Loving and liking

carry a torch for sb : to be in love with someone, usually when they do not realize this

- What makes a woman so special that a man will carry a torch for her all his life?

common-or-garden : very ordinary

- A good chef can turn common-or-garden foods into something special.

have a soft spot for sb : to like someone a lot, even if they do not deserve it

- She always had a soft spot for her youngest brother.

no great shakes : not very skillful or impressive

- I tried hard but I was no great shakes at boxing.

nothing/not anything to write home about : not very good

- The acting was very good but the music was nothing to write home about.

of your dreams : used about someone or something that you think is perfect

- Into the bar walked the girl of his dreams.

old flame : someone who you had a romantic relationship with in the past

- Last week Alec was seen dining with his old flame Janine Turner in New York.

not a patch on sb/sth : much less good than something

- The film isn’t a patch on the book.

saving grace : a good quality that makes it possible for you to accept someone or something that is bad in all

other ways

- That play’s only saving grace was that I didn’t last long.

there are plenty more fish in the sea : used for telling someone whose boyfriend or girlfriend has left them

that they will soon have another relationship

- Tell him there are plenty more fish in the sea and he is sure to find a perfect woman.

think the world of sb : to like or to love someone very much

- Dad’s always thought the world of her.

to be cruel to be kind : to do or say something that causes someone pain because you believe that it will help

them

- “ I have to be cruel to be kind” said Lindsay.