イディオム・慣用表現

to be the person in charge who makes the decisions (holding control)

Used to describe who is in control or making the important decisions in a situation.

to suddenly lose the courage to do something planned (last-minute nervousness)

Used when someone becomes nervous and hesitant about doing something they had planned.

to be in trouble or in a difficult situation (facing consequences)

Used to describe being in trouble or facing serious criticism for something you did.

to sound familiar or remind you of something (vague recognition)

Used when something sounds vaguely familiar, though you can't quite remember the details.

to use secret influence or connections to get something (working behind the scenes)

Used when someone uses their personal influence or connections to get an advantage.

to become uncontrollable (a situation escalating)

Used when a situation becomes difficult or impossible to control.

to be listening eagerly and attentively (full attention)

Used to say that you are listening eagerly and giving your full attention.

to deliberately ignore or be unfriendly to someone (intentional snub)

Used when someone deliberately ignores another person or treats them unkindly.

to be uninformed or unaware of something (kept without information)

Used when someone has not been told about something and lacks important information.

to persuade or pressure someone into doing something (forceful persuasion)

Used when you persuade or pressure someone to do something they were reluctant to do.

to be alert, sharp and quick to react (mentally on top of things)

Used to describe someone who is alert, competent and quick to understand things.

to fail to handle a responsibility through carelessness (a costly slip-up)

Used when someone makes a mistake or fails to handle a responsibility properly.

to be undecided or uncertain (not yet settled)

Used to describe something that is uncertain and not yet decided.

to be overwhelmed with too much work (buried in tasks)

Used when someone has so much work that they can barely cope.

to leave or set off on a journey (departing)

Used to say that you are leaving or starting a journey.

to imagine how another person feels in their situation (empathising)

Used to suggest imagining how another person feels in their particular situation.

to earn just enough money to cover your needs (financial survival)

Used to describe managing to live on the money you have, especially when it is barely enough.

a final touch that makes a good thing even better (welcome bonus)

Used to describe an extra good thing that makes an already good situation even better.

to relax and accept how things happen without resisting (easygoing attitude)

Used to describe being relaxed and accepting a situation as it develops, rather than resisting it.

to deal with something spontaneously without a fixed plan (improvising)

Used when you decide how to handle a situation as it happens, instead of planning ahead.

to watch or monitor someone or something carefully (attentive supervision)

Used to mean watching someone or something carefully to make sure nothing goes wrong.

to be more lenient or forgiving with someone (easing the pressure)

Used to ask someone to be less critical or strict with another person.

an attempt with little chance of success (improbable bet)

Used to describe an attempt or plan that is unlikely to succeed.

a decision or choice that is obviously easy (requires no thought)

Used to describe a decision that is so obvious it requires no thought.

something that dramatically changes a situation (transformative factor)

Used to describe something that significantly changes a situation or the way things are done.

to be practical, modest and unpretentious (grounded personality)

Used to describe someone who is practical, sensible and not pretentious.

a strong, resilient person who isn't easily hurt (mentally tough individual)

Used to describe a strong, determined person who is not easily upset or defeated.

someone who feels out of place in unfamiliar surroundings (discomfort from unfamiliarity)

Used to describe someone who feels uncomfortable because they are in an unfamiliar situation.

to be unaware of information shared within a group (left uninformed)

Used when someone is not aware of information that others in a group have.

a person with hidden talents or an unexpected competitor (surprising contender)

Used to describe someone whose abilities or intentions are little known but may surprise people.

to cost so much that it uses up all your money (financial strain)

Used, often in the negative, to talk about whether something costs more than you can afford.

something worth thinking about carefully (thought-provoking idea)

Used to describe an idea or piece of information that is worth thinking about seriously.

to think alike and understand each other easily (mutual understanding)

Used when two people understand each other well and think in a similar way.

a rough estimate or approximate number (not exact figure)

Used to ask for or give a rough estimate, especially of a number or cost.

to be very busy with as much as you can handle (fully occupied)

Used when someone is very busy and has as much to deal with as they can manage.

to have no patience or energy left to cope (at one's limit)

Used when someone has no more patience or strength to deal with a difficult situation.

almost remembered but not quite recalled (word just out of reach)

Used when you are about to remember a word or name but cannot quite recall it.

a punishment far too mild for the offence (lenient penalty)

Used to describe a punishment that is much milder than it should be.

an event that forces you to face a problem (jolt into action)

Used to describe an event that makes people realise they must take action about a problem.

a process requiring fast, difficult learning (demanding to master)

Used to describe a situation where you have to learn a lot quickly and it is difficult.

to hope for good luck or a good result (wishing for success)

Used to express that you are hoping for a good outcome or good luck.

a situation almost certain to end badly (doomed combination)

Used to describe a situation or plan that is very likely to go badly wrong.

to postpone an invitation to another time (polite deferral)

Used to politely decline an invitation now while suggesting you might accept it later.

the subject everyone is talking about (widely discussed)

Used to describe a person or thing that everyone in a place is talking about.

to make a bad or tense situation worse (intensifying conflict)

Used when an action or comment makes an already bad or tense situation even worse.

a very small amount compared with what is needed (negligible contribution)

Used to describe an amount that is tiny and insignificant compared with what is needed.

to start planning again from scratch after a failure (fresh restart)

Used when a plan has failed and you must start again from the beginning.

exactly level in a competition (extremely close contest)

Used to describe a competition in which the rivals are exactly level.

a course of action leading gradually to something worse (dangerous progression)

Used to describe a course of action that is likely to lead to something bad or out of control.

to survive a difficult period until it passes (enduring hardship)

Used to describe surviving a difficult period until conditions improve.

a demanding task that is hard to fulfil (difficult request)

Used to describe a task that is difficult to achieve or expects a lot from someone.

to stop yourself from saying something (holding back a comment)

Used when you stop yourself from saying something you really want to say.

from memory without checking, as a quick guess (immediate rough answer)

Used when giving an answer immediately from memory, without checking or thinking carefully.

to act recklessly and ignore the risks (abandoning caution)

Used when someone stops being careful and takes a risk.

a choice very likely to succeed or be correct (low-risk option)

Used to describe a choice or prediction that is very likely to be right or successful.

immediately and without hesitation (at a moment's notice)

Used to describe doing something immediately and without hesitation.

to be extremely happy and delighted (thrilled by good news)

Used to describe being extremely pleased or delighted about something.

to stay cheerful and brave in difficulty (staying positive)

Used to encourage someone to stay positive during a difficult time.

a lazy person who watches a lot of TV (inactive lifestyle)

Used to describe a lazy person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching television.

to have a strong liking for sweet foods (fondness for sweets)

Used to describe someone who loves eating sweet foods.

at the busiest, most active stage (fully under way)

Used to describe an event or activity that is at its busiest and most active stage.

to become organised and start performing properly (sorting yourself out)

Used to tell someone to organise themselves and start behaving more effectively.

to interpret rules loosely to allow something (slight flexibility)

Used to describe allowing something that is not normally permitted, without fully breaking the rules.

a costly possession that is useless and burdensome (expensive waste)

Used to describe an expensive thing that is useless and costs a lot to maintain.

a bad experience makes you more careful afterwards (learned caution)

Used to say that a bad experience makes you cautious about repeating it.

to face an important life-changing decision (a critical turning point)

Used to describe a point at which an important decision about the future must be made.

a thoroughly good, decent and dependable person (genuine character)

Used to describe a person who is genuinely good, honest and reliable.

to resolve tension by talking openly (dispelling bad feeling)

Used to describe talking openly to remove tension or misunderstanding between people.

to have many responsibilities to deal with (heavy workload)

Used to describe having many tasks, problems or responsibilities to deal with.

to say something tactless or embarrassing by mistake (social blunder)

Used when someone says something tactless or embarrassing by accident.

good luck (said before a performance or challenge)

A way of wishing someone good luck, especially before a performance or a big event.

to make sense of something complicated (grasping a hard concept)

Used when you are trying to fully understand something difficult or confusing.

a controversial, awkward issue nobody wants to handle (sensitive topic)

Used to describe a controversial issue that people are reluctant to deal with.

never; said of something impossible (sarcastic refusal)

Used to say that something will never happen.

a very small amount compared with what is needed (American English; British: a drop in the ocean)

American English idiom for a very small, insignificant amount compared with what is actually needed.

to have no patience or energy left to cope (British English; American: at the end of your rope)

British English idiom for having no patience, energy or resources left to cope with a situation.

said of something that will never happen (British English; American: when pigs fly)

British English expression used to say sarcastically that something is extremely unlikely or impossible.