avax

94 Idioms for everyday situations and feelings

A When things go right
If something …
worked like a dream
went/ran like clockwork
is up and running
is falling into place
is looking up
this means …
a plan succeeded absolutely perfectly
it went smoothly, with no difficulties
it has begun to work as planned
it is on the point of starting to work well
it is looking very positive

B When things go wrong: reacting in conversation

Oh no! That’s all we need/needed! [in response to news that makes current problems even worse]
That’s the last thing I wanted to hear! [in response to news that fulfils your worst fears]
This is like a bad dream! [when one bad thing after another happens in quick succession]
It’s a real nightmare / my worst nightmare. [used very generally, e.g. about traffic jams, computers
going wrong]
What a pain! [used very generally, in response to any situation that causes you difficulty]

C Confusing situations or situations you don’t understand

Her sudden question threw me completely. [I didn’t know how to respond]
The meeting was a complete shambles. [a totally disorganised and chaotic event]
It’s a mystery to me how people know about my private life. [it’s something I cannot understand]
I’m sorry, we must have got our wires crossed. I thought the meeting was at 11, not 10.30. [there
must have been a miscommunication/misunderstanding]
I’m not with you. / You’ve lost me there. [what you have said has confused me]

D Happiness and sadness

expression meaning
to be on top of the world / on cloud nine / over the moon to be extremely happy
to be in (your) element / to be made for to be ideally suited for
to be fed up to the back teeth to be extremely unhappy, disappointed
to be down in the dumps / down in the mouth to be depressed

194 English Vocabulary in Use Advanced

 avax

Exercises
94.1 Rewrite the underlined words using an idiom based on the word in brackets.
1 The system is now working as planned, so we should be able to get some useful data soon. (RUN)
2 Things are becoming very positive now that we’ve increased our online sales. (LOOK)
3 The whole project was 100% successful. (DREAM)
4 After a problematic start, things are beginning to work well now. (FALL)
5 The school open day ran very smoothly without difficulties or problems. (CLOCK)
94.2 Fill in B’s missing words in these conversations.
1 A: ‘I’m afraid your insurance policy expired a month ago, so you can’t claim for the fire damage.’
B: ‘Oh no! This is like a bad !’
2 A: ‘I’m afraid the boss is away this week so we’ll have to wait to sort this out till next week.’
B: ‘Oh, what a ! Ah well, I suppose there’s nothing we can do.’
3 A: ‘Tarek is ill and can’t come. Now Sheena’s phoned in to say she’s sick too!’
B: ‘Oh no! Two people sick! That’s all we !’
4 A: ‘Wow! Look at this traffic jam. We’ll be stuck here for hours!’
B: ‘I know. It’s a real !’
5 A: ‘The lawyers have said we can’t hold the festival because we haven’t done a proper risk assessment.’
B: ‘Oh no! That’s the last thing we wanted to !’
94.3 Read the comments and then answer the questions.
Alex Sabina Ricardo
That shop is
It’s a mystery to me Sorry, I’m not with
a complete
how those papers you. You’ve lost shambles
just disappeared. me there. these days.
Monica Michelle
Sorry, I think
The news threw me we got our
completely. wires crossed
yesterday.

name
1 Who is talking about something disorganised and chaotic?
2 Who thinks there’s been a misunderstanding?
3 Who can’t follow what someone has said?
4 Who can’t find an explanation for something?
5 Who didn’t know how to respond to something?

94.4 Correct the mistakes in the idioms in these sentences.

1 Jessica’s on cloud seven now she’s at university.
2 She’s on her element now she’s got a job in an architect’s office.
3 You look a bit down in the damp. What’s the matter?
4 Just look at him! He looks fed up to the front teeth!
5 I was above the moon when they told me I’d got the job.
94.5 Look up these idioms in a dictionary. Do they fit best into A, B, C or D opposite? Circle the
correct letter.
1 Oh no! That’s the last straw! A B C D 4 It worked like a charm. A B C D
2 I can’t get my head round it. A B C D 5 I was walking on air. A B C D
3 You look as miserable as sin. A B C D

English Vocabulary in Use Advanced 195

 avax

95 Brushing up on phrasal verbs

A Learning phrasal verbs
There are a great many phrasal verbs in English and many learners find them particularly difficult to
master. The best way to learn them is in context. When you come across [meet] one, write it down in
an example sentence.
There are a couple of important points to remember about phrasal verbs. Firstly, a verb +
preposition/particle combination may have more than one meaning. Come across, for example, can
also mean give an impression of being, as in: He can come across as unfriendly when you first meet
him. Come over can also be used with the same meaning, as in: He can come over as unfriendly.
Secondly, it is sensible to concentrate first on understanding phrasal verbs rather than using them.
There is usually an alternative way in which you can say the same thing using a single verb. So, for
example, instead of put forward a plan you can propose a plan, and instead of rush into a decision
you can make a hasty decision.

B The verb
A very large number of phrasal verbs are formed using common verbs such as come, do, get or go, for
instance. Here are some more examples with come.
I hope our plans to visit Russia come off. [happen successfully]
Sandro’s family came over from Italy for the wedding. [travel to one place from another]
I wouldn’t usually say something like that. I don’t know what came over me. [influence someone to
behave in a particular way]
The proposal has come under a lot of criticism. [experience something (usually unpleasant)]
If the opportunity to work in the US comes up, you must take it. [occur unexpectedly]
Our plan has come up against some obstacles. [have to deal with a problem or difficulty]

C The preposition/particle
The second part of a phrasal verb is a preposition or particle. This can sometimes help you
understand the meaning of the phrasal verb. For example, on can often convey an idea of continuing
over a period of time.
Selina decided to stay on at university and do a Master’s degree. [remain]
Try not to dwell on the past. [keep thinking about, usually something unpleasant]
I didn’t expect platform shoes to catch on. [become popular]
I wish she’d stop going on about her new car. [talking at length]
The crowd was urging the runners on. [encouraging]
The weather was terrible but the climbers pressed on regardless. [continued in a determined way]

D Phrasal verbs in topics

It can be useful to learn phrasal verbs in sets connected with a topic. Here, for example, are some
from the context of work:
I need to brush up on my computer skills for my new job. [improve knowledge of something already
learnt but partly forgotten]
The company laid off half its staff during the recession. [stopped employing]
Tomorrow’s meeting has been called off because Jack is ill. [cancelled]
Sasha has thrown himself into his new job. [start doing something with great energy]
It took me a few weeks to settle in at my new office. [feel relaxed and happy]
It took me ages to put together the report. [prepare by collecting information from several sources]

Language help
When you learn a phrasal verb, note down the positions of the preposition/particle and the object, if
there is one. For example, you can say put a report together or put together a report, but you can only
say rush into a decision (NOT rush a decision into).

196 English Vocabulary in Use Advanced

 avax

Exercises
95.1 Reword these sentences using a phrasal verb with come.
1 Meena can seem a little arrogant at times, but she’s just shy.
2 Charlie was quick to take advantage of a chance for promotion that arose at his workplace.
3 The project was going well until we encountered some legal problems.
4 I found some lovely old photos when I was sorting some boxes yesterday.
5 I’m afraid it looks as if our plans to move to a new flat may not happen.
6 Something strange happened to me and I shouted at him angrily.
95.2 Complete the sentences with a verb, using the appropriate form.
1 Dan is always on about how rich he is.
2 You can’t change what happened, so don’t on it.
3 We’d better on if we’re going to get to the hostel before dark.
4 I’m going to on after work to finish the report.
5 Taekwondo has really on – all my friends are learning it.
6 Hugo’s family tried their best to him on to complete his novel.
95.3 Do these sentences have the correct preposition or particle? If not, correct them.
1 Do you think the company will have to lay any staff out?
2 I learnt Spanish at school but need to brush it on before I go to Spain.
3 I’m putting a presentation together for the board to consider.
4 If you rush for a decision, you may regret it later.
5 We’ll have to call out tomorrow’s picnic if the weather is bad.
6 The family soon settled on to their new flat in the city.
7 I love the way Katie always throws herself onto everything she does.
8 Nita put forward some very interesting ideas at the meeting.
95.4 Which of the phrasal verbs on the opposite page can have the preposition or particle
either before or after the object? Write the verbs in phrases both ways using one of
these objects.

team skill report staff meeting plan

EXAMPLE urge a team on – urge on a team

95.5 These sentences use some other phrasal verbs. Can you work out what the verbs mean
from the context? Match the phrasal verbs in the sentences with the definitions in the box.

delay explode abolish waste time not tell criticise occur start to work

1 Most of the students say they would like to do away with school uniform.
2 The new arrangements won’t kick in till next month.
3 Stop messing around – go and tidy your room.
4 Problems always seem to crop up at the most inconvenient times.
5 These complications will set the building work back by several weeks.
6 However hard he tries, his teacher always seems to run him down.
7 I heard the bomb go off at midday.
8 It’s foolish to hold something so important back from your partner.

English Vocabulary in Use Advanced 197