| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | a step ahead | slightly in front |
| 2. | a walk in the park | very easy |
| 3. | ahead of the curve | more advanced than others |
| 4. | all ears | listening closely |
| 5. | as clear as mud | not clear at all |
| 6. | as easy as ABC | very easy |
| 7. | back to the drawing board | start over again |
| 8. | behind the curve | less advanced than others |
| 9. | behind the eight ball | in a difficult situation |
| 10. | bite off more than you can chew | take on too much |
| 11. | buckle down | start working seriously |
| 12. | burn the midnight oil | study late into the night |
| 13. | call it a day | stop working for now |
| 14. | call it quits | stop trying |
| 15. | catch up | reach the same level |
| 16. | clear your head | think more calmly |
| 17. | connect the dots | see the pattern |
| 18. | cram for an exam | study intensely at the last minute |
| 19. | don’t throw in the towel | don’t quit |
| 20. | draw a blank | fail to remember |
| 21. | drift off | lose attention |
| 22. | drive the point home | make it very clear |
| 23. | drop the ball | make a mistake |
| 24. | easy as pie | very easy |
| 25. | fall behind | lag in progress |
| 26. | feel run down | feel tired and weak |
| 27. | flip your lid | lose your temper |
| 28. | for the most part | generally |
| 29. | freak out | panic or overreact |
| 30. | from the ground up | build from the beginning |
| 31. | get back on track | return to progress |
| 32. | get the hang of it | learn how to do it |
| 33. | get your head around it | understand something difficult |
| 34. | give it a shot | try it |
| 35. | give it your all | try your best |
| 36. | go over my head | be too hard to understand |
| 37. | go the extra mile | do more than required |
| 38. | hang in there | don’t give up |
| 39. | hang on every word | listen very attentively |
| 40. | have a go | try something |
| 41. | have butterflies | feel nervous |
| 42. | hit the books | study hard |
| 43. | hit the nail on the head | be exactly right |
| 44. | in a nutshell | in brief |
| 45. | in over my head | involved beyond my ability |
| 46. | in the same boat | in the same situation |
| 47. | jot down | write quickly |
| 48. | jump to conclusions | decide too quickly |
| 49. | keep at it | continue trying |
| 50. | keep track of | monitor and remember |
| 51. | keep up with | not fall behind |
| 52. | keep your eye on the ball | stay focused |
| 53. | know it inside out | know something very well |
| 54. | knuckle down | work hard and seriously |
| 55. | learn by heart | memorize completely |
| 56. | learn the hard way | learn through mistakes |
| 57. | long story short | briefly summarizing |
| 58. | look on the bright side | focus on positives |
| 59. | lose your cool | get angry |
| 60. | lost the plot | became confused |
| 61. | meet halfway | compromise |
| 62. | mess up | make an error |
| 63. | miss the mark | fail to achieve |
| 64. | need a breather | need a short rest |
| 65. | no sweat | not difficult |
| 66. | not rocket science | not very complicated |
| 67. | on my plate | to deal with |
| 68. | on the same page | in agreement |
| 69. | on the tip of my tongue | almost remembered |
| 70. | over my head | too difficult to understand |
| 71. | piece of cake | very easy |
| 72. | practice makes perfect | practice improves skill |
| 73. | pull an all-nighter | stay up all night studying |
| 74. | put in the hours | work for a long time |
| 75. | put two and two together | infer the truth |
| 76. | put your nose to the grindstone | work very hard |
| 77. | rack your brains | think very hard |
| 78. | read between the lines | understand the hidden meaning |
| 79. | recharge your batteries | restore energy |
| 80. | Rome wasn’t built in a day | big things take time |
| 81. | run out of steam | lose energy |
| 82. | running on fumes | nearly out of energy |
| 83. | screw up | make a serious mistake |
| 84. | slip my mind | be forgotten |
| 85. | snowed under | overwhelmed with work |
| 86. | spread yourself too thin | do too many things |
| 87. | start from scratch | begin from the beginning |
| 88. | swamped with work | overloaded with tasks |
| 89. | take a crack at it | attempt it |
| 90. | take a stab at it | try without certainty |
| 91. | take it with a grain of salt | be skeptical about it |
| 92. | throw in the towel | give up |
| 93. | trial and error | learning by trying repeatedly |
| 94. | tune out | stop paying attention |
| 95. | under the weather | feeling slightly ill |
| 96. | up in the air | not decided yet |
| 97. | up to my ears | very busy |
| 98. | when all is said and done | in the end |
| 99. | wrap your head around it | understand something complex |
| 100. | zone out | lose focus |
