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Some common idioms

April 22, 2016 pdf

Here are some common idioms in English.

Rise to the occasion

When you rise to the occasion, you are able to cope with the circumstances.

See eye to eye

When you do not see eye to eye with someone, you do not agree with them.

Fair and square

If a deal is fair and square, it is just and honest.

Flog a dead horse

To flog a dead horse is to waste your time and energy on a cause that will not yield any results.

Face the music

To face the music is to face criticism.

Fan the flame

To fan the flame is to make a bad situation worse.

Feather one’s own nest

To feather your own nest is to make yourself rich in ways that are unfair or dishonest.

From hand to mouth

To live from hand to mouth is to live on very little money.

For good

If someone leaves a country for good, they leave for ever.

To fish in troubled waters

To fish in troubled waters is to take undue advantage of others’ problems.

The gift of gab

The gift of gab is the power of speech

Grope in the dark

To grope in the dark is to search in vain.

Grease the palm

To grease the palm is to give someone money to persuade them to do something for you.

Gird up one’s loins

To gird up one’s loins is to prepare oneself for difficult or dangerous actions.

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