Idiomatic collocations

Lost cause is that cannot succeed

a :
something ,
and

any attempt to
change it is hopeless .

• Final straw : is the last of a series of annoyances that

leads one to a final loss of patience or temper
•
Grey area : used to talk about a situation in which
something
is not clear so that people are not sure how to deal with it .

level field compete fairly

a
playing :
,
a situation in which

has fair and equal chance of succeed

everyone a .

•
Slippery slope : a course of action likely to lead to
something
bad or disastrous .

Wake
up call
that to
• : Sth that makes you realize you need take
-

action to change a situation .

• Fine line : if you say that there is a fine line between two different

things , you mean that they are so similar that one can

easily become the other .

•
Itchy feet : if you have itchy feet , you want to
go

somewhere new or start doing Sth new .

•
Long shot : an
attempt or a plan that is worth

trying , even though you think it is unlikely to succeed .

• Raw deal : an instance of unfair treatment .

 Idiomatic collocations

• Sore point : something that

likely to make

talk about it
someone upset or
angry when you
.

Wishful
•
thinking : when
you believe that what you want

to happen will happen , when in fact it is not possible .

o
Foregone conclusion : to be certain about the result or

to be certain that Sth will happen it has not happened

,
even though

yet .

• Last resort : the only choice that remains after all others

have done works

been tried .
l Sth
only if
nothing else .

• Second thoughts : to start having doubts about a decision

you have made .

•
Saving grace
: the one
good thing that makes someone or

something acceptable .

• Mixed blessing : a
thing that has disadvantages as well

as advantages .

• Cold feet : to suddenly feel that you are not

brave to
enough do
something you planned to do .