C2
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
a pain in the neck
|
someone or something that is very annoying or troublesome | Dealing with all this paperwork is a real pain in the neck. |
|
be all ears
|
to be waiting eagerly to hear about something | I have some exciting news! |
|
be on the tip of my tongue
|
(of a word or name) to be something that you know you know, but cannot immediately remember | Her name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't recall it. |
|
bite your tongue
|
to stop yourself from saying something that you would really like to say | I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from correcting his mistake. |
|
break a leg
|
a way to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance | Break a leg! |
|
cost an arm and a leg
|
to be extremely expensive | I'd love to buy that car, but it would cost me an arm and a leg. |
|
cry your eyes out
|
to cry a lot and for a long time | She cried her eyes out after watching the sad movie. |
|
face the music
|
to accept criticism or punishment for something you have done | After failing the exam, he had to go home and face the music. |
|
get cold feet
|
to suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do | He was going to ask for a promotion, but he got cold feet and didn't say anything. |
|
get something off your chest
|
to tell someone about something that has been worrying you or making you feel guilty for a long time | I need to get something off my chest; I was the one who broke the vase. |
|
give someone a hand
|
to help someone with something | This box is too heavy; could you give me a hand? |
|
have a change of heart
|
to change your opinion or the way you feel about something | I was going to sell my house, but I had a change of heart and decided to stay. |
|
keep an eye on
|
to watch or take care of someone or something | Could you keep an eye on my bag while I go to the restroom? |
|
learn by heart
|
to learn something so well that it can be written or recited from memory | For the play, I had to learn all my lines by heart. |
|
let your hair down
|
to allow yourself to behave much more freely than usual and enjoy yourself | It's the end of exams, so it's time to let your hair down and have some fun. |
|
play it by ear
|
to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than by having a plan in advance | I'm not sure if the weather will be good enough for a picnic, so let's just play it by ear. |
|
pull someone's leg
|
to tell someone something that is not true as a way of joking with them | I was just pulling your leg; of course I didn't quit my job. |
|
see eye to eye
|
to agree with someone completely | My sister and I don't always see eye to eye on politics. |
|
stick your neck out
|
to take a risk by saying or doing something that could be criticized or proved to be wrong | He really stuck his neck out for me by recommending me for the job. |
|
turn a blind eye
|
to intentionally ignore something that you know is wrong or illegal | The manager turned a blind eye to his employee's lateness because he was a top performer. |