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English idioms relating to
RELATIONSHIPS
Social - working - personal

 



Idiom

 

Meaning

  Have an axe to grind   If you have an axe to grind, you have personal reasons for
  becoming involved in something or adopting a particular attitude.
  "It was decided that the best candidates would be selected by
  a recruitment agency who had no axe to grind within the company."
  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."
  At someone's beck and call.   If a person is at somebody's beck and call, they are always
  ready to do things for them or obey orders to please them.
  "Parents should not be at the beck and call of their children."
  Below the belt   An action or remark described as below the belt means that
  it is considered unfair or cruel.
  "Politicians sometimes use personal information to hit their rivals
  below the belt."
  Birds of a feather   To say that two people are birds of a feather means that they
  are very similar in many ways.
  Breathe down someone's neck   If somebody is breathing down your neck, they are watching you
  too closely and making you feel uncomfortable.
  "The atmosphere at work isn't great; the boss keeps breathing down
  our necks all the time
  Build bridges.   If a person builds bridges between opposing groups, they help
  them to cooperate and understand each other better.
  Dance attendance (on somebody)   If you dance attendance on someone, you are constantly available
  for that person and attend to their wishes.
 
"She's rich and famous and expects everyone to dance attendance
  on her."
  Let sleeping dogs lie!   If someone tells you to let sleeping dogs lie, they are asking you
  not to interfere with a situation so that it does not become a problem.
  See eye to eye with someone.   To see eye to eye with somebody means that you agree with
  them.
  Fair-weather friend   Someone who acts as a friend when times are good, and is not there
  when you are in trouble, is called a fair-weather friend.
  "I thought I could count on Bill, but I've discovered he's just a
  fair-weather friend."
  Get on like a house on fire   Two people who get on like a house on fire have similar interests
  and quickly become good friends.
  Get a raw deal.   If you say that someone has got a raw deal, you think they 
  have been treated unfairly or badly.
  Go with the flow   If you go with the flow, you follow the general tendency and go
  along with whatever happens.
  "When my colleagues organize an office party, I just go with the flow
  when it comes to the details. "
  Good walls make good neighbours   This expression means that respecting one another's privacy
  helps create a good relationship between neighbours.
  Play gooseberry   If you play gooseberry, you join or accompany two people who
  have a romantic relationship and want to be alone.
  Help a lame dog over a stile   If you help a lame dog over stile, you help someone who is
  in difficulty or trouble.
  "You can trust him - he always helps a lame dog over a stile."
  Herding cats   This expression refers to the difficulty of coordinating a situation
  which involves people who all want to act independently.
  "Organizing an outing for a group of people from different countries
  is like herding cats!
  Know someone/something inside out.   If you know someone or something inside out, you know them
  very well.
  It takes two to tango   You say this when you think that a difficult situation or argument
  cannot be the fault of one person alone
 
"OK, we've heard Jack's side of the story - but it takes two to tango!"
  Keep someone at arm's length   If you keep someone at arm's length, you do not allow yourself
  to become too friendly with them.
 
"It's not easy to become friends with Sophie; she tends to keep
  everyone at arm's length."
  At loggerheads   If you are at loggerheads with a person or organization,
  you disagree very strongly with them.
  Nodding terms   If you are on nodding terms with someone, you don't know them
  very well, just well enough to say 'hello' when you meet them.
 
"We haven't made any friends yet but we're on nodding terms with
  out neighbours."
  To be at odds with somebody   If one person is at odds with another, they disagree with
  each other.
  Play the game   If you play the game, you accept to do things according to
  the rules laid down by others.
  Pull strings   If somebody pulls strings, they use influential friends in order
  to obtain an advantage.
  "David found a job easily - his Dad just pulled a few strings!"
  Send someone packing   If you send someone packing, you tell them to leave, in a very
  forceful and unfriendly way.
  "When Amanda discovered that Jack had been unfaithful,
  she sent him packing."
  Rub shoulders   If you rub shoulders with someone, you have an opportunity to
 
meet and talk to a person who is wealthy, famous or distinguished.
  "In her job in public relations, she sometimes rubs shoulders with
  famous people."
  Give someone the cold shoulder.   To give someone the cold shoulder means to deliberately
  ignore someone.
  "After giving my opinion, he gave me the cold shoulder."
  Significant other   The term significant other refers to a person, such as a spouse,
  partner or lover, with whom you have a long-term relationship.
  Speak the same language   If two or more people speak the same language, they have similar
  tastes and ideas.
  "We work well together because we speak the same language."
  Speed networking   This refers to a relatively new urban trend which consists in
 
making a potential business contact by briefly talking to a series of
  people at an organised event and exchanging contact details.
  Starter marriage   A starter marriage is a short-lived first marriage that ends in
  divorce with no kids, no property and no regrets.
  A stormy relationship   If you have a stormy relationship with someone, you have a lot of
  arguments and disagreements.
  "After a very stormy relationship, they decided to separate."
  Strange bedfellows   This expression refers to the unusual or unlikely association of two or
  more people, companies or states.
 
"A car manufacturer and a bakery - strange bedfellows don't you think?"
  To be as thick as thieves   If two people are "as thick as thieves", it means that they are
  very good friends.
  Two's company ... (three's a crowd)   This is said of two people, particularly lovers, who would prefer
  to be alone together than to have someone else with them.
  "Would you like to come to the cinema with us?"
  "I'd rather not, thanks. Two's company..."
  Walking papers   If you are given your walking papers, your contract or a
  relationship is ended.
  "After causing a diplomatic incident, Carter got his walking papers." 
 On the same wavelength   To say that two people are on the same wavelength means
  that they understand each other well because they share
  the same interests and opinions.
 

 


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