IDIOMS

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1. have your wits about you be able to think quickly and make
sensible decisions

2. know what's what know the important facts about a

situation

3. not have a leg to stand on not have any way of proving that
you are right about something

4. not see the wood for the trees used for saying that someone can-
not understand what is important in
a situation because they are think-
ing too much about small details

5. to take stock of sth to examine a situation carefully

6. all mod cons technology at home that makes

jobs easier such as a washing ma-
chine, dishwasher etc.

7. change your tune change your opinion or attitude

8. have a change of heart change your opinion about some-

thing or decide not to do something
you were planning to do

9. know sth inside out be very familiar with

10. the tools of the trade the skills and equipment that you
need in order to do your job

11. a stitch in time saves nine
express that it's better to spend a
little time and effort to deal with a
problem right now than to wait until
later, when it may get worse and
take longer to deal with.

12. for good permanently, ans = for good

13. in/for donkey's years for a very long time

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14. a stone's throw away/from (very) close (to) The lodge is within
a stone's throw of the ski slopes.

15. follow your nose go straight forward, without turning;

do what you feel is right in a partic-
ular situation, although you are not
certain

16. make a beeline for go towards someone or something

in the quickest and most direct way

17. lose your bearings become confused about where

you are and where other things are

18. stop dead in your tracks suddenly stop, for example be-
cause you are surprised

19. take a shortcut to take more direct route than usual

20. take the scenic route /ÈsiÐ.njk/ follow a longer path than the usual
one because it is more attractive

21. big mouth used as a criticism of someone

when they say things they should
not

22. come clean (about sth) tell the truth about sth that you
have kept secret

23. get sth off your chest talk to someone about something
that has been worrying you, so that
you feel better about it

24. get the wrong end of the stick to misunderstand

25. (hear sth) on/through the grapevine the way in which information
spreads quickly from one person to
another through conversation

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26. lay/put your cards on the table
tell people exactly what you are
thinking or what you are intending
to do : ch¡i bài ngía

27. speak volumes provide a lot of information, espe-

cially in an indirect way She said
very little but her face spoke vol-
umes.

28. tell tales to sb kà tÙi, mách l»o Don't go telling tales to

the teacher!

29. an act of God an event such as a flood, lightning

or an earthquake that is produced
by natural forces, and that people
have no control over

30. come rain or shine whatever happens

31. down on your luck having a long period of difficulty

finding work and earning money

32. draw the short straw be chosen to do something un-

pleasant

33. be no/without rhyme or reason used for emphasising that there is

no reason or explanation for some-
thing There is no rhyme or reason
to her behaviour.

34. the luck of the draw to be the result of chance and

something that you have no control
over:
You can't choose who you play
against - it's just the luck of the
draw.

35. touch wood used when you have said that you
have had good luck in order to pre-

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vent bad luck from happening to
you

36. fall short of fail to reach the standard that you

expected

37. go halves share the cost of something with

someone so that you each pay
50%

38. it's as broad as it's long used for saying that you cannot
choose between two things or ac-
tions because they are equal

39. line your pocket(s) obtain money, especially by acting

dishonestly

40. lock, stock, and barrel entirely, completely

41. six of one and half a dozen of the other No difference, either choice is okay

42. tidy sum/amount large sum/amount His business

deals make him a tidy sum.

43. a home from home a place where you feel as comfort-

able as you do in your own home:
The hotel was a real home from
home.

44. a blot on the landscape something that makes a place look

less attractive

45. commuter belt area surrounding a large city

where many people who work in
that city live

46. concrete jungle unpleasant part of a city where

there are a lot of ugly buildings
close together

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47. home sweet home(a) used for saying that you are happy
to be back in your own home

48. in the sticks n¡i xa thành phÑ

49. on the street(s) without a home:

Some of these people have been
living on the streets for years.

50. on the town dành c£ tÑi ß bars,clubs,...

51. satellite town ÈsætYlajt town that is close to and depends

on a larger city : ô thË vÇ tinh

52. cry over spilt milk ti¿c r» con gà qu¡ tha

53. fly off the handle dÅ phát cáu

54. give sb a taste/dose of their own med- treat someone in the same bad
icine way they treat other people

55. give sth a miss to not do an activity:

I think I'll give aerobics a miss this
evening.

56. grin and bear it ng-m bÓ hòn làm ngÍt

57. keep your hair on to calm down Keep your hair on!
Your car isn't badly damaged!

58. kick yourself ( for not...) feel angry with yourself : bét rét

59. let off steam blow off steam

60. never/don't look a gift horse in the if you are given something good,
mouth you should not complain about it or
try to find things that are wrong with
it

61. gain/get/have/take the upper hand

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take control or advantage over a
person or situation Government
troops are gradually gaining the
upper hand over the rebels.

62. get/have your way to do, get etc what one wants
làm theo ý mình You can't always
have your own way.

63. pull (a few) strings ß ±ng sau gi-t dây: lãi dång séc £nh h°
mình à làm thé mình muÑn

64. red tape complex bureaucratic rules and

procedures that must be followed
to get something done

65. take the law into one's own hands
take revenge without using the le-
gal system One day, after years of
violent abuse from her husband,
she took the law into her own
hands.

66. throw THE book at sb punish someone very severely

67. a sight for sore eyes someone or something that you

are very pleased to see

68. Achilles' heel weak point

69. add fuel to THE fire to make a bad situation worse

70. below/under par below the usual standard

71. clean as a whistle completely honest or legal; ex-

tremely clean

72. the last word in sth the best/most recent version of sth

73. over the top more than what is considered nor-

mal or suitable : thái quá,cñc oan
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74. steal the show receive a lot of attention because

you give the best performance in a
show or other event

75. (have/take) pride of place 1 vË trí cao quý

76. (have) the edge over an advantage that makes sb or sth

more successful than other people
or things

77. get on like a house on fire have a very good, enjoyable rela-
tionship

78. like two peas in a pod very similar

79. put sth into perspective to compare something to other

things so that it can be accurately
and fairly judged

80. sb is only human used for saying sb has been weak

in the ways most people are weak
and should not be blamed for their
behavior

81. at a loose end with nothing in particular to do:

không có gì Ã làm

82. couch potato a person who watches a lot of tele-

vision and does not have an active
style of life

83. do sth on a whim do because of a sudden feeling

that you must have or do sth

84. have time on your hands have more time available than you
need ~~ không có viÇc làm

85. the life and soul of the party someone who is very lively at so-
cial events

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86. put your feet up to relax

87. variety is the spice of life used for saying that different ex-
periences and situations make life
enjoyable or interesting

88. take the weight off your feet/legs sit down

89. pull a fast one on somebody to successfully deceive someone:

90. take the biscuit to be especially annoying, surpris-

ing, etc. or to be the worst or best
of its kind:
And you say she's opening your
letters now? Oh, that really takes
the biscuit!

91. bark up the wrong tree (idiom) to have the wrong idea about how
to get or achieve sth

92. round the bend crazy

93. split hairs to argue about small details of

something

94. reinvent the wheel to waste time trying to create

something that someone else has
already created

95. stick to your guns refuse to change what you are say-
ing or doing despite the opposition
or criticism of other people

96. all in good time used to tell someone to be patient

because the thing they are eager
for will happen when the time is
right:
Be patient, you'll hear the result all
in good time.

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97. before your time used for saying that something
happened or existed before you
were born
These styles were a bit before my
time.

98. the other day recently:

I saw him the other day.
She called the other night.

99. at the drop of a hat immediately without stopping to

think about it:
People will file lawsuits at the drop
of a hat these days.

100. get/gain the upper hand to get into a stronger position than
someone else so that you are con-
trolling a situation

101. keep sb posted about sth to make sure someone knows

what is happening, esp. in a situa-
tion that is quickly changing:
The doctors kept me posted about
her condition.

102. keep (something) under one's hat giï bí m-t iÁu gì

Keep it under your hat, but I'm get-
ting married next week.

103. give (someone) your word to promise to do something

You gave me your word that you
would look after them.

104. let nature take its course SYN: run its to allow someone or something to
course live or die naturally:
He could be kept alive artificially,
but I think it would be kinder to let
nature take its course.

105. out of the blue suddenly, unexpectedly

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106. a drop in the ocean a very small amount that will not
have much effect My letter of
protest was just a drop in the
ocean.

107. keep up with the Joneses ua òi vÛi b¡n bè, hàng xóm

108. knee-high to a grasshopper very small, because you were very

young

109. bury your head in the sand ignore a problem or an unpleasant

situation and hope that it will disap-
pear

110. the powers that be important people who have author-

ity over others:
It's up to the powers that be to de-
cide what should be done next.

111. under sb's thumb under someone's control:

He's got the committee firmly un-
der his thumb - they agree to what-
ever he asks.

112. let sleeping dogs lie said to warn someone that they
should not talk about a bad situa-
tion that most people have forgot-
ten about

113. keep a straight face to manage to stop yourself from

smiling or laughing:
She tried to keep a straight face
but, unable to contain herself, burst
into laughter.

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