Appendix 2. Idioms/Fixed Phrases. clear the air. remove suspicion/bad feeling. all but. nearly, almost. all in.

exhausted. all in all. when everything is considered. all the same. yet, however. all told. altogether, in total. be the apple of somebody's eye. be very precious to somebody, be somebody's favourite. be up in arms. be very angry. for all. in spite of. for all I care. I don't care. for all I know. as far as I know. in the act of. while performing the act. in the air. uncertain. make allowances for. take special circumstances into consideration. make amends for. try to compensate for a past action. of all people. used to express annoyance/surprise. on account of. because of. on no account. under/in no circumstances. on the air. broadcasting (opposite. off the air). on the alert. watchful and prepared/on the lookout/expecting something. take something into account. consider something. on this/ that account. for this/that reason. whet somebody's appetite. make somebody eager to have/experience more. up in the air. existing, but not talked about. above board. honest. bark up the wrong tree. have a false idea about something. be broke. have no/very little money. be full of beans. be very lively. be in somebody's black books. out of favour. beat about/around the bush.

avoid saying what one means directly. behind bars. in prison. big-headed. conceited, boastful. black and blue all over. covered with bruises. blessing in disguise. something which appears bad at first but then turns out favourably. blue-eyed boy/golden boy. a favoured person. bolt from the blue. suddenly. brainwave. sudden clear idea/thought. break even. show neither loss nor profit. browned off. fed up, bored. butter somebody up. flatter somebody. by and large. generally speaking. catch somebody red-handed. catch somebody while committing a crime. chip off the old block. somebody who is very like one of his parents. cost a bomb. very expensive. deal a blow to. damage one's hopes. don't hold your breath. don't wait for somebody/something anxiously. drive a hard bargain. be a tough businessman. drop a brick. say something tactlessly. feel in one's bones. feeling something instinctively. get you own back. take/get revenge. have a bee in one's bonnet. have an obsession about something. have butterflies in one's stomach. be very nervous about something. in black and white. in writing. in the balance. uncertain. kick the bucket. die. lay bare. make public. make a clean breast of. confess. make one's blood boil. cause somebody to become very angry. on the spur of the moment. without thinking about something. out of the blue.

suddenly and unexpectedly. ring a bell. remind somebody of something. see the back of. be glad to see somebody leave. take the bull by the horns. deal with something boldly and directly. wet blanket. dull person who spoils people's happiness. a piece of cake. something very easy to do. a red-letter day. a very important day. a wild-goose chase. a hopeless search. be caught red-handed. be caught while committing a crime. be on the cards. be likely to happen. be over the moon. be elated. call somebody names. insult somebody. chair a meeting. preside over a meeting. crocodile, tears. false tears. cross one's mind. think of something. cut somebody dead. ignore somebody. different as chalk and cheese. totally different. down in the dumps. depressed/miserable. down the drain. wasted, lost. get a bit hot under the collar. get angry, upset or embarrassed. get a problem off one's chest. tell somebody else about your problem. go to the dogs. worsen. have the cheek. dare to do something. keep one's chin up. not be discouraged. let sleeping dogs lie. avoid mentioning a subject which could cause trouble. lost cause. hopeless situation or case. off colour. look/be slightly unwell. on the dole. receiving unemployment benefit/social security. play one's cards right. act cleverly. show one's true colours. reveal one's real character. with flying colours.

with great success. not count one's chickens before they're hatched. not assume something before it happens. be dying for something. really want something. be fit for. be good enough for. be worn out. be very tired. be green. be inexperienced. cook one's goose. end one's plans abruptly. fair and square. within the rules. fall head over heels. fall in love quickly. feel one's ears burning. have a feeling that somebody is talking about you. gatecrasher. somebody attending a party, event etc. without an invitation. get off on the wrong foot. argue or disagree at the beginning of a relationship. give and take. compromise. gave a frog in one's throat. inability to speak due to nervousness. have the gift of the gab. be able to talk well, persuasively. hear it through/on the grapevine. find out information indirectly. in a flash. very quickly. it's all Greek to me. something new or foreign, not easily understood. keep a straight face. manage to look serious under difficult circumstances. keep an eye on something. guard/protect something. meet behind closed doors. meet secretly. one's flesh and blood. family member. plenty more fish in the sea. many more opportunities in life for love. put one's foot down. insist on something. put one's foot in it. make a tactless comment. take it easy. not work too hard/relax. take somebody for granted. not appreciate somebody. a bit of a dark horse. person with hidden abilities. be for the high jump. about to be reprimanded/punished. be in two minds about something. not be able to decide what to do. be sound asleep.

sleep deeply. be the perfect image of somebody. look exactly like somebody. before one can say jack Robinson. extremely quickly. break the ice. ease the tension when one first meets people. eat one's heart out. feel jealous/ sad about something. flog a dead gorse. waste time doing something useless. fly off the handle. quickly become very angry. get out of hand. become out of control. get the hang of it. get in the habit of doing something. go to one's head. make somebody conceited. grey matter. brains, intelligence. hand in glove with somebody. be in very close contact with somebody. have a job to do something. find something difficult to do. have many irons in the fire. have lots of plans/possibilities in progress at the same time. have one's heart in one's mouth. be extremely anxious about something. have time on one's hands. have free time. hold one's horses. wait, be patient. ill at ease. embarrassed, uncomfortable. keep something under one's hat. keep something secret. keep up with the Joneses. compete with others in status/material goods. lend somebody a hand. give help to somebody. like the back of one's hand. be very familiar with something. lose heart. become discouraged. make head nor tail of. understand something. off the cuff. without preparation. stew in one's own juice. suffer the consequences of one's own actions. straight from the horse s mouth. from the most direct source. have somebody's hands full. be very busy with something. something comes in handy. be very useful/practical. strike gold. come across something useful. take something to heart. take personally/be influenced by.

take to one's heels. run away. the ins and outs. the details of an activity. the tip of the iceberg. small evident part of a much larger, concealed situation. at large. free, not caught. be in the know. be well-informed. bring to one's knees. destroy, humble. bury one's head in the sand. avoid or ignore reality/responsibility come to a head. reach a critical point. drop somebody a line. send somebody a letter. fine kettle of fish. confused state of affairs. get rid of something. give something unwanted away. go to any lengths. do anything necessary to get something you want. have kittens. be nervous/anxious about something. keep one's fingers crossed. hope that something will turn out well. keep oneself to oneself. live quietly, privately. make a killing. have a sudden, great success/profit. make light of. treat something as unimportant. make/earn a/ one's living. earn money. on the level. honest/sincere. pull one s leg. tease or trick somebody. shed light upon. give new/further information. sleep like a log. be sound asleep. the life and soul of something. the most lively and amusing person present somewhere. the lion's share the biggest part/portion. turn over a new leaf. make a new start. with a view to doing something. with the intention or hope of doing something. a night owl. person who enjoys staying up late. be second to none. be the best. cross one's mind. occur to one, have a sudden idea, recall something. cry over spilt milk. grieve over something that can't be put right. every nook and cranny. everywhere.

feel/be down in the mouth. feel discouraged/depressed. get a move on. hurry up. get on one's nerves. irritate/annoy somebody. have an early night. go to bed early. hit the nail on the head. say exactly the right thing. in a nutshell. briefly, in a few words. lose one's nerve. lose courage. make a name for oneself. become famous/respected for something. make hay while the sun shines. take advantage of favourable circumstances. make money hand over fist. make a lot of money quickly and easily. make one's getaway. escape. moon around. look miserable. null and void. invalid, not legally binding. once in a blue moon. very rarely. put somebody's name forward. nominate somebody. put words into one's mouth. pretend that somebody has said something that they haven't actually said. slip one's mind. forget about something. work a miracle. make something almost impossible happen. give the green light to something. give permission to proceed with something. a bitter pill to swallow. a difficult fact to accept. against all odds. despite the difficulties. be out of practice. lacking practice. come to the point. reach the main point in a discussion. fall into place. become clear. get the sack. be dismissed from one's job. get the wrong end of the stick. misunderstand completely what has been said. golden opportunity. the best chance to gain something. grease somebody's palm. bribe somebody. grow out of something. become too big for something. have no option but. must, have no choice.

in public. in the presence of other people. in the offing. likely to happen. off the point. irrelevant. once and for all. for the last time. out-and-out. complete, total out in the open. (of secrets) revealed, known. out of print. (of books) not available anymore. out of the frying pan into the fire. from a situation to a worse/similar one. part and parcel of. basic part of. past one's prime. growing old/not at one's best. pop the question. make a proposal of marriage. short and sweet. brief but pleasant (usually ironic) status symbol. property/possession that shows somebody's high social rank wealth etc. take things to pieces. dismantle things. throw a party. have/hold a party. white elephant. useless/unwanted possession. an unknown quantity. person or thing that one has no experience of. as a last resort. when all else has failed. at close quarters. from a short distance. be in a quandary. be confused, undecided. beg the question. makes people want to ask a particular question. call it quits. give up/stop. cut somebody to the quick. deeply hurt somebody's feelings. hit the roof. get very angry. in a rut. be stuck in a monotonous routine. in the long run. after a long period of time. it stands to reason. it is logical. keep something quiet. keep something secret. know the ropes. know all the details of something. off the record. unofficially/unofficially.

on the quiet. secretly. open to debate. not decided/settled. out of the question. impossible. put down roots. settle down. work to rule. adhere strictly to the rules as a form of protest. rack somebody's brains. think very hard about something. a long shot. a wild guess/a risk. a memory like sieve. a poor memory. be all at sea. be in a state of confusion. be in somebody s shoes. be in somebody s position. be in the same boat. be in the same (usually bad) situation. be the spitting image of somebody. look exactly like somebody. be/get soaked to the skin. be/get very wet. be/have a close shave. barely avoid an accident/a bad situation. behind the scenes. in secret. come out of one's shell. gain personal confidence. does it show? is it obvious? give somebody the slip. escape from somebody. go for a song. be sold very cheaply. go without saying. be a foregone conclusion. hit the sack. go to bed. live out of a suitcase. travel often/not have a permanent home. make quite a scene. become angry in a dramatic way. on a shoe string. on a very small budget. pull a few strings. use influential contacts in order to obtain an advantage. pull one's socks up. make a greater effort. sleep on it. think about something. smell a rat. suspect that something is wrong. spill the beans. reveal a secret/the facts. stand in somebody's way. prevent somebody form doing something.

take something with a pinch of salt. not believe something completely. the last straw. the last and worst episode in a chain of bad experiences. thick-skinned. insensitive. (by) trial and error. leaning from one's mistakes. be ahead of one's time. have modern ideas. be as thick as a brick/be thick. be stupid. be tickled pink. be really pleased. come to a standstill. not progress/stop. some to terms with. accept a difficult situation. for the time being. temporarily. in a tick. shortly, soon. in the nick of time. just in time. kill time. pass time while waiting for somebody/something. lay the table. prepare/set the table for a meal. not be one's cup of tea. not suit one's taste. on second thoughts. having changed one's mind. out of turn. not in the correct order/time. paint the town red. gave a great time. play truant. stay away from school without permission. put two and two together. arrive at the truth by looking at the facts. red tape. unnecessary bureaucracy. take one's time. not to hurry. through thick and thin. whatever happens. touch and go. with uncertain result. be all very well. appear satisfactory but in fact not be. be on the up and up. improve steadily. be up and about. have recovered from an illness. drive somebody up the wall. make somebody angry/annoy somebody. frosty welcome. unfriendly reception. get out of bed on the wrong side. be in a bad mood. get wind of.

receive information about something indirectly. give vent to. express something freely. give way to. give in/yield. not hold water. not seem reasonable or in accordance with the facts. make a flying visit. make a quick trip. make waves. cause trouble. no/little wonder. not surprising. quick/slow on the uptake. quick/slow to understand. set in one's ways. fixed in one's habits/routines. speak volumes. be strong evidence of somebody's feelings, merits etc. under the weather. depressed/unwell. up and coming. likely to be successful. ups and downs. good things alternating with bad ones. wet behind the ears. inexperienced. an old wives' tale. false belief (usually about health) be born yesterday. be easily deceived/naive. beat somebody black and blue. hit somebody repeatedly until bruised. go back on one's word. not fulfill a promise (opposite: keep one's word). have a yellow streak. be a coward. not have it both ways. refuse to make a decision between two pleasant things (usually in expression "Yo u can't have it both ways!"). in the red. owe money to a bank (opposite: in the black). see red. suddenly become very angry. green belt. the area on the outskirts of a town adjoining the country. pitch black. very dark. black tie. formal clothing. green with envy. very jealous. green (matter/issue). concerned with ecology. have words with somebody have an argument. have/keep one's wits about one. be alert and able to deal with difficulties. in deep water. in trouble/difficulty.

make somebody's day. make somebody very happy. see/look at something through rose-coloured spectacles. see something from an unrealistically positive point of view. the black sheep of the family. a disgraced family member. to pot calling the kettle black. accusing somebody of a fault one has oneself. the year dot. a long time ago. until one is blue in the face. as hard/long as one possibly can (usually without success). red herring. something which distracts you from something important. fight like cat and dog. disagree violently. like a bull in a china shop. behave in a clumsy/awkward way. make a dog's dinner (of something). make a mess of something. a bear with a sore head. irritated/in a bad mood. a different kettle of fish. a totally different situation etc. form the one just mentioned. a dog's life. a difficult, hard life. a fish out of water. somebody who feels uncomfortable/in unfamiliar surroundings. a red rag to a bull. action, comment etc. liable to provoke somebody. a sitting duck. an easy target. as busy as a bee/a busy bee. somebody very busy. as the crow flies. in a direct line/by a direct route. be in the doghouse. be out of favour, in trouble. dog eat dog. ruthless competition, rivalry. dog-eared. (of books) with the corners bent and turned down through use. donkey work. boring, monotonous work. donkey's years. a long time. kill two birds with one stone. achieve two things with one action. let the cat out of the bag. reveal a secret. like water off a duck's back. having no effect. make a fool of oneself. make oneself look stupid/embarrassed/ridiculous. make a mountain out of a molehill. cause a fuss about a trivial matter. no room to swing a cat. no room at all. play cat and mouse with somebody. keep somebody in a state of uncertain expectation treating them alternatively cr

uelly and kindly. put the cat among the pigeons. cause trouble/controversy. rain cats and dogs. rain heavily. swim like a fish. swim very well. talk the hind legs off a donkey. talk for a long time, uninterrupted. the rat race. the competitive nature of modern urban life. until the cows come home. for a long time. mutton dressed as lamb. dress in a style younger than/inappropriate to your age. sour grapes. say unpleasant comments because of jealousy. sweet tooth. enjoy eating sweet things. get nowhere fast. make no/little progress. pay somebody's way. contribute your share of a bill/budget. white-collar job. office/clerical work. fly on the wall. see/hear something in a situation which does not involve you. Achilles heel. weakest point of somebody's character. wash somebody's hands of somebody. refuse to be involved with somebody. a pain in the neck. annoying person/thing. be all fingers and thumbs. be awkward, clumsy. get cold feet. lose courage to do something. give somebody the cold shoulder. ignore/shun somebody. have a cheek/nerve. act/speak boldly or impudently. have a sharp tongue. tend to say unkind or hurtful things. have an eye for. be a good judge of something. look down one's nose at somebody/something. feel/act superior to somebody. lose one's head. lose self-control put one's heart and soul into something. be devoted to something. tongue in cheek. not serious, ironic. tooth and nail. fiercely. turn a blind eye to something. ignore. not lose any sleep over something. not worry about something. jack of all trades.

somebody who is able to do a variety of jobs. a storm in a teacup. a lot of fuss about something that is not important. bring something home to somebody. make somebody understand how important/serious something is. bite off more than somebody can chew. try to do something which is too difficult. in clover. living a luxurious/comfortable life. face the music. be criticised/punished for something you have done.