Useful Idioms – part 13
(1) Be miles away = not be conscious of what is happening around you because you are thinking about something else. You could tell by the expression on her face that she was miles away, thinking about home. (2) Be caught in the middle = To be in a position between two or more sides in an argument or contentious issue. When my friends broke up , I was often caught in the middle as each one complained to me about the other. When parents…
Useful Idioms – part 12
(1) Be (talking) at cross purposes. = If two or more people are at cross purposes, they do not understand each other because they are talking different subjects without realising this. I think we’ve been talking at cross purposes- I meant next year, not this year. We’re talking at cross purposes. (2) Keep oneself to oneself = to stay apart from other people ; to avoid other people. She was a shy girl who kept herself to herself. Titus is a very private person , he…
Useful Idioms – part 10
(1) At a pinch/push = if absolutely necessary ; only with a certain degree of difficulty. There is room for four people, or five at a pinch.( or push- in this context ‘ room’ means space). We usually accept 55 guests , but at a pinch we could take 60. (2) Have a bash = to make an attempt to do something. I have always wanted to have a bash at writing. A : Do you want to try driving my car, to see how…
Useful Idioms – part 9
(1) Put paid to = destroy or finish something ; stop abruptly. A massive heart attack put paid to his aspiration to become a Carnatic musician. A spinal operation put paid to her career as a ballet dancer. A knee injury has put paid to her chances of getting into final. . (2) Dead end job = A job in which there is little or no chance of career development or advancement into a higher paid position. He had quite a dead-end job as a…
Useful Idioms – part 8
(1) Tighten one’s belt = cut one’s expenditure ; live more frugally. She said the poor must tighten their belts. I’ve had to tighten my belt since I stopped working full-time. (2) Make a killing = to earn a lot of money in a short time and with little effort. They made a killing with the sale of their London house. Tom made a killing at the race track yesterday. (3) Well-heeled = wealthy. His family was very well-heeled. My uncle can afford a new car. …
Useful Idioms – part 7
(1) Get the sack = to be dismissed from job. ( has an allusion to tradesmen, who owned their own tools and took them with him in a bag or sack when they were dismissed from employment). The Deputy Manager got the sack for incompetence and financial mismanagement. (2) Head-hunt = identify and approach a suitable person employed elsewhere. Jorty was head-hunted as MD of a leading Commercial Bank. Head-hunting is a form of recruitment and selection. He was head-hunted by a rival company for one…
Useful Idioms – part 4
(1) Get on like a house on fire = have a very good and friendly relationship. My sister and her neighbour Bindu got on like a house on fire. I was worried that they wouldn’t like each other but they are getting on like a house on fire. (2) Have a soft spot for someone or something = you feel a great deal of affection for them or like them a lot. John’s parents always had a soft spot for their eldest son Jose and…
Useful Idioms – part 3
(1) Make a name for oneself = become famous Balabhaskar made a name for himself as a talented violinist. By the time she was thirty Lagi Varkey made a name for herself as a successful Headmistress. By hard work and determination James made a name for himself and became the best trainer in Engineer’s Driving School. (2) On one’s way up = rising to better and better position. John is definitely on his way up in the financial world. He started as a junior officer and…
Useful Idioms – part 1
Out of this world = extremely enjoyable or impressive. What a restaurant, the food was out of this world! The performance was out of this world! This bakery sells some out-of-this-world desserts. Like gold dust = something very difficult to get because a lot of people want it. Tickets for the concert are like gold dust. You can’t get those new trainers anywhere. They’re like gold dust. Leave a lot to be desired = be highly unsatisfactory. Apparently, her cooking leaves a lot to be…