|
www.learn-english-today.com |
|
|
• business english • lessons - exercises • wordgames • proverbs • fun • news • resources • books • contact • home • |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Asking for trouble |
Someone who is asking for trouble is behaving stupidly and is
likely to have problems. "Driving fast on these roads is really asking for trouble!" |
| Have your back to the wall |
If you have your back to the wall, you
are in serious difficulty. "With his back to the wall, the supplier had to accept the deal." |
| Bite off more than you can chew |
If you
bite off more than you can chew, you try
to do something that is too difficult for you, or more than you can manage. "As soon as I started to translate the report, I realized that I had bitten off more than I could chew." |
| Can of worms | To describe a situation as
a can of worms means that it is
complicated, unpleasant and difficult to deal with. "The discovery of the transfer of funds turned out to be a real can of worms." |
| Come to head |
If a problem or difficult situation comes to a head, it reaches a
point where action has to be taken. "The problem came to a head yesterday when rioting broke out in the streets." |
| Cross that bridge when we get to it | This is another way of saying "we will deal with that problem when it occurs and not worry about it before". "What will happen if we can't repay the loan?" "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." |
| Dig one's own grave | A person who digs their own grave does something which causes their own downfall. "If you drop out of college now, with such high unemployment, you'll be digging your own grave!" |
| Do someone's dirty work. | To do someone's dirty work means to do the unpleasant or difficult work that the other person does not want to do. |
| Get to the bottom of something | If you get to the bottom of a problem or mystery, you solve
it by finding out the true cause of it. "We have a problem of goods disappearing during transport. Hopefully the investigation will get to the bottom of it." |
| Go haywire | If something goes haywire, it becomes disorganized or goes out of
control. "The photocopier has gone completely haywire. It's only printing half of each page!" |
| Come hell or high water | To
say that you will do do something come hell or high water means
that you will do it in spite of difficulties involved. "Come hell or high water, I've got to be on time for the interview." |
| High and dry | If you are left high and dry, you find yourself in a
difficult situation without help or resources "When her husband walked out on her, Amanda was left high and dry with two kids to raise." |
| In a quandary | If you are in a quandary about something, you find it difficult
to decide what to do. "The job they offer is less interesting but the salary is better. I'm in a quandary about what to do." |
| In over your head | If you are in over your head, you are involved in something that
is too difficult for you to handle. "I accepted to organize the festival, but I quickly realized that I was in over my head." |
| Let sleeping dogs lie. | If you
tell somebody to let sleeping dogs lie, you are asking them not to interfere with a situation because they could cause problems. |
| Light at the end of the tunnel | If you see light at the end of the tunnel, you see signs of hope
for the future after a long period of difficulty. "Sales dropped heavily last year but we're beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel." |
| A millstone around your neck | Something described as a millstone around your neck refers to
a problem or responsibility that becomes a burden and a source of worry. " The money he borrowed became a millstone around his neck" |
| Needs must (when the devil drives) |
This expression means that you are sometimes forced by circumstances to do something that you do not want to do. "I'd rather stay with you than attend the conference, but needs must...!" |
| A needle in a haystack | To refer to something as a needle in a haystack means that
it is very difficult or impossible to find. "Finding a pub in Dublin without knowing its name is like looking for a needle in a haystack!" |
| There are no two ways about it |
To say that there are no two ways about it means that there is
only one suitable way of dealing with something. "There's no two ways about it. You can't accept the money, so you must give it back." |
| Other side of the coin |
When you want to mention a different or contradictory aspect of a
situation, you refer to the other side of the coin. "The house is lovely and spacious, but the other side of the coin is that it is far from shops and schools." |
| Paper over the cracks | To say that someone is papering over the cracks means that they
are concealing a problem rather than dealing with it effectively. "The measures taken to reduce unemployment are just paper over the cracks." |
| In a pickle | If you are in a pickle, you are in a difficult
situation and need help. "My car won't start and the trains are on strike today - I'm in a real pickle!" |
| (no) quick fix | To say that there is no quick fix to a problem means that there
is no simple solution. "There is no quick fix for unemployment; major reforms are necessary." |
| Pass the buck | If you say that someone is passing the buck, you are accusing
them of not taking responsibility for a problem and letting others deal with it instead. "Whenever a customer comes to complain, she always finds a way of looking busy. Talk about passing the buck!" |
| Pour cold water on something |
If you pour cold water on someone's plans, opinions or ideas, you discourage them by showing little enthusiasm or expressing your misgivings. "The committee threw cold water on the idea of accepting new members." |
| Put on a brave face | When
confronted with difficulties, if you put on a brave face, you
try to look cheerful and pretend that the situation is not as bad as it is. "Even at the worst of times she put on a brave face." |
| Put a spanner in the works |
To put a spanner in the works means
to cause problems and prevent something from happening as planned. (In the US, the word 'wrench' or 'monkey wrench' is used instead of 'spanner') |
| Scrape the bottom of the barrel | If you scrape the bottom of the barrel, you use the worst
or the least satisfactory ideas, things or people because you have no choice. "When they started to recruit, they had to scrape the bottom of the barrel because the best people had already found jobs elsewhere." |
| Smooth the path/way | Someone or something that smoothes the path
for something, makes progress easier or enables it to happen. "Speaking the language smoothed the path for negotiations." |
| Stew in your own juice |
If you let somebody stew in their own juice, you leave them to worry about the consequences of their own actions. "Jack spent last night in prison for starting a fight - let him just stew in his own juice!" |
| On a sticky wicket | If you find yourself on a sticky wicket, you are in a situation
that is difficult to deal with. "They've refused to sign the contract so we're on a sticky wicket now!" |
| Stumbling block |
This term refers to a problem or obstacle which prevents you from achieving something. "My father adapted quite well but the language was always a stumbling block for my mother." |
| 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. |
| Take the rough with the smooth |
If you take the rough with the smooth, you accept what is
unpleasant or difficult as well as what is pleasant or easy. "Life isn't always easy; you have to learn to take the rough with the smooth." |
| Throw money at something | If you throw money at something, you try to solve a problem by
spending money on it, without using any other methods. "The refugee problem cannot be solved just by throwing money at it." |
| Tight spot |
Someone who is in a tight spot is in a very difficult
situation. "The recent strike has put the airline company in a tight spot." |
| Tip of the iceberg |
The tip of the iceberg is the part that is known of a
problem or situation which is thought to be much more serious. "Journalists say that the report on corruption only examines the tip of the iceberg." |
| Unmitigated disaster | To refer to something as an unmitigated disaster means that
it is a total catastrophe or a complete failure. "The organization of the tournament was an unmitigated disaster." |
| Uphill battle | A person faced with an uphill battle has to struggle against
very unfavourable circumstances. "After the terrible accident, his recovery was an uphill battle all the way." |
| Upset the applecart | To upset (or to overturn) the
applecart means to spoil a satisfactory plan or situation "I hope Julie doesn't attend the meeting - she could upset the applecart!" |
| Vote with one's feet | If you vote with your feet, you show your dislike or disapproval
of something by leaving. "If the conference is boring, people will probably vote with their feet." |
|
|
|
|
|
|