Idioms explained "To get cold feet" To be frightened suddenly
about doing something which you had felt
fine about before. "To let someone off the hook" To refrain from punishing
someone even though they deserve the punishment. "To be snowed under" To have too much work on
hand. "To bite the bullet" To suffer something with
courage. (Before anaesthetics wounded soldiers on the battlefield would
be given a lead bullet to hold between their teeth while the surgeon amputated.) "To flog a dead horse" To insist on some focus,
issue or topic that is no-one is interested
in any more. (Flog is a synonym of "whip") "To call it a day" To decide to stop work
until the next day, usually because one is tired and feels it's enough. "To cost an arm and a leg" To be very expensive. "To cut corners" To take short cuts: to
find ways of reducing the work involved in a job - often implying that
the result will be inferior. "To let the cat out of the bag' To give away a secret,
to accidentally divulge private information. "To think outside the box" To have, or look for, a
completely new idea, especially if unrelated to previous experience. |