ee ye) a drop in the ocean a very small amount that wil not have ‘much effect: Th cost of a hotel for one nights a drop inthe ocean for a big company tke tat. ‘@ home from home a place where you fee a relaxed as you do in your own Home: Everyone knows me a this hotels is areal home from home. 4 leopard can't change its spots used for saying that ‘someone wil never change their behaviour or character: imay says he's changes, but a leopard can't change its spots, you know. 8 sight for sore eyes someone or something that you are very pleased to see: Youre a sight for sore eyes! Thank goodness youre here! a stitch in time (saves nine) used for saying that itis better to save a problem nou, rather than eave i unt later when it may be more dficut to deal with: I there's ‘8 problem with your car, ifs better to gett looked at ‘now. You know what they say: a stitch inte a stone's throw (away/trom) very lose (tol Where we live is only a stone's throw from the park ‘Achilles’ hee! a weak feature of someane or someting that could cause faiure or be attacked: She's an extremely talented poician, but her Achilles’ Reel may be her inability to prone. ‘add fuel to the fire make a bad stuation worse: Your refusing to discuss this with Calin i just adang fel to {rete epi, all in good time used for teling someone to wait for someting and nat try to make you hury: You'l get the report when is fished. Alin ood time! all mod cons all madern conveniences, the machines and pieces of equipment in your house tht make Ke easy and comfortable: Fd quite lke to move to 2 pace that has all mod cons. an act of God an event such as a food, lighting or an earthquake that is produced by natura forces, and that people have no control over: The insurance doesnt cover acts of God. asthe crow fies in a straight ie (used for measuring distance): I's about 200 miles as the crow les. at a loose end with nthing in particular to do: you're at 12 [00se end this weekend, why dont we get together? at the drop of a hat immediately orn a way that shows that you have na doubts aout doing something: Let me know if you need help and be tere atthe drop of hat! bbe born with a silver spoon in your mouth have ‘advantages because you come frm a rich fami: Ive ‘alvays had to work hard because I wasnt born with 2 siver soon ia my mouth bbe on the same wavelength understand the way anather person thinks because you often have the same ideas ‘2nd opinions they do: if was a ficult meeting because Dovid and | didnt seem to be on the same wavelength bofore your time used for saying that something happened or existed before you were bor or before you lived or worked somewhere: When was agi, we dict have mobile phones. That was before your time, of course Delonte ar bdo he usu or ext stand Tiassa hve teons bere Saleen bie out sed cio ol ameane vie ty 5 gst sl so Bore be one vor iran seo! hes taba ea bit nt andscape sone ot males aclok iss aac xe aug blag hay fon nie ow Bil ae ce ot on eeticae break ven fa pasonr sss beaks, hey tzinsiasoa itn oe money We ake Prof yer wed ea en break the moul chang asus by dong someting | "haters ot at ot pe do Orta cee a eu ht moe ey | Brkee mua bury your head int sand icra bemoan ‘benassi ou ope atl ope He Sten pt Byori and foe i clon gos oy | change our tne age ar cpio ate Tom ‘freed ado rhe! as b omhes rowed fe te clean asa ws caplet hres ream a erred abou htt pecan, Th coos a clean asa wi exter clean: ly mun’ caing al fuarows wat ase oles seonsso vie mene ase. come clan abet tlhe tu bot someting Thtyoutne en ett ov beter cae cand ttf tvs yous toe oat came rain rei used sig tha soneing aos Tasers soaune ays Sts ena See paiva acutcorates ly deemed te fast be hue bye ed oh ae fonore commuter bal ss suring alae cy where many arse wo wo cy he ewan Qari be ae seen ack cher | concrete jnge last at a acy whee hee ae | °latot gh tings cose ogee Wren sed ded | emeh pot soneoe wo spat testing | "footing een, fe bcame ot co | potato since | stopped playing football. cry over sit ik vaste te eng wt sb | "dating ttt saps a comet be Erg tne Gb pers ant ere’ mo pom ingore soak he do sh ona whim do because of ster eig tat ou | must have or do something: Wendy decided on a whim | to redecorate the wiole house, dorm on your ek ang or perf fea deg | “Monte ene mony trons Sn do Senshelssolgae atten 287258 draw the line (at) say that you wil defintely not alow or ‘accept something: I don't mind you asking ifyou can bborraw some money, but draw the ine at you taking it ‘ut of my purse without asking fist. raw the short straw be chosen to do something Unpleasant: Somebody has to stay home t lok after the dog, and fm afraid you've drawn the short straw. fall short not reach a particular level orto fi to achieve something you were trying to do: We tried to raise 1,000 euros for chart, but we fell short by about 50 fifty-fity equa or into two equal parts: We spit the cost of the meal itty. fly off the handle suddenly become extremely angry without a good reason: Whatever she says, don fy off the handle. Stay calm! follow your nose do what you felis right in a particular situation, although you are not certain: The detective had learned to follow his nose in situations fk this. follow your nose go straight forward, without turning: Once you go past the traffic lights, ust follow your nose. for good permanently, without the possibilty of change in the future: Have Don and Jenny spt up for good, do you think, oF it ony temporary? for the time being for now: fm staying in rented accommodation forthe time being, but hope to buy @ place early next year. from time to me, but not regulary ain/get/have//take the upper hand gain/gel/have/ take control or advantage over a person o situation: ft looked tke vor was going to win the game, but! soon ‘got the upper hand. ket on like a house on fire become good friends very ‘uickly and have alt to tak to each ther about: George and Isabelle seem to be geting on like a house on fre, dont they? et sth off your chest tak to someone about something that has been worrying you, so that you fel better about it It feels such a reli to have got this off ny chest. get the wrong end of the stick understand something ‘completely wrongly: Don said he was going to France andi got the wrong end of the stick and thought he was ‘owing there forever et/catch sb’s drift understand the basic mearing: Doreen and Ihave been having some problems recenty, if you catch my dit. ‘get/have your way be alowed to have or da what ‘you want: I had my way, I would stay at home this summer. ive sb a taste/dose of their own medicine teat someone in the same bad vay they treat other people: He got me ito trouble, so m going to give hi a taste of fis own medicine! ive sb your word promise to do something: I give you my word | wont tell anyone. ive sth a miss decide not to do something that you ‘usually do: think give the office party a miss this year. {0 halves share the cost of something with someone so that you each pay 50%: Let's go haves onthe meal, shall we? £0 to your head f success goes to your head, it makes you think that you are better or more important than you really are: | hope geting that scholarship doesnt go to Carols head, arin and bear it accept a dificult situation without ‘complaining or showing how you fee: An author just has to grin and bear it when a book gets a bad review. hhave a change of heart change your opinion about something or decide not to de something you wore planning to do: Witlan’s had a change of heart and decided not to go to university after al hhave green fingers be good at growing plans: My wife's ‘aways had green fingers, whereas I don't know anything about growing plants hhave time on your hands have more tine availble than ‘you need: Jue has aft mare time on her hands now that er chieren have al ft home. hhave your wits about you be abe to thnk aucky and ‘make sensible decisions: You've got to have your wits about you wien dealing wth pushy salespeople, {hear sth) on/through the grapevine the way in which information spreads quickly from one person to another though conversation: | heard trough the grapevine you might be geting marred soon hhome sweet home used for saying that you ae happy to bbe back in your oun home: was a gond tin. tt there's noting ike home sweet home. infor donkey's years an extremely long time: haven't ‘been swimming in donkey's years, in b's bad/good books used for saying that someone is ‘annoyed/pleased with you: / don think Im in irs Patterson's good books atthe moment in the dark (about) not knowing very much about ‘something, because other people ae keeping it secret from you: The Prime Minister kept even his closest ‘colleagues inthe dark about when he would call a enera election in the middle of nowhere a ong vay from any town oF city: The car broke down and we reaised we were inthe mide of nowtere. in the nick of time justin time to revest something bad happening: The swimmers were rescued in the rick of tire. inthe sticks in an area far from the town or cy: dont think could Ive so far out inthe sticks. its as broad as its long used for saying that you cannot choose between tw things or actions because they are equal: fs as broad as its fong whether we get there on ‘Saturday night or on Sunday moran, keep a straight face remain serious and not laugh: | ‘ould’? keep a straight face when | saw Mike's new haircut. keep sb posted regualy give someooe information about ‘Something they ae interested i, for example haw 2 sation is changing or developing: Do please keep me posted about any developments. oop sth under your hat keep something secret: Keep ‘under your hat, but we're thinking of Buying 2 ew house,keep up with the Joneses ty to be as ich, successful, ft as your neighbours: dont need a new car, and lin really not interested in keeping up with the Joneses. keep your hair on used far teling someone not to get ‘angry or upset: Keep your har on! There's no ned to et annoyed! kick yourself be very amoyed because you have made a mistake, missed an opportunity, et: | could have kicked myself when I realised I eft my wallet in the restaurant knee-high to a grasshopper very small, because you ‘were very young: When I was kneehigh to a srasshopper, 1 sed to believe that 2 monster Ned tinder my bed iknow sth inside out be very familar with: Maria's been in the business for years and she knows advertising inside out iknow what's what know the important facts bout stuaton: Ask Tony about the proposed changes. He knows wats what. last word inthe newest and best type of something: The 7:2000 is the last word in mobile phones. lay/put your cards on the table tol people exactly what you ae thinking or what you are intending to do: Fm ‘going to lay my cards on the table and offer you an extra £1,000. But that’s my final oer! let nature take its course alow something to develop vwthout trying to influence it: Fm sure sales wil improve 1 we just let nature take its course. {et ott steam snout or do something tat allows you to get fd of anger: J was so annoyed | ad o go fora long walk to lt off steam. let sleeping dogs le leave a person or situation alone i they might cause you rouble: know you think your parents are being unfi, but’ probably best to lt sleeping dogs le and nat make it worse by arguing. let your hair down relax and enjoy yourself because you ‘aren a comfortable environment: fs good to let your hair down aftr a hard week at work, lite and soul of the party someone whois very ively at social events: Harry's so much fun and everyone says b's theif and sou ofthe party. like two peas in a pod used for saying that two people Took, behave or think exactly the same: Irene and her sister are lke two peas na pod. line your pocket(s)obtan money, especialy by acting dishonesty led been lning his pockets for years, before fe was finaly caught. live and lt lve used for saying that you shoud accept other people's beliefs and way of fe, even if they are very different from your oan: I dont agree wth what he's doing but ve and let ve, | say. lock, stock and barrel including every part ofa particular thing, stator, pace, etc: They've sod all ther possessions, lock, stock and barrel. lose your bearings become confused about where you are and where other things are: ! ost my bearings for a ‘moment, but then realised where | was. ‘make a beeline for go towards someone or something in the quickest and most direct way: As soon as we arrived al the hotel, Maly made a beeie forthe ‘manager to compan. ‘make yourself at home fee! relaxes and behave inthe | same way as you doin your own home: Charles wil be ‘own ina moment, so please make yourselves at home. never/dont look a gift horse in the mouth i you are ‘given something good, you should not complain about it ‘or ty to find things tat are wrong with it: The Nat wasnt in very good condltion, bu we were staying there rentree, and you should never look a gi hrse the mouth, should you? ‘no rhyme or reason used for emphasising that there is no +eason or explanation for something There seems fo be no rhyme or reason for the decision. ‘not have a leg to stand on not have any way of proving ‘that you are night about something: George tried to ‘argue that the world was fat, out of course he didnt have a leg to stand on, ‘not see the wood for the trees se for saying that someone cannot understand what is important in a situation because they are thinking too much about ‘mal detals: Many people cart see the wood forthe trees when taking about jiring the eurozone; they just think about what's onthe notes and coins and don’t think about the economic benefits, off the beaten track aviay from popuated areas or areas popular wit tourists: We ike to get ff the beaten track \whon we goon holiday. ‘0n good terms {with} have a good relationship with someone: When {eft the jb, | was stil on good terms with everyone i the of. fan the epitr af tha mamant yd comathing on tho spur of the mament, you doit suddenly and do not take time ta plan it or think carefully about it: We booked the holiday on the spur ofthe moment. We hadnt been planning fo take a break at al this summer. ‘on the street with no place to ve: Life is hard on the steet. ‘on the town spending the evening enjoying youl n bars, cubs, theatres, et: Did you go out onthe town ‘on your birthday? ‘once in a blue moon very rarely: To be honest! only go ‘to museums once ina blye mon, just dont have time usvally ‘out of the blue happening in a way that is sudden and unexpected, and doesnot seem connected with anything that happened before: Then, suddenly, out of the blu, she said she wanted a divorce. ‘out ofthis world extremely good or impressive: The food at that restaurant is out Of ths world! ‘over the top more than what is considered normal or stitabe: Dont you thnk spending 500 euros on a pair Of shoes was 2 bit over the top? Pride of place inthe place that is most central or important: This stamp's extremely rare, and takes pride of place in my stamp collection, pul (afew) strings use your influence in order to get something you want orto help someone, especialy when this is unfair: I don think its far to pul strings in order to get aod. put sth in perspective provide a sensible way of judging how good, bad, important ete something sin ‘comparison wih otber things: My hess has certainly put everything else in perspective 259260 put two and two together guess wits happening or ‘what something means based on what you have seen or heard: He dn tel us he was retiring, but we coud all put two and two togeter. put your feet up st dawn and relax, especialy with your feet raised of the ground: Put your feet up and il ‘make diner. ‘uick/slow on the uptake taking a very shorVong time tounderstand or realise something: (m sure Chad understood what you were suggesting; he's very quick on the uptake. recharge your batteries rest after being very busy, so ‘tat you wi be ready to start worang again: Why dont you take a eek off work to recharge your batteries? red tape documents, rules or processes that cause delays Is there alot of red tape imolved in geting a passport? reinvent the wheel waste time and effort trying to do something that someone else has already done wel Just use the same document you used last me, because there's no point reinventing the wheel ring a bell something tat rings a bell sounds familiar to You, although you cannat remember the exact details The name rings a bell but Im not sue if ve ever met her. ‘ound the bend crazy: That noise fs driving me round the bend! satelite town town or city that is close to and depends ‘ona larger city: Brentwood isa satelite town ust ula Lond sb is only human used for saying someone has been weak inthe ways most people are weak and should fot be blamed fr ther behaviour Im somry {made @ ‘mistake, but fm only human. ‘see eye to oye (with sb) agree with someone or have the ‘same opinion as them: Imogen and Ihave never really seen eve to eye set your heart on decide that you want something very ‘mck: {had set my heart on getting married on the ‘beach, but the bad weather meant we couldn. six of one (and) half a dozen ofthe other used for saying that two things are equally good or bad: We Could get there on Saturday night or Sunday morning it six of one and hal a dozen of the other, realy speak volumes provide alot of information, especialy in ‘an intrect way: Wha he said to Mandy speaks volumes ‘tout the way he teats hs stat. split hairs argue or worry about very smal details oF ditferences that are nat important: Whether you cal them "erorss’ or freedom fighters’ is just sping hairs — the point is that they kiling people! ‘steal the show receive alot of attention because you give the best performance ina show or other event: There was one comedian who realy stole the show. She as fantastic! stick to your guns refuse to change what you are saying ‘or daing despite the opposition or criticism of other people: admire Kelly forthe way she always sticks to her guns. | stop dead in your tracks sudden stn, fr exame because you ar suprised: When heard the gunshot stopped dead my racks. take a shortcut to folow a path that is uicker and Shorter tan the usual way | walked fo school and Used fo take astrt cut along the cal take stock (of spend some time tinkingabost the Situation you ae in before you decide what todo next it's take a couple of days to tae sock ofthe stuaton and then we'll make a decision, take the law into your own hands push someone in your onn way without wong the police or the courts, fen by sain someting legal you'set: snow youre ‘angry, but that’s na reason a fake the law into your own hands. | take the scenic route olow a longer path than the sua fone because tis more atactve: We'e not ost - were Just tok the scenic route | tet tates tet someone in authori about bad things that someone ese has done, because you want them tobe punished: Toby, top tein tales about your cassmates. the edge over an advantage hat makes someone or something more success than other people o things: Our product’ got the edge over the competion because it's 50 ightwegt the luck ofthe draw use for saying people have linited contol over wt ie rigs them: | never wanted to become a butcher, but | guess that’s the lck of the daw Ae etn day recent Tere | "tne news the other dy. the powers that be the peop who contol a situstion: ont know if the powers tat be wl agree 1 tht the tools of the trade thesis and equipment that you | Used in order to do your job: A good bedsie manners oe of the tals of he trade fora doctor. throw the book at sb punish someone very severe They realy tow the book at hm ths tne tidy sum/amount large sunvamount: Ive managed to put away a ty sum ths year. touch wood used ven you have said that you nave had 00d lick inorder to prevent bad luk om happening {0 you: fd a ne ob before to lon, touch wood. turn over anew leaf change youre by stating tobe 3 better person or stopping aad habit Raph ses to have tuned over a new eat ts term under sbs thumb compet contaled by someone else Tecame selemployed because | was sicko being under someone's tub. | up in arms about angry and complaining about | someting: Everyone inthe office up in ars about having to work next weekend variety isthe spice of life used for saying tat ferent experiences and suations make life enjoyable or interesting: doa millon dferent things at work, but suppose variety i the spice of fe your flesh and blood your reaive: iy familys very ‘important fo me because, aftr a, theyre my fesh and bloc.