STRUCTURE 26

1 Flat tire: a tyre that does not have any or enough air in it
 He had a flat tyre.
 It is like a man with a flat tyre on his car.

2 Keep sb’s eyes/ears open: to pay attention to what is happening, especially in order to find out something
 I hope you’ll all keep your eyes and ears open for anything unusual.
 You know how to keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.

3 Learn st the hard way: to understand st or develop a skill by learning from your mistakes, bad experiences
 I learned the hard way that drugs weren't an answer to my problems.
 A new computer simulator teaches drivers how to handle a skid before they end up learning the hard
way.

4 (Fly/stay) under (the/one's) radar: without being noticed, detected, or addressed.

 A: Have you heard this band's latest album?
B: I didn't even know it was out, it must have flown under my radar.
 He tried to stay under the radar as he went about his business.
 We’re keeping our relationship under the radar because we don’t want everyone to know.
On one’s radar (bài the dictator)

5 Bat your eyes/eyelashes: to open and close your eyes very quickly several times, intending to be attractive
to someone.

Roll your eyes: to move your eyes upwards as a way of showing that you are annoyed or bored after sb has
done or said st.

6 A needle in a haystack: st that is impossible or extremely difficult to find

 Trying to find my contact lens on the floor was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
 I tried to find my lost key on the sandy beach, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

7 Going free-bird: when a man takes off his pants and under garments, but leaves his shirt on.
 Oh my god! There are so many old people here going freebird! Save me!

8 In/ go into free fall:

1. a fast fall from a great height under the influence of gravity without any other force acting to reduce speed
 The parachutists are briefly in free fall before opening their parachutes.

2. a sudden failure or loss of value that you are unable to stop and which continues to get worse:
 The stock market went into free fall, plummeting an additional 27%.
 Profits are in free fall, with second-quarter earnings down 80% from last year.

9 Take number: wait your turn; get in line; there are a lot of other people looking for the same thing as you.
 A: Excuse me, I'm looking to speak to Tung.
B: Take a number, kid.

10 On the same page: to understand and agree with what is being done or suggested
 I need to meet with Jim before the negotiations so we are on the same page when we meet with the
other company
 With so many young players, it might be difficult to get everybody on the same page.

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11 Break off/up with sb: to end a relationship, typically a romantic one.
 I'm so sad to hear that Mara broke (things/it) off with John—I thought those two would be together
forever.

12 Impervious to sth: not affected or influenced by sth

 He is impervious to criticism/pain.

13 Think on your feet: to make a quick decision or give an answer quickly:

 I'd never heard about the company before, so I had to think on my feet.
 In this job you need to be able to think on your feet.

14 A thing or two: some matters, facts, or information.

 Why don't you ask Tung? He knows a thing or two about (has some knowledge of) computers.
 She thinks she knows everything about raising children, but I could tell her a thing or two (= some
information she does not know).

15 The ball is in one's court: used for telling sb that it is their responsibility to take action or make a decision
 I've helped him in every way I can – the ball's in his court now.
 Well, they invited you, so the ball is in your court now. Do you want to go out with them or not.

17 Keep your eye on the ball: to give your attention to what you are doing at the time.
 You have to keep your eye on the ball in business.
 She won widespread praise for her ability to keep her eye on the ball.
-
Take your eye off the ball: to fail to remain focused on or motivated about some goal, or matter at hand.
 You can't take your eye off the ball just before this merger deal is supposed to go through, not when
there is so much at stake!
 I was on my way to earning my PhD, but I really took my eye off the ball toward the end of the
program.

18 Throw sb a curve (ball): to surprise sb with st that is difficult or unpleasant to deal with.
 Mother Nature threw us a curve ball last winter with record-breaking amounts of snow.
 I had only been reading the textbook instead of going to classes, so a few of the questions on the
exam really threw me a curve ball.

19 Leave no stone unturned: to do everything you can to find st or to solve a problem.

 Jarvis left no stone unturned in his search to find the ring.
 Police vowed to leave no stone unturned trying to track down the fugitive.

20 Pull one’s leg: to tell st that is not true as a way of joking.

 Stop pulling my leg – you didn’t have lunch with Bono!
 Did he really call me or are you just pulling my leg?

21 Black sheep: a person who has done st bad that brings shame to the family.
 He's the black sheep of the family.
 If he was the black sheep of the family they were probably glad to have him gone.

22 Live a lie: to live in a way that is dishonest, to pretend all the time that you feel or believe st when actually
you do not feel that way.
 She doesn't know you're married? You have to stop living a lie and tell her.
 Their friends thought that they had a happy marriage, but they were living a lie.

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23 White lie: a lie that is told in order to be polite, to protect them or avoid hurting their feelings.
 He told a white lie as his excuse for missing the party.
 I said she looked nice, thinking it kinder to tell a white lie.

24 Catch sb red-handed: to discover someone while they are doing something bad or illegal:
 He was caught red-handed taking money from the till.
 The FBI caught the mayor red-handed using drugs.

25 Tell (sb) on sb/st: to report sb's bad behavior to sb in a position of authority or sb who is affected by it.
 We were worried he would tell on us, so we paid him to keep quiet.
 I'm telling Mom on you!

Tell sb off: to scold sb; to attack sb verbally.

 I was so mad at Nam that I told him off.
 Their teacher told them off for chattering in the lesson.

Rat on sb = Rat sb out to sb: to tell sb in authority about sth wrong that sb else has done
 Where I come from, you don't rat on your friends.
 Someone ratted us out to the police.
 The college was ratting out students for music piracy.

26 Give the green light to sth: to give permission for sb to do st or for st to happen.
 The council has given the green light to the new shopping centre.
 The food industry was given a green light to extend the use of these chemicals.

27 Standstill (n): a condition in which all movement or activity has stopped. (học 2 cụm bôi đỏ ở ví dụ)
 The runaway bus eventually came to a standstill when it rolled into a muddy field.
 Fighting and shortages have brought normal life to a standstill in the city.

Stand still (v):

 Time stands still whenever he kisses me.

28 Miss the boat: to lose an opportunity to do something by being slow to act

 There were tickets available last week, but he missed the boat by waiting till today to try to buy some.

29 Stepping stone: an event or experience that helps you achieve something else.
 I see this job just as a stepping stone to getting hired as a full-time employee at a larger firm.

30  Make love to sb
 Access denied/ granted
 Skip to the end
 Your identity was compromised
(damaged, or exposed to danger)

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