Colloquial Expressions Resumen

8/13/2019 Colloquial Expressions Resumen

1/29

COLLOQUIAL ENGLISH IDIOMS

CONTENTS

1. Difficulties and Troule.

!. "ear and Co#ardice. .

$. "ir%ness and Control

&. I'norance( Inco%)re*ension and Misunderstandin'

+. Irritation and Anno,ance.

-. no#led'e and Understandin'.

/. Mista0es and "ailures.

. 2er)le3it,( Indecision and Confusion

4. 2lainness and Easiness.

15. 2ro'ress( Ac*ie6e%ent( Success.

11. 7uin and 8aste.

1!. Scoldin'( 9la%e and Co%)laints

1$. Secrets

1&. Sus)icion( Dece)tion( Diselief

1+. Tastes( 2references( Inclinations

1-. Tal0 and Discussion1

1/. Ti%e and O))ortunit,.

1. 8or0 and 9usiness.

14. 7es)onsiilit,

!5. T*ou'*ts( Conclusions and Decisions ...

1


2/29

1. DI""ICULTIES AND T7OU9LE

A general phrase for "(to be) in difficulties or trouble" is:

(to e: u) a'ainst it(to be) confronted by formidable difficulties or trouble "Well, old girl, "she murmured, "you're

up against it this time, and no mistake."

;to e: in for it ;troule: (to be) inoled in trouble: !f you break the school indos, you'll be in for trouble.

#aing (getting into) trouble (difficulties) is collo$uially e%pressed by these phrases:

;to e: in a to leae somebody in difficulties or trouble 1ne thing e hae to thank 2och for,

he neer left us in the lurch.

!niting trouble, that is acting or behaing in such a ay as to bring trouble upon oneself may be collo$uially put thus:

to loo0?as0 for troule omething in your eye says you're looking for trouble.

to as0 for ;it:to take an action leading almost ineitably to an undesired result or trouble +ou'e been dismissed

but you did ask for it3

to stic0 one@s nec0 outto adopt an attitude that inites trouble or unfaourable comment/ to inite trouble

unnecessarily +ou on't stick your neck out if you don't need to4 hat's all !'m asking you, ill you4

ome collo$uial phrases for trouble making are:

to stir u) a *ornets@ nest ;t*e nest of *ornets:to stir up host of enemies/ cause a great outburst of angry feeling

to rin' a *ornets@ nest aout one@s ears means the same thing. ... +ou don't seem to reali5e, enator, that this has

stirred up a hornets' nest.67

to stir u) trouleto make trouble 8et hold of the coloured folk round here and make them dissatisfied put ideas

in their heads stir up trouble3

to raise ;%a0e( 0ic0 u): a dust ;s*ind,:to make a disturbance +ou'd obiously got to raise the dust about

2


3/29

Warning of trouble to come may be e%pressed by these phrases in common use:

t*e fat is in t*e firehat has been done ill cause great trouble, e%citement, anger, etc. Well, the fat's in the

fire. !f you persist in your ilfulness, you'll hae yourself to blame.

troule is re#in'trouble is about to come 9artin kne immediately the meaning of it. rouble as breing. he

gang as his bodyguard.

,ou@re for itdue for, or about to receie, punishment, etc. ones is late again, and this time he's for it.

A difficult task may be e%pressed by these phrases:

a lar'e ;tall: ordera task almost impossible to perform/ #e says: "Well, 9r. ;auton, it looks a pretty tall order to

me."

a *ard nut to crac0a ery difficult problem he police cannot find any traces/ the burglars hae indeed gien them

a hard nut to crack.

tric0,?stic0, (ad) a difficult or critical situation " difficulties are oercome/ )lain sailin' freedom from difficulties, obstacles he case

as comparatiely plain sailing.

to lo# o6erto pass by/ to be forgotten "&on't orry, " said my mother, "@erhaps it ill blo oer."

to 0ee) out of?steer clear of(trouble)to aoid it eep out of mischief3 * &on't get into mischief3)* p till then he

had alays managed to steer clear of trouble.

it ne6er rains ut it )ours > hen one bad thing happens to you, other bad things happen soon after

!. "EA7 AND CO8A7DICE

;ollo$uial phrases connected ith the idea of fear include the folloing:

to 'et t*e #ind u)to be frightened 1h, the reason is clear. #e lost his nere. 8ot the ind up suddenly.

to )ut t*e #ind u) so%eod,to frighten him/ to make him scared ! could put the ind up him by talking of thatpaper he had the copy rapped in.

to *a6e one@s *eart in one@s %out*to be in a state of tension or fear 9ary had her heart in her mouth hen she

3


4/29

heard the e%plosion in the orkshop.

to *a6e one@s *eart in t*e ootsto be in a state of e%treme depression and fear he drier had his heart in his

boots hen e lost our ay in the desert and ran short of petrol.

so%eod,@s *eart san0. 9r. $uales' heart sank as he reali5ed hat it as that he had done.

to 'i6e so%eod, a nast, ;ad: turnto shock or frighten him/ a turn a nerous shock !t gae him a nasty turn,

but he put on a bold front.

to e scared stiffto be terrified * to scare so%eone stiffto terrify him !n a group, you don't dare to admit that

you're scared stiff and that you ant to go home.

to e scared out of one@s #its ;senses: and to scare so%eone out of one@s #its ;senses: are similarly used. When

the blo fell it is not strange that she as scared out of her its.

to fun0 ; 'erund: is to refuse to act t*rou'* co#ardiceB to fear( to e afraid. a fun0 (blue funk) a state of

e%treme fear +ou're in a funk. @ull yourself together. !t's all right ! tell you. (A. ;hr.)

to *a6e no 'uts (to do something)/ to hae guts is to possess courage. !t's all you can e%pect of a chap like that. #e's

got no guts.

to s*o# t*e #*ite feat*erto e%hibit coardice !t as reported ... he ... had certainly shon the hite feather in

his regiment.

to 'i6e one t*e cree)sto cause one to hae sensation of fear and horror (or strong dislike) >et's get out of here.

his place gies me the creeps..

to *a6e ;'et: t*e to e in ;'et into: a )anic( fri'*tened or ner6ous. Also to 'et ;e:


5/29

sensible. ! am in no danger not the least in the orld.

0ee) ,our *air ;s*irt: on eep calm3 All right3 eep your hair on3 here's no need to shout at me.

Absolute self-control is e%pressed in the folloing phrases:

not to turn a *air?#it*out turnin' a *airto be $uite calm and undisturbed/ sho no sign of being nerous, shocked

or orried. When the general receied the nes of his army defeat he did not turn a hair.

#it*out attin' an e,elidithout any signs of embarrassment, astonishment or other emotion not to at an e,elid

not to sho any sign of astonishment or other emotion he innocent person is often acutely embarrassed hen he is

ansering the udge's $uestions. =ut the guilty man ill tell his lies ithout so much as batting an eyelid. * " ! tell her

ithout batting an eyelid.

he idea of losing control is contained in the phrases:

;to 'et( e: out of *and(to get, be) out of control, beyond control/ undisciplined "+ou are getting out of hand, " his

ife said to him ...

to lose one@s 'ri)to lose control of circumstances he @rime 9inister is losing his grip. #e on't be able to

command the country's confidence much longer.

to lose one@s *eadto lose one's presence of mind/ to become irresponsible and incapable of coping ith an

emergency When accused he lost his head completely and behaed like a fool.

>osing one's self-control and getting angry may be described by these phrases in common use:

to lose one@s te%)erto lose one's self-control/ to get angry Well, she lost her temper and ! didn't mine.

to fl, off t*e *andleB to fl, outsuddenly take offence/ to lose one's temper/ to burst out suddenly into anger #e

flies off the handle at the least proocation.

&. IGNO7ANCE( INCOM27EHENSION AND MISUNDE7STANDING

I *a6en@t 'ot t*e sli'*test

t*e faintest

t*e re%otest

t*e fo''iest

t*e 6a'uest

t*e least

idea ;notion:

I *a6en@t a notion ;an idea( a clue:. I *a6e no idea ;clue:. #o much they could earn earnestly4 ! haen't the

slightest idea.*What on earth you are serious about ! haen't got the remotest idea. *! had no idea he as in 0gypt...*

"What as his name4" "! haen't a notion."

to e ;co%)letel,: in t*e dar0 (about something) means the same thing. &amn it all, man, to murders, and e're

still in the dark.

I #ouldn@t 0no# to e%press ignorance of fact but implies * cannot really be e%pected to kno, "+ou don't kno if

9r. mith telephoned4""! ouldn't kno, inspector."

As0 %e anot*er* Searc* %e admit complete ignorance but are a bit too collo$uial for general use. "=ill, " the

0conomic Attache said, "e ant to kno ho 9ick is." "earch me." *9rs. an =yl gripped ;onnie's arm. "What's

that4" she asked. "Ask me another, " ;onnie ansered.

1ther collo$uial phrases e%pressing ignorance, especially ignorance of techni$ue (not knoing ho), are:

it@s e,ond %eB it@s 'ot %e eaten. he that she kne things hich ere beyond him, confounded him.

It@s ;all: Gree0 ;doule Dutc*: to %e.! can't understand it. !f only he could hae understood the doctor's argon,

5


6/29

the medical niceties, ... but they ere 8reek to him

I@% out of %, de)t*.(i.e. ! can't understand the subect.) ord !llingorth says anything.

a fat lot of 'ood( use( etc. > not at all good or useful @aul can't drie so he as a fat lot of use hen ! broke my

arm.

A fat lot ,ou 0no# > +ou don't kno anything at all3 #is brogue3 A fat lot you kno about brogues3

I@6e lost %, #a,(my bearings) admits ignorance of direction or locality. !f you'e lost your ay, the lift is the third

on the right.

to e a co%)lete stran'er to one > ! am sure they ere complete strangers to one another.

I can@t )lace *i% (the name, face) can't fully identify him (it). he stranger's face as familiar to >ammlein,

though he couldn't place it.

!gnorance of future deelopments or of somebody's intentions is e%pressed by these phrases in common use:

,ou ne6er can tell ;,ou can@t e6er tell: it is impossible to kno =ut you can't eer tell hat e're going to run in

to . * +ou neer kno hat anybody's going to say and do ne%t.

,ou ne6er 0no# ? t*ere@s no 0no#in' ;tellin': Why, there's no knoing hat you'll be able to do ith it.

8*at are ,ou dri6in' at 8*at are ,ou u) to to e%press ignorance of someone's intention. What are you

driing at4 Are you cra5y4*8oodness gracious3 What are you up to4

He 0no#s no etter(#e doesn't kno any better) is a comment on ignorant behaiour. his is an e%cuse for somebody

ho unittingly does some rong. !t as all my fault. hese people don't kno any better, but ! do.

!ncomprehension and inability to understand use these phrases:

I don@t ;Fuite: 'et ,ou ;it:.

I don@t Fuite follo# ,ou. I can@t follo# ,ou ;it:.

I don@t Fuite see ;#*at ,ou %eanB #*,...:.

I don@t Fuite understand.

#e hesitated: "! don't $uite get you." *he young man froned. "! simply don't geti t . " *!'m afraid, 9r. errocold,

that ! don't $uite follo you. *hey talked about arious topics he didn't $uite follo..*! don't $uite see hat you

mean. *"! don't $uite see hy they tried to fi% the blame on ohn, " ! remarked. *!'m afraid ! don't $uite see hat all

this has to do ith it. *=y the ay, 9r. Anderson, ! do not $uite understand.

1ther phrases similarly used include the folloing:

I can@t %a0e *ead or tail of it.! can't understand it in the least. >innet thought she sa a telegram for her

sticking up on the board. o she tore it open, couldn't make head or tail of it...

it eats %e ! can't understand "his thing beats me, " he hispered. "! don't see through it a bit."

to e all at sea.to be unable to understand, in a state of ignorance about circumstances, situation, etc. #ae you

any theories4" he asked the sergeant. "! am all at sea, sir, " the other told him.

I can@t %a0e so%et*i'?so%eod, out. ! can't understand it *them. here's one thing ! can't make out, hy didn't

he destroy it at once hen he got hold of it4

;omplete misunderstanding (of a situation) is collo$uially e%pressed thus:

to 'et it all #ron'to misunderstand it completely "! kno, " he rubbed his forehead. "! got things all rong."

to 'et t*e #ron' end of t*e stic0 has the same significance. #er eyes flashed angrily. "+ou'e got the rong end of

the stick, " she said.

6


7/29

+. I77ITATION AND ANNOANCE

;ollo$uial phrases for to irritate, to annoy include the folloing:

to 'et on one@s ner6esto irritate, to annoy &on't let @eter get on your neres, seetheart. !'d almost forgotten

him.

to 'et under so%eod,@s s0into irritate As a rule ! as not touchy, but #oard had a knack of getting under my

skin.

to )ut so%eone@s ac0 u)to irritate, to antagonise to 'et one@s ac0 u)to become irritated "@he3" said imon.

"+ou'e put the old boy's back up."

to ru ;stro0e: so%eone t*e #ron' #a,to irritate him Whateer ! say these days seems to rub him up the rong

ay.

to 'et one@s 'oatto annoy, to e%asperate "+ou only say that, &addy, to get my goat." "And only because your goat is

so easy to get."

to 'i6e so%eone t*e )i)to annoy Women driers often gie me the pip.

to 'et ;ta0e: a rise out of so%eoneto annoy, to tease them/ to act in such a ay that they gies a display of badtemper, shos annoyance (or other eakness) #e said those unpleasant things to get a rise out of you.

o be annoyed or e%ed is collo$uially speaking:

to e )ut out(about something or ith somebody)to be annoyed, irritated "&o you mind telling me if they're much

put out ith her4" "9y people4" "Apparently not, " said Connie...

to e on ed'e > to be irritable/ to be in a state of nerous tension "ake it easy, >arry, e're both a little on edge."

to e ;to 'et: sore(about something, at someone) to be (to become) annoyed, e%ed, hurt, aggrieed "&on't get

sore at me, " he said. "!t's not my fault."

to e fed u) ;#it*:to be utterly bored ith and tired of (his is rather slangy.) #e said in a grating tone: "!'m fedup" "What4" cried om. "!'m fed up ith being talked about."

to e ;'et: sic0 and tired ofto be (become) annoyed, tired of, disgusted ith. Also: to e sic0 to deat* of ?

deadl, sic0 of. "!'m sick and tired of going oer stuff you kno as ell as ! do, " said #oard...*!t as interesting

enough at first, hile e ere at the phonetics/ but after that ! got deadly sick of it.

0%asperation, annoyance and irritation may be e%pressed by these e%clamations and phrases:

Annoyance:

Suc* a ore 8*at a ore 8*at a nuisance O*( ot*er Ho# anno,in' Ho# 6e3in' Ho# a#ful 0tc.

0%asperation:

to e enou'* to dri6e a %an to drin0/ (it's) enough to try

t*e )atience of a saint

to eenou'* to %a0e a saint s#ear/

to e enou'* to %a0e ,ou tear ,our *air

to e ;suc*: a ore

#aing his house constantly full of gossiping omen is enough to drie a man to drink. *he remonstrances... ! hae

receied... hae been enough to make a saint sear.*">isten: ill you dine ith me to-night4""&arling, !'m so sorry, but

! simply can't. !'e an appointment. uch a bore3" 1h, bother3 here: don't be offended, old chap. What's the use of

putting your back up at eery trifle4

!rritation may be also e%pressed by using the phrase on earth after the interrogatie ord of a $uestion:

8*, on eart*... 8*at on eart*... Ho# on eart*... 8*ere on eart*... What on earth's he doing out here4"

im asked.#is mother laughed. "&arling, you sound $uite e%cited." *What3 Why on earth should you say that4

7


8/29

-. NO8LEDGE AND UNDE7STANDING

horough knoledge (understanding) of a thing (person) is e%pressed by these phrases in common use:

to 0no# so%et*in' ;so%eod,: li0e t*e )al% of one@s *and to kno thoroughly 0erything that can be done is

being done. 9artin knos the place like the palm of his hand.

e Fuic0?slo# on t*e u)ta0e > to be $uick*slo to understand something !s he alays this slo on the uptake4

ome general phrases of understanding are:

to 0no# #*at is #*atto hae proper knoledge of the orld and of things in general #e isn't such a fool as they

took him for. #e knos hat is hat.

to 0no# t*e ro)esto be thoroughly familiar ith the details of any occupation/ to be orldly and sophisticated "&id

he find it easy4"'"! e%pect he kne the ropes."

to 0no# a t*in' or t#oto hae practical ability and common sense +ou needn't hae to orry about her. he'll be a

help too. . he knos a thing or to already, not like &oris.

He #asn@t orn ,esterda,#e is not a fool, he is a shred and knoing person. he ne #eadmaster ill stand no

nonsense from anybody. #e asn't born yesterday, ! can tell you.

to 0no# on #*ic* side one@s read is uttered to kno here one's interests lie 9ary often stays ith her old

uncle and keeps house for him. #e is ery rich, and she knos on hich side her bread is buttered.

to 0no# etter ;t*an...:to be ise enough not to... he ought to kno better than to ask him.

to 'et to 0no#to become ac$uainted "Well, ell, " he said, "e ant to get to kno our ne friends, don't e,

9other4"

nderstanding is often collo$uially e%pressed by these erbs:

to see, ! see (! understand), to 'et and to catc* ;on:. "A man4" asked 0sa. "9an or oman it is the same." "!

see." *"! see hat you mean, " said 9r. atterthaite.*"hen tie my rist up to my shoulder someho, as hard as youcan. &o you get that4 ie up both my arms.""+es, ! get it." *&o you catch my meaning4

An amusing phrase meaning a belated act of comprehension is:

t*e )enn, dro)s?t*e )enn,@s dro))ed, (i. e. #e's at last got my meaning.)

o common sayings commenting on knoledge:

no#led'e is )o#er.(he more a man knos, the greater poer he has.)

ou li6e and learn.

/. MISTAES AND "AILU7ES

he idea of making a mistake is present in the folloing phrases in common use:

to )ut one@s foot in itto commit a blunder Why did you ask mith ho his ife is hen you kno she's left him4

+ou are alays putting your foot in it.

to dro) a ric0to make a bad mistake, especially to make a stupid and indiscreet social mistake ! dropped a brick

by in$uiring after her husband, not knoing that she as diorced last year.

9iscalculation uses the folloing phrases:

to ar0 u) t*e #ron' treeto act under a mistake/ to blame the rong person or thing !f you think your drier asresponsible for the accident, you are barking up the rong tree.

to ac0 t*e #ron' *orse to misplace one's trust !n oting for the Cepublicans you backed the rong horse, since

8


9/29

they lost thousands of otes

1er-estimating one's strength:

to ite off %ore t*an one can c*e#to try to achiee something beyond one's poer/ to underestimate the

difficulties #e orks oertime, attends eening classes, and studies 2rench/ ! think he bit off more thanh e can che.

1er-estimating one's chances:

to count one@s c*ic0ens efore t*e, are *atc*edto be too hopeful of one's chances !'m not counting my chickens

before they're hatched, imon. ! tell you >innet on't let us don3

Do not catc* ,our c*ic0ens efore t*e, are *atc*ed. (&o not be too optimistic)

8etting things in the rong order:

to )ut t*e cart efore t*e *orseto do or put things in the rong order/ to reerse the proper order of things o

read 0nglish noels before you hae mastered 0nglish grammar is to put the cart before the horse.

;ollo$uial phrases to e%press failure include the folloing:

to fall t*rou'*to fail to materialise/ to come to nothing/ to fail #e made careful plans but they all fell through.

to %iss t*e usto fail to sei5e a ital opportunity here ere seeral acancies in the ne plant, but 8eoffrey

missed the bus.

to e a flo)to be a complete failure, a fiasco he play as a flop. * he first American attempt to launch an

artificial satellite proed to be a flop.

to 'o to t*e #allto fail/ to succumb to superior force (@roerb: T*e #ea0est 'oes to t*e #all.) !n the conflict

throughout the house the omen had gone to the all.

to co%e a cro))erto fail badly or suffer disaster/ to fall heaily

to e ar0in' u) t*e #ron' tree > to hae the rong idea about ho to get or achiee something +ou're barking upthe rong tree if you're e%pecting us to lend you any money.

to ac0 t*e #ron' *orse to misplace one's trust !n oting for the Cepublicans you backed the rong horse, since

they lost thousands of otes

to ite off %ore t*an one can c*e#to try to achiee something beyond one's poer/ to underestimate the

difficulties #e orks oertime, attends eening classes, and studies 2rench/ ! think he bit off more thanh e can che.

to count one@s c*ic0ens efore t*e, are *atc*edto be too hopeful of one's chances !'m not counting my chickens

before they're hatched, imon. ! tell you >innet on't let us don3

Do not catc* ,our c*ic0ens efore t*e, are *atc*ed. (&o not be too optimistic)

8etting things in the rong order:

to )ut t*e cart efore t*e *orseto do or put things in the rong order/ to reerse the proper order of things o

read 0nglish noels before you hae mastered 0nglish grammar is to put the cart before the horse.

;ollo$uial phrases to e%press failure include the folloing:

to fall t*rou'*to fail to materialise/ to come to nothing/ to fail #e made careful plans but they all fell through.

to %iss t*e usto fail to sei5e a ital opportunity here ere seeral acancies in the ne plant, but 8eoffrey

missed the bus.

to e a flo)to be a complete failure, a fiasco he play as a flop. * he first American attempt to launch anartificial satellite proed to be a flop.

to 'o to t*e #allto fail/ to succumb to superior force/ to get the orst of it (@roerb: T*e #ea0est 'oes to t*e

9


10/29

#all.)

to co%e a cro))erto fail badly or suffer disaster/ to fall heaily #e came a cropper in an e%amination.

2ailure to obtain any results or make further progress may be described by the folloing collo$uial phrases:

to dra# a lan0to get nothing/ to obtain a negatie or no result As regards a link ith 9r. =abbington, you hae

dran the blank yes, but you hae collected other suggestie information.

not to 'et ;so%eone: an,#*ereto obtain no result/ to make no progress !t's not getting us anyhere.We're not

making any progress.

A check to progress may be put in this ay:

a setac0B to *a6e ;suffer: a setac0. #e as improing, improing ery much. hen for some reason he had a

set-back.

to 'et ;e: stuc0 ;for:to e rou'*t to a *alt/ to make no headay "Are you stuck so soon4" 0rik sat don and

silently took one of the cigarettes from the desk. "!'m not stuck, " he said

to let so%eod, do#n. to fail somebody in a time of need he girl in the restaurant mentioned a friend a friend

ho, she as ery positie, ould not let her don.

;ommiseration for a failure may be e%pressed thus:

9ad luc0 7otten luc0 Hard lines 9etter luc0 ne3t ti%e

"=ad luck3" e%claimed Connie 1en before he kne he had spoken. *"Cotten luck, isn't it4" "Cotten." *"1h, dear, that

as hard lines, " said 9iss 9oss, trying to appear indifferent.*#e's on again. 9y luck is definitely out tonight.

ome proerbial comments:

A %iss is as 'ood as a %ile. (A failure is still a failure een though it came near to success.)

It is no use cr,in' o6er s)ilt %il0.(When e hae made mistakes through carelessness, or suffered loss that cannot

be recoered, e should not aste our time eeping or regretting hat has happened, but should make the best of itand be more careful in the future.) "1h, dear me3" e%claimed ;arrie. hen she settled back ith a sigh. "here's no

use crying oer spilt milk, " she said. "!t's too late."

E6er, do' *as *is da,.(ouisa. 9y poor daughter." #e

as so %uc* at a loss at that place, that he stopped altogether. *#e asco%)letel,at a loss as to hat step to take

ne%t... *he doctor as for once sli'*tl, at a loss. *"=ut do you kno, " he asked Fuite at a loss("the e%tent of hat

you ask4"

to e in a %aJeto be in a state of confusion or beilderment ! as in a ma5e hen ! receied the nes.

10


11/29

he perple%ity caused by ambiguous behaiour finds an outlet in these $uestions:

8*at@s *e u) to 8*at@s *e after 8*at@s *is ;little: 'a%e "What's he been up to4" said =ing "#is old tricks "

"What are you after4" said mithers in a noisy hisper and ith a detectie eye on the papers... ."What's your

particular little game4"

@erple%ity and indecision also use these phrases:

to e in a Fuandar,to be in a perple%ing situation or in a dilemma When #urstood. got back to his office again heas in greater $uandary than eer.

to e in a dile%%a ? to e cau'*t ;)ut: on t*e *orns of t*e dile%%a to be faced ith a difficult choice

to )ut ;)lace: so%eone in a dile%%a &ason-#ill as in a dilemma. With a strong mental effort ir >arence tried

to place himself in a like dilemma.

to fall et#een t#o stools > to fail through hesitating beteen to courses of action, to lose an opportunity through

inability to decide beteen to alternaties. o as the proerb puts it: 9et#een t#o stools ,ou fall to t*e 'round.

(somebody ho cannot decide hich of to courses to follo or ho tries to follo to courses at the same time may

fail to follo either.) #e tried to keep in ith the to opponents, but - he fell beteen to stools.

to e in t#o ;t#ent,: %indsto be undecided/ to hesitate "When ! sa you last, " he said, "! as in to minds. Wetalked and you e%pressed your opinion." (

not to 0no# one@s ;o#n: %indto be undecided/ to be full of doubt and hesitation 9other, ho changeable you are3

+ou don't seem to kno your on mind for a single moment.

es and No. "&id you mind him doing that4" ane took a moment to anser. "Well, yes and no."

to s*ill,s*all,to be unable to make up one's mind/ to be undecided 9y dear, it's no good shilly-shallying. We can't

go on like this.

!f you're undecided as to ho some important problem should be soled, it's better:

to slee) on ;o6er: it(i. e. ait till tomorro before taking any important decision)

ome common phrases to e%press confusion are:

a) confusion of action

not to 0no# #*ic* #a, to turnto be confused and not to kno ho to act or hat to do (or say) 1h, this is aful

! don't kno hat to do nor hich ay to turn3

not to 0no# if ,ou are standin' on ,our *ead or ,our *eelsto be confused/ not to kno ho to act or hat to do

(say) ! got information so contradictory that ! didn't kno hether ! stood on my head or my heels.

not to 0no# #*at to do for t*e est ? not to 0no# #*et*er one is co%in' or 'oin' are also similarly used. #e

doesn't kno hether he is coming or going.*1h, this is aful. ! don't kno hat to do for the best.

b) confusion of thought

to e ;'et: all %i3ed u) ? to e ;'et: all %uddled u) to be confused in mind &on't go no about samples and

prices and crossbreeds and things, because anyho it's boring and ! get all mi%ed up. * !'m getting slightly muddled, "

I can@t t*in0 strai'*tmay be used ith the same meaning. "! kno." #e rubbed his forehead. "! got things all rong.

here are times hen ! can't think straight. ! get muddled."

c) confusion and disorder in general

;all: at si3es and se6ensis used of things hich are in a state of utter confusion or out of order. he serants hae

gone off leaing eerything at si%es and seens.

u)side do#nin disorder/ in confusion "! hope they are not turning the place upside don."

11


12/29

To)s,tur6,is similarly used.

;to e: in a %uddie ;%ess( tan'le:in a state of confusion and disorder After he had finished packing the furniture,

the hole room as in a mess.

*elters0elter(in) disorderly haste (used of a precipitate action, often in making a hasty retreat) When the rain

came the cricketers rushed helter-skelter for the pailion.

)ell%ellin a confused, disordered manner ... hen looking don into the lock from the $uay, you might fancy it as ahuge bo% into hich floers of eery hue and shade had been thron pell-mell. ...

*i''led,)i''led,in utter confusion or complete disorder rager had one of those minds in hich little bits of

obseration, deduction, flashes of inspiration, and ideas born of a ide e%perience floated about higgledy-piggledy. ...

*a,#irein an unusual, confused manner/ confused (used of things that seem to act illogically and uncontrollably) his

radio's gone hayire.

a ear 'arden ;a edla%:a place full of noise and confusion =ut the ay he's gone about it, it's making the college

into a bear garden. *he room as ust like a bedlam hen ! ent in.

a )rett, ;nice( fine: 0ettle of fis* a confused and difficult situation. When she had gone oames reached for the

letter. "A pretty kettle of fish, " he muttered. *he apprentice had broken the driing motor of the machine. !t as anice kettle of fish.

4. 2LAINNESS AND EASINESS

he folloing collo$uial phrases and comparisons are used to underline the fact that something is $uite clear and plain:

;to e: as )lain as a )i0estaff (to be) perfectly clear and obious Why do you ask me again4 0erything is as plain

as a pikestaff.

to stic0 out a %ileto be obious, e%tremely conspicuous ! kne that sooner or later she ould break don. !t stuckout a mile.

;to e: as )lain as t*e nose on one@s face (to be) perfectly obious !t's as plain as the nose on your face that she

on't go because she doesn't ant to be separated from this man....

;to e: as clear ;)lain: as da, ;da,li'*t: "urely the hole thing is clear as daylight. he man's caught red-handed."

it lea)s to t*e e,e;s:it is e%tremely conspicuous/ it stands out/ it catches one's eye "+ou are hat e call '$uick in

the uptake'." "Ah, that, it leaps to the eye."

to see so%et*in' #it* *alf an e,eto see it easily because it is obious Anyone can see ith half an eye that you're

in loe ith her.

it ;t*at: 'oes #it*out sa,in'it is $uite obious "We hae to keep friends anyho and hear of each other." "hatgoes ithout saying."

;omparisons are also commonly used to underline the fact that a thing is easy to do:

;it@s: as eas, ;si%)le: as fallin' off a lo'e%tremely easy (simple) "0asy as falling off a log, if you use your head

properly, " it as saying. "All it needs is timing. @ick your moment."

;it@s: as eas, as 0iss ,our *and ;%, t*u%:e%tremely easy When to attendants got out their stretcher and

alked importantly through the middle of the crod, ;onnie folloed them closely like a kind of plain-clothes nurse.

he as inside the shop as easy as kiss your hand.

as eas, as #in0in'B as eas, as s*ellin' )eas are similarly used. "0asy as shelling peas, " he kept telling

himself.*"0asy as inking. And a cool fifty at the end ofi t . "

)lain sailin' clear and straight course/ freedom from difficulties, obstacles (difficulties are oercome). !t's all

plain sailing no *he case as comparatiely plain sailing.

12


13/29

Derbal phrases connected ith the idea of easiness are:

to ta0e so%et*in' in one@s stride to do it easily/ to do it ithout any special effort "=oche patrols all oer3" "o

armored cars3"*9artin took the nes in his stride. #e seemed to kno hat as up.

to #altJ t*rou'* ;so%et*in':to do it ith ease #e alt5ed through his e%aminations. * he recruits hae alt5ed

through their training.

1ther phrases similarly used are: I can do it lind foldB I can do it standin' on %, *eadB I can do it #it* %,*ands tied e*ind %, ac0, all meaning ! can do it $uite easily, ithout efforts. #e can do it standing on his head.

a #al0o6eran easy ictory/ a complete and easy ictory in a competition. hey had a alk-oer in the men's doubles

to #in *ands do#n to hae an easy ictory #e on all his money hands don.

;ollo$uial phrases that sere to correct a misapprehension about the ease and comfort of something (a ob, etc.) are:

it@s not all eer and s0ittlesB it@s not all la6enderit's not all pleasure, comfort and ease An entertainer's life is

not all beer and skittles* !t's not all laender being a $ueen.

it@s no )icnic it's not easy/ it's not an easy and pleasant affair =ringing up a family hen you're unemployed is no

picnic.

15. 27OG7ESS( ACHIEKEMENT( SUCCESS

@rogress and success in the affairs of life may be e%pressed by these collo$uial phrases:

to %a0e 'oodto succeed in spite of obstacles/ to make a success of things Well, ! made good in the end, didn't !,

and there's a little token to remember it by.

to 'et on ;#ell:to progress ith one's profession or business/ to make a success of things/ to prosper ! had been a

poor young man determined to get on.

to s*a)e #ellto gie promise of success 1ur plans are shaping ell.

to %a0e out(Amer)to get along/ to succeed Well, if it ain't old =arnacle =ill back from the sea3 #o are you making

out, &ad4

to e self%ade. somebody ho is successful in life through one's on efforts ! said ! as a self-made man/ and !

am not ashamed of it.

he idea of achieement or success is also contained in the folloing phrases in common use:

to %a0e itultimately succeed (fre$uently applied to a punctual arrial) here you are, 0dgar. ! thought ! ouldn't

make it in time. *he train leaes at E.7F/ can e make it4 (reach the station in time to catch it)

to )ull?rin' off somethingto bring to a successful conclusion/ to succeed in a plan, in inning something, etc. Also:

to )ull it off and rin' it do#n. #e said: "! hope ! can pull it off." "+ou'e got to pull it off, " his partner said. *

"Well, look here, " om ent on, "!'e got an idea and it's a big thing. !f e can pull it off and bring it don, ! beliee

e can put it oer."

to do t*e tric0>to achiee one's obect +ou don't need million olts. @erhaps a $uarter ould do the trick.

to co%e offto succeed/ to reach a satisfactory end he ork's come off pretty ell all things considered.

to co%e off ;t*rou'*: #it* fl,in' colours to make a great success of something/ to emerge from an affair ith

honour and success At the recent e%aminations, @eter came off ith flying colours.

to s#ee) ;carr,: all ;e6er,t*in': efore oneto hae complete, uninterrupted success Cobert carried all before him

in the school sports,

to %a0e a *it (often to make a great, etc., hit)to be a popular success (generally applied to a performance of some

type) he rote 1ne-Way-raffic. ! sa it tice. !t made a great hit.

13


14/29

@ride in success is described by the phrase:

;it@s: a feat*er in one@s ca)(it's) an eent to ustify satisfaction and pride. #e on the race, hich is another

feather in his cap.

to 0ill t#o irds #it* one stoneto achiee to obects ith one action #e's an important guy in this country. !f !

only had knon, ! ould hae taken you in ith me/ e could hae killed to birds ith one stone.

;onfidence in ultimate success or ictory may be put in this ay:

;to e: in t*e a' (to be) a irtual certainty/ (to be) ell in hand. Also: to hae something in the bag. "hat meant

the maority as in the bag, " said 9artin.

it@s all o6er ut ;ar: t*e s*outin' and t*e attle@s as 'ood as #on > also e%press irtually certain achieement.

+ou can leae all the rest to me it's all oer but the shouting, and e in hands don.

to turn t*e tales ;on so%eod,: >to conert defeat into ictory (or success), to change possible defeat into

ictory. Well, the tables are turned no. +ou'e got me here you ant me, haen't you, 8ina4

A narro margin of success, especially escaping disaster (danger, defeat, death, etc.) by a ery narro margin,is e%pressed thus:

to *a6e a narro# sFuea0?s*a6eB to *a6e a narro#?near esca)eto escape from disaster, danger, etc.,by a erysmall margin ! had some narro s$ueaks no and then, but ! alays came through all right.

;to e: a near t*in' ;a close t*in'B a close s*a6e:(to be) a ery narro escape "! see, " said ;haffery/ "but it ill

be a pretty close shae for all that " * "!t ill be a deilish close thing, "

touc*and'oan e%tremely narro margin of safety or time (often used of a serious operation or a dangerous task)

!t as touch-and-go hether the doctor ould get there in time.

uccess in escaping punishment is e%pressed thus:

to 'et a#a, #it* ;it: to commit an unofficial or illegal act and escape the conse$uences "!'e been letting you get

aay ith murder3" Willoughby said. "And don't think that ! don't kno it."*"+ou damned fool, " she said thickly, "do

you think you can treat me as you hae done and get aay ith it4

ome proerbial comments:

Not*in' succeeds li0e success. (1ne success leads to another. When one has learned to achiee success it is easy to

be continuously successful.) his is often ironical.

A 'ood e'innin' is *alf t*e attle.uccess often depends on making a good start (When undertaking anything ne,

it is important that you should start ith enthusiasm and energy/ then you are more likely to succeed ith the ne%t of

the undertaking.) Well begun is half done e%presses the same idea. (A good beginning makes it easy to finish a piece of

ork successfully.)

11 7UIN AND 8ASTE

Cuin and decay may be collo$uially described thus:

to 'o to t*e do'sto be ruined/ to deteriorate completely ;an't make out ho you stand >ondon ociety. he thing

has gone to the dogs, a lot of damned nobodies talking about nothing.

;to e: on its last le's (to be) a hopeless state of decay/ almost e%hausted/ about to die @eople had gron tired of

saying that the "&isunion" as on its last legs.

to 'o to )iecesto break up (physically, mentally or morally) hen hen his ife died about si% or seen years ago, he

seemed to go all to pieces.

to fall to )iecesusually e%presses physical decay of things. he old building as falling to pieces.

to 'o fro% ad to #orseto become ruined !t as the end of the good felloship that had so long obtained beteen

the four fat men. hings ent from bad to orse.

14


15/29

to 'o to )otto become broken, eak or useless/ to be discarded as useless (his is slangy.) #e shouldn't onder if

the 0mpire split up and ent to pot. *"&on't you kno4" said Walton. "#e's gone all to pot, poor deil."

to 'o to t*e adto deteriorate completely/ to be ruined/ to become of depraed character/ to associate ith eil

companions !f you make idle, dissipated people your companions, you are sure to go to the bad.

if t*e #orst co%es to t*e #orstif things are as bad as they can possibly be 0en if orst comes to orst, !'e got

enough to lie on for si% months.

;to e: done for(to be) ruined/ orn out or beyond further use/ inured, etc. !'m afraid the shoes are done for/

thro them aay.*he country's done for. (i. e. ruined)

;to e: all u) ;all U. 2.:(to be) finished/ the orst has happened "What's the use4" he thought. "!t's all up ith

me. !'ll $uit this."

t*e last stra#the eent or blo under hich one finally collapses/ a slight addition to a burden, task, hardship, etc.

hich makes it unbearable (1ut of the proerb: he last stra breaks the camel's back.) !f ! ere a parishioner, she

ould be isiting me, hich ould be the last stra.

to ride for a fallto act in such a ay that disaster or failure ill probably be the result/ act ith recklessness that

makes disaster practically ineitable +es, his health is all right, but he's riding for af all .

1ther phrases dealing ith the idea of ruin include the folloing: bringing somebody to ruin is collo$uially described thus:

to coo0 so%eod,@s 'ooseto bring to ruin, destroy/ to do for him mith has finally cooked =ron's goose.

to settle so%eod,@s *as*to do for, make an end of them "!'e settled her hash all right, " she said.

to s)i0e so%eone@s 'uns to spolil*reck his plans he idea of the inspector spiking 8un's guns so neatly by

accident as hugely comic.

to Fueer t*e ;so%eod,@s: )itc*to upset prearranged plans ! kno ! can do it, if no one tries to $ueer my pitch.

to )ut a s)o0e in so%eod,@s #*eel to spoil his plans ! could hae easily finished the e%periments if they had not

put a spoke in my heel.

Waste is ariously e%pressed by these collo$uial phrases: Wasting effort:

a #ild'oose c*asea practically hopeless pursuit or search/ a foolish and useless enterprise "! ish no they'd

found him in the rier." "hey may still/ this is a bit of a ild-goose chase."

to flo' ;eat: a dead *orseto aste energy We discussed some incidents that had happened long ago, it as really

flogging a dead horse.

to carr, coals to Ne#castleto do something hich is unnecessary/ to use one's effort uneconomically o rite

another book on the same topic means to carry coals to


16/29

1!. SCOLDING( 9LAME AND COM2LAINTS

ome collo$uial phrases connected ith the idea of scolding are:

a flea in ,our ear collo$uial for a sharp reprimand. ...and if ! see you ne%t or nigh my house !'ll put you in the ditch

ith a flea in your ear: mind that no.

to tic0 so%eod, off ;to 'i6e t*e% a 'ood tic0in' off: to reprimand, scold or blame him he gae Augustus a

good ticking off for talking too much about his pictures

to tell so%eod, off ;to 'i6e t*e% a 'ood tellin' off:to rebuke, scold or reprimand him >ast time he had spoken

to this astounding girl it had been to tell her off for insulting his people ho trusted and liked her.

to 'i6e so%eod, a )iece ;it: of one@s %indto rebuke him/ to tell him frankly hat one thinks of him, his

behaiour, etc. !'d like to go back there and gie them a piece of my mind they're asleep most of the time.

to e at so%eod, the same thing. 9y mother is alays at me about my behaiour at meals.

to 'i6e so%eod, a 'ood tal0in' toto scold or rebuke him !'ll gie her a good talking to hen she comes. !'m not

going to stand any of her nonsense. *"! must gie her a good talking to this afternoon, " said >eisham...

An official reprimand may be collo$uially put in this ay:

to *a6e ;call: so%eod, on t*e car)et ;%at:to censure/ to summon for reprimand. to e on t*e car)et (to be

censured or summoned for reprimand) he #eadmaster had me on the mat this morning. #e anted to kno ho as

responsible for the uproar last night in the dormitory. * he unpunctual clerk as repeatedly on the carpet.

to call ;*aul: so%eod, o6er t*e coalsto censure or rebuke him


17/29

hen ! don't benefit by her death4 *


18/29

"=eteen you and me, ir, " remarked app, "!'d sooner hae any amount of rumours than be arrested for murder."

=eteen ourseles, there are only three distinguished men here ...

to let t*e cat out of t*e a' to reeal unintentionally !n the last cabinet meeting the @rime 9inister let the cat

out of the bag reealing the true circumstances of the case.

to s)ill t*e eansto reeal a secret/ to confess all 9aybe the old boy had heard something about Ale% and as

going to spill the beans to the errocolds.

to lurt outto say something ithout thought, unguardedly/ reeal a secret #as that fool keffington to blurt out

the hole story before any of us hae had a chance to hae a look at it4

to let outto reeal a secret =lackmail3 1h, 9r. artorius, do you think ! ould let out a ord about your premises4

to let on to reeal (a secret)/ to betray (a fact) ! haen't heard a ord about anything. he obiously asn't going

to let on.*&on't let on that ! told you.

to let so%eod, in on (the secret, idea, plan, etc.)to make it knon to him/ to reeal it to him 0rik smiled. "Why not

let them in on the good nes4"

to lea0 out to become generally knon after being a secret (in spite of efforts to keep it secret) !t as the sort

of thing that, if talked oer, ould certainly leak out.

a little ird told %e >kno it from anonymous sources. A little bird tells me you're getting married ne%t month.*#e

has so anted to hae a son himself. A little bird has alays told me that.

!nducing somebody to talk and so to reeal a secret may be put in this ay:

to dra# so%eod, outto make him talk and so reeal a secret he e%pressed no surprise nor emotion at ir

;harle's oernight decision.


19/29

your good nature.

to )ull so%eone@s le'to play a oke on somebody, usually by making them beliee something that is not true +ou're

losing your sense of humour, Wendy. ! on't dare try to pull your leg in future.

to *a6e so%eone onB to 0id so%eoneto deceie. hey mean almost the same as to pull someone's leg.

I@% 0iddin'>I@% to critici5e somebody unfairly !'e been done don by my best friend. *"#o many people

hae you seen done don in your time4"

to do ro#nto sindle/ often in the passie: to be done bronto be sindled &on't go to that shop or you'll be

done bron.*#e as too cleer for me and ! as done bron.

to )ull a fast one ;o6er( on:to take a tactical adantage of, by a sudden manoeure or a cleer sindle (trick,

deception) #e tried to pull a fast one on me, and ! listened like ! as in a hopdream.*his mug 8rant then pulls

another fast one.

o mislead someone deliberately is:

to dra# a red *errin' across t*e trac0 ;)at*: to introduce an irreleant matter, to distract attention =ut

hateer possessed you to dra that absurd red herring4 *he butler seems to me a ery clumsy red herring.

to )ut ;t*ro#: so%eone off t*e scentto do something to stop somebody from finding you or discoering something

he changed ta%is to thro her pursuers off the scent.

to lead so%eone u) t*e )at* ;'arden )at*: is similarly used ith the meaning to deceie/ to impose on. he young

man led 9ary up the garden path.

a sna0e in t*e 'rass>a deceitful person We had alays suspected she as a snake in the grass/ no our suspicion

as confirmed.

to fall for itor to s#allo# it>to beliee, to accept as true something that is untrue/ to become a ictim of deception

! neer thought she'd fall for that old story. *9r. atterthaite thought: "#e's looking to see if ! sallo this story."

@roerbial reminders not to be deceied by the appearance of things or people:

All t*at 'litters is not 'oldB A))earances are dece)ti6eB T*ere@s %ore to it t*an %eets t*e e,e. "! mean that

all is not gold that glitters. that though this lady is rich and beautiful and beloed, there is all the same something

that is not right."*"here's more here, ir, hoeer, " he said, "than meets the eye. ! don't beliee in suicide, nor in

pure accident myself."

&isbelief uses the folloing phrases:

Tell %e anot*er one ! don't beliee this story. @ygmalion ... o come to the point, ! hae succeeded in making

artificial human beings. Ceal lie ones, ! mean. !ncredulous oices. 1h, come3 ell us another.

19


20/29

ou@re tellin' %emay be similarly used. !'m not a guy ho goes for dames." "+ou're telling me3" she says.

Get a#a, #it* ,ou or Go ;'et: alon' #it* ,ou friendly e%pressions of disbelief, meaning ! don't beliee a ord of

hat you are saying. +ou don't say3

...%, foote%clamation of disbelief folloing repetition of a preious remark: "@retty little thing, " said 9r.

unbury tentatiely after the young things hae left. "@retty my foot3 All that paint and poder." *"! may hae been

fascinated held in a kind of spell by a certain $uality of life " "1h, $uality of life my foot.

a li0el, stor,(informal, ironic) used to sho that you do not beliee hat somebody has said +ou ust found it lying in

the street4 A likely story3

2igments of the imagination are described thus:

a tall stor,a story difficult to beliee/ an e%aggerated story !n Ciga the 8ermans caught him and tortured him."

"all story, " said roy.

a coc0andull stor, (tale, yarn)a fantastic and incredible story #e told us that cock-and-bull story before. he

udge did not beliee the defendant's cock-and-bull story.

It@s farfetc*ed( (i. e. !t strains one's credulity.) hat's far-fetched, ! am afraid.

t*in (generally a it t*in) unconincing, improbably eak #er story about leaing her purse on the piano sounded a

bit thin.

It@s too 'ood to e true > unbelieable good fortune #is oice trembled a little as he spoke. !t all seemed too

good to be true.

1+. TASTES( 27E"E7ENCES( INCLINATIONS

astes differ, or as another proerb puts it:

one %an@s %eat is anot*er %an@s )oisonone person may hate hat another likes.

T*ere is no accountin' for tastes is another proerb meaning the same thing. =ut it often implies that the speaker

has the better taste.

o like someone (or something) may be collo$uially e%pressed by these phrases:

to ta0e a fanc, ;li0in': to someone (something) > to start liking somebody*something, often ithout an obious

reason #e's taken $uite a fancy to his ne%t-door neighbour.*he might take $uite a liking to her brother-in-la.

to ta0e to so%eod,to become fond of somebody/ to form a liking for somebody #etty had already taken to the

girl. ..*9y father took to him a lot the only time they met, and my father's darned difficult to please.

to *a6e a soft s)ot for so%eod, ;so%et*in': > to like somebody (something) he still sounded ratty.

a faourite for the time being. ake care of young Cogers he's the blue-eyed boy in this office.

to e craJ, ;%ad: aout ;on: something (somebody) >to be greatly attached to/ ery fond of or enthusiastic about.

!'m cra5y about him. #e's cra5y about me. We can't lie ithout each other. *he's mad about music.

20


21/29

to e 0een on ;aout:? to e nuts on ;aout: hae the same significance. "Which of us is it you're so keen on

knoing4" "!t's all three, " ! said earnestly. *>uckily ! really am frightfully keen about horses.

ome other phrases in common use are:

;to e: u) ,our streetto be ery suitable for you because it is something that you kno a lot about or are ery

interested in his ob seems right up your street.

to e one@s cu) of tea the sort of thing (person) that 'pleases or appeals to one A camping holiday is ust my cup

of tea. *"! can't pretend, " ! said, "that he's e%actly my cup of tea."

to suit so%eod, do#n to t*e 'round to be ery conenient or acceptable for somebody his ob suits me don to

the ground.

to 'et a 0ic0 out of so%et*in' to hae a strong feeling of e%citement and pleasure satisfaction. ! get a kick out

of driing fast cars.*What do you do for kicks4

o prefer one course of action to another or to like it more than another may be collo$uially e%pressed by these phrases:

I@d rat*er...

I@d sooner... I@d used to say, often rudely, that you do not think that somebody*something is important or

orth orrying about ?uite honestly, ! couldn't care less hat they do.

I don@t care for it/

I *a6e no li0in' for it/

It is not to %, li0in' ;taste: it is not to my taste/ ! don't like it.

! don't care for the book*! don't care for chips fried in olie oil,*9r. ;laye sighed. "!t's a ob !'e no liking for, " hesaid. *ohn's ay of doing things is not at all to my liking.

to 'o ;e: a'ainst t*e 'rainto be distasteful or contrary to inclination (Ide mala ganaJ) he'd rather you did a

thing against the grain than not do it at all

21


22/29

;ollo$uial phrases to e%press aersion and disgust include the folloing:

It stic0s in %, t*roat?cra# !t leaes a feeling of strong dislike or disgust. hat business ith 2leur sticks in my

throat, as old 2orsyte ould hae said.*he didn't sentimentalise herself but ust admitted that this &essie business

stuck in her cra.

to 'i6e so%eone t*e cree)s ;t*e #illies:to make somebody feel nerous and slightly frightened, especially because

somebody*something is unpleasant or strange his old house gies me the creeps.

to %a0e one sic0 ;s*udder: means the same thing.

If ,ou don@t li0e it( ,ou can lu%) it !f you don't like it, all you can do is to resign yourself and put up ith it,

hoeer unillingly. "2lying a kite, you, a gron man. ;ontemptible ! call it." "! don't care hat you call it. ! like it, and

if you don't like it you can lump it." *hat's the situationlike it or lump it3

1-. TAL AND DISCUSSION

!nformal conersation may be collo$uially described by these general phrases:

to *a6e a fe# #ords #it* ? to *a6e a #ord #it*to hae a short talk ith/ to discuss briefly . After breakfast,&orcas came up to me rather mysteriously, and asked if she might hae a fe ords ith me*"! should like a ord ith

you."

to *a6e a ;little: c*at ;#it*: one more phrase ith the same meaning "+our mother and ! hae been haing a little

chat, " 9ark e%plained.

t*e 'ift of t*e 'a the ability to speak easily and to persuade other people ith your ords oe's got the gift of

the gabhe can sell anything.

s%all tal0 polite conersation about ordinary or unimportant subects, especially at social occasions At emotional

moments like this, 9r. osser as alays a bit akard. #e hadn't got any flo of small talk.

c*itc*at has the same significance triial conersation" All right, " she said. ">et's talk about you. ! don't feel likechit-chat either."

#affle* 'ale (noun and erb) is also similarly used ith the meaning talk ithout pausing/

'ossi)(noun and erb) tittletattle (noun) is small talk usually about peopleand their lies (idle talk and rumours). he

likes to hae a good gossip ith a neighbor oer the garden fence.*he is too fond of gossip (or tittle-tattle).

A 'arrulousperson (a c*attero3) is said:

to tal0 ;c*atter: nineteen to t*e doJento chatter incessantly o as a rule !'m silent, but hen ! find a

sympathetic ictim ell, you'e already had a bitter e%perience of ho ! chatter nineteen to the do5en.

to tal0 so%eod,@s *ead offB to tal0 t*e le' off an iron )otB to tal0 t*e *ind le' off a don0e,to talk too much,especially about boring or unimportant things he insurance-agent talked 2ather's head off. *he could talk the hind

leg off a donkey.

;not: 'et a #ord in ed'e#a,s (not) to be able to say anything because somebody else is speaking too much When

9ary starts talking, no one else can get a ord in edgeays.

lon'#indedtediously long, erbose/ fond of hearing oneself talk he speaker as dreadfully long-inded.*he

preacher as ery long-inded een for a preacher.

1n the other hand aoidance of proli%ity is collo$uially e%pressed by these phrases:

;to )ut so%et*in': in a nuts*ellin the feest possible ords/ in brief his is the story in a nutshell.*!n a nutshell, !

hae gien him notice and ill go to 9anchester ne%t eek.

to cut ;%a0e: a lon' stor, s*ort...the substance of it... / all that need be said... Well, to cut a long story short, they

thoughtit ould be more economical to lie at the illa . *Well, to make a long story short, she asked me to go to @aris

22


23/29

for a eek or to till she had consolidated her position.

t*e lon' and t*e s*ort of it...all that need be said/ the upshot Well, the long and the short of it is that officials

mustn't gamble.

o common proerbs commenting on speech and silence:

S)eec* is sil6er( silence is 'old. (ilence is better than speech in some circumstances. he proerb is usually

$uotedto children ho talk too much.)

Least said soonest %ended.(=y saying ery little or keeping silence one may aoid getting into trouble. =y saying too

much one may bring trouble on oneself or one's friends and may often find it difficult to repair the damage that has

been done.)

sing (and not using) plain speaking:

to call a s)ade a s)ade to speak plainly/ to speak ith complete and generally unpopular frankness ! am talking

about facts, mademoiselle plain ugly facts. >et's call the spade the spade and say it in one short sentence. +our

mother drinks, mademoiselle.

to 'o strai'*t to t*e )oint ? to co%e to t*e )oint to speak directly about the matter being discussed and stop

talking about unimportant and less important matters #e as silent for a minute or to. hen he ent straight to thepoint. "#ae you come to a decision, >innet4"

not to eat aout t*e us*to concentrate on the main subect/ not to ramble around ithout eer getting to the

point to talk about or discuss one's business or profession in non-professional hours &on't let's talk shop out

of hours, 0llis. !t can ait. omorro is also a day.

Queen Ann is deadis an ironical anser to somebody imparting old nes. alk about ?ueen Ann being dead3 alk

about nes ith hiskers on3

to rea0 t*e ne#s>to impart bad nes only. !f it's good nes one simply tells it to someone. ;ouldn't you hae

broken the nes more gently4 you'e nearly killed him. *he minister is to break the nes to you. #e'll be here

presently.

23


24/29

to utt in ;cut in:i>to interrupt a conersation/ to interfere in a conersation. ! hope !'m not butting in, but you

must let me say ho much ! admire your business-like capacity.

to ans#er ;so%eod,: ac0to gie a rude anser/ to be impolite/ to reply impudently 9ary, 9ary, don't anser your

father back3 !t's dreadful to hear you speak up to him like that ...

;ommon phrases for introducing some topic (remark) into a conersation or discussion are:

, t*e #a,

incidentall,

tal0in' of

t*at re%inds %e

hey may be similarly used and usually refer to something the speaker has ust thought of.*=y the ay, you kno

there are still to more people to come. +our friends the to think about or discuss something as a group !f e put our heads together,

e may find a solution.

to #ei'* ;discuss: t*e )ros and consto balance the points in faour ith those against We must alays eigh the

pros and cons before deciding hether to inest our money or to let it stay in the bank.

eside t*e )oint > an irreleant topic in the discussion or conersation here as a silence. >innet controlled herself

ith an effort and said in a cold oice: "All this is $uite beside the point3"

#ere is proerbial comment on adisability of consultation and discussion:

T#o *eads are etter t*an one . (o persons in consultation may find the right anser to a problem.) o turn to

#ilary as second nature ith him and surely, in such a task to heads ere better than one3

1/. TIME AND O22O7TUNIT

Ti%e flies( *o# ti%e flies( ti%e does fl,are collo$uial comments on the rapid flo of time. hey often imply: time

passes $uickly so don't aste it.

24


25/29

ome collo$uial phrases that e%press the idea of $uickness are:

in no ti%e ;in less t*an no ti%e:so soon or so $uickly that it is surprising he kids ill be leaing home in no time.

he as back in no time ith a tray ... *... and then, in less than no time, off you drose to sleep ...

in t*e t#in0lin' of an e,eery $uickly, in a moment uddenly, in the tinkling of an eye, her hole life had been

turned upside don.

in a unch'll be ready in a iffy. *Wait there, !'ll be back in half a second.*ho him into the

study, please, and say !'ll be there in a minute.

Half a %inute?second usually means ait a little time. #ang on. !'ll be ready in half a minute.

1n the other hand a long time is collo$uially e%pressed by these phrases of e%aggeration:

;for: don0e,@s ,earsa long time/ (for) ages #ello3 ! haen't seen you for donkey's years.

till doo%sda,a long time/ for eer 8o on3 !f you ait for me, you'll ait till doomsday.

in a %ont* of Sunda,s used to emphasi5e that something ill neer happen +ou on't find it, not in a month of

undays.

Don@t e *alf an *our &on't be long about it 8o and put on your hat and don't be half an hour about it.

once in a lue %oon ery rarely or neer. hat only happens once in a blue moon. *) #e calls on me once in a blue

moon.

it@s *i'* ti%e (he came)/ it@s aout ti%e(e left) said of things that in your opinion bear no more delay or should

hae happened long ago.


26/29

1. 8O7 AND 9USINESS

;ollo$uial phrases concerned ith ork and business include the folloing:

to e on t*e a busy person may protest (against some additional ork, etc.) in the folloing ords

";an't you look after yourseles for once4 !'e only got one pair of hands, you kno, " said their harassed mother.

he idea of orking too hard is e%pressed in the folloing phrases:

to urn t*e candle at ot* endsto become ery tired by trying to do too many things and going to bed late and

getting up early "!'m orried about you, " she said. "What's the matter4" "+ou mustn't burn the candle at both ends,

to o6erdo itto make oneself too tired by orking too hard "9ind you don't go oerdoing it no you are here, " he

remarked at last, as though 9r. osser's return had been his on idea entirely. "ake it easy, remember no late

hours."

to #or0 ,our fin'ers to t*e oneto ork ery hard !n the cotton-mills young girls and omen orked their fingers

to the bone.

to )ut ,our ac0 into so%et*in'to ork ery hard at it "! shall be accused of not putting my back into the ob"

to 0ee) ,our nose to t*e 'rindstoneto ork hard for a long period of time ithout stopping ohn ants to take the

doctor's degree/ he has to keep his nose to the grindstone.

26


27/29

to *a6e ,our #or0 cut out (for one)to be likely to hae difficulty doing something +ou'll hae your ork cut out to

get there by nine o'clock. *! e%pect to hae my ork cut out for me. ! shall act and ! shall act promptly.

8etting oer the hard, preliminary ork may be collo$uially put in this ay:

to rea0 t*e ac0 ;t*e nec0: of a t*in' (ob, etc.)to hae disposed of the main part of the task We hae broken

the back of it/ hat remains to be done is easy.

1ther common phrases dealing ith ork are:

to sac0 so%eod, to dismiss him from ork to 'et ;e 'i6en: t*e sac0to be dismissed from a ob As a matter

of fact, ! hadn't thought they ould ant to sack me, but*#e's ust gien me the sack/ and ! hae four children

looking to me for their bread.

to 'et ;e 'i6en: ,our cardsmeans the same thing !f the men don't return by tomorro they'll get their cards.

to e 0ic0ed outto be thron out/ to be dismissed ith contempt "hey kicked him out of the team last season."

to 'i6e notice(to one's employer)to gie official arning of one's intention to cease employment (Idar la carta de

despidoJ) "! hae gien him notice. !n a couple of eeks ! shall hae shaken off his accursed slaery."

to 0noc0 offto stop ork for a (short) period oday's 2riday. >et's knock off until 9onday.

to )ac0 ;it: u) ? to )ac0 in hae the same significance to leae off ork >et's pack in and hae a drink together.

=ut e can't pack up. ... We hae to carry on.

to call it a da, to consider that particular period of ork finished. "+ou must hae had something in mind4" said

&e Witt. "+ou didn't think you'd close shop and call it a day4"

a rea0>a rest from ork is When ! came to remmen ! said to myself: to start orking ery hard at a particular task 0eryone is going to hae to put

their shoulder to the heel.

14. 7ES2ONSI9ILIT

;ollo$uial phrases concerned ith the idea of responsibility include the folloing:

Lea6e it to %e? I@ll %a0e %,selfe%press a illingness to undertake responsibility and means responsible for it. +ou

must stay and hae dinner ith us. >eae it to me to tell your father. *! should make myself responsible for his

mistakes.

it@s u) to ,ou it is your responsibility/ the responsibility rests ith you !t as up to her to take that decision.

to ta0e ;so%et*in': on to accept responsibility +ou'e taken a bit too much, on ... 9ost of the stuff isn't your

responsibility.

to ta0e it on ,ourself means undertaking something abitrarily, i. e. ithout proper authorisation. #e strikes me as

taking a bit too much on himself.*>ook here, ;harles. ! take all responsibility on myself.

27


28/29

to *a6e so%et*in' on ,our *and;s:to hae it resting on one as a responsibility, under your charge 9yself, ! don't

bother about the surgeries, ! hae the hospital on my hands.

to let ,ourself in for being inoled in some unpleasant responsibility (difficulty, loss) he doesn't kno hat she's

letting herself in for.

;to do so%et*in': off ,our o#n at(to do it) on one's on initiatie, and the action is usually regarded faourably

#e arranged the sho completely off his on bat.

land so%eod,?,ourself #it* so%et*in'?so%eod, to gie somebody*yourself something unpleasant to do,

especially because nobody else ants to do it As usual, ! got landed ith all the boring obs.

to carr, ;ta0e: t*e can ;for so%eod,?so%et*in': to accept the blame for something, especially hen it is not

your fault !'m not responsible and !'m certainly not going to carry the can.

to lea6e so%eod, *oldin' t*e a, to suddenly make somebody responsible for something important that is really

your responsibility #e changed to another ob and e ere left holding the baby.

to )ass t*e uc0 ;a,: > make somebody else responsible +ou're alays trying to pass the buck to somebody.

1ther e%pressions for easion of responsibility are:

it@s ,our funeral> used to tell somebody that they, and nobody else, ill hae to deal ith the unpleasant results

oftheir on actions !f the car breaks don, it ill be your funeral.

it@s ,our loo0out used to say that you do not think somebody's actions are sensible, but that it is their on problem or

responsibility. !f he ants to aste his money, that's his lookout.

to #as* one@s *and of so%et*in' ;so%eod,:to refuse to be responsible for or inoled ith somebody*something

When her son as arrested again she ashed her hands of him. !'e ashed my hands of the hole sordid business.

he easion of responsibility is also e%pressed thus:

to *an' ac0to be reluctant to assume responsibility/ sho unilingness to act or moe When the officer asked forolunteers, not one soldier hung back.

to ac0 out (of something) to decide that you are no longer going to take part in something that has been agreed

Aren't you going to help us4 Are you backing out4

to s*ir0 so%et*in' (responsibility, danger, ork, etc.)?doin' so%et*in' to aoid it 1ne mustn't shirk one's

responsibilities. *npleasant to be thought a shirker by one's on mother. =ut it asn't shirking.

Ha6e it ,our o#n #a,&o ust hat you ant to,! refuse to argue or discuss it further #e grinned. "#ae it your on

ay. +ou alays do."

!5. THOUGHTS( CONCLUSIONS AND DECISIONS

#ere belong such collo$uial phrases in common use:

to )ut on ,our t*in0in' ca) to try to sole a problem by thinking about it ! must put on my thinking cap, before !

can take a decision.*!t's no good asking me no. !'e got to put on my thinking cap. ! ant to get to the bottom of this

affair.

to t*in0 so%et*in' o6erto consider something carefully, especially before reaching a decision !'e been thinking

things oer and !'e made up my mind to go.

to to,?flirt?)la, #it* t*e ideato consider an idea or a plan, but not ery seriously and not for a long time !'m

toying ith the idea of spending ne%t inter on a lecture tour oerseas. *#e played ith the idea of calling the man, asif his oice could hae some mystic significance.

to )ut t#o and t#o to'et*er to udge or guess the significance of pieces of information or eidence/ to form an

28


29/29

opinion or conclusion after considering fact &id you not put to and to together, and reflect that it as not Alfred

!nglethorp ho as $uarreling ith his ife4

to 'et to t*e otto% to find out the real cause of something, especially something unpleasant ! on't rest until

!'e got to the bottom of this3

o dissole any doubts about a conclusion or udgement, it may be necessary:

to c*ec0 u) on it to find out if something is true or correct ! need to check up on a fe things before ! can decide.

to t*in0 t#ice aout doin' so%et*in'to think carefully hether to do it or not =ut one or to members of the

society hae put an interesting point of ies hich has made me think tice before saying no once and for all.

on second t*ou'*ts- used to say that you hae changed your opinion !'ll ait here. eslie doesn't think better of giing me my chance.

to urn ,our oats?rid'es to do something that makes it impossible to return to the preious situation later hinkcarefully before you resignyou don't ant to burn your bridges.

to toss u) for so%et*in'?et#een A and 9 to let chance*luck decide an iss to decide something by tossing up a

coin. ("#eads" or "ails"4) Who's to pay for the drinks4 >et's toss up for it .*#e had to toss up beteen ( decide

beteen) paying the rent or buying food.

Colloquial Expressions Resumen

Documents

Transcript of Colloquial Expressions Resumen