(^_^) Mỗi ngày 1 bài học tiếng Anh online (^_^)(Chủ đề SỬ DỤNG THÀNH NGỮ TRONG TIẾNG ANH từ trang 5)

knock down the price of (something)


- to decrease a price
The department store has knocked down the price of many of their products.

lay one's cards on the table


- to be open and honest about one's intentions
Our boss laid his cards on the table during the meeting.

make a concession


- ******nge your position in favor of the other person/side when you are negotiating
The union made a big concession in their negotiations with their company.

make an offer


- to make a financial or other proposal for a product or service
I will make an offer and try to buy the house that I like.

make headway


- to make progress
We are bargaining hard and making headway with the new agreement.

meet (someone) halfway


- to compromise with someone
The price for the truck was too high but we met the salesman halfway and made an agreement to buy it.

nail down the terms of an agreement


- to discuss and agree on the terms of a contract
We must try and nail down the terms of the agreement at the meeting tomorrow.

nail (something) down or nail down (something)


- to make certain or sure
We nailed down an agreement to build the staff room as quickly as possible.

off the record


- to be not published or revealed, to be a secret
I told my boss off the record that I would probably not return after the summer holiday.

paint oneself into a corner


- to get into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to escape
The negotiations became easier when the other side painted themselves into a corner.

play hardball (with someone)


- to act strong and aggressive with someone
The union played hardball during the contract talks.

play into (someone's) hands


- to do something that another person can use against you
Our manager played into the hands of the other side when he became angry during the meeting.

play one's ace


- to use one's best resource (the ace is the most powerful card), to use all of one's power
I played my ace when I asked my boss for more money.

play one's cards close to one's chest


- to be secretive and cautious about something
My colleague was playing his cards close to his chest when he began to talk to our competitor.

pull (something) off or pull off (something)


- *****cceed in doing something difficult or impossible
The contract seemed impossible to win but we pulled it off through our skillful negotiating.

pull (something) out of a hat


- to get something as if by magic, to invent something, to imagine something
The problem was difficult but somehow we were able to pull a solution out of a hat.

put one's cards on the table


- to be open and honest about one's intentions
We put our cards on the table and tried to solve the problem.

raise the ante


- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict
The small country raised the ante in the trade dispute with the other countries.

a raw deal


- treatment that is not fair
The sales manager received a raw deal when he was forced to give up his former position.

reach a stalemate


- to arrive at a position where no progress is being made
The talks to buy the new computers have reached a stalemate and it will be difficult to start them again.

reach first base


- to make a good start, *****cceed
We were unable to reach first base in the discussions.

read between the lines


- to understand the meaning of something by guessing what is not said
The salesman did not say that no products were available but we could read between the lines and we knew that there were none available.

rock-bottom offer


- the lowest price that one can offer to buy something
The buyer made a rock-bottom offer to buy our product.

a setback


- a change from better to worse, a delay, a reversal
The bad weather was a setback in our efforts to get the material delivered on time.

smooth (something) over or smooth over (something)


- to make something seem better or less severe
We tried to smooth over the problems between the two managers.

stack the deck against (someone)


- to trick someone, to arrange things unfairly (a deck is a deck of cards)
The manager stacked the deck against his opponent when he went into the meeting.

stand one's ground


- to maintain and defend one's position
The other negotiating team was very aggressive but we stood our ground and bargained hard.

start the ball rolling


- to begin an activity or action
I will start the ball rolling by making some telephone calls to my coworkers.

stick to one's guns


- to defend an action or opinion despite an unfavorable reaction
We stuck to our guns during the meeting and asked for more time to consider the proposal.

sweeten the deal


- to offer something during a negotiation that is attractive to the other side
We sweetened the deal during the negotiations in order to win the new contract.

take sides


- to join one group against another in a debate or quarrel
I did not take sides in the discussion about buying a new computer.

talk (someone) into (something)


- to get someone to agree to something, to persuade someone to do something
We were unable to talk the other members of our team into delaying the meeting until next week.

talk (someone) out of (something)


- to persuade someone not to do something
I tried to talk our sales manager out of offering a price for the product that was too low.

talk (something) over or talk over (something)


- to discuss something
We asked for some time during the meeting to talk over the new proposal.

throw (someone) a curve


- to mislead or deceive someone
The purchasing manager threw us a curve when he said that he would not need any of our products until next year.

to the letter


- exactly, nothing done wrong or left undone, perfectly
The union representative followed the contract agreement to the letter.

trump card


- something that is kept back to be used to win success if nothing else works
Although we appeared weak during the negotiations we had some new information to use as our trump card.

turn thumbs down on (something)


- to reject something
The other negotiating team turned thumbs down on our wish to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.

under the wire


- at the very last moment
We were able to send the documents to the lawyer under the wire.

undercut (someone)


- to sell your product for less than a competitor
The new discount store is trying hard to undercut other stores in the area.

up the ante


- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict
The union upped the ante in their dispute with the company.

water (something) down or water down (something)


- ******nge and make something weaker
The manager tried to water down our proposal for the new quality control system.

wheel and deal


- to negotiate to buy and sell something (often in a way that is very close to being dishonest or illegal)
The salesman likes to wheel and deal with his customers.

wind up (something) or wind (something) up


- to end, to finish, to stop
We would like to wind up the meeting early tomorrow.

wrap up (something) or wrap (something) up


- to finish something (a job, a meeting etc.)
We wrapped up the meeting and went home for the weekend.
-----------------------------Tự động gộp Reply ---------------------------
knock down the price of (something)


- to decrease a price
The department store has knocked down the price of many of their products.

lay one's cards on the table


- to be open and honest about one's intentions
Our boss laid his cards on the table during the meeting.

make a concession


- to change your position in favor of the other person/side when you are negotiating
The union made a big concession in their negotiations with their company.

make an offer


- to make a financial or other proposal for a product or service
I will make an offer and try to buy the house that I like.

make headway


- to make progress
We are bargaining hard and making headway with the new agreement.

meet (someone) halfway


- to compromise with someone
The price for the truck was too high but we met the salesman halfway and made an agreement to buy it.

nail down the terms of an agreement


- to discuss and agree on the terms of a contract
We must try and nail down the terms of the agreement at the meeting tomorrow.

nail (something) down or nail down (something)


- to make certain or sure
We nailed down an agreement to build the staff room as quickly as possible.

off the record


- to be not published or revealed, to be a secret
I told my boss off the record that I would probably not return after the summer holiday.

paint oneself into a corner


- to get into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to escape
The negotiations became easier when the other side painted themselves into a corner.

play hardball (with someone)


- to act strong and aggressive with someone
The union played hardball during the contract talks.

play into (someone's) hands


- to do something that another person can use against you
Our manager played into the hands of the other side when he became angry during the meeting.

play one's ace


- to use one's best resource (the ace is the most powerful card), to use all of one's power
I played my ace when I asked my boss for more money.

play one's cards close to one's chest


- to be secretive and cautious about something
My colleague was playing his cards close to his chest when he began to talk to our competitor.

pull (something) off or pull off (something)


- *****cceed in doing something difficult or impossible
The contract seemed impossible to win but we pulled it off through our skillful negotiating.

pull (something) out of a hat


- to get something as if by magic, to invent something, to imagine something
The problem was difficult but somehow we were able to pull a solution out of a hat.

put one's cards on the table


- to be open and honest about one's intentions
We put our cards on the table and tried to solve the problem.

raise the ante


- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict
The small country raised the ante in the trade dispute with the other countries.

a raw deal


- treatment that is not fair
The sales manager received a raw deal when he was forced to give up his former position.

reach a stalemate


- to arrive at a position where no progress is being made
The talks to buy the new computers have reached a stalemate and it will be difficult to start them again.

reach first base


- to make a good start, *****cceed
We were unable to reach first base in the discussions.

read between the lines


- to understand the meaning of something by guessing what is not said
The salesman did not say that no products were available but we could read between the lines and we knew that there were none available.

rock-bottom offer


- the lowest price that one can offer to buy something
The buyer made a rock-bottom offer to buy our product.

a setback


- a change from better to worse, a delay, a reversal
The bad weather was a setback in our efforts to get the material delivered on time.

smooth (something) over or smooth over (something)


- to make something seem better or less severe
We tried to smooth over the problems between the two managers.

stack the deck against (someone)


- to trick someone, to arrange things unfairly (a deck is a deck of cards)
The manager stacked the deck against his opponent when he went into the meeting.

stand one's ground


- to maintain and defend one's position
The other negotiating team was very aggressive but we stood our ground and bargained hard.

start the ball rolling


- to begin an activity or action
I will start the ball rolling by making some telephone calls to my coworkers.

stick to one's guns


- to defend an action or opinion despite an unfavorable reaction
We stuck to our guns during the meeting and asked for more time to consider the proposal.

sweeten the deal


- to offer something during a negotiation that is attractive to the other side
We sweetened the deal during the negotiations in order to win the new contract.

take sides


- to join one group against another in a debate or quarrel
I did not take sides in the discussion about buying a new computer.

talk (someone) into (something)


- to get someone to agree to something, to persuade someone to do something
We were unable to talk the other members of our team into delaying the meeting until next week.

talk (someone) out of (something)


- to persuade someone not to do something
I tried to talk our sales manager out of offering a price for the product that was too low.

talk (something) over or talk over (something)


- to discuss something
We asked for some time during the meeting to talk over the new proposal.

throw (someone) a curve


- to mislead or deceive someone
The purchasing manager threw us a curve when he said that he would not need any of our products until next year.

to the letter


- exactly, nothing done wrong or left undone, perfectly
The union representative followed the contract agreement to the letter.

trump card


- something that is kept back to be used to win success if nothing else works
Although we appeared weak during the negotiations we had some new information to use as our trump card.

turn thumbs down on (something)


- to reject something
The other negotiating team turned thumbs down on our wish to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.

under the wire


- at the very last moment
We were able to send the documents to the lawyer under the wire.

undercut (someone)


- to sell your product for less than a competitor
The new discount store is trying hard to undercut other stores in the area.

up the ante


- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict
The union upped the ante in their dispute with the company.

water (something) down or water down (something)


- to change and make something weaker
The manager tried to water down our proposal for the new quality control system.

wheel and deal


- to negotiate to buy and sell something (often in a way that is very close to being dishonest or illegal)
The salesman likes to wheel and deal with his customers.

wind up (something) or wind (something) up


- to end, to finish, to stop
We would like to wind up the meeting early tomorrow.

wrap up (something) or wrap (something) up


- to finish something (a job, a meeting etc.)
We wrapped up the meeting and went home for the weekend.

CHỦ ĐỀ HỌC ONLINE ngày 17.05.11:

Cards​

above board


- honest, not secret (originally players showed their honesty by keeping their hands above the board/table when playing a game of cards)
The real estate agent was always above board when dealing with people who were trying to buy a house.

according to Hoyle


- according to the rules (Hoyle wrote a well-known book about card games)
According to Hoyle, we were not permitted to enter the convention center early but in reality we were able to enter at almost any time.

ace in the hole


- something important that is held in reserve, something that other people are not aware of and that can be used to your advantage when the time is right (in stud poker a player gets several cards with one of the cards placed face down - the hole card - and if this card is an ace then the player has a hidden advantage)
The football team had an ace in the hole. It was their star goalkeeper who they were planning to use.

ante up


- to produce or pay a necessary amount of money for something (an ante is the amount of money that you put on the table before beginning a card game)
Everybody had to ante up in order to collect enough money to buy a present for our boss.

as ****y as the king of spades


- boastful, overly proud
My friend is as ****y as the king of spades. He thinks that he can do anything.

call a spade a spade


- to describe something as it really is, to speak plainly
I decided to call a spade a spade and tell our supervisor what I think is wrong with our workplace.

call (someone's) bluff


- to force someone to prove that what they are saying is true, to make someone prove that they will really do what they say they will do - usually because you do not believe them (in a card game you try to force someone to show you the cards that they have)
My girlfriend always said that she did not want to get married so I called her bluff and asked her to marry me. She said yes.

cash in one's chips


- to die, to pass away
After an honorable and fruitful career the judge cashed in his chips at the age of ninety years old.

cash in one's chips


- to take one's gambling chips to a teller in a casino for money, to sell something for a profit
It was getting late so I decided to cash in my chips and go home.
My Internet stock had done very well so I decided to cash in my chips and take the money.

come up trumps


- to complete something well or successfully, to have a better performance or outcome than is expected (trumps are playing cards that are chosen to be ranked higher than the other cards)
We entered the contest with little hope of success but our performance came up trumps which was a big surprise to everyone.

come within an ace of (doing something)


- to almost succeed in doing what you are trying to do
We came within an ace of buying the new car but finally we decided not to buy it.

deal (someone) in


- to include someone
I hope that my friend will deal me in on his new computer business.

deal (someone) a bad hand


- to give someone bad cards in a card game, to give someone a disadvantage in something
The card dealer never deals someone a bad hand on purpose.
The company dealt the man a bad hand when he got his bad schedule.

be dealt a bad hand


- to receive bad cards in a card game, to receive disadvantages in something
The boy was dealt a bad hand when he was a child and was always at a disadvantage in his life.
The man was dealt a very bad hand in the card game.

a few cards short of a deck


- not smart, a little crazy, simple-minded
The man often does very strange things. He is a few cards short of a deck.

follow suit


- to play a card of the same suit, to follow the example or actions of someone else
The small university followed suit with the other universities and decided to raise their tuition fees.

force (someone's) hand


- to make someone do something that they do not want to do at that time
The man threatened to quit his job so the company decided to force his hand and make him either continue or quit.

have an ace up one's sleeve


- to have something that you can use to gain an advantage (in a card game the ace is often the most valuable card and a cheater could have an ace up his or her sleeve to use against an opponent)
The football players were ready to go on strike but the team owners had an ace their sleeve and offered more money and stopped the strike.

have a card up one's sleeve


- to have a reserve plan or a secret advantage
The man had a card up his sleeve when he went to the bank to ask for more money for his business.

have the cards stacked against you


- to have things arranged unfairly against you so that you have an unfair disadvantage
I had the cards stacked against me when I went to the job interview.

hold all the aces


- to have all the advantages (the ace is the most valuable card in many card games)
The company held all the aces when it began to negotiate with the small union.

hold all the cards


- to be in a strong or advantageous position (like a winning hand of cards in a card game)
The company held all the cards when the union members decided to go on strike to achieve their goals.

hold all the trumps


- to have the best chance of winning, to have all the advantages
The coach holds all the trumps and should be able to continue to coach the team.

house of cards


- a poorly thought about plan, something that is badly put together and can be easily knocked over
The large company is like a house of cards and when there are financial problems in one area the whole business is hurt.

in spades


- as much or more than you could want (spades are the highest ranking cards in the game of bridge)
The sick child received get well cards in spades when the radio station talked about his illness.

in the cards


- possible or likely (the same as if you are using playing cards or tarot cards to predict the future)
The airport expansion was in the cards but nobody knew exactly when it would begin.

lay one's cards on the table


- to be open and honest about one's intentions or resources
Our manager laid his cards on the table during the meeting.

lost in the shuffle


- to be overlooked in a confused or crowded situation
When we moved to a new office all of our sales receipts were lost in the shuffle during the move.

not playing with a full deck


- to be mentally deficient (like a deck of playing cards with one or more cards missing)
The man's stories about his life were very unlikely which made us believe that he was not playing with a full deck.

one card short of a deck


- not smart, a little crazy, simple-minded
My neighbor seems to be one card short of a deck.

overplay one's hand


- to overestimate the value or strength of one's position
My friend overplayed his hand when he said that he will quit his company. They do not need him.

play one's ace


- to use one's best resources (the ace is the most powerful card in a deck of cards)
The lawyer played his ace when he showed the judge the new evidence.

play one's cards close to one's chest


- to be extremely secretive and cautious about something (to hold playing cards close to your chest so the other players cannot see them)
My boss always plays his cards close to his chest when he is negotiating with another company.

play one's cards right


- to make the best use of one's opportunities in order to be successful, to behave in the right way in order to be successful
I told my friend that if he plays his cards right he will probably get a promotion at work.

play one's last card


- to make a final effort to do or achieve something
I played my last card in my effort to change my friend's mind about quitting his job.

poker face


- a face with no expression (this is done in the game of poker so that nobody knows if you have good cards or not)
The politician had a poker face when he tried to defend himself against the scandal.

put one's cards on the table


- to be open and honest about one's intentions or resources
I put my cards on the table and told my boss about my plans to change jobs.

raise the ante


- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict (an ante is the amount of money that you put on the table before beginning a card game)
The government raised the ante when they decided to cancel the contract of the health care workers.

show one's hand


- to reveal one's plans
I did not want to show my hand but I was forced to tell my family about my plans to go overseas to study.

shuffle the cards/deck


- to change policy
The government was in the middle of an economic crisis so they did not want to shuffle the deck and cause any more uncertainity.

stack the cards against (someone)


- to unfairly arrange things against someone so that he or she has an unfair disadvantage
The company stacked the cards against the man and he could not get the job that he wanted.

stack the deck


- to unfairly arrange things for or against someone so that he or she has an unfair advantage or disadvantage
The city stacked the deck against the small contractor that wanted the building contract.

(one's) strong suit


- something that one is good at or knows a lot about (in cards your strong suit is the suit that you have the most of in your hand)
The strong suit of my boss is his knowledge of computers.

trump card


- something that you hold back to use to win success if nothing else works (trumps are playing cards that are chosen to be ranked higher than the other cards)
The boxer was going to lose his boxing license but his trump card was his great popularity with the fans.

turn up trumps


- to complete something well or successfully, to have a better performance or outcome than is expected (trumps are playing cards which are chosen to be ranked higher than the other cards)
I turned up trumps and did very well in the picture drawing contest.

up the ante


- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict (an ante is the amount of money that you put on the table before beginning a card game)
The actor upped the ante in his dispute with the movie studio when he refused to appear for the news conference about the movie.

when the chips are down


- when one is in a difficult or serious situation (chips are used in gambling), when the winner or loser of a card game or a bet is decided
The man is a good manager and when the chips are down he is always able to overcome his difficulties.

wild card


- a person or thing whose influence is unpredictable or whose qualities are uncertain (a playing card that can have any value/suit/color in a card game)
The financial problems of the company are a wild card in their effort to get the new contract.

Sao nhà mình nhìu người thức thâu đêm thế nhỉ, toàn post bài 2, 3 h sáng, hic hic ... đúng là tuổi trẻ []

Bài online ngày 18.05.11: Thành ngữ CLOTHES (QUẦN ÁO):

Clothes​

air one`s dirty linen in public


- to discuss one`s private quarrels or problems in front of others
The man does not like his wife to air his dirty linen in public when they are with friends.

at the drop of a hat


- without waiting or planning, immediately, promptly
Our boss will stop working and help someone at the drop of a hat.

bet one`s boots


- to bet everything that one has
I will bet my boots that my friend will not have enough money to go on a holiday.

birthday suit


- complete nakedness
The little boy was running through the park in his birthday suit.

buckle down to (do something) or buckle down and (do something)


- to make a big effort to do something, to give one's complete attention or effort to do something
The teacher told the girl that she must buckle down and begin to work harder than before.

burn a hole in one`s pocket


- to stimulate someone to spend money quickly
My money is burning a hole in my pocket and I will probably spend it quickly.

burst at the seams


- to be too full or too crowded
The train station was bursting at the seams as everyone waited to go on their holidays.

catch (someone) with their pants down


- *****rprise someone in an embarrassing situation or doing something that they should not be doing
The sales manager was caught with his pants down when he was asked for the sales figures that he did not have.

come into fashion


- to become fashionable
Recently, the mini-skirt has come into fashion again.

decked out in (something)


- to be dressed in fancy clothes
The actress was decked out in a beautiful silk dress at the ceremony.

die with one`s boots on


- to die while still active in one`s work or while doing a job
The man worked hard all his life and died with his boots on when he had a heart attack at the factory.

dressed to kill


- wearing one`s finest clothes
The woman was dressed to kill when I saw her at the meeting.

dressed to the nines/teeth


- to be dressed elegantly, to be dressed very well
The couple were dressed to the nines when they went to the opening of the new theater production.

dress up


- to wear one`s best clothes
I decided to dress up for dinner on Saturday night.

feather in one`s cap


- something to be proud of, an honor
Winning the speech contest was a feather in the boy's cap and a great honor.

fill (someone`s) shoes


- to take the place of another and do as well as he or she would do
It will be difficult for the woman to fill the shoes of the previous supervisor.

fine-tooth/toothed comb


- great care, careful attention so as not to miss anything
We went over the room with a fine-tooth comb but we were unable to find the lost cre*** card.

fit like a glove


- to fit perfectly
The woman's new dress fit like a glove so she was very happy.

fly by the seat of one`s pants


- to do something by instinct rather than by knowledge or logic
I was forced to fly by the seat of my pants when my computer broke and I had to try and fix it.

handle (someone) with kid gloves


- to treat someone very gently and carefully
You must handle the new employee with kid gloves because he is very sensitive.

a hand-me-down


- a piece of clothing that is given to someone after another person does not need it
My father wore many hand-me-down clothes when he was a child.

have a bee in one`s bonnet


- to have a fixed idea that stays in one's mind
The woman has a bee in her bonnet about starting a new business.

have a card up one`s sleeve


- to have a reserve plan or a secret advantage
I do not know the manager's plans but I think that he has a card up his sleeve and he will soon make an important announcement.

have ants in one`s pants


- to be restless, to be nervous
The teacher told the little boy that he was moving around like he had ants in his pants.

have (something) up one`s sleeve


- to have a secret plan or solution for something, to be ready for a time when something is needed
I do not know what my friend has up his sleeve but I am sure that he is planning to say something at the meeting.

hit (someone) below the belt


- to do something in an unfair or cowardly way
My friend was hitting below the belt when he criticized me after I told him my true feelings.

if the shoe fits wear it


- if what is being said in general describes you then it probably means you
You should not criticize others for something that you would do yourself. Remember, if the shoe fits wear it.

in (someone`s) shoes


- in another person's place or position
I would hate to be in my cousin's shoes now that he has lost his job.

keep one`s shirt on


- to keep from losing one`s temper or from getting excited, to be calm or patient
"Keep your shirt on. You shouldn`t get so excited about such a small problem."

keep (something) under one`s hat


- to keep something secret
I plan to keep my plans to look for a new job under my hat.

lose one`s shirt


- to lose all or most of one`s money
The man lost his shirt gambling and now he is in serious financial difficulty.

off-the-cuff


- without preparation
Our boss made a great off-the-cuff speech at the party last night.

old hat


- not new or different, old-fashioned
We have been using the new computer program for many months. It is old hat now.

on a shoestring


- on a very low budget, with very little money
We went to Europe on a shoestring and we enjoyed it very much.

on (someone`s) coat-tails


- as a result of someone else doing something
The woman was elected to city council on her husband`s coat-tails.

pull (something) out of a hat


- to produce something as if by magic, to invent something
The lawyer said that she did not have the information but suddenly she pulled it out of a hat.

pull up one`s socks


- to make a greater effort than before to do something
"It is time that you pull up your socks and begin to work hard and take this job seriously."

put on one`s thinking cap


- to think hard and long about something
I will put on my thinking cap and try to find a solution to the problem by next week.

roll up one`s sleeves


- to get ready for a hard job, to prepare to work hard or seriously
"Let`s roll up our sleeves and begin to work so that we can finish early."

shoe is on the other foot


- the opposite is true, places are changed
For a long time my friend laughed at my problems at work. Now, the shoe is on the other foot and he also has serious problems.

stuffed shirt


- a person who is too rigid or too formal
I do not want to invite my neighbor to come with us because he is a stuffed shirt and not very interesting to spend time with.

take one`s hat off to (someone)


- to admire or respect or praise someone
You have to take your hat off to my neighbor. He started a small business and now it is very successful.

talk through one`s hat


- to say something without knowing or understanding the facts
Our supervisor is talking through his hat and does not know what he is talking about.

tighten one`s belt


- to live on less money than usual
If we want to go on a holiday to Europe this year we will have to tighten our belts and begin to save some money.

too big for one`s boots/breeches


- to think that you are more important than you really are
Our manager is too big for his breeches and needs someone to make him realize that he is not so important.

under one`s belt


- in one`s experience or possession, gained by effort and skill
Now that I have some job experience under my belt I will have more chances to apply for a good job.

wear more than one hat


- to have more than one set of responsibilities
Our teacher wears more than one hat. She is the head of the school board as well as the coach of the swim team.

wear one`s heart on one`s sleeve


- to show one`s feelings openly
The girl is wearing her heart on her sleeve and everybody knows that she is having problems with her boyfriend.

wear several hats


- to have more than one set of responsibilities
Our teacher wears several hats. She is the head of the school board as well as the coach of the swim team.

wear the pants in one`s family


- to be the boss of a family or household
The woman wears the pants in her family and she is always telling her husband what to do.

wolf in sheep`s clothing


- a person who pretends to be good but is really bad
The man is a wolf in sheep's clothing and someone that you should be very careful around.

You bet your boots!


- most certainly, yes indeed, absolutely
"You bet your boots that I am going to apply for my passport as early as possible."

​

​

Color​

as black as a skillet


- very black
My hands were as black as a skillet when I finished working on the car engine.

as black as a stack of black cats


- very black
The little boy was as black as a stack of black cats after playing outside all day.

as black as a sweep


- very dirty or black (a chimney sweep cleans chimneys and becomes very black)
My friend was as black as a sweep after he finished cleaning the basement.

as black as coal


- very black
My friend's cat is as black as coal.

as black as night


- very dark and black
The old house was as black as night when we entered it.

as black as pitch


- very black
My face was as black as pitch after cleaning the stove all morning.

as black as the ace of spades


- very black
The horse in the parade was as black as the ace of spades.

as red as a cherry


- bright red
The car was as red as a cherry after its new paint job.

as red as a poppy


- bright red
The mark on my arm was as red as a poppy.

as red as a rose


- intensely red
The morning sunrise was as red as a rose.

as red as a ruby


- deep red
The office assistant was wearing lipstick that was as red as a ruby.

as red as blood


- deep red
The stain on the carpet was as red as blood.

as white as a ghost


- very pale because of fear or shock or illness
My sister became as white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.

as white as a sheet


- very pale
I felt terrible this morning and in the mirror I looked as white as a sheet.

as white as the driven snow


- very white
The fur on the dog was as white as the driven snow.

black and blue


- bruised
My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down the stairs.

black and white


- either good or bad, either one way or the other way, oversimplified
Our boss sees everything in black and white.

black box


- an electronic device such as a flight recorder that can be removed from an aircraft as a single package
The investigators searched for a long time in order to find the black box of the airplane.

black eye


- a bruise near one's eye which makes it appear black
The man received a black eye when he bumped into the closed door.

black market


- the place where goods or money are illegally bought and sold
We sold some cigarettes on the black market during our travels.

black out


- to darken a room or building by turning off the lights
During the war, people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so nobody could see them.

black out


- to lose consciousness
The man blacked out during the parade and he had to sit down and rest.

black sheep (of a family)


- a person who is a disgrace to a family or group
The man is the black sheep in his family and has not made a success of his life.

blackball (someone)


- to exclude or ostracize someone socially, to reject someone
The businessman was blackballed in the industry because of his bad business practices.

blacklist (someone)


- to exclude or ostracize someone, to write someone's name on a list if they break some rules
The sports federation blacklisted the swimmer because he was using steroids.

blackmail (someone)


- to extort or take money from someone by threatening him or her
The photographer tried to blackmail the famous actress with some photographs that he had taken.

blackout


- a temporary situation where you do not release some information
The government decided to have a blackout regarding the political prisoner.

black-tie event/affair


- a formal event where guests wear semi-formal clothes with men wearing black bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets
The award ceremony for the movie awards was a black-tie affair.

blue blood


- someone from a noble or wealthy or aristocratic family
Many of the blue bloods of the town went to the opening of the opera.

blue in the face


- to be very angry or upset, to be excited and very emotional
I argued with my supervisor until I was blue in the face.

blue-ribbon


- of superior quality or distinction, the best of a group
A blue-ribbon panel of experts were asked *****ggest a new policy for the city.

brown bag it


- to take a lunch to work
I must brown bag it this week because the company cafeteria is closed.

carte blanche


- the freedom or permission to do what you want (blanche means white in French)
The new manager was given carte blanche to change the policies in her department.

catch (someone) red-handed


- to catch someone in the middle of doing something wrong
The woman was caught red-handed when she tried to steal some cosmetics.

chase rainbows


- to try to get or achieve something that is difficult or impossible
My old school friend is always chasing rainbows and he never achieves anything.

dyed-in-the-wool


- permanent, always (like wool that is dyed a certain color)
My father is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative and he will probably never change.

ears are red


- one's ears are red from embarrassment
My ears were red after hearing what the teacher said about me.

get gray hair


- to have one's hair turn gray from stress
Our teacher is getting gray hair from stress.

get the blues


- to become sad or depressed
The dull cloudy weather has caused me to get the blues.

get the green light


- to receive a signal to start or continue something
We got the green light to begin a study of the security problems at our school.

give (someone) the green light


- to give someone permission to proceed with a project
The city gave us the green light to begin the new project.

grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence)


- a place or situation that is far away or different seems better than one's present situation
The man believes that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and he always wants to change jobs.

a gray area


- something that is not clearly defined and does not conform to an existing set of rules, neither black or white, neither one way or another way
The issue of the tax on children's toys is a gray area for the accountant.

gray matter


- brains, intelligence
I wish that my friend would use his gray matter more effectively when he is making his crazy plans.

green


- to be inexperienced or immature
The young man is rather green and does not have enough experience to drive the large machinery.

green around the gills


- looking sick
My friend looked green around the gills after the long bus ride.

green belt


- an area of fields and trees around a town
Our city has a policy to increase the green belt around the city.

green-eyed monster


- jealousy
The woman was consumed by the green-eyed monster and it was affecting her life.

green thumb


- a talent for gardening, the ability to make things grow
My neighbor has a green thumb and she is able to grow one of the best gardens in our neighborhood.

green with envy


- to be very jealous, to be full of envy
I was green with envy when I heard that my cousin would be going to London for a week.

greenhorn


- an untrained or inexperienced or naive person
The young man is a greenhorn and he has much to learn about his new job.

have a yellow streak


- to be cowardly
The man has a yellow streak and he will not defend you if you are having a problem.

have the blues


- to be sad or depressed
The man next door seems to have the blues.

have the green light


- to have a signal to start or continue something
The company finally has the green light to start the project.

horse of a different color


- something totally separate and different
I know that our boss would like to discuss that issue now but it is a horse of a different color and we should discuss it at another time.

in black and white


- in writing, officially
I put down my complaint in black and white.

in (someone's) black books


- to be in disgrace or in disfavor with someone
The boy is in his girlfriend's black books because he was late for their date.

in the black


- to be successful or profitable
Our company has been in the black since they began to cut costs.

in the pink (of con***ion)


- in very good health
My grandmother was in the pink of con***ion when I saw her.

in the red


- to be in debt, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red for three years now.

lend color to (something)


- to provide something extra to accompany something
The music in the play helped to lend color to the performance of the actors.

like waving a red flag in front of a bull


- what you are doing will definitely make someone angry or upset
Talking about the city mayor with my father is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. He hates the city mayor.

local color


- the tra***ional features of a place which give it its own character
The weekend vegetable market added much local color to the small town.

look at the world through rose-colored glasses


- to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic
My friend always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and he does not believe that some people are dishonest.

off-color


- in bad taste, rude
The man told an off-color joke at the party which made his wife angry.

off-color


- not the exact color
We painted our kitchen in an off-color of white.

once in a blue moon


- very rarely
We only go out for Italian food once in a blue moon although we enjoy it very much.

out of the blue


- without any warning, by surprise (like something that comes out of a blue sky)
My friend decided out of the blue to quit his job and go to Europe.

out of the red


- out of debt
Our company is finally out of the red and we are now making money.

paint the town red


- to go out and party and have a good time
When my cousin came to visit us we decided to go out and paint the town red.

pink slip


- a termination notice from a job
I received my pink slip last week and I am now looking for a new job.

pitch-black


- very black, as black as pitch
The road was pitch-black and we could not see anything.

pot calling the kettle black


- the person who criticizes or accuses someone else is as guilty as the person he or she criticizes or accuses
My friend criticized me for not changing jobs but that is like the pot calling the kettle black. She will not change jobs either.

put (something) down in black and white


- to write the details of a contract or something on paper
I asked the buyer to put the offer to buy my car down in black and white.

raise a white flag


- to indicate that you have been defeated and that you want to give up
The soldiers raised a white flag and surrendered to the enemy.

red-carpet treatment


- to receive special or royal treatment
I always receive the red-carpet treatment when I go and visit my aunt.

red-eye


- an airplane flight that leaves late at night and arrives early in the morning
We caught the red-eye flight last night and we are very tired today.

a red flag


- a signal that something is not working properly or correctly
The fallen trees along the road raised a red flag for the safety inspectors.

red herring


- an unimportant matter that draws attention away from the main subject
Talking about the other issue was a red herring that did not do anything to deal with today's problem.

red-hot


- very hot, creating much excitement or demand
The new video game is red-hot and many people are waiting to buy one.

red in the face


- embarrassed
I became red in the face when the teacher asked me a question.

red-letter day


- a day that is memorable because of some important event
It was a red-letter day when my sister received her graduation diploma.
red tape


- excessive formalities in official business
Many businesses complain about the red tape that they must deal with in order to get anything done with the government.
roll out the red carpet


- to greet a person with great respect, to give a big welcome to someone
The government rolled out the red carpet when the politician came to visit.

sail under false colors


- to pretend to be something that one is not (a pirate ship used to disguise itself as an ordinary ship by using a false flag)
The head of the company is sailing under false colors and he does not really understand how the company works.

see pink elephants


- to see things which are not really there because they are only in your imagination
The man was seeing pink elephants according to those who listened to his story.

see red


- to become very angry
My boss saw red when I told him that I would not be coming to work today.

see the color of (someone's) money


- to prove that someone has enough money for something
The car dealer would not let me take the car until he saw the color of my money.

see the world through rose-colored glasses


- to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic
The man sees the world through rose-colored glasses and thinks that everything is wonderful.

show one`s true colors


- to show what one is really like or really thinking
I thought that the woman likes me but she showed her true colors when she began yelling at me on the telephone.

talk a blue streak


- to talk very much and very rapidly
The woman beside me on the bus talked a blue streak for most of the journey.

talk until one is blue in the face


- to talk until one is exhausted
I talked until I was blue in the face but I could not change my teacher's opinion about my essay.

tickled pink


- to be very pleased or delighted by someone or something
"My mother was tickled pink that you visited her when you were in town."

wave a white flag


- to indicate that you have been defeated and that you want to give up
The soldiers were waving a white flag when they surrendered to the enemy.

white elephant


- a useless possession (that often costs money to maintain)
The new airport is a white elephant and nobody wants to use it.

white lie


- a harmless or small lie told to be polite or to avoid hurting someone's feelings
I told my supervisor a white lie yesterday and said that I was sick when actually I was not.

white sale


- the selling of towels or sheets at a reduced price
We went to the white sale at the department store to buy some new sheets.

white-tie event/affair


- an event that requires guests to wear formal dress such as men wearing white bow ties with formal evening dress
I attended a white-tie dinner in honor of the president of our university.

whitewash (something)


- to cover up or gloss over faults or errors or wrongdoing
The government was accused of trying to whitewash the scandal about the illegal money.

with flying colors


- with great or total success
My friend passed the course with flying colors and she now wants to celebrate.

yellow-bellied


- extremely timid, cowardly
The man is yellow-bellied and is never willing to fight for what is right.

black Idioms​

as black as a skillet


- very black
My hands were as black as a skillet when I finished working on the car engine.

as black as a stack of black cats


- very black
The little boy was as black as a stack of black cats after playing outside all day.

as black as a sweep


- very dirty or black (a chimney sweep cleans chimneys and becomes very black)
My friend was as black as a sweep after he finished cleaning the basement.

as black as coal


- very black
My friend's cat is as black as coal.

as black as night


- very dark and black
The old house was as black as night when we entered it.

as black as pitch


- very black
My face was as black as pitch after cleaning the stove all morning.

as black as the ace of spades


- very black
The horse in the parade was as black as the ace of spades.

black and blue


- bruised
My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down the stairs.

black and white


- either good or bad, either one way or the other way, oversimplified
Our boss sees everything in black and white.

black box


- an electronic device such as a flight recorder that can be removed from an aircraft as a single package
The investigators searched for a long time in order to find the black box of the airplane.

black eye


- a bruise near one's eye which makes it appear black
The man received a black eye when he bumped into the closed door.

black market


- the place where goods or money are illegally bought and sold
We sold some cigarettes on the black market during our travels.

black out


- to darken a room or building by turning off the lights
During the war, people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so nobody could see them.

black out


- to lose consciousness
The man blacked out during the parade and he had to sit down and rest.

black sheep (of a family)


- a person who is a disgrace to a family or group
The man is the black sheep in his family and has not made a success of his life.

blackball (someone)


- to exclude or ostracize someone socially, to reject someone
The businessman was blackballed in the industry because of his bad business practices.

blacklist (someone)


- to exclude or ostracize someone, to write someone's name on a list if they break some rules
The sports federation blacklisted the swimmer because he was using steroids.

blackmail (someone)


- to extort or take money from someone by threatening him or her
The photographer tried to blackmail the famous actress with some photographs that he had taken.

blackout


- a temporary situation where you do not release some information
The government decided to have a blackout regarding the political prisoner.

black-tie event/affair


- a formal event where guests wear semi-formal clothes with men wearing black bow ties with tuxedos or dinner jackets
The award ceremony for the movie awards was a black-tie affair.

in black and white


- in writing, officially
I put down my complaint in black and white.

in (someone's) black books


- to be in disgrace or in disfavor with someone
The boy is in his girlfriend's black books because he was late for their date.

in the black


- to be successful or profitable
Our company has been in the black since they began to cut costs.

pitch-black


- very black, as black as pitch
The road was pitch-black and we could not see anything.

pot calling the kettle black


- the person who criticizes or accuses someone else is as guilty as the person he or she criticizes or accuses
My friend criticized me for not changing jobs but that is like the pot calling the kettle black. She will not change jobs either.

put (something) down in black and white


- to write the details of a contract or something on paper
I asked the buyer to put the offer to buy my car down in black and white.

blue Idioms​

black and blue


- bruised
My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down the stairs.

blue blood


- the blood of a noble or wealthy or aristocratic family
Many of the blue bloods of the town went to the opening of the opera.

blue in the face


- to be very angry or upset, to be excited and very emotional
I argued with my supervisor until I was blue in the face.

blue-ribbon


- of superior quality or distinction, the best of a group
A blue-ribbon panel of experts were asked *****ggest a new policy for the city.

get the blues


- to become sad or depressed
The dull cloudy weather has caused me to get the blues.

have the blues


- to be sad or depressed
The man next door seems to have the blues.

out of the blue


- without any warning, by surprise (like something that comes out of a blue sky)
My friend decided out of the blue to quit his job and go to Europe.

talk a blue streak


- to talk very much and very rapidly
The woman beside me on the bus talked a blue streak for most of the journey.

talk until one is blue in the face


- to talk until one is exhausted
I talked until I was blue in the face but I could not change my teacher's opinion about my essay.

pink Idioms​

in the pink (of con***ion)


- in very good health
My grandmother was in the pink of con***ion when I saw her.

look at the world through rose-colored glasses


- to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic
My friend always looks at the world through rose-colored glasses and he does not believe that some people are dishonest.

pink slip


- a termination notice from a job
I received my pink slip last week and I am now looking for a new job.

see pink elephants


- to see things which are not really there because they are only in your imagination
The man was seeing pink elephants according to those who listened to his story.

see the world through rose-colored glasses


- to see only the good things about something, to be too optimistic
The man sees the world through rose-colored glasses and thinks that everything is wonderful.

tickled pink


- to be very pleased or delighted by someone or something
"My mother was tickled pink that you visited her when you were in town."

white Idioms​

as white as a ghost


- very pale because of fear or shock or illness
My sister became as white as a ghost when she saw the man at the window.

as white as a sheet


- very pale
I felt terrible this morning and in the mirror I looked as white as a sheet.

as white as the driven snow


- very white
The fur on the dog was as white as the driven snow.

black and white


- either good or bad, either one way or the other way, oversimplified
Our boss sees everything in black and white.

carte blanche


- the freedom or permission to do what you want (blanche means white in French)
The new manager was given carte blanche to change the policies in her department.

in black and white


- in writing, officially
I put down my complaint in black and white.

put (something) down in black and white


- to write the details of a contract or something on paper
I asked the buyer to put the offer to buy my car down in black and white.

raise a white flag


- to indicate that you have been defeated and that you want to give up
The soldiers raised a white flag and surrendered to the enemy.

wave a white flag


- to indicate that you have been defeated and that you want to give up
The soldiers were waving a white flag when they surrendered to the enemy.

white elephant


- a useless possession (that often costs money to maintain)
The new airport is a white elephant and nobody wants to use it.

white lie


- a harmless or small lie told to be polite or to avoid hurting someone's feelings
I told my supervisor a white lie yesterday and said that I was sick when actually I was not.

white sale


- the selling of towels or sheets at a reduced price
We went to the white sale at the department store to buy some new sheets.

white-tie event/affair


- an event that requires guests to wear formal dress such as men wearing white bow ties with formal evening dress
I attended a white-tie dinner in honor of the president of our university.

whitewash (something)


- to cover up or gloss over faults or errors or wrongdoing
The government was accused of trying to whitewash the scandal about the illegal money.

yellow Idioms​

have a yellow streak


- to be cowardly
The man has a yellow streak and he will not defend you if you are having a problem.

yellow-bellied


- extremely timid, cowardly
The man is yellow-bellied and is never willing to fight for what is right.

Chị ơi, chị làm mấy bải chủ đề đi du lịch hoặc là đi mua sắm đi ạ

OK em, đợi hết cái loạt idioms này nhé [r2)]

Ear/Eye/Nose​

able to (do something) with one's eyes closed/shut


- able to do something very easily
The car mechanic was able to fix my car with his eyes closed.

all ears


- eager to hear something, very attentive
My sister was all ears when I talked about starting a home business.

all eyes


- watching very closely, wide-eyed with surprise
My friend is all eyes when he goes to a basketball game.

all eyes are on (someone or something)


- waiting eagerly for someone to appear or something to happen
All eyes were on the singer when he walked onto the stage.

apple of (someone`s) eye


- someone's favorite person or thing
The young girl is the apple of her father`s eye.

as blind as a bat


- blind, unable to see
The man is as blind as a bat and he cannot see anything.

as plain as the nose on one's face


- clearly evident, obvious
The explanation for the problem was as plain as the nose on my face.

assault the ears


- to be very loud or persistent
The music was very loud and it assaulted my ears.

(not) bat an eye/eyelid


- to show no surprise or reaction even when something bad happens
My boss did not bat an eye when I told him that I was going home early today.

believe one`s ears


- to believe what one is hearing, to become sure of something
I could not believe my ears when I heard that I had won a holiday to Mexico.
I will believe my ears when my boss tells me the news.

believe one`s eyes


- to believe what one is seeing
We could not believe our eyes when we saw the three bears on the highway.
I will believe my eyes when I see the new movie.

bend (someone's) ear


-to talk to someone (usually in an annoying or persistent manner)
I met my co-worker this morning and she bent my ear about her problems at work.

blind leading the blind


-someone who does not know how to do something himself or herself tries to explain it to another person
It was like the blind leading the blind when I tried to help my friend fix his car. I do not know anything about cars.

blow one's nose


-to use the air from one's lungs to clear one's nose
I took some tissue from my pocket so I could blow my nose.

cannot see beyond the end of one's nose


-to not be able to see beyond what concerns one at the present time
My friend cannot see beyond the end of his nose and he has no idea about what is happening around him.

cast a (critical/expert/professional) eye over (someone or something)


- to look at someone or something in a critical or expert or professional way
The movie director cast a critical eye over the movie script from the writer.

cast an eye over (something)


- to read or look at something quickly
I cast an eye over the report before I went to the meeting.

catch (someone`s) eye


- to attract someone`s attention
I tried to catch my friend`s eye at the movie theater but he did not see me.

close one's eyes to (something)


-to ignore something, to pretend that something is not really happening
My father closed his eyes to the problems that were happening in his company.

count noses


-to count people
The teacher stopped to count noses before the students got on the bus.

cry one's eyes out


-to cry very hard
The little girl cried her eyes out when she lost her favorite doll.

cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face


- to make things worse for yourself by trying to harm someone or something else
The man cut off his nose to spite his face when he became angry and quit his job.

deaf and dumb


-unable to hear or speak
The young man is deaf and dumb and he has trouble understanding what is happening around him.

eagle eye


-a very careful watchful eye (like the eye of an eagle)
The woman has an eagle eye and she never misses anything.

ears are burning


- someone is talking about you when you are not there
My ears are burning and I think that someone is talking about me.

ears are ringing


- one hears a ringing sound because of a very loud sound
My ears were ringing after the three fire trucks passed me.

ears become red


- one's ears become red from embarrassment
My ears became red when our teacher asked me a question.

evil eye


- the power to harm people just by looking at them (as some people believe)
The man seemed to give me the evil eye when I met him at the ceremony.

eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth


- a system of punishment where you punish someone in a similar way to how they hurt you
Some people call for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when they learn of a terrible crime.

eye of the storm


- at the center of a storm or controversy
The company scandal is stressful for everybody and at the moment we are in the eye of the storm.

eyeball to eyeball


-face to face
I had an eyeball-to-eyeball encounter with an angry dog at the park.

eyes are bigger than one`s stomach


- one takes more food than one can eat
My eyes were bigger than my stomach when I went to the restaurant and ordered too much food.

eyes pop out (of one's head)


- one is very surprised
My eyes popped out of my head when I saw the computer that I got for my birthday.

fall on deaf ears


-to have one's talk or ideas ignored by the person that they are intended for
My complaints to the apartment manager usually fall on deaf ears and nothing is done.

feast one's eyes on (someone or something)


-to look at someone or something with pleasure or enjoyment
We stopped at the top of the hill to feast our eyes on some of the best scenery that we have ever seen.

flea in (someone`s) ear


- a severe scolding, an idea or answer that is not welcome
We put a flea in the supervisor's ear with our criticism of the new schedule.

follow one's nose


-to go straight ahead, to follow a smell to its source
I followed my nose to the place where they were baking the bread.

four eyes


- an expression (often used by children) for someone who is wearing glasses
The children called their friend with the glasses four eyes.

get a black eye


-to get a bruise near one's eye from being hit, to have one's reputation harmed
The little boy got a black eye when he bumped into the door.
The company got a black eye because of the scandal.

get an eyeful of (someone or something)


-to see everything, to see a shocking or surprising sight
We got an eyeful when we saw the accident on the highway.

get one`s nose out of (something)


- to become uninvolved in something, to become uninvolved in someone else's business
I wish that our secretary would get her nose out of my business.

get the eye from (someone)


- to be looked at by someone in a hostile or unfriendly way
We got the eye from the manager of the restaurant when we entered in our old clothes.

give one's eye teeth (to do something or for something)


- to want to do something very much, to want something very much
I would give my eye teeth to go to London with my cousin.
I would give my eye teeth for a new computer.

give (someone) a black eye


-to hit someone near his or her eye so that it becomes dark, to hurt someone's reputation
The boy gave his friend a black eye.
The scandal gave the company a black eye.

give (someone) an earful


-to talk to someone in order to criticize or complain about something
I met my supervisor and I decided to give her an earful about my job.

give (someone) the eye


- to look at someone in a hostile or unfriendly way
I gave the woman in the restaurant the eye but she ignored me.

go into (something) with one's eyes (wide) open


- to do something or make a choice about something while knowing the problems that are involved and while having all of the necessary information
The couple went into the construction contract with their eyes wide open.

go into (something) with one's eyes closed/shut


- to do something or make a choice about something not knowing the problems that are involved and not having all of the necessary information
The young woman went into her marriage with her eyes closed but still the marriage was very successful.

grin from ear to ear


- to have a big grin on one's face
The man was grinning from ear to ear after he found the money.

hard-nosed


- not weak or soft, stubborn
The union took a hard-nosed position in the contract negotiations.

hard of hearing


- unable to hear well, partially deaf
My grandfather is hard of hearing.

have a good eye for (something)


- to be able to judge something correctly, to have good taste in something
The woman has a good eye for color and her apartment is very beautiful.

have a nose for (something)


- to have the talent for finding something
My friend has a nose for finding cheap items at flea markets.

have an ear for (something)


- to have the ability to learn music or languages
The girl has an ear for languages and she can learn them very fast.

have an ear out for (something)


- to listen carefully for something
The man always has an ear out for business opportunities that may appear.

have an eye for (something)


- to be able to judge something correctly, to have good taste in something
My father has an eye for ceramic plates and he has a large collection of them.

have eyes in the back of one`s head


- to have the ability to know what is happening behind one's back
Our teacher has eyes in the back of her head and she always knows what is going on in the classroom.

have nothing between the ears


- to be stupid, to have no brains or intelligence
The young man has nothing between the ears and he is always making stupid mistakes.

have one's ear to the ground


- to listen carefully because you want to get advance warning of something
I have my ear to the ground to see if any changes are planned for my company.

have one's eye on (someone or something)


- to want someone or something and hope that you will be able to get it or him or her
The woman has her eye on a new job in the company and she is working very hard to get it.
The company has their eye on the famous art director.

have one's eye on (someone or something)


- to watch someone or something carefully, to take care of someone or something
The woman had her eye on her baby as she talked on the telephone.

have one's eyes glued to (something)


- to watch something very carefully and not look away from it
Everybody in the airport lobby had their eyes glued to the television screen.

have one's nose in a book


-to be reading a book
The girl had her nose in a book during the long bus ride.

have one's nose in (something)


- to have unwelcome interest in something, to have impolite curiosity about something
My boss always has his nose in the business of other people and he is not very well-liked.

have one's nose in the air


- to be conceited or aloof
The girl has her nose in the air since she won the speech contest.

have one`s nose to the grindstone


- to work hard or keep busy at something
My friend has his nose to the grindstone and he is studying hard at school.

have (someone's) ear


-to be able to get someone to listen to you (usually someone who has the power or ability to help you)
Our supervisor has the company president's ear and he can talk to him anytime.

have (something) coming out of one's ears


- to have much of something
We have bath towels coming out of our ears and we do not need any more.

have stars in one`s eyes


- to have an appearance or feeling of very great happiness, to be obsessed with show business
The girl had stars in her eyes when she won the spelling contest.

Here's mud in your eye.


- Drink up! (used as a toast)
"Here's mud in your eye," I said as my friend began to drink.

hit (someone) right between the eyes


- to make a strong impression on someone, *****rprise someone greatly
The news about the accident hit us right between the eyes and shocked us.

hold one's nose


- to accept that you have to do something that you do not want to do
I had to hold my nose and sign the legal contract which I did not want to sign.

in a pig's eye


- never
I will never in a pig's eye go with my friend to visit her family.

in one ear and out the other


-a piece of information is heard and then quickly forgotten
Everything that the teacher said went in one ear and out the other and I did not remember anything.

in one`s mind`s eye


- in one`s imagination
I tried to relax and in my mind`s eye pretend that I was on a beautiful island.

in the public eye


- visible to everybody, in public
The politician's wife does not like to be in the public eye.

in the twinkling of an eye


- very quickly
I went into the store and in the twinkling of an eye I lost my wallet.

keep an ear out for (something)


- to listen carefully for something
I plan to keep an ear out for any information about a new job.

keep an eye on (someone or something)


- to watch someone or something carefully, to take care of someone or something
I asked my aunt to keep an eye on our apartment while we went for our holiday.

keep an eye out for (someone or something)


- to watch carefully for someone or something
I am keeping my eye out for my grandparents this morning.
My friend is keeping his eye out for a new car.

keep one's ear to the ground


- to continue to listen carefully in order to get advance warning of something
I am keeping my ear to the ground to see what the new owners of this company plan to do.

keep one's eye on the ball


- to remain alert to what is happening around you, to watch or follow the ball carefully while playing a game
The man tries hard to keep his eye on the ball during a meeting.

keep one's eyes open


- to remain alert and watchful, to notice what is happening around you
I try to keep my eyes open when I am walking downtown at night.

keep one's eyes peeled for (someone or something)


- to remain alert and watchful for someone or something
I waited on the street and kept my eyes peeled for my friend and his car.

keep one`s nose clean


- to stay away from trouble
The judge told the young man to keep his nose clean in order to not go to jail in the future.

keep one`s nose out of (something)


- to not become involved in something or in someone else's business
I wish that our secretary would keep her nose out of my personal affairs.

keep one`s nose to the grindstone


- to continue to work hard at something, to continue to keep busy at something
My friend is keeping his nose to the grindstone in order to save enough money to buy a new car.

lay one's eyes on (someone or something)


- to see or find someone or something
"If you lay your eyes on my house keys please tell me."

lead (someone) around by the nose


- to make someone do what you want
The woman has been leading her husband around by the nose since they got married.

lend (someone) an ear


- to listen to what someone is saying
I asked my friend to lend me an ear and listen to my problem.

listen to (someone) with half an ear


- to not listen carefully to someone
I listened to my friend with half an ear while I listened to the radio.

look at (someone) cross-eyed


- to do something or look at someone in a way that may make him or her angry
If you look at the man cross-eyed he will usually become angry.

look down one`s nose at (someone)


- to look at someone with contempt or dislike, to feel that you are better than someone else
The girl often looks down her nose at people who she does not like.

look (someone) (right/straight) in the eye


- to face and look at someone directly
I looked at the salesman right in the eye and asked for a lower price.

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear


- to create something of value out of something of no value
The girl will never be a good singer. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

make eyes at (someone)


- to try to attract someone, to flirt with someone
The woman in the restaurant likes to make eyes at the customers.

make oneself heard


- to speak loudly so that you can be heard
The speaker tried very hard in order to make himself heard.

more to (someone or something) than meets the eye


- more interesting or intelligent or complicated than it seems
The problem appeared to be simple but there was more to it than meets the eye.

naked eye


- the human eye (not using a microscope or binoculars or telescope etc.)
It was difficult to see the star with the naked eye.

nose about/around (something)


- to look for something private or secret, to investigate something
The man was nosing about the office looking for something.
Many reporters spend a lot of time nosing around the business of famous people.

nose (someone) out or nose out (someone)


- to push someone away, to exclude someone
The older boy nosed the younger boy out of the line.
The little girl was nosed out of the singing contest.

not a dry eye in the house


- everybody in an audience feels sad and begins to cry
There was not a dry eye in the house when the manager gave the farewell speech.

not see farther than/past the end of one's nose


- to not care about anything that is happening to other people or someplace else
My friend cannot see past the end of her nose and she does not know about anything that is happening around her.

on the nose


- in exactly the right place or amount, at exactly the right time
I arrived at 3:00 on the nose.
The amount of money that I received from my friend was right on the nose.

only have eyes for (someone)


- to be loyal or interested in only one person
The man only has eyes for the woman who works in his office.

open (someone's) eyes to (something)


- to become aware of something
The documentary on television opened our eyes to the problems of the homeless people in our city.

out of earshot


- too far from a sound or voice to hear it
I was out of earshot when my friend began to talk about me.

out of the corner of one's eye


- with a quick glance at something
I saw the big truck out of the corner of my eye.

out on one's ear


- to be forced to (unwillingly) leave one's job or organization or home
The man did not pay his apartment rent for two months and he was quickly out on his ear.

pay through the nose for (something)


- to pay too much for something
My mother paid through the nose for her new dress.

play by ear


- to play a musical instrument by remembering the tune and not by reading the music
My sister learned to play the piano by ear when she was a child.

play it by ear


- to decide what to do in a certain situation when you are already involved in the situation, to not plan in advance for something, to improvise
We can play it by ear and decide where to meet later.

poke one's nose into (something)


- to interfere with something, to try to discover things that do not involve you
My aunt always pokes her nose into the business of other people.

powder one's nose


- to put powder on one's nose (usually a woman goes to the restroom to do this)
The singer went to the dressing room to powder her nose before the performance.

prick up one's ears


- to listen more carefully to something (an animal moves its ears up to hear better)
When I heard my friends talking about me I pricked up my ears.

pull the wool over (someone`s) eyes


- to deceive someone, to fool someone, to trick someone
The girl tried to pull the wool over her mother`s eyes when she said that she had been studying all weekend.

put a bug in (someone`s) ear


- to give someone an idea
I put a bug in my friend's ear when I said that I would like to go on a holiday with him.

put a flea in (someone`s) ear


- to give someone a severe scolding, to give someone an idea or answer that is not welcome
I put a flea in my friend's ear when I began to criticize him.

put one's nose to the grindstone


- to do one's work
I put my nose to the grindstone and began to work on my essay for my history class.

put (someone's) eye out


- to puncture or harm someone's eye causing blindness
The man put his eye out when he had the accident with the metal rod.

put (someone's) nose out of joint


- to offend someone, to cause someone to feel insulted
I put my friend's nose out of joint when I asked him to return the money that he had borrowed from me.

raise eyebrows


- to cause surprise or disapproval, to shock people
I raised eyebrows when I arrived at work late this morning.

rub (someone's) nose in (something)


- to remind someone of something that they have done wrong
The girl's supervisor always rubs the girl's nose in it when she makes a mistake.

see eye to eye (with someone)


- to agree with someone, to have the same opinion as someone else
I never see eye to eye with my friend about which television program to watch.

set one's eyes on (someone or something)


- to see someone or something for the first time
I have not set my eyes on my new car yet.

set (something) on its ear


- to cause a group or organization to be excited and interested in something
The new plan set most of the company on its ear. Everybody was very excited about it.

a sight for sore eyes


- a welcome sight
The man was a sight for sore eyes when he came home from his holiday.

(no) skin off (someone`s) nose/teeth


- of no interest or concern or trouble to someone
It is no skin off my nose if I go to the party or not.

smile from ear to ear


- to have a big smile on one's face
The little boy was smiling from ear to ear after he scored the goal.

spit in (someone's) eye


- to insult or annoy someone
The comments by my supervisor were as if he spit in my eye.

stick one's nose into (something)


- to interfere with something, to be nosey about something
I wish that my neighbor would stop sticking his nose into my business.

talk (someone's) ear off


- to talk to someone and bore him or her
The man next to me on the train talked my ear off during the journey.

thumb one`s nose at (someone or something)


- to look with disfavor or dislike at someone or something, to refuse to obey someone
The man thumbed his nose at me when I asked him to stop talking so loud.

a tin ear for (something)


- the inability to judge the value of music etc.
The woman has a tin ear for music and she is not a good singer at all.

to the naked eye


- as something is seen exactly as you look at it
To the naked eye, it looked like there was little damage to the car but actually there was much damage.

turn a blind eye to (someone or something)


- to ignore someone or something troublesome and pretend not to see it
Our teacher sometimes turns a blind eye to the bad behavior of the students in her class.

turn a deaf ear to (someone)


- to pretend not to hear someone, to not pay attention to someone
The supervisor turned a deaf ear to our complaints about the heat.

turn one`s nose up at (someone or something) or turn up one's nose at (someone or something)


- to reject someone or something, to express scorn for someone or something
My sister turned up her nose at the chance to go to nursing school.

under (someone`s) nose


- easily found by someone, right in front of someone
I thought that I had lost my house keys but they were right under my nose.

up to one's ears/eyeballs/neck in (something)


- to have a lot of something, to be much involved or busy with something
I have been up to my ears in work for several weeks now.

walls have ears


- be careful what you say because someone may be listening
"Walls have ears and you should be careful when you are talking about your co-workers."

wet behind the ears


- to be young and inexperienced, to be new in a job or place
The man is wet behind the ears and does not know very much about his company.

win by a nose


- to win by a very small amount
The young horse won by a nose in the horse race.

with a jaundiced eye


- with a prejudiced or distorted way of seeing something
My friend is very smart although he always looks at things with a jaundiced eye.

with an eye to (doing something)


- with the intention of doing something
The community center built their new building with an eye to renting part of it to other organizations.

without batting an eye


- casually, without showing alarm or response or thought
The wealthy man gives much money to charity without batting an eye.