1.

In tune: having a good understanding of someone or something

2. Sticking my neck out: bravely say or do something that might be criticized or
might turn out to be wrong
3. Hit the rocks: to reach a low point in one's pursuits
4. In the saddle: you are in power or in control of a situation.
5. A rolling stone: a person who is always travelling and changing jobs has the
advantage of having no responsibilities, but also has disadvantages such as having
no permanent place to live
6. In a nutshell: in as few words as possible
7. Strike a nerve: to make someone feel angry, upset, embarrassed
8. Spill the beans: Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely
9. Cat-and-mouse game: to engage in behavior that is like the way a cat chases a
mouse or plays with a mouse before killing it
10. In principle: you agree with the idea in general, although you might not support it
in reality or in every situation
11. Shake off: manage to recover from it or get rid of it
12. A tall order: something that is very difficult to do
13. Playing with fire: they are doing something dangerous that may result in great
harm for them and cause many problems
14. Kiss the rod: accept punishment submissively
15. Break your back: to work extremely hard
1. you say, for example, that any doctor worth his or her salt would
do something, you mean that any doctor who was good at his or
her job or who deserved respect would do it. Any coach worth his
salt would do exactly as I did.
2. the act of doing something without asking for anything in return
3. someone who creates problems or causes trouble for others
4. a lot of unnecessary anger and worry about a matter that is not
important
5. working or functioning successfully after a good start
6. very strange, unusual, or unpleasant in appearance, sound, or
taste
7. to deceive someone you are having a relationship with by having
a secret sexual relationship with someone else at the same time
8. to direct all of one's attention to (someone or something)
9. working as hard as possible, so that you could not manage to do
any more
10. a policy of giving the most severe punishment possible to
every person who commits a crime or breaks a rule
11. it is supposed to be a secret, but many people know about
it
12. to punish (someone) severely. Mom is going to skin me
alive when she finds out about the broken vase.
13. a panoramic view such as a bird might see, as well as
figuratively
14. laughing uncontrollably.
15. f you say that someone rings the changes, you mean that
they make changes or improvements to the way something is
organized or done. Ring the changes by adding spices, dried
fruit or olives
1. put up the shutters: to close business at the end of the day or permanently
2. chop and change: to keep changing one's mind, way of doing something
3. going places: showing a lot of talent or ability and are likely to become very
successful
4. mumbo-jumbo: confusing or meaningless language
5. lost by a whisker: you almost fail
6. in one piece: without being hurt or damaged
7. throwing caution to the wind: you behave in a way that is not considered
sensible or careful.
8. Plain sailing: to be easy and without problems
9. Do the trick: Bring about a desired result, succeed

10. On the spot: At once, without delay

11. Out at elbows: Wearing clothes that are worn out or torn; poor
12. A put-up job: an attempt to trick or deceive someone
13. A lame duck: someone or something with little real power
14. A couch potato: someone who spends most of their time watching
television and does not exercise or have any interesting hobbies
15. Seen better days: If you say that something has seen better days,
you mean that it is old and in poor condition. The tweed jacket she wore
had seen better days.
1. In the bag: Assured of success, virtually accomplished or won
2. Out of keeping: not agreeing with or sharing important qualities
with (something)
3. A ghost town: a town which used to be busy and wealthy but is
now poor and deserted
4. Eat his words: to admit that something you said before was
wrong
5. Bowed down: to show weakness by agreeing to the demands or
following the orders of (someone or something)
6. Step aside: to leave an important job or position and let
somebody else take your place
7. Got off on the wrong foot: they make a bad start by doing
something in completely the wrong way
8. Did not turn a hair: to remain calm even though something
frightening or shocking has happened
9. Strut his stuff: you act in a proud way and show off

10. Clutching at straws: to be willing to try anything to improve

a difficult or unsatisfactory situation, even if it has little chance of
success
11. Chasing my own tail: to spend a lot of time and energy
doing something, but achieving nothing
12. Still waters runs deep: someone who seems to be
unemotional or who is hard to get to know is in fact interesting
and complex
13. Pipe dream: an idea or plan that is impossible or very
unlikely to happen
14. Swung into action: to quickly start doing something
15. A rule of thumb: a guideline, idea, or principle that helps
you make decisions

1. A hot spot: an exciting place where there is a lot of activity or

entertainment
2. Face the facts: accept that something is true
 3. There is something in the wind: people are talking about it and it may
happen, but no one is sure
4. Has a blind spot: covered or hidden from sight. For example, the boss
has a blind spot about Henry; he wouldn't fire him for anything, or Dad
has a blind spot about opera; he can't see anything good about it
5. A severe jolt: an abrupt, sharp, jerky blow or movement. awoke with a
jolt. 2. A (1): a sudden feeling of shock, surprise, or disappointment.
6. On the breadline: extremely poor
7. The donkey-work: to do the hard, boring part of a job: Why should I do
all the donkey work while you sit around doing nothing?
8. Two-faced: not sincere, saying unpleasant things about you to other
people while seeming to be pleasant when they are with you: I don't
trust her - I suspect she's a bit two-faced.
9. Making waves: to shock or upset people with something new or
different: When I started the job, a friend told me not to make waves
because the managers didn't like people to disagree with them

10. Come up in the world: to have more money or a better social

position than you had before
11. A load off his mind: it causes you to stop worrying
12. A mug’s game: an activity in which it is foolish to engage because it
is likely to be unsuccessful or dangerous.
13. Try his wings: to try to do something new to see if you can succeed.
He was very keen to try his wings and be a deputy on his own.
14. A fit: to become very angry or worried, often shouting a lot
15. Currying favour: to praise someone, especially someone in authority,
in a way that is not sincere, in order to get some advantage for yourself

1. on tap: Available for immediate use, ready

2. began to see daylight: Realize that a task is finally nearing completion, that
success or the right solution is near at hand. For example, I've been working on
this experiment for two years and I'm finally beginning to see daylight

3. better late than never: doing something late is better than not doing it at all.
Example of Use: "Sorry I was late for the meeting today; I got stuck in traffic."
Answer: "That's okay; better late than never."

4. ill at ease: not comfortable or relaxed, nervous or embarrassed

5. pass the hat around: to try to collect money by asking people or organizations

6. the game was up: a dishonest plan or activity has been discovered and will no
longer be allowed to continue

7. an all-rounder: good at a lot of different skills, academic subjects, or sports

8. hard of hearing: 'Hard of hearing' means to be somewhat deaf. 'They make

small talk, loudly, with Walker, who is hard of hearing. '

9. on pins and needles: to be very anxious or nervous because you are waiting to
see if something happens the way you want it to

10. come to mind: Be recollected, occur to one / you think of it without making
any effort

11. come clean: be completely honest; keep nothing hidden. As evidence piled
up, she was forced to come clean about her criminal activity

12. on the dot: exactly at a particular time. She arrived at 3 o'clock on the dot

13. over the top: the special effects are a bit over the top but I enjoyed it

14. the fat is in the fire: A course of action with inevitable bad consequences has
begun; there's trouble ahead

15. hit the jackpot: to win the largest prize in a competition or game. to have a big
success or make a big profit, usually through luck: He seems to have hit the
jackpot with his new invention