Idioms

Above board Meaning If something is above board, it's been done in a legal and honest way. For example I'm sure the deal was completely above board as I know James well and he'd never do anything illegal or corrupt.

Quick Quiz The government officials are being investigated for corruption. If everything they've done has been above board, they'll have a. a lot to worry about b. nothing to worry about c. something to worry about

Above the law Meaning Not required to obey the law or rules. For example Just because his father is a rich and powerful man, he seems to think he's above the law and he can do whatever he likes. In a democracy, no-one is above the law - not even a president or a prime-minister.

Quick Quiz James seemed to think he was above the law, so he was shocked when a. he failed his law exam b. he was released from jail c. he was arrested for selling drugs

Across the board Meaning If a policy or a situation applies across the board, it affects everything or everyone in a particular group. For example The company has promised to increase salaries across the board, so everyone will get a pay rise.

Quick Quiz The staff cuts will be across the board, so staff will be cut from a. every department b. some departments c. one department

Add fuel to the fire Meaning If you add fuel to the fire, you do something to make a bad situation even worse. For example People are already unhappy, and if the government allows oil prices to increase it'll just be adding fuel to the fire.

Quick Quiz Our workers are already upset, and you'll just add fuel to the fire if you a. give them a bonus b. pay for their medical care c. cut their wages

Add insult to injury Meaning to do or say something that makes a bad situation even worse for someone. For example He said my clothes didn't suit me, and then to add insult to injury he said I needed to lose some weight! The bank took back my car, and then added insult to injury by cancelling my credit cards!

Quick Quiz After saying Beverly made too many mistakes, Bob added insult to injury by saying a. they were small mistakes b. she worked very slowly c. her work was excellent

Against all odds Meaning If you do something against all odds, you do it even though there were many problems and it didn't seem possible to do. For example No-one thought we could do it but, against all the odds, we won the Olympic gold medal.

Quick Quiz Harry was born into a very poor family, but against all odds he became a. a very poor adult b. a very rich man c. a really nice guy

Agree to differ | Agree to disagree Meaning If two people agree to differ, or agree to disagree, they accept that they have different opinions about something and stop trying to change each other's opinion. For example We're never going to think the same way about politics, so let's just agree to differ and leave it at that.

Quick Quiz After arguing about politics for months, Julie and her husband agreed to disagree, and they a. got divorced b. found a new topic to disagree on c. stopped arguing about politics

Ahead of the game Meaning in a position or situation in which one is likely to succeed, win. In a position of advantage; winning or succeeding. For example If you continue to take on volunteer projects at your job, you'll definitely be ahead of the game at some point in your career.

Quick Quiz The best way to stay ahead of the game in the fashion business is to a. do market research and surveys b. copy what your competitors do c. spend less on salaries

All hell broke loose Meaning A situation changes from being relatively peaceful to suddenly being noisy, chaotic, aggressive, or confused. For example Everything was fine in the club until someone yelled, "Fire!" and then all hell broke loose as people started running and screaming and pushing each other.

Quick Quiz All hell broke loose after a. a girl pulled out a phone b. a guy pulled out a gun c. a dentist pulled out a tooth

At the drop of a hat Meaning If you do something at the drop of a hat, you do it immediately, without preparation or planning. For example I'd quit my job at the drop of a hat if I didn't have a family to support.

Quick Quiz Jenny changes jobs at the drop of a hat a. after months of careful planning b. and takes ages to make up her mind c. whenever she gets a good offer

Asking for trouble Meaning If someone is asking for trouble, they're doing something risky that could lead to a problem. likely to cause problems For example If you wear light shoes for a long walk you're asking for trouble.

Quick Quiz You're asking for trouble if you drive your car after a. eating a meal b. watching a movie c. drinking alcohol

(Your) bread and butter Meaning Your bread and butter is your livelihood or the source of your income. For example Bartending is my bread and butter at the moment, but I'm trying to get into acting.

Quick Quiz This job is my bread and butter, so a. I don't really need it b. I don't get paid for it c. I can't afford to lose it

A blessing in disguise Meaning You can say something is a blessing in disguise if it appears to be bad at first, but it results in something very good in the end. For example Being caught in that traffic jam was a blessing in disguise. If I hadn't missed the flight, I would have been on that plane when it crashed. His accident was a blessing in disguise because it gave him lots of time to think about his life while he was recovering, and as a result he made some important changes that improved his life.

Quick Quiz Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it meant I a. got a much better job b. lost my house c. was unemployed for years

Back to square one Meaning If you have to go back to square one, you have to stop and start again, usually because something isn't working as well as expected. For example We were going to start the new company next month, but it's back to square one now that Omar has changed his mind about investing in it.

Quick Quiz The team decided to go back to square one after they a. qualified for the tournament b. failed to qualify c. won the tournament

Back to the drawing board Meaning to start planning something again because the first plan failed. For example My plan didn’t work, so it was back to the drawing board.

Quick Quiz We started an online business, but after a while it was back to the drawing board because a. we couldn't make a profit b. we made a lot of money c. we wanted to improve our drawing

Bark up the wrong tree Meaning If you're barking up the wrong tree, you're looking for something in the wrong place or going about something in the wrong way. For example If you think your boss will put in a good word for you with the director you're barking up the wrong tree.

Quick Quiz The police think the murderer is hiding in the forest, but they're barking up the wrong tree. He is a. in a different tree b. in a different forest c. not in a forest

Beat around the bush Meaning If you beat around the bush, or beat about the bush, you don't say something directly, usually because you don't want to upset the person you're talking to. For example I had trouble telling Pedro he'd lost his job. I started beating around the bush and talking about one door closing and another door opening. Stop beating about the bush. Just tell me what's happened!

Quick Quiz It's hard not to beat around the bush when you have to a. put out a bushfire b. give someone some good news c. tell someone some bad news

Bite your tongue/ hold your tongue Meaning to stop yourself from saying something that you would really like to say. For example I wanted to tell Carlos he was being stupid, but I bit my tongue and just sat there. You're going to have to learn to hold your tongue instead of saying whatever comes into your head.