Knowledge and understanding

get the hang of sth : to learn how to do something, esp. when it is not simple or obvious

- I’ll teach you how to use the design program – you’ll get the hang of it after a while.

- After a few months, you’ll start getting the hang of the language and expressing yourself quite well.

get the picture : to understand

= grasp, make sense of, take in

- Anna was giggling. She was beginning to get the picture.

- It’s all right, don’t say any more – I get the picture.

get the wrong end of the stick/ get hold of the wrong end of the stick : to completely misunderstand a situation

or something that is said.

- Did I get hold of the wrong end of the stick? Was that not what he meant?

- Her friend saw us arrive at the party together and got the wrong end of the stick.

get your head (a)round sth : to succeed in understanding or accepting something

- She is dead. I can’t get my head round it.

- It’s hard to get your head round figures this big.

go in one ear and out the other : if something you tell someone goes in one ear and out the other, they pay

no attention to it, or forget about it immediately

- I’ve told him so many times – it just goes in one ear and out the other.

- If I have to listen to something I don’t understand, it just goes in one ear and out the other.

grey area (n phr) : a situation that is not clear or where the rules are not known

- The new rules for police procedure cleared up a lot of grey areas.

not have a clue : to know nothing about something or about how to do something

- I don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to be doing.

jump to conclusions : to guess the fact about a situation without having enough information

- Forgive me. I thought you were married, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

put two and two together : to correctly guess the truth about something from the information that

you have

- He put two and two together and guessed what the police was searching for.

read between the lines : to understand the hidden meaning

- He didn’t go into details, but reading between the lines it appears that he was forced to leave.

- Reading between the lines, I’d say he isn’t happy with the situation.

take sth on board : to understand or accept an idea or a piece of information

- Banks need to take on board the views of their customers.

- I listened to them, took their comments on board, and then make the decision.

up to speed : if you are up to speed, you have all the latest information about sth

- We try to keep people entertained and up to speed with what’s going on in town.