CAC CHU DIEM LY THUYET HA’ IDIOMS (THANH NGO) -cats and dogs: rain heavily: mua to Eg: Its raining cats and dogs = It's raining heavily. - chalk and cheese: very different from each other: khéc nhau hoan toan E don't have anything in common with my brother. We'e like chalk and cheese. here and there: everywhere: moi noi Eg: have been looking here and there for the gift | bought for my girlfriend. - a hot potato: a problem, situation, etc. that is difficult and unpleasant to deal with (van dé nan giai, néng héi) Eg: The issue of taxing domestic fuel has become a political hot potato. -at the drop of the hat: immediately, instantly; without hesitating: ngay lap tc, khéng do dy: Eg: The company can't expect me to move my home and family at the drop of a hat. ~ back to the drawing board: time to start from the beginning ; it is time to plan something over again: bat dau lai tir du Eg: They rejected our proposal, so its back to the drawing board. - beat about the bush: to talk about something for a long time without coming to the main point: vong vo tam quéc, khéng tap trung vao vén d& chinh Eg: Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want. - the best thing since sliced bread: a good inventionor innovation; a good idea or plan. (y ‘tuéng hay, t6t) Eg: Portable phones are marketed as the best thing since sliced bread; people think they are extremely good. - burn the midnight oil: to study or work until late at night: thttc khuya lam viéc, hoc bai Eg: | will have a big exam tomorrow so I'll beburning the midnight oil tonight. ~ caught between two stools: when someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives: luGng ly, khong biét Iya chon cai ndo, do dy Eg: |was caught between two stools when | had to choose which shirt to hang out with my giclfriends.- break leg: used to wish somebody good luck (~ good luck) hit thebooks ~ to study - let the cat out of the ba tell a secret carelessly or by mistake: dé 16 bi mat Eg: wanted it to be a surprise, but my sister let the cat out of the bag. - when pigs fly ~ pigs might fly: something will never happen: chuyén vién vong, khéng tuéng, chi diéu gi dé khé xay ra dug ‘With a bit of luck, well be finished by the end of the year:’Yes, and pigs might fly!’ ~ scratch someone's back: help someone out with the assumption that they will return the favor in the future: gidp ai véi mong muén sau nay ngudi ta sé gidp lai minh Eg: "You scratch my back and | will scratch yours’ the customer said when we talked about the new sales contact. - hit the nail on the head: to say something that is exactly right: ndi tring phéc - take someone/ something for granted: to be so used to somebody/something that you do not recognize their true value any more and do not show that you are grateful: cho la diéu hién nhign, coi nhe, xem thung £.g: Her husband was always there and she just took him for granted. take something into account/ consideration: to remember to consider something: xem xét, tinh d&n caigh, ké dén cai gi Eg: Coursework is taken into account as well as exam results. - keep an eye on sb/ sth: dé y, dé mit, dé tam dén ai/ diéu gi Eg: We've asked the neighbours to keep an eye on the house for us while we are away. ~loose touch with sb: mat lién lac véi ai - at somebody's disposal: available for use as you prefer/somebody prefers: ty y st dung, co sn cho ai si dung theo y muén : He will have a car at his disposal for the whole month. - splitting headache (n): a severe headache: dau déu nhur bua bé Eg: I've got a splitting headache. I'm going upstairs for a nap. - off the peg ~ off the rack: may sn (quan 40) Eg: He buys his clothes off the peg. -on the house: khéng phai tra tién Eg: leve a drink on the house. he roof ~ hit the ceiling ~ go through the roof: to suddenly become very angry: gian dd, tiie dién len ;: I'm afraid she will hit the roof when she finds out our vacation is cancelled. - bring down the house: lam cho ca khan phéng v6 tay nhiét liét- pay through the nose (for sth): to pay too much for something: tra gia dat by the skin of one’s teeth: sat sao Eg: He escaped defeat by the skin of his teeth. - pull somebody's leg: play a joke on somebody, usually by making them believe something that is not true: tréu choc ai E.g: You don’t mean that. You're just pulling my leg. - it strikes sb as/ that a strange: lay lam la E,g: It sroke me as a strange when she came to class yesterday. - high and low ~ here and there: everywhere : moi ngi E,g: I've searched high and low for my purse. - the more, the merrier: cang déng cang vui - spick and span ~ spic and span: ngan np va gon gang Eg: Their house is always spick and span. ~ (every) now and then/ again ~ sometimes, occasionally: thinh thoang E.g: Every now and again she checked to see if he was still asleep, ~ part and parcel of sth: an essential and crucial part of sth: phan quan trong, thiét yéu Eg: Keeping the accounts is part and parcel of my job. = go to one’s head: to make you feel too proud of yourself in a way that other people find annoying: khién ai kiéu nggo, kiéu cing -be/ go on the wagon: to not drink alcohol, either for a short time or permanently: kiéng rugu -once ina blue moon ~ very rarely: rSt hiém E,g: Once in ablue moon, | stop thinking about him. -on the spot: immediately: ngay lap tic Eg: He answered the question on the spot. - few and far between: not frequent; not happening often: hiém gp, khéng thuéng xuyén -on the verge of ~ on the brink of ~ in the edge: bén bd vuc, sp E.g: These elephants are on the verge of extinction. - lead somebody by the nose: to make somebody do everything you want; to control somebody completely: ndm dau, dat mai ai - at the eleventh hour: at the last possible moment; just in time: vao phutt chét E.g: She always turned her term paper in at the eleventh hour. = find fault (with sb/ sth): chi trich, kiém chuy@n, bat Idi Eg It is very easy to find fault with the others. - off and on/ on and off ~ from time to time: khéng déu dan, thinh thoangEg: It rained on and offall day. - make believe: gia b6, gia vo -make good time: di chuyén nhanh, di nhanh Eg: We made good time and arrived in Spain in two days. -look daggers at somebody: nhin ai dé mot cach gian dit E,g: Their relationship is not free and easy but at least he is no longer looking daggers at her. - be out of the question: khong thé dugc Eg: Ancther trip abroad this year is out of the question. all at once ~ suddenly: bat thinh linh Eg: All at once she lost her temper. - blow one’s trumpet ~ boast: béc phét, khodc lode - sleep on sth: suy nghi thém vé diéu gi dé. E,g: Could | sleep on it and let you know tomorrow? - fight tooth and nail: to fight in a very determined way for what you want: danh nhau dit d6i Eg: The residents are fighting tooth and nail to stop the new development. ~ play tricks/ jokes on: choc phi, tréu gheo, chai kham Eg: The children are always play jokes on their teachers. = (go) down the drain: 46 s6ng a6 bign (cng stic, tién bac) Eg It’sjust money down the drain, you know. -smella rat: to suspect that something is wrong about a situation: hoai nghii linh cm chuyén khéng 6n, nghi ngd cé m muu gi do Eg: The minute | came in, I smelled a rat. - the last straw: giot nuéc tran ly Eg: When he showed up late a third time, that was the last straw. We had to fire him. - get the hang of something: ném bat dug, str dung dugc, lam duge Eg: can’t seem to get the hang of this game. - hard of hearing: lang tai, nang tai Eg: Mike is hard of hearing, Therefore, we have to speak loudly so that he can hear us. - havea bee in one’s bonnet (about sth): bi 4m anh va khéng thé ngiing nghi vé chuyén gi dé, St ning chuyén gi (dung khi ai dé lo lang hay buc tuc vé diéu gi d6) Eg: Our teacher has a bee in his bonnet about punctuation. - get/ have cold feet: to suddenly become nervous about doing something that you had planned todo: mat hét can dam, chin bude E.g: He was going to ask her but he got cold feet and said nothing~ on second thoughts: suy nghi ki, sau khi suy di tinh lai Eg; I'll wait here. No, on second thoughts, ll come with you. ~invain: uéng céng, v6 ich, khéng thanh céng E,g: They tried in vain to persuade her to go. - chip in ~ contribute: quyén gép, gop tién, dong gop Eg: If everyone chips in welll be able to buy hera really nice present. - out of off one's head ~ crazy: dién, loan tri Eg: The old man has been off his head for at least a year. = run an errand: fam vige vat Eg: 've got to run an errand, I'l be back in a minute. ~jump the (traffic) lights/ run the lights/ run a (red) light: vugt dén 46 Eg: They ignore people who jumps the traffic lights. - fly off the handle: dé néi gian, phat cdu, béng nhién néi nong Eg: He seems to fly off the handle about the slightest thing these days. - the apple of one’s eye: ngudi yéu quy/ dé quy gid cia ai Eg: She is the apple of her father's eye. - bucket down ~ rain heavily: mua xéi x4, mua to Eg: It's bucketing down. ~a close shave/ call: thoat chét trong gang tac E.g: David, that was a close shave. | was so lucky. ~ drop a brick/ clanger: 16 Idi, 16 miéng Eg: I dropped abrick when talking with my best friend, and now he doesn't want to talk tome. - get/ have butterflies in one’s stomach: cdm thay bn chén Eg: | always get butterflies in my stomach when it comes to taking test. ~ off the record: khéng chinh thuc, khéng dugcc6ng bd Eg: Strictly off the record, some members of staff will have to be made redundant. (not) one’s cup of tea: (khéng phai) ngudi/ thi ma ta yéu thich Eg: He's nice enough but not really my cup of tea. ~cut it fine: dén sat gid E.g: Only allowing half an hour to get from the station to Whe airport is culling il fine, isn’t it? ~ golden handshake: mén tién hau hinh danh cho ngudi sap nghi vie Eg: The manager got early retirement and a 800,000$ golden handshake when the company was restructed. ~ come to light: dugc biét dén, dugc phat hign, dugc dua ra anh sang.Eg: New evidence has recently come to light. - take things to pieces: thao ra ting manh Eg: He took the clock to pieces. - put one’s foot in it / put your foot in one’s mouth: noi/ lam diéu gi dé ngu ngéc lam xuc pham ngu@i khéc, néi diéu khéng nén Eg: I really put my foot in it with Mary—I didn't know she'd split up with Tom. - pull one’s weight: né luc, lam tron phan trach nhiém Eg: The rest of the team complained that Mary wasn't pulling her weight. - make (both) ends meet: xoay sé dé kiém sng Eg: Many families struggle to make ends meet. -get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick: hiéu nhdm ai do £,g: [think | must explain to her that she got hold of the wrong end of the stick again. -cut and dried: dugc quyét dinh theo cach ma khéng thé thay déi E.g: The inquiry is by no means cut and dried. - see eye to eye: déng tinh Eg: The two of them have never seen eye to eye on politics. gi Eg: Watching TV all evening wasn't exactly what | had in mind! - have sb/ sth in mind: dang suy nghi, can nhac t6i ai/ di a lost cause: hét hy vong, khéng thay d6i dugcgi E,g: The game looked a lost cause when the score reached 6-0. ~ to be bound to do sth: chéc chan sé lam gi E,g: You're bound to be late if you don't hurry. ~ at heart: thyc chat, theo mot céch co ban nhat Eg: He's still a socialist at heart, - know sb by sight: nhan ra ai dé (recognize) Eg: She said that she would know the thief by sight if she ever saw him again. - novand then ~ now and again ~ at times ~ from time to time ~ off and on ~ (every) once in awhile ~ every so often~ sometimes: thinh thoang, khéng thudng xuyén Eg: Every so often | heard a strange noise outside. - take (great) pains to do sth: déc stic dé lam gi Eg: The couple went to great pains to keep their plans secret. - take (great) pains with/over sth: lam cai gi dé can than va tan tam Eg: He always takes great pains with his lectures. - make do: xoay sé, dong du (to manage, to cope)E,g: We were in a hurry so we had to make do with a quick snack. - sell somebody short: danh gid thép Eg: When you say that Nam isn't interested in music, you're selling him short. - face the musi Eg: The others all ran off, leaving me to face the music. ~ let the cat out of the bag: dé |6 bi mat Eg: | wanted it to be a surprise, but my sister let the cat out of the bag. chiu tran - on probation: trong thdi gian quan ché Eg: The prisoner was put on probation. ~ sell/ go like hot cakes: ban dat nhu t6m tuoi E.g: The book has only just been published and copies are already selling like hot cakes all over the world. - it never rains but it pours ~ when it rains, it pours: used to say that when one bad thing happens to you, other bad things happen soon after: hga v6 don chi - salt and pepper: (having a mixture of a dark colour and a light one) mau téc hoa ram. -a penny for your thoughts: used to ask somebody what they are thinking about: ding dé hi ai dé xem ho dang nghi gi - home and dry ~ be home free: (adj): have done something successfully, especially when it was difficult: ém xuéi, hoan thanh cai gi thanh cong (dac biét khind khé) E - down and out (adj): that co Ié van E. learn by heart: hgc thuéc long ‘could see the finish line and thought I was home and dry. !: a novel about being down and out in London Eg: | learnt this poem by heart. -ared- letter day ~ an important day : mt ngay quan trong, mét ngay dang nhd Eg: birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other red-letter days -ashigh asa kite : kiéu cang,, ty phy Eg: She is always as high asa kite, sleep like a log :ngu say, ngd ngon Eg: The baby is sleeping like a log. - fit like a glove : via nhuin Eg: The dress fits me like a glove. ~ be green with envy: ghen ti .g: She was green with envy because her mother bought a new hat for her sister.= go upthe wall: ndi gian Eg: | mustn't be late or Dad will go up the wall. ~ put on an act: gia vo, gid bd Eg: You could tell she was just putting on an act. - break the news (to sb); ndi cho ai biét tin gi quan trong, nhat /a tin xau; tiét lO, Eg: The doctor had to break the news to Mary about her husband's cancer. ~cost/ pay an arm anda leg: rat dat Eg: | think the robot will not cost an arm and a leg in the future. - look on the bright side: to be cheerful or positive about a bad situation, for example by thinking only of the advantages and not the disadvantages: hay lac quan lén Ee Ifailed the exam again. Maybe | will never pass it. B: Look on the bright side. If you study hard enough, you will pass the exam. - easier said than done: néi dé hon lam Eg: Why don't you get yourself a job?”"That's easier said than done’ - take it easy ~ relax: ding lo lang, thu gian nao Eg; Take it easy! Don't panic. The doctor told me to take it easy for a few weeks, - go into business: bit d4u cOng vigc kinh doanh Eg: When he left school, he went into business with his brother. -in a bad mood: khéng vui Eg: After breaking up with her boy friend, she was in a bad mood for several days. ~ out of this world: ngon E fhe meal was out of this world. - time and tide wait for no man: thdi gid tham thoat thoi dua, né di mai c6 ché doi ai, thoi gian khong agi at ~ back to square one: tré lai tirdéu E,g: If this suggestion isn’t accepted, we'll be back to square one. ~a great one for sth: dam mé chuyén gi, thich lam gi Eg: 've never been a great one for writing letters. ~ onein the eye for somone: lam gai mat Eg: The appointment of a woman was one in the eye for male domination. ~ be in two minds about something/about doing something; be of two minds about something/about doing something: chua quyét dinh dugc E,g: She's in two minds about accepting his invitation.~ in two shakes ~ very soon: 1 loang |a xong, rat s6m_ Eg: Welll be there in a couple of shakes. ~ at sixes and sevens: tinh rang r6i tinh r6i mu Eg: | haven't had time to clear up, so I'm all at sixes and sevens. on cloud nine ~ extremely happy : trén 9 tng may ~ dressed (up) to the nines: an mc banh bao ~ ten to one ~ very probably: rat co thé Eg: Ten to one hell be late. ~nineteen to the dozen: ~ talk, etc. without stopping: néi huyén thuyén Eg: She was chatting away, nineteen to the dozen. kill two birds with one stone: mét céng déi viée - bya hair’s breath: a very small amount or distance: trong dudng to ké toc E.g: We won by a hair's breadth. - keep one's finger crossed for somebody: cu mong diéu tét dep cho ai dé - (like) water off a duck’s back: nuéc 46 dau vit Eg: | can’t tell my son what to do; it’s water off a duck’s back with him. ~ every nook and cranny ~ every nook and corner: every part of a place; every aspect of a situation: trong moi ngéc ngach Eg: The wind blew into every nook and cranny.