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the last straw
یکشنبه 6 بهمن 1392 20:55
the last straw : the final event in a series of unacceptable actions When John asked to borrow money from me for the fourth time, it was the last straw. I finally told him that I couldn't lend him any more. I can't believe that my roommate left the door to our apartment unlocked again. It's the last straw; I'm moving...
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to go through channels
یکشنبه 6 بهمن 1392 20:34
to go through channels : to send a request through the normal way This idiom can be used with the adjective proper. If you go through the proper channels in this company, it's sometimes impossible to get anything done quickly. The police told the mayor that even she had to go through channels in reporting the burglary...
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to turn over
یکشنبه 6 بهمن 1392 20:24
to turn over : to place upside down (S); to flip, to turn upside down; to pass or give control to someone (S) The teacher asked the students to turn the answer sheet over and to write a short essay on the back. Don't forget to turn over the eggs, or they will burn. Mr. Colllins has decided to turn over his jewelry...
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to drop off
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 14:10
to drop off : to fall asleep; to take to a certain location (S); to decrease (for the third definition, also: to fall off) My mother dropped off during the boring television show; her head was nodding up and down. I don't mind dropping you off at the store on my way to work. Business has been dropping off rapidly...
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to cover up
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 14:03
to cover up : to conceal, to hide (S) This idiom is used for events that are potentially embarrassing to one's reputation, as well as against the law. The noun coverup derives from this idiom. The office worker tried to cover up his crimes, but everyone found out that he had been stealing office supplies. The...
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to kick the habit
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 13:51
to kick the habit : to stop a bad habit Once a child becomes accustomed to chewing his nails, it's difficult to kick the habit. The doctor advised the heavy cigarette smoker that his heart had become damaged and that he should kick the habit right away.
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to be looking up
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 13:34
to be looking up : to appear promising or optimistic, to be improving This idiom is used in a continuous tense, very often with the subject things. The board chairman is glad to report that things are looking up for the company after several years of declining sales. Prospects for buildings that new library in the...
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to pull together
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 13:30
to pull together : to gather, to collect (information) (S); to gain control of one's emotions (S) A reflexive pronoun must be used for the second definition. The reporter pulled together information from several sources in preparing the newspaper article. Mr. Simpson was so frightened when he heard footsteps behind...
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to make up with
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 09:18
to make up with : to resolve differences with This idiom is used for differences of opinion between friends and lovers. Gundula made up with her roommate after their serious misunderstanding about arrangements for the party. After the bad quarrel the two lovers kissed and made up with each other.
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to make up
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 09:16
to make up : to meet or fulfill a missed obligation at a later time (S); to create, to invent (an idea) (S); to apply cosmetics to (S); to comprise, to be composed of Note that all of the definitions are separable except the last one. The teacher allowed several students who missed the exam to make it up during the...
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on the ball
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 09:10
on the ball : attentive, competent, alert Jim was the only one who caught that serious error in the accounting statements. He's really on the ball. Ella was certainly on the ball when she remembered to reconfirm our flight arrangements. All the rest of us would have forgotten.
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to kick (something) around
جمعه 4 بهمن 1392 09:07
to kick (something) around : to discuss informally (over a period of time) (S) (also: to toss around) At first my friends were reluctant to consider my suggestion, but they finally were willing to kick it around for a while. Brian thought that we should kick around the idea of establishing a special fund for...
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to drag one's heels/feet
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 23:15
to drag one's heels/feet : to act slowly or reluctantly My landlord is dragging his heels about fixing the furnace. If he doesn't fix it soon, I'm going to refuse to pay rent. Milla seemed willing to organize the volunteer activity, but now she is dragging her feet.
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under control
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 23:02
under control : well managed The police officer radioed to the station that she had the emergency situation under control and didn't need any assistance. Thank you for offering to help with dinner, but I think I have it under control.
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to lose one's touch
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 22:48
to lose one's touch : to fail at what one used to do well Milton used to be the best salesman at the car dealership, but recently he seems to have lost his touch. I used to play chess very well, but today you beat me easily. I must be losing my touch.
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to go off the deep end
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 22:44
to go off the deep end : to get very angry and do something hastily Just because you had a serious argument with your supervisor, you didn't have to go off the deep end and resign, did you? When Dan's wife demanded a divorce, he went off the deep end again. This time he was shouting so that the whole neighborhood...
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to goof up
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 22:26
to goof up : to perform badly, to make a mistake (also: to mess up, to slip up ) I really goofed up on the exam today; did you mess up, too? Karen slipped up when she forgot to deposit money into her checking account.
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to screw up
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 22:08
to screw up : to confuse, to scramble (S); to cause problems in or with (S) Chris had trouble finding Jane's apartment because the addresses of the buildings screwed him up. Instead of fixing the television set, the technician screwed it up even more.
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more or less
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 15:57
more or less : approximately, almost; somewhat, to a certain degree Although your bedroom feels smaller, it's more or less the same size as mine. Ted more or less agreed with our decision to put off the meeting until more members could show up. At least he didn't object strongly.
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to play up to
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 15:49
to play up to : to behave so as to gain favor with someone (also: to kiss up to ) The other students in the class resent Jim because he plays up to the teacher in order to get better grades. When my children asked me to go shopping for a new video game, I knew why they had been kissing up to me all morning.
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a steal
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 15:47
a steal : very inexpensive, a bargain This idiom is often used in an exclamation using what . I can't believe that I paid only $4000 for this three-year-old car. What a steal! Scott considered it a steal when he bought a complete bedroom set for only %300.
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to step on it
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 15:44
to step on it : to go faster, to work more quickly We're going to be late for the movies. You'd better step on it! If I want to finish this assignment by the end of the day, I really need to step on it.
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to step down
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 15:41
to step down : to retire or leave a top position, to resign Next May the principal will step down after thirty-five years of service to the school. The angry shareholders wanted the company president to step down because of the stock scandal.
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to step in
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 15:38
to step in : to become involved or concerned with something; to enter a place for a brief time (also: to step into ) When the children started fighting on the playground, a teacher had to step in and stop the fight. The supervisor asked one of the employees to step into her office for a moment.
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to cut short
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 00:35
to cut short : to make shorter, to interrupt (S) The moderator asked the speaker to cut short his talk because there wasn't much time remaining for questions from the audience. We were very unfortunate when we received bad news from home that forced us to cut our trip short.
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to waste one's breath
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 00:32
to waste one's breath : to speak uselessly This idiom is used when someone is wasting time trying to convince another person. The idiom to save one's breath is related and means not to waste effort trying to convince someone. Don't argue with Frank any longer. You are wasting your breath trying to get him to agree...
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on edge
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 00:29
on edge : nervous, anxious; upset, irritable Cynthia was on edge all day about the important presentation she had to give to the local citizens group. I don't like being around Jake when he's on edge like that. Someone should tell him to calm down and relax.
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to break loose
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 00:27
to break loose : to become free or loose, to escape During the bad storm, the boat broke loose from the landing and drifted out to sea. One bicyclist broke loose from the pack of racers and pulled ahead towards the finish line.
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to get the better of
پنجشنبه 3 بهمن 1392 00:24
to get the better of : to win or defeat by gaining an advantage over someone Jim doesn't seem very athletic at tennis, but if you're not careful, he'll get the better of you. Lynn gets frustrated when Bruce gets the better of her in arguments. No matter what she says, he always has a clever response.
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to stand up
چهارشنبه 2 بهمن 1392 23:21
to stand up : to withstand use or wear; to fail to appear for a date or social engagement (S) My old car has stood up well over the years. I haven't had any major problems at all. Janet was very angry because her new boyfriend stood her up on their second date. She waited over an hour for him before returning home.
