Wouldn’t hurt a fly = totally harmless and would never hurt anyone.

• You needn’t to be afraid of him.  He wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Give someone free rein = give someone complete freedom.( reins are what you hold in your hands to control a horse when riding)

• They’ve given me free rein to do whatever I like in this new job.

Make a beeline for = go quickly and directly to.

• As soon the meeting was over, we all made a beeline for the food.

One’s best bet = the best thing one can do to achieve the results one wants;  the action or idea that is most likely to be successful.

• At this hour, taking the highway is your best bet if you want to get there on time.
• The pilot’s best bet was to make an emergency landing.
• This method of testing is the best bet for getting an unconditional result.

When the chips are down = when you are in a difficult situation, especially one which tests whether you can trust people.

• One day when the chips are down, you will know who your true friends are.
• I knew you would come and help when the chips are down.
• When the chips are down, you won’t get any help from her.

A fly on the wall = An unnoticed observer of a particular situation.  You mean you would like to hear what will be said or see what will happen while not being noticed.

• I would love to be a fly on the wall at some of these meetings.
• A fly-on-the-wall documentary about the queen’s life.
• I would love to be a fly on the wall when those two get home.

Be wide of the mark = be wrong or miss what you were trying to hit; incorrect or not accurate.

• Yesterday’s weather forecast was a little wide of the mark
• Watch out, the arrow is going wide of the mark!
• I thought I knew what real estate costs around here, but I was wide of the mark.

Do something on the spur of the moment = do something suddenly without planning; on impulse. ( spur= metal on boot which makes horse go faster – related to horse-riding)

• I don’t generally do things on the spur of the moment.
• It wasn’t spur of the moment decision.  We discussed it in detail beforehand.
• I decided on the spur of the moment to invite him.

Be on the cards = be likely to happen.

• An election is on the cards this year.
• It is still on the cards that I’ll get a contract for the job.
• A: So you think they will get married next year.
• B: I think it’s on the cards.

Follow suit = do the same as everyone else has just done.

• If you keep your things tidy, the others may follow suit.
• If you sign the contract, others will soon follow suit.
• When one airline reduces its ticket prices, the rest usually follow suit.

Take the plunge = to make a decision or do something important or difficult that you have been thinking or doing for a long time.

• She wondered whether to enter for the race, but decided to take the plunge.
• If you have been thinking about buying shares, now could be the time to take the plunge.
• I am not ready to take the plunge yet.  Sam and Mary took the plunge.(2- to marry someone)

Go back to square one = go back to the beginning of a project, because previous attempts failed.

• I lost all my data when the computer crashed, so I am afraid  I’m going back to square one.
• The experiment didn’t work , so it’s back to square one, I am afraid.
• His idea didn’t work, so he had to go back to square one.

Play one’s cards right/well = behave in the right way to achieve what you want ; make the best use of one’s assets and opportunities.

• You have a chance of success if you play your cards right.
• she didn’t play her cards well , and she ended up with something less than what she wanted.

Put/lay one’s cards on the table = tell someone honestly what one thinks or what one plans to do .

• He has been very frank and he has put his cards on the table, now we will have to do the same.
• I thought it was time I laid my cards on the table, so I told her that I had no intention of marrying her.

Pass the buck = blame someone or make them responsible for something that must be done next.

• She’s always trying to pass the buck and I am sick of it.
• Politicians have two skills – making empty promises and then passing the buck when they fail to deliver on them.
• The government always tries to pass the buck when there are economic problems, saying the previous regime is to blame.

Off one’s own bat = on one’s own initiative;  without being asked to do by anyone else.

• Whatever she did she did off her own bat.
• No one asked him to help; he did it off his own bat.
• Rozanne didn’t wait for her parents to tell her to take out the garbage.  She did it off her own bat.

Play ball = co-operate in order to achieve something ( usually used in negative context)

• Because he refused to play ball with these criminals, he was shot and seriously injured.
• If you play ball, we will be reducing your sentence from 8 years to just two.
• Just play ball and do what they say, and nobody will hurt you.

On a level playing ground/field =  in a fair situation where everyone has an equal chance of succeeding.

• All applicants have to agree to the same conditions for the interview in order to ensure a level playing ground.
• They are still not providing a level playing ground in terms of opportunities for women.
• The new legislation is intended to create a level playing field for students of all backgrounds.

Start the ball rolling =start an activity and encourage others to join in.

• I decided to start the ball rolling and got up to dance.
• To start the ball rolling , the government was asked to contribute a million dollars to the fund.
• I would like you each to tell us why you have decided to do a creative writing course; Marie, would you start the ball rolling, please?

The ball is in your court = It is your responsibility now; it’s up to you.  You have to do something now before any progress can be made.

• I have helped him in every way I can; the ball is in his court now.
• The ball is in their court , so we will have to wait and see what they do.
• Well, they have invited you , so the ball is in your court now.  Do you want to go out with them or not?

On the ball = aware of, quick to understand and react to new ideas/methods.

• Maintaining contacts with customers keeps me on the ball.
• Don’t forget that our rival companies are on the ball and if we don’t act quickly and do something off our own bat , they will secure the contract for themselves.

The green belt = an area of land with fields or parks around a town or city, where people are not allowed to build houses or factories by law.

• The green belt has a valuable role in stopping urban sprawl and providing a green lung around towns and cities.
• The green belt and open spaces in our urban and suburban areas must be preserved at all cost for reasons too many to list.

White collar worker = a person who performs professional, managerial or administrative work.

• White collar workers at Mirage car factory have gone on strike over pay and other working conditions.
• White collar workers now work longer hours.

Grey area = something that is a problem, and is not very clear because there are no rules.

• The difference between gross negligence and recklessness is legal grey area.
• There are many grey areas in the law affecting stolen animals.
• There’s a large grey area regarding whether the use of the new surveillance technology is lawful.

Green with envy = very envious or jealous.

• Renz is heading off to Dubai for a week, and I am green with envy.
• Singapore’s economy turned the world  green with envy.

Get green fingers or have green thumb = be good at gardening or planting seedlings.

• My mother has got green fingers.  Everything she plants in the garden grows well.
• My husband has green thumb.
• His sister can keep any plant alive, even the ones that he’s nearly killed;  she seriously has green fingers.

Green light = permission.

• The council has given the green light to the new shopping centre.
• We’re just waiting to get green light from our managers before we release the latest software update.
• As soon as we get the green light , we’ll start advertising for new staff.

Be a sign of the times = something that shows that society now is worse than it was in the past. ( a typical thing about the time we live in)

• These riots are a sign of the times.
• The fact that he had been dead for a week in his apartment before anybody found him is a sign of the times.
• It’s a sign of the times that you cannot speak to a real human being when you telephone a bank.  All you get is an automatic voice,

At the end of the day = ultimately, eventually, in the final analysis;  when everything is taken into consideration.

• At the end of the day I’m responsible for what happens in the school.
• Of course I will listen to what she has to say but at the end of the day, it’s my decision.
• At the end of the day it is up to the management to decide.

Out of date = old and not useful.

• My computer is out of date.
• This milk is out of date.  I will throw it away.
• Many of the facts in the book are now out of date.
• Out of date technology.