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English idioms relating to |
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| Acid test |
To refer to something as the acid test means that it will prove
how effective or useful something is. "The training course was very interesting but the acid test will come when I start my new job." |
| (Whole) bag of tricks |
If you use your (whole) bag of tricks to do something, you try (all) the clever methods you know in order to succeed. "Let's call on George and his bag of tricks; maybe he can help us solve the problem." |
| Be on the ball | If you are on the
ball, you are aware of what is happening and are able to react to the situation quickly and intelligently. |
| (To the) best of one's ability |
When someone does something to the best of their ability, they do it as well as they possibly can. "I felt nervous all through the interview, but I replied to the best of my ability." |
| Kill two birds with one stone. |
If you kill two birds with one stone, you succeed in
doing two things at the same time. |
| Break fresh ground |
If you break fresh ground, you innovate by introducing or
developing a new method or system. "Scientists have broken fresh ground in their exploration of outer space." |
| Take the bull by the horns | To take the bull by the horns means that a
person decides to act decisively in order to deal with a difficult situation or problem. "When a number of children complained of bullying at school, Sally took the bull by the horns and called the headmaster. |
| Can't hold a candle (to someone or something) |
If a person (or thing) cannot hold a candle to another, they are much less competent or do not perform as well as the other. "John is very intelligent but he can't hold a candle to his brother Michael when it comes to sports." |
| Chase your (own) tail |
Someone who is chasing their (own) tail is spending a lot of
time and energy doing many things but achieving very little. "He's been chasing his tail all week collecting data but the report is still not ready." |
| Like clockwork | To say that someone or something goes, runs or
behaves like clockwork means that everything happens exactly as expected. "Meals are always served on time. In their home everything runs like clockwork." |
| Cut
the ground from under somebody's feet |
When someone cuts the ground from under another's feet, they do something which weakens their position or spoils their plans. "When we launched the new product, we cut the ground from under our competitors' feet." |
| Cutting edge |
This expression refers to the newest, most advanced stage in the the development of something. "The company is at the cutting edge of aeronautics." |
| Dab hand at something | If you're a dab hand at something, you're very good at doing it. "Why don't you call Suzy? She's a dab hand at organizing barbecues." |
| Deliver the goods |
If a person delivers the goods, they do what is expected of them
or what they have promised to do. "Let's hope that new whiz-kid the boss hired can deliver the goods!" |
| Do nothing by halves | When a person does everything they are engaged in completely and thoroughly, they are said to do nothing by halves. "When she cooks, it's a four-course meal - she does nothing by halves!" |
| Do the trick |
If something does the trick, it does exactly what
is needed or achieves the desired effect. "Another coat of paint should do the trick." |
| Drastic times call for drastic measures | When faced with a difficult situation,
it is sometimes necessary to take actions which in normal circumstances would appear extreme. "After Johnny's third accident, his father confiscated his car. Drastic times call for drastic measures!" |
| Explore all avenues |
If you explore all avenues, you try out every possibility in order to obtain a result or find a solution. "We can't say it's impossible until we've explored all avenues." |
| Fast track something | If you decide to fast track something, such as a task or
project, you give it high priority so that the objective is reached as quickly as possible. "In view of the number of homeless, it was decided to fast track the construction of low-cost housing." |
| Fine-tooth comb |
To go over something with a fine-tooth comb
means to examine it closely and thoroughly so as not to miss any details. "The police are examining the scene of the accident with a fine-tooth comb." |
| Get it down to a fine art. | When you learn to do something
perfectly, you get it down to a fine art. "Entertaining her husband's business associates is not a problem; she's got that down to a fine art!" |
| Get one's act together | If you get your act together, you organize your affairs better than you have done previously and manage to deal with things more efficiently. "Jack's plan won't work unless he gets his act together." |
| Get the show on the road | If you manage to put a plan or idea into action, you get the show on the road. "OK! We've got all we need, so let's get the show on the road!" |
| Get something off the ground | If you get something off the ground, you put it into operation
after having organized it. "After a lot of hard work, we finally got the campaign off the ground. |
| Get
your ducks in a row |
This expression means that you are trying to get things well organized. "We need to get our ducks in a row if we want our project to succeed." |
| Go the extra mile | If you go the extra mile, you do more than what is expected of
you. "You can count on Tom; he's always willing to go the extra mile." |
| Go to (great) pains |
A person who goes to great pains to do something makes a great effort to do it well. "He went to great pains to explain the situation as clearly as possible." |
| Half the battle |
This expression refers to a significant part of the effort or work
needed to achieve something. "We've already obtained a loan for the project - that's half the battle." |
| As much use as a handbrake on a canoe | This expression refers to something which is completely useless
or serves no purpose. "With no electricity, a refrigerator would be as much use as a handbrake on a canoe. " |
| Land on your feet | If you land on your feet, you make
a quick recovery after a difficulty such as a business failure, an illness, a loss, etc. "Don't worry about Bob. He always lands on his feet!" |
Think on one's feet |
A person who thinks
on their feet is capable of making good decisions without previous thinking or planning. "Good lawyers need to be able to think on their feet when pleading a case." |
| Not let the grass grow under your feet |
If someone does not let the grass grow under their feet, they do not delay in getting something done. "As soon as he received the permit, he started to build. He never lets the grass grow under his feet!" |
| Keep your finger on the pulse |
If you keep your finger on the pulse, you are
constantly aware of the most recent events or developments. "A successful investor keeps his finger on the pulse of international business." |
| Leave no stone unturned | If you try everything possible in order to achieve
something something, you leave no stone unturned. "The management left no stone unturned in their efforts to find a solution to the crisis." |
| Make light work of something |
If a person makes light work of something, they do it very easily or
with little effort. "At the end of the day-long meeting, he made light work of summing up the main points." |
| Make short work of something |
If you make short work of something, you do or finish something
quickly. "They were so hungry that they made short work of getting food on the table." |
| Means business | If someone means business, they are serious about
what they announce. "The boss says that in future any missing material will be reported to the police, and he looks as though he means business." |
| Method in one's madness | This expression means
that someone's behaviour is not as irrational as it seems. "He's efficient despite his strange way of working, so there's method in his madness!" |
| Out of your depth | If you are out of your depth, you are unable to understand
a subject or deal with a situation because it is too difficult for you. "The level of the class was too high for me, so very quickly I felt out of my depth." |
| Up to par |
If something is up to par, it meets the required standard.
"He didn't get the job because his English wasn't up to par." |
| Put through their paces | If
you put someone or something through their paces, you test
their ability to do something by making them perform certain actions. "During the presentation, the machine was put through its paces." |
| Ahead of the pack | If a person or organization is ahead of the pack, they are better
or more successful than their rivals. "Our products will have to be more innovative if we are to stay ahead of the pack." |
| Ready and waiting | If something or someone is ready and waiting, they are prepared and available for a particular task or occasion. "There wad a vast amount of food ready and waiting for the guests." |
| Root and branch |
If an action is performed thoroughly or completely, it is done 'root and branch'. "The causes of the disease must be eliminated root and branch." |
| Run a taut ship also: run a tight ship |
This expression means that a group or an organization is run in a well-ordered and disciplined manner. "The director of the scout camp runs a taut ship." |
| Sail through something | If you sail
through something, for example a test or a presentation, you succeed in doing it without difficulty. |
| Shotgun approach | If you use a shotgun approach, you cover a wide range in a
non-selective, haphazard and inefficient manner. "Identifying a specific segment of the market as our target will be more effective than a shotgun approach. |
| Silver bullet |
This term refers to an extremely effective or magical solution to a difficult problem. "There is no silver bullet that will put an end to unemployment." |
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Small dog, tall weeds |
This expression is used to refer to someone
you think is incapable or does not have the resources to perform a task. "It may be too difficult for the trainee - small dog, tall weeds!" |
| Stick to your last |
If you tell someone to stick to their last, you are asking them
to restrict their intervention or comments to an area where they have knowledge and experience, and to keep away from areas where they know nothing. (A 'last' is used in making and repairing shoes.) "Why don't you stick to your last and let me handle this matter." |
| Take matters into your own hands |
If you take matters into your own hands, you take action yourself rather than waiting for others to act. "When Susan saw the lack of progress, she decided to take matters into her own hands." |
| Tricks of the trade |
This expression refers to a clever or expert way of doing things,
especially in a job. "He's a tough negotiator; he knows all the tricks of the trade." |
| Tried and tested |
If a method has been tried and tested, it can be trusted because it has been used successfully in the past and is known to work. |
| Under one's belt |
If you have something under your belt, you have acquired experience or have satisfactorily achieved something. "You've got to have some work experience under your belt before you can hope to get a permanent job." |
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Walk and chew gum (at the same time) |
If you can walk and chew gum,
you are able to do more than one thing at a time. This expression is often used negatively to indicate incompetence. "Why did you hire that guy? He can't walk and chew gum at the same time!" |
| Ways and means |
To say that there are ways and means of obtaining or
achieving something means that there are several methods which will produce the result you want. "All ways and means will be used to provide assistance to the survivors." |
| Work like a charm |
If something, such as a product or a method, works like a charm, it functions very well or has the desired effect. "I tried cleaning it with vinegar and it worked like a charm." |
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