Idiom

Ý nghĩa

Ví dụ

at all cost

Bằng mọi giá

My dream is to become a successful businessman and I will work hard for it at all costs.

be out of your depth

Trong tình thế khó xử/khó khăn

I am used to teach General english but I was out of my depth when I had to teach Academic English.

explore all avenues

Suy tính đến các hướng/bước để tránh xảy ra vấn đề/hậu quả xấu

We need to explore all avenues before doing something that is not very safe to a great number of people in order to minimize unfavourable consequences.

let’s face it

Hãy đối mặt/chấp nhận thực tế/sự thật

Let’s face it. You won’t be able to achieve 7.0 IELTS if you do not work hard

behind the times

Lỗi thời, hết thời

My friend never likes using smartphones. She’s so behind the times.

in deep water

Trong tình thế nguy hiểm/khó khăn

He has not submitted his dissertation so he’s in deep water.

put yourself in somebody’s shoes

Thử đặt mình vào vị trí/hoàn cảnh của người khác

If you put yourself in my shoes, you would understand why I made that decision.

to be up in arms about something

Tức giận, buồn bực vì điều gì đó

She has been up in arms about the rent increase.

as easy as pie

Rất dễ, dễ như ăn bánh

He said it is a difficult problem, but I don’t agree. It seems as easy as pie to me!

be sick and tired of

Tôi ghét (tôi không chịu được)

I’m sick and tired of doing nothing but work. Let’s go out tonight and have fun.

bend over backwards

Rất cố gắng ( có khi quá sức )

He bent over backwards to please his new wife, but she never seemed satisfied.

sleep on it

Suy nghĩ (trước khi quyết định)

That sounds like a good deal, but I’d like to sleep on it before I give you my final decision.

broke

Hết tiền

I have to borrow some money from my Dad. Right now, I’m broke.

change one’s mind

Đổi ý

I was planning to work late tonight, but I changed my mind. I’ll do extra work on the weekend instead.

Cut it out!

Dừng làm việc gì xấu

That noise is really annoying. Cut it out!

drop someone a line

Gửi 1 lá thư hay email cho ai đó

It was good to meet you . Drop me a line when you have time.

figure something out

Hiểu được vấn đề gì

I don’t understand how to do this problem. Take a look at it. Maybe you can figure it out.

fill in for someone

Làm dùm ai khi họ vắng mặt

While I was away from the store, my brother filled in for me.

in ages

Từ rất lâu

Have you seen Joe recently? I haven’t seen him in ages.

give someone a hand

Giúp

I want to move this desk. Can you give me a hand?

hit the hay

Đi ngủ

It’s after 12 o’clock. I think it’s time to hit the hay.

in the black

Sinh lời, có lời

Our business is really improving. We’ve been in the black all year.

in the red

Mất tiền, lỗ

Business is really going poorly these days. We’ve been in the red for the past three months.

in the nick of time

Xíu nữa, 1 lúc nữa

I got to the drugstore just in the nick of time. I really need this medicine!

keep one’s chin up

Dũng cảm và tiếp tục

I know things have been difficult for you recently, but keep your chin up. It will get better soon.

know something like the back of your hand

Biết 1 việc gì rất rõ

If you get lost, just ask me for directions. I know this part of town like the back of my hand.

once in a while

Đôi khi, lâu lâu

Have you been to the new movie theater? No, only see movies once in a while.

sharp

Chính xác thời gian đó

I’ll meet you at 9 o’clock sharp. If you’re late, we’ll be in trouble!

don’t judge a book by its cover

Đừng đánh giá một sự vật/sự việc/con người chỉ qua vẻ bề ngoài

He doesn’t look very intelligent, but you can’t judge a book by its cover.

miss the boat = to miss an opportunity

Lỡ cơ hội

If you miss the boat, it means you are too late to get an opportunity in my company.

feeling under the weather

Cảm thấy không khỏe, không được tốt

I’m feeling under the weather – I think I’m getting a cold.

leave no stone unturned

Làm tất cả để đạt mục tiêu

I’ll leave no stone unturned until I find out the reason.

hit the nail on the head

Đoán đúng, đánh đúng trọng tâm, nói đúng….

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that what’s lacking in our company is a feeling of confidence.

sit on the fence

Lưỡng lự

I’m sitting on the fence with my girlfriend when we went shopping!

take for granted

Coi việc có cái gì như một điều hiển nhiên nên không trân trọng khi có điều đó

He took her help for granted without saying thank you.

a piece of cake

Dễ dàng

Getting a band 6.5 in the speaking test will be a piece of cake.

blew me away

Khi thứ gì đó “blow you away”, nghĩa là thứ đó thực sự rất đáng ngạc nhiên

The new technology blew me away.

once in a blue moon

Rất hiếm khi

I used to see him all the time, but now he just visits me once in a blue moon.

run of the mill

Thông thường

Apple phones are very run of the mill these days.

soulmate

Bạn chí cốt tâm giao, tri âm tri kỷ

My husband is not just my lover, he’s my soulmate.

down in the dumps

Buồn bã

I was really down in the dumps after my dog died.

cost an arm and a leg

Rất đắt tiền

I’d love to buy a Lamborghini supercar, but it costs an arm and a leg.

on the dot

Ở một thời điểm thời gian chính xác

The class will start at 8:00 a.m. on the dot, so don’t be late!

find my feet

Cảm thấy thoải mái để làm việc gì

Moving to a new city was difficult at first, but I soon found my feet.

read my/your/his mind

Chỉ một ý tưởng hoặc suy nghĩ đã được người khác biết

I was surprised he knew what I was planning, like he could read my mind.

Set in their ways

Không muốn thay đổi

My parents are quite traditional and set in their ways.

call it a day

Kết thúc một công việc trong ngày, hoặc trong buổi tối

Well, it was nice chatting with you, but it’s time for me to call it a day.

Over the moon

Vô cùng hài lòng và hạnh phúc

I was over the moon when I passed my speaking test.

chill out

Thư giãn, bình tĩnh lại

Despite terrorism, Obama still kept calm, and told his staff to chill out, and got back to work.

(to be) fed up with

Chán ngán với

Be careful, I think the boss is fed up with us today