Valentine Vocab – Feb14 – Part 2
1. Sweeping Statement – Thoughtless statement
2. All at sea – Puzzled
3. Enough rope – Enough freedom for action
4. By fits and start – Irregularly
5. Fell foul of – Got into trouble with
6. Token strike – Short strike held as warning
7. Face the music – Get reprimanded
8. Look down upon – Hate intensely
9. Flogging a dead horse – Wasting time in useless effort
10. Under a cloud – Under suspicion
11. Green thumb – To have a natural interest
12. Played havoc – Caused destruction
13. No love lost between – Not on good terms
14. Fair and square – Honest
15. A white elephant – Costly or troublesome possession
16. Out and out – Totally
17. On the cuff – On credit
18. Does not hold water – Cannot be believed
19. A wild goose chase – Futile search
20. In a tight corner – In a difficult situation
21. Going places – Talented and successful
22. In cold blood – A murder done without intention
23. Off and on – Occasionally
24. Hard and fast – Strict
25. Took to heels – Run away in fear
26. To keep up – To keep in touch
27. Make a clean breast – Confess without reserve
28. Heads will roll – Transfers will take place
29. Make no bones about – Do not have any hesitation in anything
30. Take after – Resembles
31. To starve off – Postpone
32. To give a piece of mind – To reprimand
33. Rest on laurels – To be complacent
34. Pay through nose – Pay an extremely high price
35. Draw on fancy – Use imagination
36. Turn an honest living – Make an legitimate living
37. Give the game away – Give out the secret
38. Cheek by jowl – Very near
39. Give in – Yield
40. Run riot – Act without restraint
41. Go through fire and water – Undergo any risk
42. Talking through hat – Talking nonsense
43. Put up with – Tolerate
44. By fits and starts – Irregularly
45. Reading between the lines – Understanding the hidden meaning
46. Get the sack – dismissed from
47. Pros and cons – Considering all the facts
48. By leaps and bounds – Very Quickly
49. In the good books –In favour with boss
50. In the long run – Ultimately
51. To be always one’s beck and call – At one’s disposal (ready to serve one’s master)
52. Turn a deaf year – Disregard/ignore/refuse
53. At one’s wit’s end – Puzzled/confused/perplexed
54. To fight tooth and nail – To fight in a determined way for what you want
55. The green-eyed monster – Used as a way of talking about jealousy
56. Set the record straight – Give a correct account
57. Good Samaritan – Helpful person
58. Bad blood – Angry feeling
59. To go to the whole hog – To do it completely
60. Lay out – Spend
61. Laying off – Dismissal from jobs
62. Leaps and bounds – At rapid pace
63. Spilling the beans – Revealing the information indiscreetly
64. Carry out – Execute
65. Went to the winds – Dissipated/ To be utterly lost
66. Ins and outs – Full details
67. A white elephant – A costly but useless possession
68. Fed up – Annoyed
69. In the good books – In favour with
70. Sharp practices – Dishonest means
71. In high spirits – Full of hope and enthusiasm
72. Shake in shoes – Tremble with fear
73. Fits and starts – Not regularly
74. Close shave – Narrow shave
75. Take with a grain of salt – To listen to something with considerable doubt
76. Hobson’s choice – No real choice at all
77. To eat a humble pie – To apologize
78. To give the devil his due – to give encouragement even to the enemy
79. Reading between the lines – looking for meanings that are not actually expressed
80. An open book – One that hold no secrets
81. An axe to grind – A private interest to serve
82. To blow one’s own trumpet – Praise one’s own abilities and achievements
83. Stand-offish – Indifferent
84. Sowing wild oats – Irresponsible pleasure seeking in young age
85. A bolt from the blue – Something unexpected and unpleasant
86. By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
87. Of no avail – Useless
88. On the verge of – On the brink of
89. A sore point – Something which hurts
90. Like a phoenix – With a new life/rebirth/reincarnation
91. To keep under wraps – Secret
92. Die in harness – To die at one’s work
93. Fair- weather friend – A friend that deserts in difficulties
94. Emerge out of thin air – Appear Suddenly
95. Cut no ice – Had no influence
96. Brought up – Introduce for discussion
97. Cannot hold a candle to – Cannot be compared to
98. Burn one’s boat – Leave no means of return
99. Make one’s flesh creep – Horrify
100. Pros and cons – For and against/ analysis of all the given facts
101. To take into account – To consider
102. Blow over – Pass off
103. Run into – Incurred/to experience difficulties
104. Blue-eyed boys – Favourites’
105. Dropping names – Hinting at high connections/To mention famous people you know or have met in order to impress others.
106. A Red letter day – An important day
107. Bone to pick – Cause of quarrel/ Bone of contention
108. At stone’s throw – Very near
109. Struck a chill to the heart – Arouse fear/to make somebody afraid
110. End in a fiasco –A Total/Utter failure
111. Fall back – To turn or move back
112. Turn up one’s nose at – To reject/despises
113. Turn one’s head – To feel proud in a way that other people find it annoying
114. High and dry – Neglected/ To leave someone helpless
115. Take for granted – To accept readily/ To pre-suppose as certainly true
116. Mince matters – To confuse issues/ to mix facts
117. Currying favour with – Ingratiating / trying too hard to get please somebody
118. set one’s face against – Oppose strongly
119. Strom in a tea cup – Commotion (angry/worry) over a trivial matter
120. Putting one’s foot down – Asserting one’s authority/ take a firm stand
121. The man in the street – An ordinary man (common man)
122. To catch up with – To compete with
123. Fight to the bitter end – To fight a losing battle
124. Throw down a glove – To accept defeat
125. Read between the lines – Understanding the hidden meaning
126. Let the cat out of the bag – To utter a secret carelessly or by mistake
127. To have Too many iron in the fire – To get engage in too many enterprises at the same time
128. Fall through – To fail
129. Cut one off, without a shilling – Disinheriting / To expel from fraternal property
130. To smell a rat – To suspect a trick
131. Turn a deaf ear – Disobey
132. Have the last laugh – To be victorious at the end of an argument
133. Red letter day – Happy and significant day (Gala day)
134. To blaze a trail – To lead the way as a pioneer
135. To beat a retreat – To run away in fear
136. To steer clear of – Avoid
137. To get one’s own back –To get one’s revenge
138. To run across – To meet by chance
139. A dark horse – An unforeseen competitor
140. Put up with – Endure
141. Got the sack – Dismissed from
142. Herculean task –A work requiring very great effort
143. By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
144. Helter-Skelter – In disorderly haste
145. Go to the winds – Disappear
146. Make ducks and drakes of – Squander
147. On the level – Honest and sincere
148. Done for – Ruined
149. Make a clean breast – Confess
150. To end in smoke – To come to nothing; no outcome
151. To have something up one’s sleeve – Having a secret plan
152. To take to one’s heel – To run away
153. To turn a deaf ear – To be indifferent
154. At snail’s pace – To do things very slowly
155. To run one down – To disparage someone
156. To blow one’s own trumpet – To praise oneself
157. To face the music – To bear the consequences
158. To take someone to task – To scold someone
159. At one’s wit – Puzzled/Confused/Perplexed
160. At stake – In danger/ that can be lost or won depending on the success of a particular Action
161. To play to the gallery – To behave in an exaggerated way to attract people’s attention
162. Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning
163. Sitting on the fence – Hesitating which side to take
164. No love lost between – Not on good terms
165. To have not a leg to stand on – Unable to prove or explain why something is Reasonable
166. A man in the street – An ordinary person / common man
167. Blood running cold – Become very frightened
168. Playing to the gallery – Befooling the common man
169. Come out of one’s shell – To appear suddenly
170. Lay down arms – To surrender
171. Making hay while the sun shines – Taking advantage of a favourable opportunity
172. Blow one’s own trumpet – To praise one self
173. Bear with – Support / to be patient with some body or something
174. Give vent to – To emphasize
175. Turn a deaf ear – Pay no attention
176. Bone of contention – Matter of dispute
177. Stand on own feet – To be independent
178. By fits and starts – Irregularly
179. Over head and ears – Completely
180. To call it a day – To conclude proceedings
181. To put up with – To tolerate
182. To face the music – To bear the consequences
183. Yeoman’s service – Social work
184. To take to hearts – To grieve over
185. To smell a rat – To be suspicious
186. To move heaven and earth – to try everything possible
187. To take someone for a ride – to deceive (cheat) someone
188. In cold blood – Not intentional / excitedly
189. A damp squib – A disappointing result
190. To bite the dust – To be defeated
191. To take to one’s heel – To run away
192. To be all at sea – Lost and confused
193. Cold Comfort – Slight satisfaction
194. A bolt from the blue – An unexpected and unpleasant event
195. To feather one’s nest – To make oneself rich (in position or in monetary terms)
196. To die in harness – To die while in service
197. To show a clean pair of heels – to escape/run away
198. To flog a dead horse –to waste one’s efforts
199. To strain every nerve – To make utmost efforts
200. A bolt from the blue – Unexpected problem
