasoned travellers know exactly how to get an upgrade
in their bookings.

Unwary traveller – confiado, incauto | unguarded es un descuido - The hotel touts lie in wait
for unwary travellers and then take them to unsuitable lodgings.

Weary traveller: cansado - The hotel offers weary travellers an excellent opportunity to
recharge their batteries.

Quick fix

Quick exit

Quick bite: something quick to eat – Let’s get a quick bite before the play starts.

Quick buck: earn money fast – Benson had a reputation for trying to make a quick buck.

Quick catnap: brief sleep in daytime – After a quick catnap, he was ready to face the press.
Fast lane: the quickest and most competitive route to success – Life in the fast lane was
proving even more hectic than Henry had imagined.

Fast track: the quickest line in airport – Travellers in business may use our fast track channel.

Rapid response: reacting quickly – Thank you for your rapid response.

Swift denial: public announcement to deny something and quickly avoid media – Both parties
issued a swift denial.

Brisk nod: quick move of the head in acknowledgement – With only a brisk nod in our
direction, the man carried on with his presentation.

Slow growth – With extremely slow growth, the economy remains dependent on foreign aid.

Slow pace – Sales grew at a slower pace than in the last year.

Slow signs – The retail industry is showing slow signs of recovery.

Slow process – Overcoming the legacy of low-trust industrial relations is necessarily a slow
process.

Slow decline – the recession has turned the long, slow decline of newspapers into a brisk fall.

Slow lane – Rural residents are often stuck in the slow lane of the information highway.

Red ink: negative balance, números rojos – the company is still in red ink.

Green shoots: signs of recovery, brotes verdes – Some green shoots are starting to appear.

Blue chips: companies regarded as reliable investments, de acciones solventes – Blue chip
companies have been in business for a long time.

Gilt-edged: companies regarded as extremely reliable investments

White goods: electrical goods – fridge – electrodomésticos – Sales volume of white goods such
as dishwashers are virtually static.

Golden hello: substancial payment an employer makes to a keenly sought recruit, prima de
bienvenida – It is thought he received a golden hello of around 2 million pounds on joining.

White knight: a person coming at sb’s aid, caballero blanco (econ.). Rumours that a white
knight was about to step in proved unfounded and the company closed down.

MAKE / LODGE a complaint

MAKE an announcement on – An announcement of big job losses has been made on the news.

GIVE consideration to – Consideration is being given to the planning application for the new
sport centre.

MAKE a recommendation for – A recommendation will be made for the immediate closure of
the hospital.

CARRY OUT an investigation – A more in-depth investigation is to be carried out.

GIVE an explanation – No explanation was given as to how much the project would cost.

Prepositions

Have no choice/alternative/option BUT + inf – I have no choice but to stay at home this
weekend.

Have no hesitation IN + ing – I have no hesitation in booking a cruise.

Have no difficulty IN + ing – He had no difficulty in coming up with answers to the interview’s
questions.

Have no intention OF + ing – I have no intention of going to Disneyland.

Have no regrets ABOUT + ing – I have no regrets about spending too much money.

Have no objection TO + ing – I have no objection to staying at home.

Have no obligation TO + inf – I have no obligation to make a purchase.

Have no time TO + inf – I have no time to look at lots of travel brochures.

Object TO + (possessive/noun) + ing – I don’t object to your leaving early. / I object to the
window being opened.

Raise any objection to + ing – Would you raise any objection to my asking you to sign this
petition?

Responsibility FOR sth – He denied any responsibility for breaking the window.

To be faced WITH sth

Consist OF sth (=made up of)

Consist IN sth (=is)

A response TO sth

Spend sth ON sth

Invest IN sth

To be observed IN sth

Engage IN (=participate) – organisations engage in a variety of activities.

Engage WITH (=interact) – the teams needed to engage with local communities.

To be hooked ON sth: When I read about lip piercing, I was absolutely hooked on the idea.

To be fed up WITH sth: Joan was fed up with being sent from one office to another.

Opt FOR sth: I opted for the red dress.

Forbid/forbade/forbidden TO + inf / FROM + ing – My dad forbade my sister to go / from going

to the party.
HAD better + inf – You had better move your car or else I’ll call the police.

Deny + ing – Peter denied having caused the accident.

SEE have at a glance: ver de un vistazo – Apparently, it was possible to see at a glance the
differences between men and women.

To be in charge OF sth – I was put in charge of

As THOUGH: as if – I’d rather you stopped behaving as though you were a child.

SHOW signs of – Helen’s running style shows signs of improvement now she has lessons.

BE full of admiration for – I am full of admiration for the changes you’ve made in your diet.

Have A reputation for – Sam has a reputation for inspiring young people.

Have THE reputation of – Sam has the reputation of inspiring young people.

Experiment/experimentation ON (if scientific procedure) - experimentation on the brain and

the nerves

Experiment IN/experimentation WITH (if trying new ideas or methods) - It was a period of
innovation and experimentation with new decorative techniques.

Refuse TO + inf: She refused to go by train.

Insist ON + ing: My brother insisted on going out.

Impact ON: the impact on polar bears.

Research INTO: the research into solar power.

Care FOR sth: like sth – I don’t care for running, I’d rather walk.

Care ABOUT sth: be interested in – He doesn’t care about money.

Care FOR sb: love sb – I really care for you.

Care ABOUT sb: like sb – I care about you, but I’m not in love with you.

Agree ON – We agreed on a solution.

Congratulate sb ON sth – Let me congratulate you on your fine achievement.

Prohibit FROM – They are prohibited from smoking in the classroom.

Interfere IN – He interfered in my plans for the party.

Admire FOR – I admire her for her strong opinions.

Accuse OF – They are accused of arson.

PHRASES

With PART OF THE BODY

Elbow sb aside: empujar a alguien – the woman elbowed people aside in the queue so she
could get on the plane first.
Face the music: afrontar las consecuencias – He finally faced the music and told her wife about
his debts.

Foot the bill: pagar la cuenta – I’m happy to foot the bill today.

Shoulder the burden: soportar una carga – It’s part of the manager’s job to shoulder the
burden of complaints made my guests.

Stomach/Face the idea: aceptar una mala idea – Jenny couldn’t stomach the idea of moving to
a big city.

Toe the line: acatar las normas – At the resort, I always toe the line on company policy.

Fixed pairs of words

Give and take: dar y recibir – Marriage is all about give and take between the partners.

Time and again: una y otra vez – Time and again, we see this kind of behaviour repeating itself.

Leave high and dry: dejar tirado - When the company closed down, I was left high and dry
without a job.

Fame and fortune: fama y fortuna – When John was 18 he left home to find fame and fortune.

First and foremost: antes que nada, ante todo, primeramente – First and foremost, we need to
solve the Budget problem.

Black and white: más o menos clara (situación) - The situation may seem very black and white
to you, but actually it's more complicated.

Through thick and thin: en la salud y en la enfermedad - Jenny promised to live with Nigel
through thick and thin.

Touch and go: situación crítica, de mírame y no me toques – It was touch and go whether we
could get to the airport in time.

Flesh and blood: de su sangre – My aunt treats her relatives really badly, considering they are
her own flesh and blood.

Life and soul of the party: el alma de la fiesta – My sister is the life and soul of every party.

With RIGHT

The right way round

To serve sb right: tenerselo bien merecido

To be right under one’s nose: estar delante de tus narices

To make all the right noises: hacer algo para impresionar.

To be within your rights: estar en tu derecho

By rights: lo suyo

To be in the right: estar en lo cierto

To be as right as rain: estar estupendamente

With TAKE

Take a test: hacer un examen

Take an effort: hacer un esfuerzo

Take seriously: tomarse en serio

Take exception to: oponerse a – Alicia took great exception to the fact that her name had been
left off the guest list.

Take notice: prestar atención – Don’t take any notice of what she says.

Take place: tener lugar, tomar asiento – The seminar will take place in the new lecture room. |
please take place.

Take part: formar parte – He rarely took part in proceedings.

Take the view: opinar – this institution takes the view that all employees should be treated fairly.

Take account of: tener en cuenta – Don’t forget to take account of the hotel tips.

Take issue with: discrepar con - She took issue with his claim of innocence.

Take advantage: aprovecharse – He took advantage of the breeze to do windsurfing.

Take by surprise: coger por sopresa – His sudden appearance took me by surprise.

Take second place: quedar en Segundo plano – Fathers tend to have to take second place when
a new baby comes along.

Take into account/consideration: tener en cuenta/consideración – We need to take into account

the neighbours if we’re going to have a party.

Take for granted: dar por hecho, subestimar, menospreciar – Luisa was fed up with being taken
for granted and decided to leave both the husband and family.

Take a stand: posiocionarse – The teacher decided it was time to take a stand on school
uniforms.

Take pride in sth: estar orgulloso – Birdgton takes great pride in its new shopping mall.

Take retirement: jubilarse – Mr Pott will take early retirement.

Take sth to heart: take sth seriously, tomarse algo a pecho - he took Wilson’s criticism to heart.

With MUSIC

Someone of note: famoso – The newcomer was someone of note.

To be in tune with: en armonía con – He would appear to be in tune with the students.

Change your tune: express or behave in a very different way - he’d soon change his tune if he
thought she’d lost interest.

Sing a different tune

For a song: por 4 duros – I bought this antique clock for a song.
To have a second string to my bow: tener otros recursos – She did an advanced IT course to
make sure she had a second string to her bow.

Settle the score: vengarse, ajustar cuentas - Alex dreamed up ways to settle the score with his
enemies.

Strike the right note: tocar la patata – The speech seemed to strike the right note with the
crowed and they clapped loudly.

Strike the chord: tocar la fibra - His speech struck a chord with unemployed voters.

With PLACE

Take place: tener lugar – A lot of events take place in the city during the festival.

Be in place: estar en orden, en su sitio, implantado – Traffic restrictions have been in place for
months in an attempt to reduce pollution.

All over the place: por todas partes – There are empty cans all over the places and it’s
disgusting.

Out of place: fuera de lugar – I felt out of place at the party as everyone had dressed down for
the occasion.

With COME

Come round: llegar a estar de acuerdo, dejarse caer – He’ll come round to our way of thinking |
if you come round later on, we can do some homework together.

Come over: hacerse entender, pasarse – the message of the TV programme didn’t come over
very well | I will come over your desk to give you some documents.

Come out in sympathy with: solidaridarse – The pilots came out in sympathy with the cabin crew
during the strike last week.

Come easily: darsele bien – Languages come easily to me.

Come between: interponerse – nobody is going to come between you and me.

First come first served: el primero que llega el primero que lo coge – This flat is first come first
served, so you better call quickly.

Come up with the goods: dar lo que se promete – this chairman is good at making promises but
he hardly ever comes out with the goods.

Come along: progresar – My essay is coming along quite nicely.

Come to terms with: hacerse a la idea – Tony has to come to terms with losing his job.

Come in for: sufrir – the sales team came in for a lot of criticism at the meeting yesterday.

Come face to face with: meet unexpectedly sb you don’t want to see – I came face to face with
Lisa at the party.

With TURN
A turn-up for the books: eso sí que no me esperaba – Well, there’s a turn-up for the books, I
never thought he’d get a girlfriend.

To have a nice turn of phrase: to express very well – He had a nice turn of phrase.

To turn as red as a beetroot: to go scarlet, ponerse rojo – He turned as red as a beetroot when
she asked him to dance.

The turn of the century: cambio de siglo – from the turn of the century, we see changes in
attitudes towards the countryside.

Don’t know which way to turn: don’t know what to do – I didn’t know which way to turn when
the airline told me they’d lost my luggage.

To toss and turn: cannot sleep – I tossed and turned last night for worrying.

To take a turn for the better: suddenly improve – my dad was ill in hospital but he took a turn
for the better so he’ll be home at the weekend.

Not to turn a hair: no inmutarse – She didn’t turn a hair when we told her the awful news.

To take it in turns: to wait – Everyone must take it in turns to have a go with the new game.

Turn a cheerful face: pretend to be happy – She learnt to turn a cheerful face.

With LIVE

Live it up: have a good time – James really lived it up when he was in Ibiza last summer.

Learn to live with: get used to – We had to learn to live up with the fact that our neighbours are
from hell.

Live up to my expectations: expected – The yoga class was brilliant, it lived up to my expectations

Live down: supererar vergüenza – No one will let me live down my tennis skirt falling down.

Live through: pasar por – We lived through two revolutions while we were abroad.

Live by his wits: vivir de su ingenio – Tom lived on the streets from an early age, but he lived by
his wits.

Live from hand to mouth: vivir precariamente – His family lived from hand to mouth when he
was growing up because his dad was unemployed.

EXPRESSIONS

Burst into tears: romper a llorar – she was about to burst into tears.

Fork out: apoquinar, aflojar (dinero) – How much did you fork out for your shoes?

Get carried away: entusiasmarse – I got a bit carried away when I went shopping.

In line with: similar a algo: Her ideas for expanding the company are in line with mine.

Run wild: desenfrenado – She let her imagination run wild when she painted her room.
Tight budget: presuspuesto ajustado – My sister was on a tight budget when she was at
college.

To be dead set on sth: estar decidido – I was dead set on becoming a pilot.

To come to terms with + ing/noun: hacerse a la idea de – My grandmother has finally come to
terms with living alone.

My coming of age: mi mayoría de edad.

Steer clear of sth: avoid – I would steer clear of having your hair dyed, if I were you.

Raise eyebrows: surprise people – I don’t want to raise too many eyebrows with my outfit.

Get up sb’s nose: irritate, tocar las narices – I don’t want to get up any interviewer’s nose and
lose out on a good job.

To all intents and purposes: apparently – To all intents and purposes, it was possible to see at a
glance the difference between men and women.

A golden handshake: financial reward for long service – We’re used to see jobs for life as a
norm, with unquestioning company loyalty and a golden handshake at the of it all.

Cut their teeth: get experience – Successful players in the current job market cut their teeth in
one firm and then move on to another.

Progress up the rungs: climb the career ladder – To become a successful captain, you have to
progress up the rungs from cadet to first officer.

A mixed blessing: good and bad

Dog-eat-dog: fiercely competitive – We live in a dog-eat-dog world.

The slightest whiff of: a tiny bit of – Some managers decided they can’t even face even the
slightest whiff of repetition.

Snapped up: recruited immediately – I did the interview and I’ve been snapped up.

A track record: evidence of previous success – A project-based job can easily demonstrate a
track record.

Mindset: way of thinking – Their mindset is different now.

The jury’s still out: people haven’t decided – Please come back in 2 minutes, the jury’s still out
on this and they don’t know what to order.

A quantum leap: huge improvement – With flow of people, there’s a quantum leap in terms of
creativity.

Quick fixes: simple and instant solutions which don’t succeed

Keep their heads down: avoid trouble by behaving in a quiet way – Mediocre employees, who
want to keep their heads down, are far more likely to cause problems.

IDIOMS
By a hair's breadth: por los pelos

Change for the better/worse: cambio para mejor/peor

Change of heart: cambio de idea, de opinión

Fall into place: produce the situation you want

Get my goat: molestar, fastidiar – Conservative ideas about women in workplace really get my
goat.

Give sb the runaround: marear la perdiz

Go downhill: ir cuesta abajo

On the cards: likely to happen

Ring the changes: cambiar las cosas, hacer cambios

WITH

Out of the blue: unexpected, by chance – So out of the blue you chose a Welsh village.

Out of the frame: not possible – all the things I used to take for granted are out of the frame at
the moment.

Life’s not exactly a bed of roses: things aren’t perfect – My girlfriend dumped me a month ago,
so life’s not a bed of roses.

Burn my boats completely: reduce my options – I want to get out for a while, but not burn my
boats completely.

In a nutshell: to summarise – In a nutshell, we’ve agreed to change places for 3 months

initially.

The best of both worlds: only benefits – I live in the countryside but it has good connections
with the city centre, so I have the best of both worlds.

With BURN

Burn a hole in your pocket: querer gastar dinero ASAP – I had a 10 euros bill burning a hole in
my pocket, so I decided to spend it.

Burn the midnight oil: trabajar hasta las tantas de la noche - I have a big exam tomorrow so I'll
be burning the midnight oil tonight.

Get your fingers burnt: have sth go wrong - She'd invested extensively in stocks and got her
fingers burned when the market collapsed.

Fiddling while Rome burns: no hacer nada mientras hay una crisis - Environmentalists claim
that the government is fiddling while Rome burns.

Hove money to burn: tener mucho dinero – I won the Lottery and I now have money to burn.

Burn your bridges: cagarla y no poder rectificar – You will burn your bridges if you drop out of
school at your age.

With EYE
Catch someone’s eye: llamar la atención (be noticeable) - Laura's performance in the show
caught the eye of talent scouts.

Look someone in the eye: mirar a los ojos - Can you look me in the eye and tell me you didn't
cheat on the test?

Have an eye for: tener ojo para - The painter has an eye for detail.

Turn a blind eye to: hacer la vista gorda a - I knew Hugo was taking the money but I turned a
blind eye because he was my sister's child.

See eye to eye with: estar de acuerdo con – I’ve never seen eye to eye with my boss.

Be in public eye: conocido por todos - If you're going to be a politician you have to be prepared
to live in the public eye.

Topic: emotions, love, slush

Tying the knot: getting married – we’re finally tying the knot next month.

Cast my nest: tirar la caña – she ignored me, so I decided to cast my nest elsewhere.

Bolt form the blue: a total surprise – how did you take this bolt of the blue?

Time on sb’s hands: plenty of time – she has time on her hands as she was fired.

Calling the tune: in charge – It dawned on me that I was calling the tune, if I wanted, I could
marry her.

Carrying a torch for: in love with – I was carrying a torch for her since I was a child.

Roll up one’s sleeves: behave practically. She rolled up her sleeves and sorted out my life for
me.

At death’s door: very ill – she phoned my office and said I was at death’s doors.

Give sb the cold shoulder: ignore – When I told her my problem, she gave me the cold
shoulder.

Get a grip: take charge, get in control

Have one’s hands tied: tener las manos cogidas – the union has its hands tied.

Lose one’s grip: perder el control – the party has been losing its grips on those middle class
voters.

Up my sleeve: debajo de la manga – I have a plan up my sleeve.

Clutching at straws: agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo – we’re clutching at straws here because
there’s no way a deal is going to be struck.

Grasp the nettle: coger al toro por los cuernos – the government has failed to grasp the nettle
on transport.

Get to grips with: enfrentarse con algo – I had to get to grips with Jack’s eccentric behaviour.

Play right into sb’s hands: ponerselo a huevo – Marion played right into management’s hands
by voicing her concerns so blatantly (openly).
Up for grabs: a disposición, disponible – there are several jobs up for grabs online.

Lose sight of: fail to remember – we must never lose sight of the fact that luck plays a large
part in many scientific breakthroughs.

With TECHNICAL WORDS

The final nail (clavo) in the coffin: el colmo - I think that argument was the final nail in the
coffin of our friendship.

Call a spade (pala) a spade: llamar las cosas por su nombre - he's straightforward and he calls a
spade a spade.

Go down the tubes (tubos): salir mal – Prices are going up and service is terrible, everything is
going down the tubes.

A weak link in the chain (cadena): el eslabon mas debil - Steve doesn't understand the science
behind our plan at all, he's the weak link in the chain!

Blow a fuse (fusible): sacar de las casillas - Jim'll blow a fuse if he finds you here.

With (no) strings (cuerda) attached: sin compromiso – I’ll give you my old coat, with no strings
attached.

Get your wires (cables) crossed: tener un malentendido - I think it's you who've got your wires
crossed.

Shoot your bolt (cerradura): quemar el ultimo cartucho – I have shot my bolt by sending this
letter.

Get into gear (engranaje): ponerse en marcha – After holiday, I always need time to get into
gear again.

Twist the knife: hurgar en la herida – He twisted the knife when he reminded her what she did
in the past.

With SET

Set the wheels in motion: ponerse en marcha - Jane set the wheels in motion to find
somewhere small to live.

Set the world on fire: comerse el mundo – we are young and we have time ahead of us, so we
can set the world on fire.

Set the scene: sentar las bases, describe sth about to happen - he set the scene by describing
the general vicinity and its history.

Set out your stall: mostrar tu punto de vista - he has set out his stall as a strong supporter of
free trade.

Set your heart on: have a strong desire to do sth - she set her heart on going to university.

Set the record straight: dejar las cosas claras - she wanted to put the record straight and deny
that she had ever been convicted.
Set a dangerous precedent: sentar un precedente peligroso – Allowing her teenage son to stay
out late has set a dangerous precedent.

Set in stone: inamovible, escrito a fuego - anything can change—nothing is set in stone.

Set your sights on: hope strongly to achieve (set on) - Katherine set her sights on university.

Set your teeth on edge: poner los dientes largo (sonido desagradable): the grating sound set
her teeth on edge.

Set store on: consider to be of a particular degree of importance – many people set great store
on privacy.

With PULL

Pull your weight: hacer tu parte – He must pull his weight or leave.

Pull your socks up: poner empeño – If you want to pass the exam, you must pull your socks up
and study.

Pull the other one!: ¡Venga ya! - Your boat was sunk by a swordfish? Pull the other one!

Pull the strings: mover los hilos – It’s uncomfortable to know that someone else is pulling the
strings.

Pull a fast one: jugar una mala pasada - he had been trying to pull a fast one on his producer.

With RUN

Run rings round: dar mil vueltas a alguien

Run the risk of: corer el riesgo de – I prefer to study well in advance, I don’t want to run the
risk of failing it.

Run counter to: estar en contra de – So, what you’re saying runs counter to what you think,
doesn’t it?

Run a tight ship: tener mano dura – The sheriff runs a tight ship here.

With

By word of mouth: by speaking, de palabra – All the orders were given by word of mouth.

Lie face downwards: bocaabajo – The boy laid face downwards in the sand and cried.

Set foot on: landed, poner el pie – Man set the foot on the island on the 19th centuary.

Have a heart to heart: conversación íntima – We need to have a heart to heart soon.

Walk hand in hand: de la mano – We walked through the park hand in hand.

Stroll arm in arm: arms linked – Rosa and I stroll arm in arm along the beach.

Be nose to tail: bumper to bumper – Traffic is nose to tail every morning.

Fight tooth and nail: pelear con uña y sangre – The MP fought tooth and nail in the Parliament.