English idioms,sayings and expressions: diciembre 2009

lunes, 28 de diciembre de 2009

not take a blind bit of notice (British & Australian informal)440

not take a blind bit of notice (British & Australian informal)
to not give someone or something any attention at all Protesters were shouting and waving banners outside the embassy, but no-one took a blind bit of notice. (often + of ) They didn't take a blind bit of notice of our objections

he doesn't take the blindest bit of notice of anything they say to him 439

pasa olímpicamente de todo lo que le dicen he doesn't take the blindest bit of notice of anything they say to him

,not to get anywhere with women/men 438

no comerse una rosca, not to get anywhere with women/men

sábado, 26 de diciembre de 2009

Make the best of things 437

If you make the best of things, you accept the situation and do what you can in spite of the difficulties or disadvantages. "The apartment was badly located, but the rent was low, so they decided to make the best of

drop like flies 436

If people drop like flies, they fall ill or die in large numbers. "There's an epidemic of flu at the moment. Senior citizens are dropping like flies."

like two peas in a pod 435

like two peas in a pod
To say that two people are like two peas in a pod means that they are very similar in appearance. "It wasn't difficult to identify the brothers - they were like two peas in a pod!

In a quandary 434

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."

viernes, 25 de diciembre de 2009

after the fact 433

If something is done after the fact, it is too late, after something has actually happened, particularly a crime or an accident. "He said he realized he had put people in danger, but that was of no help after the fact."

shop till you drop 432

If you shop till you drop, you go shopping for a very long time, until you're exhausted. "If you go to London with Julie you'll shop till you drop, so take comfortable shoes!"

One today is worth two tomorrow 431

What you have today is better than what is promised or hoped for

Knowledge is power. 430

Knowledge makes it possible for you to act.

A tall story 429

a statement or story which is difficult to believe because it sounds unlikely. "What he said about a stolen invention sounds like a tall story to me."

Golden handshake 428

a generous sum of money given to a person when they leave a company or retire (sometimes given to encourage early retirement

Keep the wolf from the door 427

In order to keep the wolf from the door, you need to have enough money to buy food and other essentials. "My grandparents earned barely enough to keep the wolf from the door

SHILLY SHALLY 426

If you shilly-shally, you hesitate a lot about something and have difficulty reaching a decision. "Come on! Don't shilly-shally - just make up your mind

UP IN THE AIR 425

If something, such as a plan or a decision, is up in the air, it has not been decided or settled yet. "I can't give you a definite answer yet; the project is still up in the air."

white lie 424

white lie = harmless or trivial lie.

Let him who is without sin cast the first stone 423

el que este libre de pecado que tire la primera piedra

HIT THE CEILING 422

hit the ceiling - get very angry and fly into a rage; "The professor combusted when the student didn't know the answer to a very elementary question"; "Spam makes me go ballistic"

HAVE A TIGUER BY THE TAIL 421

have become associated with something powerful and potentially dangerous; to have a very difficult problem to solve. You have a tiger by the tail. You bit off more than you could chew. You've had a bear by the tail ever since you agreed to finish that big project.

RAW DEAL 420

AN INSTANCE OF UNFAIR OR BAD TREAMENT

MAKE A RAISE CAIN 419

raise Cain, Slang.
a.
become angry or violent: He'll raise Cain when he finds out I lost his watch.
b.
to behave in a boisterous manner; cause a disturbance: The students raised Cain while the teacher was out.
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