English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
SUCCESS and FAILURE, page 4
from: 'with flying colours' to: 'on its knees'
- with flying colours
- To achieve something with flying colours means
to do it very successfully.
"My daughter passed the entrance exam with flying colours. I'm so proud of her."
- To achieve something with flying colours means
to do it very successfully.
- a flying start
- If something gets off to a flying start, it is
immediately successful.
"Sales of the book got off to a flying start and exceeded our expectations."
- If something gets off to a flying start, it is
immediately successful.
- a fool's errand
- If you go on a fool's errand, you try to do something
which is useless, unnecessary or has no chance of success.
"I knew it was a fool's errand to look for a bank in such an isolated region."
- If you go on a fool's errand, you try to do something
which is useless, unnecessary or has no chance of success.
- a foot in the door
- To say that someone has a foot in the door
means that they have a small but successful start in something and will possibly
do well in the future.
"With today's unemployment, it is difficult to get a foot in the door in any profession."
- To say that someone has a foot in the door
means that they have a small but successful start in something and will possibly
do well in the future.
- get a foothold
- If you get a foothold somewhere, you secure a
position for yourself in a business, profession or organisation.
"The contract got the firm a foothold in the local administration."
- If you get a foothold somewhere, you secure a
position for yourself in a business, profession or organisation.
- the front runner
- In a contest, race or election, the front runner is
the person who is most likely to succeed or win.
"Who are the front runners in the coming elections?"
- In a contest, race or election, the front runner is
the person who is most likely to succeed or win.
- get the better of you
- If someone or something gets the better of you,
they defeat you.
"She went on a diet but it didn't last long - her love of chocolate got the better of her!"
- If someone or something gets the better of you,
they defeat you.
- go belly up
- If a business or project goes belly up, it is
unsuccessful or goes bankrupt.
"The restaurant went belly up before the end of the first year."
- If a business or project goes belly up, it is
unsuccessful or goes bankrupt.
- go to the dogs
- To say that a company, organisation or country is
going to the dogs means that it is becoming less successful or efficient than
before.
"Some think the company will go to the dogs if it is nationalised."
- To say that a company, organisation or country is
going to the dogs means that it is becoming less successful or efficient than
before.
- go downhill
- When something goes downhill, it deteriorates or gets
worse little by little.
"The restaurant has been going downhill since it changed owners."
- When something goes downhill, it deteriorates or gets
worse little by little.
- go great guns
- If someone or something is going great guns, they
are successful or doing very well.
"Fred's night club is going great guns. It's becoming hard to get in!"
- If someone or something is going great guns, they
are successful or doing very well.
- go off/over with a bang
- If something such as an event or performance goes off with
a bang, it is very successful.
"The party went off with a bang - everyone enjoyed it."
- If something such as an event or performance goes off with
a bang, it is very successful.
- go out of business
- If a shop, firm or enterprise goes out of business, it
closes down or goes bankrupt.
"If the new road bypasses the town, a lot of shops will go out of business."
- If a shop, firm or enterprise goes out of business, it
closes down or goes bankrupt.
- go up in smoke
- If a plan or project goes up in smoke, it fails
or ends before producing a result.
"When Amy and Tom separated, my mother's dream of a romantic wedding went up in smoke."
- If a plan or project goes up in smoke, it fails
or ends before producing a result.
- have got it made
- Someone who has got it made is so happy and successful
in life that they have no worries.
"With a happy family life, a new house and a super job, Sam's got it made."
- Someone who has got it made is so happy and successful
in life that they have no worries.
- hit pay dirt
- If you hit pay dirt, you are lucky and suddenly find
yourself in a successful money-making situation.
"Charlie finally hit pay dirt with his latent invention."
- If you hit pay dirt, you are lucky and suddenly find
yourself in a successful money-making situation.
- a hollow victory
- A victory obtained in unsatisfactory conditions, which as a result seems
of less value or without significance for the winner, is called a hollow victory.
"Won in the absence of the major ski champions, his gold medal was a hollow victory."
- A victory obtained in unsatisfactory conditions, which as a result seems
of less value or without significance for the winner, is called a hollow victory.
- be on its knees / bring to its knees
- When something such as a country or organisation is on
its knees, or brought to its knees, it is in a very weak situation
or on the verge of failure.
"The civil war brought the country to its knees."
- When something such as a country or organisation is on
its knees, or brought to its knees, it is in a very weak situation
or on the verge of failure.
previous page... next page ...
More Idioms:
Success and failure ...
Alphabetical lists: