Unit 8 – Idioms

asking for trouble - Someone who is asking for trouble is behaving so stupidly that
he/she is likely to have problems.
"Driving fast on these roads is really asking for trouble!"

bite off more than you can chew = try to do something that is too difficult for you, or
more than you can manage.
"As soon as I started to translate the report, I realized that I had bitten off more than I
could chew.

break the back of the beast - succeed in overcoming a major difficulty.

"After hours of effort, the technicians finally broke the back of the beast and turned the
electricity back on again."

(a) cloud on the horizon - problem or difficulty that is predictable, or seems likely to
arise in the future, is called a cloud on the horizon.
"They are happily married and for the moment there appear to be no clouds on the
horizon."

get/come to grips with a difficult situation or task means to succeed in starting to

deal with it:
This is a problem that the government really needs to get to grips with.

cross that bridge when we come to it -This is another way of saying 'we will deal with
that problem when it occurs and not worry about it before'.
"What will happen if we can't repay the loan?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

disaster written all over it - If something, such as a plan or idea, has disaster written
all over it, it is thought to be heading for complete failure, or will cause a lot of trouble.
"Mary's idea of a holiday with her in-laws has disaster written all over it!"
an elephant in the room - A problem that no one wants to discuss, but is so obvious
that it cannot be ignored, is called an elephant in the room.
"Let's face it, his work is unsatisfactory. It's an elephant in the room that we need to
discuss.

go haywire - If something goes haywire, it becomes disorganized or goes out of

control.
"The photocopier has gone completely haywire. It's only printing half of each page!"

see light at the end of the tunnel - If you see light at the end of the tunnnel, you see
signs of hope for the future after a long period of difficulty.
"Sales dropped heavily last year but we're beginning to see light at the end of the
tunnel."

a millstone around your neck - Something described as a millstone around your

neck is a problem or responsibility that becomes a burden and a source of worry.
"The money he borrowed became a millstone around his neck."
put on a brave face - When confronted with difficulties, if you put on a brave face, you
try to look cheerful and pretend that the situation is not as bad as it is.
"Even in the worst of times she put on a brave face."

Red Tape - Bureaucracy; difficult bureaucratic or governmental requirements

The amount of red tape involved in building something in this city is unbelievable.

saved by the bell - If you are saved by the bell, something happens at the last minute
to rescue you from a difficult situation.
"Saved by the bell! A friend arrived just when I realized I had no money for the parking
meter."

scratch the Surface - When you only scratch the surface of a problem or subject, you
deal with only a small part of it.
"Some countries are only scratching the surface of their environment problems."
take the bull by the horns - To take the bull by the horns means that a person decides
to act decisively in order to deal with a difficult situation or problem.
"When the argument turned into a fight, the bar owner took the bull by the horns and
called the police."

take the easy way out - If you take the easy way out, you choose the easiest way to
deal with a difficult situation, even if it is not the best solution.
"The weather conditions were so bad that Mary took the easy way out and cancelled
her appointment."

a thorny issue - If you are faced with a thorny issue, you have to deal with a difficult or
unpleasant problem.
"Copyright and content duplication are thorny issues these days.

tip of the iceberg - The tip of the iceberg is the part that is known of a problem or
situation which is thought to be much more serious.
"Journalists say that the report on corruption only examines the tip of the iceberg."

an uphill battle - A person faced with an uphill battle has to struggle against very
unfavorable circumstances.
"After the terrible accident, his recovery was an uphill battle all the way."