| - (be) a shadow/ghost of one's former self | have much less health/ power or influence than one used to have before |
| - cut no ice with sb | not affect or impress someone |
| - give sb hell | reprimand sb angrily; make sb's life hard |
| - give sth a whirl | try (doing) sth to see if it is fun or interesting |
| - have (got) one's head in the clouds | be unable to think in a realistic way; be a dreamer |
| - (be) in a fog (about/over sth) | be confused or unaware of sth |
| - keep a weather eye open for sth | observe sth carefully in order to react quickly |
| - (look) like nothing on earth | (look) ill or unattractive |
| - move heaven and earth to do sth | do everything one can in order to achieve sth |
| - pluck sth out of the air | give a quick and not accurate answer to a question without thinking about it first |
| - praise sb/sth to the skies | praise sb/sth very much or admire sb/sth |
| - put the wind up sb | make sb feel uneasy or afraid of sth |
| - pull strings | use his influences |
| - have egg on his face | looked really embarrassed |
| - take me for a ride | deceived me |
| - put my feet up | having a rest |
| - push the boat out | spend a lot of money on sth |
| - have a roof over our heads | have a place to live. |
| - cast pearls before swine | give him everything he wants |
| - throw down the gauntlet | challenge sb |
| - fall between two stools | find it too hard to choose between |
| - wet the baby's head | celebrate the baby's birth by drinking |
| - pull up stakes | leave home and start living in a different place. |
| - pick up the threads of sth | start sth again after a break. |
| - go cap in hand to sb | beg sb respectfully for sth |
| - bring sbto book | make sb face the responsibility of their wrongdoing. |
| - cut a dash | impress sb with your brilliant appearance. |
| - make a muck of sth | do sth in a completely wrong way. |
| - blow away the cobwebs | get or do sth that makes you feel refreshed and gives you energy. |
| - rub salt into someone's wounds | make their suffering more acute. |
| - pass the buck | refuse to take responsibility for a mistake and try to make sbelse accept it |
| - put a new complexion on sth | make it look different. |
| - draw a veil over sth | you avoid talking about sth |
| - get the chop | to be dismissed from work. |
| - clutch at straws | try to find a solution to a difficult situation by any means even though you realize you are likely to fail. |
| - burst one’s bubble | bring an end to one’s hopes or dreams. |
| - have got bats in the belfry | to be crazy or eccentric. |
| - cut corners | do things quickly and in a careless and easy way without giving them proper attention. |
| - put sboff their stride | divert their attention so they stop doing their things well. |
| - walk on eggshells | act in a very careful way because you don't want to disturb or upset someone. |
| - take the measure of sb | test someone's value and make an opinion about them in order to be able to deal with them. |
| - give sbthe hump | make them very angry. |
| - cut sth short | interrupt slh |
| - cut up rough | behave or react angrily or violently |
| - go it alone | decide to do sth difficult without anybody's support |
| - have a down on sb | dislike someone |
| - have a thin time (of it) | have a hard time in business |
| - lay sb low | (of an illness) make sb stay in bed |
| - make oneself scarce | leave a place quickly in order to avoid trouble or embarrassment |
| - play (it) safe | do sth in a safe way and avoid danger |
| - drive a hard bargain | always try to gain advantage or better profit in business dealings |
| - drive sb up the wall | drive sb crazy |
| - get a rise out of sb | say sth that makes sbreact angrily |
| - get wind of sth | hear sth secret or private |
| - go (like) a bomb | be very successful and enjoyable |
| - go to town over/on sth | get a lot of entertainment in clubs |
| - hit the spot | be exactly the thing that one wants or needs |
| - if push comes to shove | if there is no other choice |
| - in/at one fell swoop | all at the same time; with one single action or movement |
| - jump out of one's skin | get suddenly frightened |
| - keep the flag flying | continue to support sth or sb that is losing strength / popularity etc. |
| - lay it on the line | state or explain sth in a Firm/ honest and direct way |
| - leave sb cold | fail to affect or interest someone |
| - make no odds to sb | be unimportant to someone |
| - not know sb from Adam | not know sbat all |
| - pull rank on sb | use one's position of authority in an unfair way |
| - put one's foot in it | unintentionally say sth offensive or embarrassing |
| - (be) rotten to the core | be spoilt very much |
| - set sb's mind at rest/ease | make sbstop worrying/ make sbcalm down |
| - when the chips are down | when steps must be taken immediately |
