THÁI GIA NHI

TRẦN NGỌC THANH TRÚC

APPENDIX 2
IDIOMS MEANING EXAMPLE SENTENCE

clear the air giải quyết mâu thuẫn hoặc let's clear the air and talk about what happened.
hiểu lầm

all along từ đầu đến giờ (xuyên suốt she knew all along that he would succeed.
thời gian đã qua)

all but hầu hết, hầu như, gần như the project is all but finished; we just need to add
the final touches.

all in kiệt sức, mệt lả he went all in with his investment in the startup.

all in all nhìn chung, nói chung all in all, it was a successful event despite the small
hiccups.

all the same dù sao đi nữa, mặc dù vậy he always wears the same shirt; it's all the same to
him.

all told tổng cộng, tất cả all told, there were twenty people at the party.

be the apple of sb’s eye được ai đó yêu thích, quý their youngest daughter was the apple of their eye.
trọng
là bảo bối, cục cưng cưng
của ai đó

be up in arms rất tức giận, phẫn nộ the community was up in arms about the proposed
highway construction.

for all mặc dù for all his complaining, he still managed to finish the
project on time.

for all I care tôi không quan tâm you can leave for all I care; I won't miss you.

for all I know theo như tôi biết for all I know, she could already be there.

in the act of đang lúc, đang khi they caught him in the act of stealing the cookies.

in the air đang lơ lửng-phân vân, there's a lot of tension in the air before the big
chưa quyết định game.

make allowances for chiếu cố, thông cảm cho we need to make allowances for unexpected
delays in the schedule.

make amends for đền bù, bù đắp cho he apologized to make amends for his mistake.

of all people trong số tất cả mọi người of all people, I never expected her to quit.

on account of vì, do bởi we stayed home on account of the bad weather.

on no account không có lí do gì on no account should you open that door.

on the air đang phát sóng the radio show is on the air right now.
on the alert cảnh giác, sẵn sàng the soldiers were on the alert for any signs of
movement.

take sth into account cân nhắc, xem xét điều gì when planning the budget, we must take inflation
into account.

on this account vì lí do này he was promoted on this account of his excellent

performance.

whet sb’s appetite kích thích sự thèm muốn, the preview of the new movie really whetted my
tò mò của ai appetite.

up in the air chưa chắc chắn, chưa the date for the wedding is still up in the air.
quyết định

above board minh bạch, không gian lận the transaction was completely above board; there
were no hidden terms.

bark up the wrong tree nhầm lẫn, hiểu lầm if you think I took your keys, you're barking up the
wrong tree.

be broke hết tiền, không xu dính túi after the vacation, I'm completely broke.

be full of beans tràn trề sức sống, năng she's full of beans this morning, ready to tackle the
lượng day.

be in sb’s black books bị ai đó ghét, không được ever since the argument, I've been in his black
ai đó ưa books.

beat about/aroung the bush nói vòng vo, không vào vấn stop beating around the bush and just tell me what
đề chính you want.

behind bars trong tù, bị giam cầm the criminal is finally behind bars.

big-headed tự cao, kiêu ngạo ever since winning the award, he's become quite
big-headed.

black and blue all over bầm tím khắp người after the accident, he was black and blue all over.

blessing in disguise trong cái rủi có cái may losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it pushed
me to start my own business.

blue-eyed boy/golden boy con cưng, người được ưu he's always been the blue-eyed boy of the
ái company.

bolt from the blue chuyện bất ngờ, đột ngột the news of her resignation was a bolt from the
blue.

brainwave ý tưởng hay, sáng kiến I had a brainwave and came up with a solution to
kiến đột ngột the problem.

break even hòa vốn we need to sell a few more units to break even this
quarter.

browned off chán nản, mệt mỏi he was quite browned off after waiting for hours.
butter sb up nịnh nọt ai đó she's always buttering up the boss to get what she
wants.

by and large nhìn chung, nói chung by and large, the project was a success.

catch sb-red handed bắt quả tang ai đó they caught the thief red-handed with the stolen
goods.

chip off the old block con nhà tông không giống he's a chip off the old block, just like his father.
lông cũng giống cánh
(người có tính cách hoặc
hành động giống cha mẹ)

cost a bomb rất đắt đỏ that new car must have cost a bomb.

deal a blow to giáng một đòn, gây tổn losing the championship match dealt a big blow to
thương their confidence.

dont hold your breath đừng hy vọng điều đó sẽ don't hold your breath waiting for her to apologize.
xảy ra sớm

drive a hard bargain mặc cả, đàm phán khéo she drove a hard bargain and got the price she
léo wanted.

drop a brick lỡ lời, nói điều gì gìddos she dropped a brick by mentioning the surprise
xấu hổ party.

feel in one’s bones linh cảm, cảm thấy điều gì I can feel in my bones that something good is going
đó sắp xảy ra to happen.

get your own back trả thù he finally got his own back on the bullies who
teased him.

have a bee in one’s bonnet am ảnh, không ngừng nghĩ she has a bee in her bonnet about recycling.
về điều gì

have butterflies in one’s hồi hộp, lo lắng before the interview, I had butterflies in my
stomach stomach.

in black and white rõ ràng, bằng văn bản the evidence is in black and white; there's no
denying it.

in the balance bấp bênh, chưa chắc chắn the outcome of the election hangs in the balance.

kick the bucket chết, qua đời he always joked about what he'd do before he
kicked the bucket.

lay bare tiết lộ, làm lộ rõ the report laid bare the company's financial
difficulties.

make a clean breast of thú nhận, nói ra hết he decided to make a clean breast of his
involvement in the prank.

make one’s blood boil làm ai đó tức giận his comments about the issue make my blood boil.

on the spur of the moment ngay lập tức, bốc đồng I decided to buy the car on the spur of the
 moment.

out of the blue bất ngờ, đột ngột she called me out of the blue to invite me to the
party.

ring a bell nghe quen, gợi nhớ điều gì his name rings a bell, but I can't remember where
I've heard it before.

see the back of vui mừng khi thấy ai đó rời I'm glad to see the back of that old car; it was
đi always breaking down.

take the bull by the horns dũng cảm đối mặt với vấn she decided to take the bull by the horns and
đề, thách thức confront her fears.

wet blanket người phá đám, làm cụt don't be such a wet blanket; let's go out and have
hứng fun.

a piece of cake dễ như ăn bánh, dễ dàng the exam was a piece of cake; I finished in half the
time.

a red-letter day ngày đáng nhớ, ngày đặc graduation day was a red-letter day in his life.
biệt

a wild-goose chase theo đuổi sự viển vông, searching for that missing key turned out to be a
không có kết quả wild-goose chase.

be on the cards có khả năng xảy ra, có thể a promotion is definitely on the cards for him this
xảy ra year.

be over the moon mừng khôn vui xiết she was over the moon when she heard the good
news.

call sb names gọi ai bằng biệt danh xấu, he got in trouble for calling his classmate names.
sỉ nhục ai

chair a meeting chủ trì cuộc họp she was asked to chair the meeting in the absence
of the manager.

crocodile tears nước mắt cá sấu (giả vờ she shed crocodile tears over her failed test to get
thương xót) sympathy.

cross one’s mind lóe lên trong đầu, chợt it never crossed my mind that she would quit
nghĩ ra without notice.

cut sb dead lờ ai đi, làm ngơ after their argument, he cut her dead whenever
they passed in the hallway.

different as chalk and khác nhau hoàn toàn the twin sisters are as different as chalk and
cheese cheese.

down in the dumps buồn bã, chán nản e's been down in the dumps ever since he lost his
job.

get a bit hot under collar cảm thấy bực mình, nóng he tends to get a bit hot under the collar when
nảy someone questions his decisions.
get a problem off one’s trút bầu tâm sự, nói ra điều he needed to get the problem off his chest, so he
chest lo lắng talked to his friend.

go to the dogs xuống dốc, trở nên tồi tệ since the new manager took over, the company
has really gone to the dogs.

have the cheek láo xược, vô lễ he had the cheek to ask for a raise after only two
months on the job.

keep one’s chin up giữ vững tinh thần, không keep your chin up; things will get better.
nản lòng

let sleeping dogs lie để quá khứ ngủ yên, không I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lie and not bring
nhắc lại chuyện cũ up the issue again.

lost cause sự việc vô vọng, không có trying to repair that old car seems like a lost cause.
cơ hội thành công

off colour không được khỏe she's been feeling off colour all week; maybe she's
coming down with something.

on the dole sống nhờ trợ cấp thất he's been on the dole since he lost his job.
nghiệp

play one’s cards right hành động khôn ngoan, if you play your cards right, you might get that
biết lợi dụng tình thế promotion.

show one’s true colour lộ rõ bản chất, thể hiện it wasn't until we faced the crisis that he showed
đúng con người thật his true colours.

with flying colour xuất sắc, vượt trội she passed the exam with flying colours.

not count one’s chicken đừng đếm gà khi trứng let's wait for the results before celebrating; don't
before they’re hatched chưa nở (đừng vội chắc count your chickens before they're hatched.
chắn điều gì trước khi nó
thực sự xảy ra)

be dying for sth rất mong muốn, khao khát after the long hike, i was dying for a drink.
điều gì

be fit for thích hợp, phù hợp với the old chair is not fit for use anymore.

be worn out mệt mỏi, kiệt sức he looked worn out after working all night.

be green thiếu kinh nghiệm, non nớt she's still green when it comes to managing a
team.

cook one’s goose hủy hoại cơ hội của ai getting caught cheating will cook his goose for
sure.

fair and square công bằng, minh bạch they won the game fair and square.

fall head over heels yêu say đắm, yêu điên she fell head over heels in love with him.
cuồng

feel one’s aers burning cảm giác ai đó đang nói he knew they were talking about him when he felt
 xấu mình his ears burning.

gatecrasher người không mời mà đến the party was ruined by a gatecrasher who nobody
knew.

get off on the wrong foot khởi đầu không tốt, có ấn we got off on the wrong foot, but eventually
tượng xấu từ đầu became good friends.

give and take có qua có lại, nhường nhịn a successful relationship requires give and take
lẫn nhau from both partners.

have a frog in one’s throat bị khàn giọng, khó nói she couldn't speak clearly because she had a frog
in her throat.

have the gift of the gab khéo ăn nói he can convince anyone; he has the gift of the gab.

hear it on the grapevine nghe đồn, nghe qua tai i heard it on the grapevine that they're getting
married.

in a flash trong chớp nhoáng, rất he finished the race in a flash.

nhanh

it’s all Greek to me tôi không hiểu gì cả quantum mechanics? it's all greek to me.

keep a straight face giữ vẻ mặt nghiêm túc he couldn't keep a straight face during the funny
movie.

keep an eye on sth trông chừng cái gì can you keep an eye on the kids while i make
dinner

meet behind closed doors họp kín they decided to meet behind closed doors to
discuss the sensitive issue.

one’s flesh and blood người thân ruột thịt she couldn't believe her own flesh and blood would
betray her.

plenty more fish in sea còn nhiều người tốt hơn don't worry about him; there are plenty more fish in
(trong tình yêu) the sea.

put one’s foot down kiên quyết she had to put her foot down and refuse to let him
borrow money again.

take it easy thư giãn take it easy and don't stress over the small things.

take sb for granted coi ai là điều hiển nhiên don't take her for granted; she won't always be
there.

get out of hand mất kiểm soát the party got out of hand and the neighbors called
the police.

get the hang of it hiểu cách làm gì after a few tries, she finally got the hang of riding
the bike.

go to one’s head làm ai kiêu ngạo don't let success go to your head.

grey matter trí tuệ learning a new language exercises your grey
 matter.

hand in glove with sb hợp tác chặt chẽ với ai the manager works hand in glove with her
assistant.

have a job to do sth gặp khó khăn làm gì i have a job to finish before i can go home.

have many irons in the fire có nhiều dự án cùng lúc she's so busy; she always has many irons in the
fire.

have one’s heart in one’s lo lắng i had my heart in my mouth waiting for the exam
mouth results.

have time on one’s hands rảnh rỗi he has time on his hands now that he's retired.

hold one’s horses bình tĩnh, chờ đợi hold your horses; we're not ready to leave yet.

ill at ease không thoải mái he felt ill at ease at the formal dinner.

keep sth under one’s hat giữ bí mật keep the surprise party under your hat until
saturday.

keep up with the Joneses đua đòi, theo người khác they always buy new cars just to keep up with the
joneses.

lend sb a hand giúp ai đó can you lend me a hand with moving the furniture?

like the back of one’s hand biết rõ như lòng bàn tay she knows this neighborhood like the back of her
hand.

lose heart nản lòng don't lose heart; you'll find a job soon.

make head nor tail of không hiểu i can't make head nor tail of his handwriting.

off the cuff ứng khẩu, không chuẩn bị she made those remarks off the cuff without
trước thinking.

stew in one’s own juice tự chịu hậu quả let him stew in his own juice; he needs to learn
from his mistakes.

straight from the horse’s let him stew in his own juice; he needs to learn
mouth from his mistakes.

have sb hands full bận rộn she has her hands full with three young children.

sth comes in handy cái gì có ích the extra blankets came in handy when the guests
arrived.

strike gold gặp may she struck gold with her first novel; it became a
bestseller.

take sth to heart để bụng, suy nghĩ nhiều về don't take his criticism to heart; he didn't mean it
personally.
take to one’s heels chạy trốn he took to his heels when he heard the police
sirens.

the ins and outs mọi chi tiết she explained the ins and outs of the new policy.

the tip of the iceberg phần nổi của tảng băng the audit revealed only the tip of the iceberg of
financial irregularities.

at large tự do, chưa bị bắt the fugitive is still at large.

be in the know hiểu biết she's always in the know about the latest fashion
trends.

bring to one’s knees làm suy sụp the economic crisis brought the country to its
knees.

bury your head in the sand trốn tránh thực tế don't bury your head in the sand; face your
problems.

come to a head đạt đến đỉnh điểm the conflict between them finally came to a head.

drop sb a line viết thư cho ai drop me a line when you get to your new place.

fine kettle of fish tình huống rắc rối now we're in a fine kettle of fish with all these
unexpected expenses.

go to any lengths làm bất cứ điều gì để đạt she'll go to any lengths to protect her family.
mục đích

have kittens lo lắng she had kittens when she saw the dent in her car.

keep your fingers crossed cầu mong điều tốt đẹp keep your fingers crossed for good weather on our
trip.

keep oneself to oneself sống khép kín she prefers to keep herself to herself at social
gatherings.

make a killing kiếm được nhiều tiền he made a killing in the stock market last year.

make light of xem thường he always makes light of his achievements.

on the level chân thật i assure you, everything i've said is on the level.

pull one’s leg chọc ghẹo are you serious, or are you pulling my leg?

shed light upon làm sáng tỏ the new evidence shed light upon the mystery.

sleep like a log ngủ say after the long hike, he slept like a log.

the life and soul of sth linh hồn của cái gì she's the life and soul of every party.

the lion’s share phần lớn nhất he took the lion’s share of the credit for the project.

turn over a new leaf thay đổi bản thân after quitting smoking, he turned over a new leaf.

a night owl người sống về đêm she's a night owl; she prefers to work late into the
 night.

be second to none không thua kém ai their customer service is second to none.

cross one’s mind chợt nghĩ ra it never crossed my mind that she would leave
without saying goodbye.

cry over spilt milk tiếc nuối điều đã qua there's no use crying over spilt milk; let's focus on
fixing the problem.

every nook and cranny mọi ngóc ngách she cleaned every nook and cranny of the house
before the guests arrived.

feel/be down in the mouth buồn bã she's been feeling down in the mouth since she
failed the exam.

get a move on nhanh chóng get a move on; we're running late.

hit the nail on the head nói đúng, làm đúng she hit the nail on the head with her analysis of the
situation.

in a nutshell tóm lại in a nutshell, the report highlights our financial

challenges.

make a name for oneself tạo dựng danh tiếng he worked hard to make a name for himself in the
industry.

make hay while the sun tận dụng cơ hội let's make hay while the sun shines and finish the
shines project today.

make money hand over fist kiếm được nhiều tiền since starting his business, he's been making
money hand over fist.

make one’s getaway trốn thoát he made his getaway before the police arrived.

moon around lang thang, thơ thẩn ever since she left, he's been mooning around the
house.

null and void vô hiệu lực the contract became null and void after they failed
to meet the deadline.

once in a blue moon rất hiếm khi they visit us once in a blue moon; we rarely see
them.

put sb’s name forward đề cử ai i put his name forward for the promotion.

put words into one’s mouth nói sai ý ai don't put words into my mouth; i never said that.

slip one’s mind quên mất i meant to call you, but it slipped my mind.

work a miracle làm nên điều kỳ diệu The doctors worked a miracle and saved her life.

give the green light to sth bật đèn xanh The board finally gave the green light to the new
project.

a bitter pill to swallow điều khó chấp nhận The board finally gave the green light to the new
 project.

against all odds vượt qua mọi khó khăn against all odds, she managed to finish the
marathon.

be out of practice mất đi sự thuần thục i haven't played the piano in years; i'm completely
out of practice.

come to the point đi thẳng vào vấn đề i haven't played the piano in years; i'm completely
out of practice.

fall into place diễn ra suôn sẻ after weeks of confusion, everything finally fell into
place.

get the sack bị sa thải he got the sack for consistently being late to work.

get the wrong end of the hiểu lầm i think you got the wrong end of the stick; i meant
stick something else entirely.

golden opportunity cơ hội vàng getting an internship at that company was a golden
opportunity for her career.

grease sb’s palm he tried to grease the inspector's palm to get the
approval faster.

grow out of sth lớn lên không còn thích cái she finally grew out of her fear of heights.
gì nữa

have no option but không có lựa chọn nào we have no option but to cancel the event due to
khác ngoài the bad weather.

in public trước công chúng he embarrassed her in public by shouting at her.

in the offing sắp xảy ra there are some big changes in the offing for our
department.

off the point lạc đề your argument is completely off the point of what
we're discussing.

once and for all một lần cho xong let's settle this once and for all; there should be no
more arguments.

out-and-out hoàn toàn, tuyệt đối he's an out-and-out liar; you can't trust anything he
says.

out in the open công khai the secret is out in the open now; everyone knows
about it.

out of print ngừng xuất bản the secret is out in the open now; everyone knows
about it.

out of the frying pan into the tránh vỏ dưa gặp vỏ dừa he thought quitting his job would solve his
fire problems, but now he's out of the frying pan into
the fire with no income.
part and parcel of phần không thể thiếu của stress is part and parcel of working in a high-
pressure environment.

past one’s prime qua thời kỳ đỉnh cao he used to be a great athlete, but now he's past his
prime.

pop the question cầu hôn he finally popped the question and asked her to
marry him.

short and sweet ngắn gọn keep your speech short and sweet; nobody likes
long speeches.

status symbol biểu tượng địa vị owning a luxury car is often seen as a status
symbol.

take things to pieces tháo rời he loves to take things to pieces and see how they
work.

throw a party tổ chức tiệc let's throw a party to celebrate her graduation.

white elephant vật đắt tiền nhưng vô dụng that expensive artwork turned out to be a white
elephant; nobody wants to buy it.

an unknown quantity nhân tố bí ẩn he's still an unknown quantity in the industry;

we're not sure how he'll perform.

as a last resort phương án cuối cùng we'll use force as a last resort if negotiations fail.

at close quarters ở khoảng cách gần they fought at close quarters, making it a fierce
battle.

be in a quandary trong tình huống khó xử i'm in a quandary about which job offer to accept;
they both have their pros and cons.

beg the question đặt ra câu hỏi his argument begs the question of whether we
should trust him.

call it quits dừng lại, chấm dứt after hours of arguing, they decided to call it quits
and go home.

cut sb to the quick làm ai tổn thương sâu sắc his harsh criticism cut her to the quick.

hit the roof nổi giận dad hit the roof when he saw the dent in the car.

in the rut nhàm chán he's stuck in a rut at work; he needs a new
challenge.

in the long run về lâu dài quitting smoking will benefit your health in the long
run.

it stands to reason hợp lý if you study hard, it stands to reason that you'll do
well on the exam.

keep sth quiet giữ bí mật keep the surprise party quiet so she doesn't find
out.
off the record không chính thức he told me off the record that he plans to resign
next month.

open to debate còn tranh cãi whether global warming is caused by humans is
still open to debate.

out of the question không thể nào borrowing more money is out of the question right
now; we're already in debt.

put down roots định cư after years of moving around, they finally put down
roots in this city.

work to rule làm việc theo quy định the employees decided to work to rule to protest
against the new working conditions.

rack sb’s brains vắt óc suy nghĩ i've been racking my brains trying to remember
where i put my keys.

a long shot ít có khả năng thành công winning the lottery is a long shot, but someone has
to win.

a memory like a sieve trí nhớ kém i have a memory like a sieve; i forget things easily.

be all at sea bối rối she's new to the job and feels all at sea.

be in sb’s shoes ở trong hoàn cảnh, tình thế imagine being in her shoes before you judge.
của ai

be in the same boat cùng chung hoàn cảnh, we're all in the same boat when it comes to dealing
người cùng một phe with the new regulations.

be in the spitting image of giống hệt ai she's the spitting image of her mother when she
sb was young.

be/get the soaked to the ướt sũng we got caught in the rain and were soaked to the
skin skin.

be/have a close shave thoát chết trong gang tấc it was a close shave, but we managed to catch the
last train.

behind the scenes phía sau hậu trường much of the work happens behind the scenes
before a movie is released.

come out of one’s shell hòa nhập, thoát khỏi vỏ after a few months, he started to come out of his
bọc an toàn của bản thân, shell and make friends.

does it show? có thấy rõ không? i tried to hide my nervousness, but does it show?

give sb the slip trốn thoát khỏi ai he tried to follow me, but i managed to give him
the slip.

go for a song bán rẻ that antique vase went for a song at the auction.

go without saying rõ ràng, không cần nói, it goes without saying that honesty is important in
như thể đó là điều hiển any relationship.
 nhiên

hit the sack đi ngủ it's late; i'm going to hit the sack.

live out of a suitcase di chuyển liên tục consultants often live out of a suitcase because
they travel so much.

make quite a scene làm ầm she made quite a scene when she found out her
flight was canceled.

on a shoe string với ngân sách hạn hẹp they started the business on a shoe string budget.

pull a few strings nhờ vả, dùng quan hệ he managed to pull a few strings and get us tickets
to the sold-out concert.

pull one’s socks up cố gắng hơn if you want to succeed, you need to pull your socks
up and work harder.

sleep on it suy nghĩ thêm về điều gì i'm not sure about the job offer; i need to sleep on
(trước khi quyết định) it.

smell a rat cảm thấy có điều gì sai sai when he offered to help for free, i smelled a rat.

spill the beans tiết lộ bí mật she accidentally spilled the beans about the
surprise party.

stand in sb’s way cản trở ai don't let anything stand in your way of achieving
your dreams.

take…. with a pinch of salt không hoàn toàn tin he tends to exaggerate, so take what he says with
a pinch of salt.

the last straw giọt nước tràn ly, tức nước her lateness today was the last straw; i'm going to
vỡ bờ talk to her about it.

thick-skinned mặt dày, không dễ bị xúc you need to be thick-skinned to handle

phạm criticism in this job.

(by) trial and error thử và sai he learned to cook (by) trial and error,
experimenting with different recipes.

be ahead of one’s time đi trước thời đại his ideas were ahead of his time; people didn't
appreciate them then.

be (as) thick (as a brick) rất ngốc he's nice, but he's as thick as a brick when it comes
to understanding jokes.

be ticked pink rất vui she was ticked pink when she received the award.

come to a standstill dừng lại hoàn toàn traffic came to a standstill after the accident on the
highway.

come to terms with chấp nhận (điều không it took her a while to come to terms with her father's
mong muốn) illness.

for the time being trong thời gian này let's leave it as it is for the time being and revisit
 the issue later.

in a tick ngay lập tức i'll be with you in a tick; just need to finish this
quickly.

in the nick of time vừa kịp lúc, ngay phút chót he arrived in the nick of time to catch the last train.

kill time giết thời gian i had to kill time at the airport during my layover.

lay table dọn bàn ăn can you help lay the table for dinner?

not be one’s cup of tea không phải sở thích của ai horror movies are not really my cup of tea.

on second thoughts suy nghĩ lại on second thoughts, i think i'll stay home tonight.

out of turn không đúng lúc please don't speak out of turn during the meeting

paint the town red đi chơi, quẩy tưng bừng they painted the town red to celebrate their
anniversary.

play truant trốn học he got into trouble for playing truant and skipping
school.

put two and two together đoán ra sự thật (từ các she put two and two together and realized he was
manh mối) lying.

red tape thủ tục hành chính phức dealing with all the red tape delayed the project.
tạp

take one’s time cứ từ từ, không cần vội there's no rush; take your time and do it right.

through thick and thin dù có khó khăn they've been together through thick and thin for
over twenty years.

touch and go không chắc chắn, có nguy

cơ

be all very well nghe thì hay đấy, nhưng...

be on the up and up ngày càng thành công business is on the up and up since they launched
their new product.

be up and about khỏe lại, có thể đi lại after the surgery, he was up and about in no time.

drive sb up the wall làm ai phát điên her constant complaining is driving me up the wall.

frosty wellcome chào đón lạnh nhạt he received a frosty welcome when he arrived late
to the meeting.

get out of the bed on the có một ngày tồi tệ, xui xẻo she got out of bed on the wrong side this morning;
wrong side she's been grumpy all day.

get wind of i got wind of their plans to throw a surprise party for
me.

give vent to xả giận she gave vent to her frustration by shouting at her
 colleague.

give way to nhường chỗ cho the old bridge finally gave way to the weight of the
truck.

not hold water không thuyết phục, không his excuse didn't hold water when questioned about
hợp lý the missing items.

make a flying visit ghé thăm ngắn ngủi she made a flying visit to her parents over the
weekend.

make waves gây rối his proposal made waves within the company
hierarchy.

no/little wonder không có gì ngạc nhiên no wonder she's upset; she worked tirelessly on the
project.

quick/slow on the uptake nhanh/chậm hiểu she's usually quick on the uptake when learning
new software.

set in one’s ways bảo thủ he's set in his ways and refuses to try new foods.

speak volumes nói lên nhiều điều his silence spoke volumes about his
disappointment.

under the weather cảm thấy mệt, không khỏe i'm feeling a bit under the weather today; i think i'm
coming down with a

up and coming đầy triển vọng she's an up-and-coming artist gaining recognition in
the art community.

ups and downs thăng trầm every relationship has its ups and downs; it's
normal.

wet behind the ears còn non nớt, thiếu kinh he's still wet behind the ears; he just started his first
nghiệm job.

an old wives’ tale chuyện mê tín, không có the idea that eating carrots improves eyesight is
căn cứ just an old wives' tale.

be born yesterday ngây thơ, dễ bị lừa do you think i was born yesterday? i know when
you're lying.

beat sb black and blue đánh ai bầm tím he was beaten black and blue after the bar fight.

go back on one’s word không giữ lời he promised to help, but he went back on his word
at the last minute.

have a yellow streak nhát gan he's brave in public, but he has a yellow streak
when faced with spiders.

not have it both ways không thể làm cả hai việc you can't have it both ways; you have to choose
cùng lúc one or the other.

in the red thua lỗ, nợ nần the company has been operating in the red for the
past two quarters.
see red nổi giận he sees red whenever someone criticizes his
cooking.

green belt vành đai xanh (khu vực she earned her green belt in karate after years of
bảo tồn) training.

pitch black đen như mực, tối đen it was pitch black outside, and i couldn't see a
thing.

black tie sự kiện trang trọng (cần the event is black tie, so make sure to wear your
mặc đồ đen) tuxedo.

green with envy ghen tỵ she was green with envy when she saw her friend's
new car.

have/keep one’s wits about giữ bình tĩnh, nhanh nhạy in a crisis, it's important to keep your wits about
you.

in deep water gặp rắc rối lớn he's in deep water with his creditors after his
business failed.

make’s sb day làm ai đó vui your kind words really made my day; thank you!

see/look at sth through nhìn đời màu hồng, quá lạc she always sees the world through rose-colored
rose-coloured spectacles quan spectacles; she's so optimistic.

the black sheep of the người khác biệt, tiêu cực he's always been the black sheep of the family,
family trong gia đình marching to his own beat.

the pot calling the kettle chê người khác mà không it's like the pot calling the kettle black when you
black nhìn lại mình criticize her for being late.

the year dot rất lâu rồi he's been collecting stamps since the year dot; it's
his lifelong passion.

until one is blue in the face cố gắng hết sức nhưng vô you can explain it to him until you're blue in the
ích face, but he still won't understand.

red hearing điều đánh lạc hướng the lead turned out to be a red herring, wasting
valuable police time.

(fight) like cat and dog cãi nhau như chó với mèo they fight like cat and dog, but deep down, they
care for each other.

(like) a bull in a china shop vụng về, bất cẩn he barged in like a bull in a china shop, knocking
over everything in his path.

make a dog’s dinner (of sth) làm lộn xộn, làm hỏng she made a dog's dinner of the presentation; it was
confusing and poorly organized.

a bear with a sore head người cáu kỉnh don't talk to him in the morning; he's like a bear
with a sore head until he has his coffee.

a different kettle of fish vấn đề hoàn toàn khác managing a small team is one thing, but leading a
department is a different kettle of fish.
a dog’s life cuộc sống khổ cực he lives a dog's life, working long hours with little
time for himself.

a fish out of water lạc lõng in a new city, she felt like a fish out of water until
she made some friends.

a red rag to a bull điều dễ gây tức giận criticizing his driving is like waving a red rag to a
bull; he gets very defensive.

a sitting duck mục tiêu dễ tấn công without cover, they were like sitting ducks for the
enemy's gunfire.

as busy as a bee bận rộn she's always as busy as a bee, juggling work and
family commitments.

as the crow flies theo đường thẳng the town is 10 miles away as the crow flies, but it
takes longer to drive there.

be in the doghouse bị giận, bị phạt he forgot their anniversary and is now in the
doghouse.

dog eat dog cạnh tranh khốc liệt the business world can be dog eat dog, with
everyone competing fiercely.

dog-eared sách bị quăn góc the book was old and dog-eared, with pages falling
out.

donkey work công việc nặng nhọc, he's tired of doing donkey work while others get the
nhàm chán credit.

donkey’s years rất lâu They've been friends for donkey’s years.

kill two birds with one stone +một mũi tên trúng 2 đích By working from home, she can kill two birds with
+một công đôi việc one stone—spend time with her family and finish
her work

let the cat out of the bag tiết lộ bí mật He accidentally let the cat out of the bag about
the surprise party.

like water off a duck’s back như nước đổ lá khoai, His criticisms roll off her like water off a duck’s
không có tác dụng back.

make a fool ò oneself làm trò cười cho người He made a fool of himself by tripping over his own
khác feet.

make a mountain out of chuyện bé xé ra to She tends to make a mountain out of a molehill
molehill whenever something goes wrong.

no room to sưing a cat chật chội Their apartment is so tiny, there's no room to swing
a cat.

play cat and mouse with sb chơi trò mèo vờn chuột với The police played cat and mouse with the criminal
ai until they finally caught him.

put the cat among pigeons làm tình huống thêm rắc rối The police played cat and mouse with the criminal
 until they finally caught him.

rain cat and dogs mưa tầm tã It’s been raining cats and dogs all morning.

swim like a fish bơi giỏi She learned to swim like a fish when she was just a
toddler.

talk the hind legs off a nói không ngừng He can talk the hind legs off a donkey when he
donkey gets going.

the rat race cuộc đua kiếm tiền, cuộc He decided to quit the rat race and move to the
sống bon chen countryside.

until the cows come home rất lâu, mãi mãi They could argue about politics until the cows
come home and never agree.

mutton dressed as lamb già mà cố tỏ ra trẻ She looked ridiculous in that outfit—like mutton
dressed as lamb.

sour grapes ghen ăn tức ở After losing the game, he claimed he never really
wanted to win anyway—typical sour grapes.

sweet tooth thích đồ ngọt She has a real sweet tooth and can’t resist
desserts.

get nowhere fast không tiến triển Trying to explain the situation to him was pointless;
I got nowhere fast.

pay sb’s way tự chi trả cho bản thân He offered to pay his way on the trip to show his
gratitude.

white-collar job công việc văn phòng She landed a white-collar job at the prestigious law
firm.

fly on the wall kẻ đứng ngoài quan sát I felt like a fly on the wall, listening to their
conversation

achilles heel điểm yếu His Achilles heel is his lack of patience.

wash sb’s hands of sb rũ bỏ trách nhiệm After the argument, she washed her hands of her
former friend.

a pain in the neck điều phiền toái Dealing with that customer is always a pain in the
neck.

be all fingers and thumbs vụng về She was all fingers and thumbs when she tried to
tie the knot.

get cold feet chùn bước He got cold feet and backed out of the skydiving
adventure at the last minute.

give sb the cold shoulder lạnh nhạt với ai She gave him the cold shoulder after their
argument.

have a cheek/nerve trơ tráo, dám làm điều He has a nerve asking for a raise after showing up
không đúng late every day.
have a sharp tongue ăn nói sắc sảo, đôi khi cay She has a sharp tongue and can be quite cutting
nghiệt with her remarks.

have an eye for có mắt thẩm mỹ She has an eye for detail and always notices the
smallest things.

look down one’s nose at khinh thường She looks down her nose at anyone who doesn’t
sth/sb share her taste in music.

lose one’s head mất bình tĩnh He lost his head and shouted at the referee during
the game.

put one’s heart and soul into dồn hết tâm huyết vào việc She put her heart and soul into organizing the
sth gì charity event.

tongue in cheek nói đùa, không nghiêm túc His comment was made with tongue in cheek, but
some people took it seriously.

tooth and nail đấu tranh quyết liệt She fought tooth and nail to defend her thesis.

turn a blind eye to sth làm ngơ trước điều gì The manager decided to turn a blind eye to the
minor infractions.

not lose any sleep over sth không bận tâm He didn’t lose any sleep over the decision to quit
his job.

jack of all trades người đa tài nhưng không He’s a real jack of all trades—there’s nothing he
tinh thông việc gì can’t fix.

a storm in a teacup chuyện bé xé ra to The argument over the office supplies was just a
storm in a teacup.

bring sth home to sb làm cho ai đó nhận ra điều His failure to study for the exam brought home the
gì importance of preparation.

bite off more than sb can cố gắng làm điều quá sức She bit off more than she could chew by taking on
chew too many projects at once.

in clover sống sung sướng, an nhàn After winning the lottery, they were in clover,
enjoying a life of luxury.

face the music chịu trách nhiệm, chấp He knew he had to face the music and apologize
nhận hậu quả for his mistake.