ENGELS TAAL & TEKST
IDIOMS & PHRASAL VERBS
to not be out of the woods Not yet free from difficulties or problems
Take a back seat Deliberately become less actively involved in sth,
and stop trying to control things
My heart sank Used to tell sb that you suddenly felt sad or worried
about sth
Having said that Used to say that sth is true despite what you have
just said
The next thing I knew Used to say that sth happened very quickly and
unexpectedly
I thought as much Used to say that you are not surprised that sth is
true
More than likely Very likely
More than happy Very happy
More than ready Very ready
To be hard pressed to do sth Find it very difficult to do sth
Be pushed/put to do sth Find it very difficult to do sth
To get out of bed on the wrong side Used to say that sb is in a bad mood
A sore point Sth that makes you upset, angry or embarrassed
when sb mentions it
Put your foot in it Accidentally say sth that embarrasses, upsets or
annoys sb
It serves sb right (for doing sth) Used to say that you think sb deserves sth
unpleasant that happens to them
Not do a stroke of work Not do any work at all
Take it/sth personally Feel that a failure is your fault, or feel offended by
sth/sb
To land on your feet It will be alright
To fall on your feet It will be alright
Hang on in there Keep going, holding on
If my memory serves me correctly If I remember correctly
Keeping up with the Joneses To do whatever is necessary to stay level or equal
with someone or something
The last straw the latest problem in a series of problems, that
makes a situation impossible to accept
Rest assured that… You can feel confident that it is true or that it will
happen
To hit the ground running To start doing something and proceed quickly and
succesfully
To sort out the sheep from the goats To distinguish the able people from the less able
people
To put a brave face on it To pretend you feel confident and happy when you
do not
To not throw in the towel To admit you’ve been defeated and stop trying
To be in the same boat To be in the same difficult situation
Sb’s bark is worse than his bite He is not as aggressive as he sounds
To wait for the dust to settle Wait for an unsettled situation to become calm
To be in the driving seat The person in control of a situation
On the right track Acting in a way that will bring a desired result
On the wrong track Acting in a way that will bring an unwanted result
To be on the ropes now Having serious problems and likely to fail
,Find yourself in a tight corner To be in a difficult situation
Find yourself in a tight spot To be in a difficult situation
To play sb’s cards close to their chest To keep their plans or ideas secret
To have sth op your sleeve To have a plan or idea they will keep secret until
needed
To strike while the iron is hot Make use of an opportunity immediately because
now is the best time to do it
To have a chip on your shoulder To be sensitive about or feel offended by sth, as a
result of sth that happened in your past
Have your head screwed on To be practical and wise
Lose your head To lose control and not act in a calm way
Use your head Used to tell sb in a slightly angry way to think more
carefully about what they’re doing
Break sb’s heart To make sb who loves you very sad, usually by telling
that person you have stopped loving them
Take sth to heart To think about criticism or advise seriously, often
because it upsets you
Not have the heart to do sth To feel unable to do sth because you feel it would be
unkind
I let my heart rule my head To do sth based on emotions rather than logic
Be on the same wavelength Think in a similar way
Bite the bullet Force yourself to do sth unpleasant or difficult that
you’ve been avoiding
Beat a hasty retreat Go away quickly from an unpleasant place or
situation
Take the wind out of sb’s sails Make sb less confident by saying or doing sth
unexpected
Be in the saddle Be in a position of control or responsibility
Get your wires crossed Become confused by what sb is saying because you
think they’re talking about sth else
Learn the ropes Learn how to do a particular job
Keep a tight rein on sth/sb Control sb/sth carefully or strictly
Eat up Eating all of sth
Eat in Eat at home this evening
Eating into Using up all of sth
Come up Rise
Tear sth up Destroy it by tearing it to pieces
Take against sb/sth Start to dislike sb/sth
Put down Land
Put sth down Write sth, especially a name or number, on a piece
of paper or a list OR kill an old or sick animal with a
drug
Put yourself/sb down Criticize yourself or sb else in front of other people
Put sb/sb’s name down for sth Write sb’s name on a list so that they can take part
in sth
Put sth down to sth Believe sth is caused by sth
Put sb up to sth Encourage or persuade sb to do sth wrong or stupid
Talk sb into/out of (doing) sth Persuade sb to do/not to do sth
Count on sb to do sth Trust sb to do sth
Work out + wh- clause Find the answer to sth
Do sb out of sth To stop sb from getting or keeping sth, especially in a
dishonest or unfair way
Watch out for sth/sb To keep an eye out for sth/sb
Stand out against sth/sb To publicly oppose sth/sb
Let sb off To not punish sb who has committed a crime or
, done sth wrong, or to not punish them severely
To burst in on sb To enter a room or building suddenly and without
warning
To not hold sth against sb To not consider sth as a reason to have a bad
opinion about sb or sth
Breakout An escape from prison by a group
To break out (of sth) To escape from prison by a group
Getaway An escape or quick departure, especially from the
scene of a crime OR a short holiday
To get away To escape, especially from the scene of a crime OR
to go on a short holiday
Climbdown An act of admitting that you were wrong
To climb down To admit that you were wrong
Cover-up A course of action taken to hide a mistake or illegal
activity from the public
To cover sth up To hide a mistake or illegal activity from the public
Intake An act of taking sth in, especially breath, food, etc.
To take in To take in breath, food, etc.
Summing-up A legal statement made by a judge, magistrate or
lawyer which gives a summary of the evidence in a
court
To sum up To make a legal statement made by a judge,
magistrate or lawyer which gives a summary of the
evidence in a court
Outbreak A sudden start of violence, war, disease, etc.
To break out To start violence, war, disease, etc.
Backup Extra help or support you can get if necessary
To back sb/sth up To give sb/sth extra help or support if necessary
A passer-by Someone walking past sth by chance, especially
when sth unexpected happens
To pass by sth/sb To walk past sth/sb by chance, especially when sth
unexpected happens
A bystander Sb who watches what is happening, e.g. an accident,
without taking part
To stand by To watch what is happening, e.g. an accident,
without taking part
An onlooker Sb who watches what is happening, e.g. an accident,
without taking part
To look on To watch what is happening, e.g. an accident,
without taking part
Throwaway (of goods) produced cheaply and intended to be
thrown away after use
Throwaway society A society in which goods are produced cheaply and
intended to be thrown away after use
To throw sth away To throw cheaply produced goods away after use
Breakaway Having separated from a larger group or part
To break away from sb/sth To separate from a larger group or part
Knockout A competition in which players or teams continue
competing until there is only one winner left
To knock sb out (of sth) To compete until there is only one winner left
Off-putting To be strange or unpleasant, in a way that prevents
you from liking them
To put sb off To be strange or unpleasant, in a way that prevents
you from liking them
Ongoing Continuing to exist or develop
, To go on To continue to exist or develop
Outspoken Saying what you think, even when it upsets people
To speak out (against sth) To say what you think, even when it upsets people
Watered down Sth weaker and less powerful than it was originally
To water sth down To weaken and make sth less powerful than it was
originally
Worn out Sb very tired because they have been working hard
OR sth too old or damaged to be used
To wear sb/sth out To be very tired because they have been working
hard OR to be too old or damaged to be used
Leftover Remaining after you have finished or used what you
want or need
Leftovers Remaining food after you have finished or used what
you want or need
To be left over (from sth) To remain after you have finished or used what you
want or need
Like/love the sound of your own voice (-) talk too much, usually without listening to other
people
Not suffer fools gladly Not be polite or patient with people you think are
less intelligent than you
(as) tough as old boots Very strong and able to bear pain, criticism, etc.
without complaining
On the surface When you consider obvious things
Deep down When you take a closer look
Play it cool Hide your feelings so that you appear calm and
controlled
Under sb’s thumb Controlled or influenced by sb
Have a quick temper Become angry easily and often
(as) thick as two short planks Sb very stupid
(as) mad as a hatter Strange or crazy
Barking (mad) Strange or crazy
To be mad keen on To like sb very much
To be hopping mad Very angry
A creature of habit A person who likes to do the same thing at the same
time on a regular basis
A live wire A person who is lively and full of energy and
enthusiasm
A bright spark A lively and intelligent person OR a person who has
done sth stupid
A soft touch A person from whom you can easily get money
because they are kind or easy to deceive
An unknown quantity A person or thing whose qualities and abilities are
not yet known
The salt of the earth A good, reliable, honest person
The scum of the earth A person or group considered to be extremely
unpleasant or evil
Nobody’s fool A person who is too clever to be tricked by other
people
No fool A person who is too clever to be tricked by other
people
A nasty piece of work A person who is unpleasant, unkind, or dishonest
A cold fish (-) a person who shows little emotion or seems
unfriendly
A man/woman of his/her word A person who always does what he/she has
promised to do
