Some Useful Idioms for the IELTS

Speaking Test with Meaning

by cquanly

Idiom Meaning Usage (Answer)

To have a whale of time It means to enjoy a lot . Anyone visiting the city can have a whale of a time.
(có nhi ều ni ềm vui khi
làm m ột vi ệc gì đó)

To be on cloud nine Being extremely happy about I was on cloud nine when I got the news from my
(sướng 9 t ầng mây something that has happened. parents. It was a lot of hard work and dedication that got
)) ) me here.

It makes my blood boil It means to be disgusted and I mainly do not like her because she is too selfish and
(sôi máu) infuriated. disappointing. She yells and mistreats me. Even the
thought of her makes my blood boil.

I hit the ceiling To become extremely angry. My mother got me a new bicycle when I was 13. However,
my brother borrowed it, and he crashed it. I hit the
ceiling when I got to know about it. Luckily, I got a new
one the next day.

On the dot Exactly at the right time . Whenever I am supposed to reach any place, I am always
on the dot. I do not make delays unnecessarily, which has
helped me in life.

Find my feet To be comfortable with I was weak at it in my school days, but I always tried to
something. understand it better. Slowly with the help of my father, I
found my feet and got better at the subject. He helped by
giving me extra time. Soon, it became my favorite subject,
and now I am pursuing it further.

Set in their ways It means not wanting to My parents are very cooperative in my choices and
change. decisions. They have always helped me become
independent. However, they are not very welcoming to a
few modern thoughts. They are set in their ways , in that
respect. It creates some clashes among us as they always
have their own experience.

Burn the midnight oil To stay up till late for a I always wished to study abroad after high school? It was
(th ức khuya đ ể làm m ột meaningful reason. not easy for me to reach here as I had to burn the
vi ệc gì đó) midnight oil every day. I am not an early person, and I
usually get my work done at night.

Down in the dumps It means you are disappointed Based on subject requirements and ranks, I had submitted
and sad. my application to eight colleges, and I was a bit down in
the dumps with the results as I got six rejections. Luckily,
I soon received admission confirmation from this
prestigious college, and I am very happy about it.

To be over the moon It means to feel fulfilled and I was over the moon because my sister visited us after
happy . six years in the USA. It was an emotional yet amazing day.

Common Idioms for IELTS (a-z) by

cquanly
Idiom Meaning Example
A blessing in disguise A positive thing that isn’t I failed in the English test during my pre-boards. It proved
(trong cái r ủi có cái may) recognized until later as a blessing in disguise to push myself hard to achieve a
distinction in my final board exams.

A drop in the ocean A small portion of something The budget sanctioned for marketing the product is just a
(Một ph ần r ất nh ỏ c ủa big. drop in the ocean.
một vi ệc gì đó)
We need more than this to increase the sales.

Actions speak louder It is better to do something We must take steps to control increasing pollution levels.
than words rather than just talk about it. Actions speak louder than words.

An arm and a leg Very expensive My vacation to Hawaii cost me an arm and a leg

Back to the drawing When an attempt to do I only scored 7.5 in my IELTS test. I have to be back to the
board something fails and it is time drawing board now.
to begin all over again but in a
new way

Bite my tongue Want to say something but I have to bite my tongue in front of the manager about the
stopping oneself deadline of the task given.

Bite the hand that feeds Hurt or upset someone I was teaching him English, and he did not inform me about
you helping you. his good scores. One should not bite the hand that feeds
you.

Cut to the chase Leaving all the unnecessary Long discussions during the meeting will only lead to a
details and getting to the
 point directly. waste of time.

Let us cut to the chase.

Every cloud has a silver Believing that every bad Don’t be upset over your broken engagement. Every cloud
lining situation has a positive side has a silver lining.
that will eventually result in
something good

Fixed in their ways Not wanting to change from My parents are very fixed in their ways . They never like
the normal ways of doing using online banking rather prefer vising the bank.
things

Found my feet To become comfortable in I wanted to be a doctor but ended up being an engineer.
what you are doing However, I have found my feet.

Go the extra mile Doing much more than was My husband go to the extra mile to take care of me during
required when doing my pregnancy.
something

Got up on the wrong side To refer to someone who is Seems the teacher got up on the wrong side of the bed
of the bed this morning having a bad day this morning . Her mood is terrible today.

Hit the nail on the head Say exactly the right thing I think you have hit the nail on the head. That is why you
got this project.

If it is not one thing. It's When everything seems to be I got late for the exam and now missed my admit card.
the other going wrong Seems if it is not one thing. It’s the other.

Keep an eye on him Watch someone or something The student at the last bench seems to cheat in the exam.
carefully Keep an eye on him.

Let sleeping dogs lie Avoid a conflict There is no point arguing with her. I would better let the
sleeping dogs lie.

Let the cat out of the bag Tell someone something that I told your mother about our last weekend party. I be sorry
you were not supposed to I did not mean to let the cat out of the bag.

Practice makes perfect Continuously doing We should keep studying for IELTS. Practice makes
something to improve perfect .

Rule of thumb Principal that is strictly As a rule of thumb , I don’t work on weekends. I spend the
adhered/kept to time with my family.

Smell a rat To sense that something is not The candidate said he has done certification in Digital
right Marketing but does not remember the year. I can smell a
rat.

The ball’s in your court Telling someone it’s now their You have been selected for admission to two international
turn to make a decision universities. The ball is in your court now.
Tongue-in-cheek Something said in humor It was all tongue-in-cheek . He did not mean to hurt you.
rather than seriously

Under the weather Unwell She could not attempt the exam as she was under the
weather.

Until the cows come For a very long time He has been trying to get admission in an international
home university until the cows come home.

Water under the bridge Things from the past that is The two brothers have disagreements in the past for
not important anymore business decisions. But it’s all water under the bridge
now.

Working against the Not having enough time to do We are working against the clock to meet the deadline of
clock something the project. Let us hurry up.

You are what you eat If you eat bad food , you will be Always eat healthy. You are what you eat.
unhealthy . If you eat well , you
will be healthy .

You can’t judge a book by The belief that outside He is a simple man but is the CEO of a company. Don’t
its cover appearances do not reveal judge a book by its cover.
what someone or something is
really like.
at all cost Bằng mọi giá My dream is to become a successful businessm
work hard for it AT ALL COSTS
be out of your depth Trong tình thế khó xử/khó khăn I am used to teach General english but I was OU
DEPTH when I had to teach Academic English
explore all avenues Suy tính đến các hướng/bước để We need to EXPLORE ALL AVENUES before do
tránh xảy ra vấn đề/hậu quả xấu that is not very safe to a great number of peopl
minimize unfavourable consequences.”
let’s face it Hãy đối mặt/chấp nhận thực Let’s face it. You won’t be able to achieve 7.0 IE
tế/sự thật not work hard

behind the times Lỗi thời, hết thời My friend never likes using smartphones. She’s
THE TIMES.
in deep water Trong tình thế nguy hiểm/khó He has not submitted his dissertation so he’s IN
khăn WATER.
put yourself in somebody’s Thử đặt mình vào vị trí/hoàn If you PUT YOURSELF IN MY SHOES, you wou
shoes cảnh của người khác why I made that decision.
to be up in arms about Tức giận, buồn bực vì điều gì đó She has been UP IN ARMS about the rent incre
something
as easy as pie Rất dễ, dễ như ăn bánh He said it is a difficult problem, but I don’t agre
easy as pie to me!
be sick and tired of Tôi ghét (tôi không chịu được) I’m sick and tired of doing nothing but work. L
tonight and have fun.
bend over backwards Rất cố gắng ( có khi quá sức ) He bent over backwards to please his new wi
never seemed satisfied.
sleep on it Suy nghĩ (trước khi quyết định) That sounds like a good deal, but I’d like to slee
 I give you my final decision.
broke Hết tiền I have to borrow some money from my Dad. Ri
broke.
change one’s mind Đổi ý I was planning to work late tonight, but I chang
I’ll do extra work on the weekend instead.
Cut it out! Dừng làm việc gì xấu That noise is really annoying. Cut it out!
drop someone a line Gửi 1 lá thư hay email cho ai đó It was good to meet you . Drop me a line when
time.
figure something out Hiểu được vấn đề gì I don’t understand how to do this problem. Tak
Maybe you can figure it out.
fill in for someone Làm dùm ai khi họ vắng mặt While I was away from the store, my brother fi
in ages Từ rất lâu Have you seen Joe recently? I haven’t seen him
give someone a hand Giúp I want to move this desk. Can you give me a ha
hit the hay Đi ngủ It’s after 12 o’clock. I think it’s time to hit the h
in the black Sinh lời, có lời Our business is really improving. We’ve been in
year.
in the red Mất tiền, lỗ Business is really going poorly these days. We’v
red for the past three months.
in the nick of time Xíu nữa, 1 lúc nữa I got to the drugstore just in the nick of time. I
this medicine!
keep one’s chin up Dũng cảm và tiếp tục I know things have been difficult for you recent
your chin up. It will get better soon.
know something like the Biết 1 việc gì rất rõ If you get lost, just ask me for directions. I know
back of your hand town like the back of my hand.

once in a while Đôi khi, lâu lâu Have you been to the new movie theater? No, o
once in a while.

sharp Chính xác thời gian đó I’ll meet you at 9 o’clock sharp. If you’re late, w
trouble!
Don’t judge a book by its Đừng đánh giá một sự vật/sự He doesn’t look very intelligent, but you can’t j
cover việc/con người chỉ qua vẻ bề by its cover.
ngoài
miss the boat = to miss an Lỡ cơ hội If you miss the boat, it means you are too late
opportunity opportunity in my company.
feeling under the weather Cảm thấy không khỏe, không I’m feeling under the weather – I think I’m ge
được tốt
leave no stone unturned Làm tất cả để đạt mục tiêu I’ll leave no stone unturned until I find out th
hit the nail on the head Đoán đúng, đánh đúng trọng tâm, I think you hit the nail on the head when you
nói đúng…. what’s lacking in our company is a feeling of co

sit on the fence Lưỡng lự I’m sitting on the fence with my girlfriend wh
shopping!
take for granted Coi việc có cái gì như một điều He took her help for granted without saying t
hiển nhiên nên không trân trọng
khi có điều đó
A piece of cake Dễ dàng Getting a band 6.5 in the speaking test will be a
 Blew me away Khi thứ gì đó “blow you away”, The new technology blew me away.
nghĩa là thứ đó thực sự rất đáng
ngạc nhiên
once in a blue moon Rất hiếm khi I used to see him all the time, but now he just v
in a blue moon.
Run of the mill Thông thường Apple phones are very run of the mill these da
Soulmate Bạn chí cốt tâm giao, tri âm tri kỷ My husband is not just my lover, he’s my soulm
cost an arm and a leg Rất đắt tiền I’d love to buy a Lamborghini supercar, but it c
and a leg.

read my/your/his mind Chỉ một ý tưởng hoặc suy nghĩ đã I was surprised he knew what I was planning, l
được người khác biết read my mind.

call it a day Kết thúc một công việc trong Well, it was nice chatting with you, but it’s time
ngày, hoặc trong buổi tối it a day.

chill out Thư giãn, bình tĩnh lại Despite terrorism, Obama still kept calm, and to
chill out, and got back to work.
(to be) fed up with Chán ngán với Be careful, I think the boss is fed up with us to

Down to earth practical and It’s time we were brought down to earth to figure out difficult
realistic; back to reality situation, and offer a good solution.
Thực tế, quay trở lại thực tiễn

Full of beans A person who is lively, active I really enjoy being with my best friend because he is
and healthy. always full of beans
Tràn trề sức sống

Get a head start Start before all others This year we’ll get a head start on the competition by
Sự khởi đầu thuận lợi running more advertisements.

fresh/clean out of have sold or used up the last of I have to go buy some more milk. It seems we’re
something something fresh out now.
Dùng hết, bán hết sạch thứ gì đó

have/get mixed feelings to be uncertain about I have mixed feelings about my trip to England.
about something something I love the people, but the climate upsets me.
Có cảm xúc lẫn lộn, không chắc
chắn về điều gì đó

Be to be angry and bored because I’m sick to death of doing nothing but work.
sick to death of something something unpleasant has been Let’s go out tonight and have fun.
/doing something happening for
too long
Chán và buồn bực vì chuyện gì đó
không hài lòng mà phải làm nó
quá lâu
(come) rain or shine means something will happen I will be on time for the class, rain or shine.
regardless of weather or other Come rain or shine, she is always smiling.
difficulties.
Dù chuyện gì xảy ra

be all ears eager and ready to listen I’m all ears, waiting to hear your latest excuse for not
Lắng nghe chăm chú getting this job done!

Give it one’s best shot do the best that one can This test question is really tough! I’ll give it my best shot,
Cố gắng hết mình and I’ll get some marks for doing
my best.

In deep water in difficulty; in trouble or in a He has not submitted his dissertation so he’s in deep water.
dangerous situation
Ở trong tình trạng khó khăn, gặp
rắc rối hay nguy hiểm

next to nothing to cost very little I went to the new discount store and bought these
Hầu như không tốn kém gì new shoes for only five dollars. That’s
next to nothing!

To be up in arms about upset or angry about She has been UP IN ARMS about the rent increase
something something.
Tức giận, buồn bực vì điều gì đó

On the ball active and aware of things Our staff is really on the ball to get projects done on time
Nhanh nhẹn, tinh nhanh, có ý
thức về điều gì đó

Throw in the towel Give up on something I’ve spent too much time on this project
Đầu hàng, chịu thua, từ bỏ điều gì to throw in the towel now.
đó

Lend an ear to listen carefully and in If you have any problems, go

a friendly way to someone to Claire. She’ll always lend a sympathetic ear.
Lắng nghe cẩn thận

bushed Tired I am totally bushed after staying up so late.

Synonyms for IELTS

by cquanly
English Synonyms for IELTS
Amazing Incredible, Fantastic, Fabulous, Astonishing, Extraordinary

Answer Respond

Awful Terrible, Abominable, Dreadful

Bad Evil, Spoiled, Imperfect, Infamous, Dismal

Beautiful Gorgeous, Ravishing, Dazzling, Exquisite, Stunning

Begin Initiate, Commence, Inaugurate

Big Huge, Enormous, Gigantic, Humongous, Substantial, Mammoth

Break Rupture, Fracture, Shatter

Calm Serene, Peace, Tranquil

Come Approach, Arrive

Cool Chilly, Frosty, Icy

Cut Chop, Slash, Slit

Dangerous Hazardous, Risky, Precarious

Decide Determine, Settle

Definite Certain, Positive, Obvious

Delicious Savoury, Titbit, Delectable

Describe Portray, Characterise

Destroy Demolish, Slay, Ruin, Raze

Difference Disagreement, Inequity, Dissimilarity

Dull Boring, Uninteresting, Monotonous, Humdrum, Dreary

End Terminate, Conclude, Cessation

Explain Elaborate, Interpret

Fall Drop, Descend, Topple

Famous Well-known, Renowned, Eminent, Illustrious

Fast Quick, Rapid, Hasty, Snappy, Swift

Fat Stout, Corpulent, Chubby, Bulky

Funny Amusing, Humorous, Droll, Hilarious

Get Acquire, Obtain, Secure, Procure, Gather

Good Acceptable, adroit, commendable, competent, excellent, exceptional, fabulous,

fantastic, favourable, first-class, great, marvellous, proficient, satisfactory, skilf
splendid, stupendous, super, superb, superior, tip-top, valuable, wonderful

Great Worthy, Distinguished, Grand, Considerable, Mighty

Happy Pleased, Delighted, Elated, Joyful, Ecstatic, Jubilant, Jaunty

Hate Despise, Loathe, Abhor, Abominate

Have Possess, Own, Acquire,

Help Aid, Assist, Support, Encourage, Relieve

Hide Conceal, Cover, Mask, Veil

Idea Thought, Concept, Notion

Important Necessary, Vital, Critical, Indispensable, Valuable, Essential, Famous, Notable

Interesting Fascinating, Engaging, Spirited, Intriguing, Gripping, Enthralling, Captivating

Little Tiny, Diminutive, Exiguous, Dinky, Cramped

Look Gaze, Glance, Peek, Glimpse, Stare, Leer

Love Like, Admire, Fancy, Care for, Adore

Make Create, Originate, Invent, Construct, Manufacture, Produce, Compose

Move Plod, Creep, Crawl, Drag, Toddle, shuffle, Trot, Lumber, Meander

Neat Orderly, Tidy, Trim, Natty, Smart, Elegant

New Unique, Modern, Current, Recent

Old Feeble, Ancient, Aged, Veteran, Mature, Primitive, Stale

Place Draw, Map, Diagram, Procedure, Method, Blueprint

Show Display, Exhibit, Indicate, Reveal, Demonstrate

Tell Disclose, Reveal, Expose, Narrate, Inform, Divulge

Use Employ, Utilise, Exhaust, Spend

Wrong Incorrect, Inaccurate, Mistaken, Erroneous, Improper, Unsuitable