idioms

IDIOMS [DAY 1 - 25 JUL]

blood, sweat and tears

requiring a lot of effort and hard work

Mr Jack Ma’s success was not due to luck; it was blood, sweat and tears all the way.


have one's heart set on

to be determined to obtain something you want very much

From an early age, Tiger Woods had his heart set on becoming a professional golfer.


bounce off the walls

to be very excited about something, or full of nervous energy

Dhillon cannot wait to start his new job. He is bouncing off the walls.


edge of one's seat

to describe someone who is very interested in something and finds it both extremely exciting and nerve-wrecking

Look at Shane! He is on the edge of his seat watching the match between Argentina and Germany!


bare one's heart/soul

to reveal your innermost thoughts and feelings to someone

John could not keep things to himself any longer. He decided to bare his soul to his best friend.


pull no punches

to speak openly and honestly, holding nothing back

The doctor pulled no punches. He explained in detail the risks of the operation.


fair and square

when something is done in an honest and open manner, the rules are respected and there is no cheating or lying

Gavin won the competition fair and square – there was no doubt about the result.


play by the rules

to behave in a fair and honest way with people

You can trust him, don't worry. He always plays by the rules.

IDIOMS [DAY 5 - 1 AUG]

bring the house down

to give a very successful performance

If Jeremy sings like that on Saturday, he will bring the house down.


come up in the world

when someone is richer than before and has a higher social status

My old school friend has bought an apartment in Sentosa Cove. She has certainly come up in the world.


crest of the wave

to be very successful in what you are doing

Our company is going from success to success. We are on the crest of a wave right now.


(reach) first base

to make progress or begin to have success with someone or something

If you go to the interview dressed like that, you will not get to first base!


rise to the occasion

to manage to do something successfully in difficult circumstances

When her boss broke his leg, Julie had to represent the company at the congress, and she rose to the occasion extremely well.


weather the storm

to succeed in surviving a difficult period or situation

Given the current recession, the company is weathering the storm better than most.


bide one’s time

to wait for a good opportunity to do something

He is not hesitating. He is just biding his time, waiting for the price to drop.


make up for lost time

to increase one’s efforts or work harder to complete something or meet a deadline

Progress has stopped because of bad weather, but we are determined to make up for lost time.


keep a level head

to remain calm and sensible no matter how difficult or distressful the situation may be

All through the hijacking, the pilot kept a level head.


keep one's feet on the ground

to continue to act in a sensible and practical way, even if one becomes successful

His invention was an instant success, but he kept his feet on the ground and invested his money very wisely.


go out of one’s way

to take particular care or make a special effort when doing something

Aunt Betty went out of her way to make us feel comfortable when we visited her.


go to great pains (or lengths)

to do everything that is possible, when trying to achieve something, in order to succeed

The two parties went to great lengths to reach an agreement.

idioms

Education

ones way

ones time

ones feet

ones efforts

bare ones heartsoul

edge of ones seat

lost time

honest way withpeopleyou