HOW TO SA Y IT BY IDIOMS le principali espressioni idiomatiche dell'inglese britannico e americano 1p edizione luglio 1997 0.11 Via 8tr. 167 - 88 11 37030 Colognola ai Colli (VR) Tel. 045/6174111 - Fax 045/6174100 Introduction When it was suggested that I wrote this booklet, I asked myselftwo questions. First: "Are idioms useful to people who are studying English?" My answer was "yes". Even though there are synonyms for most idiomatic expres- sions, native English speakers often choose an idiom in- stead. Why is that? Well, idioms are often used in emo- tional situations. They often graphically describe what the speaker wants to communicate. So the speaker choo- ses one of them rather than a dull, unevocative expres- sion. For example, in an embarrassing situation, the speaker may say: ''You put your foot in your mouth!" rather than: ''You said something inappropriate!" This observation helped answer the second question: "How can this book be useful to students?" Once we un- derstand that idioms tend to be used in emotional mo- ments, we can identify those moments and list the idioms that most frequently accompany them. I have chosen fifteen categories, though certainly others could be included. More idioms could surely be added. But the ones chosen should provide you with a good start. The booklet is divided into four parts, with three or four sections in each parto The idioms treated in each section are first listed and then repeated in sample sen- tences, often with several idioms used in the same example. There is a particular reason for using a num- her of idioms in one example and that is to show you how similar in meaning and use they are. My hope is 5 that you will see how easily idioms in a given category can be interchanged. You will sometimes see the letters Am to identify an idiom used in American English or Am and Br (Briti- sh) for similar idioms used by American and British speakers. Alternative expressions have also been inclu- ded in parentheses. Each part is then followed by an Idioms in Context section and, when possible, examples found in music. The booklet concludes with a glossary. Though the glossary may help with words that you do not know, it is not intended to "explain" the idioms. That is the job of the sample sentences. Learning a second language well requires a bit of cou- r age - using imagination and creativity to take a chan- l:e and guess. Once you begin to take this approach to your English, yOll may begin to discover new idioms, for example, in thl;l books you read or the music you listen to. It i s my hope that this book will give you the insights nceded to take a chance and try to discover for yourself how to understand and eventually use idiomatic ex- proBsions. 6 Part 1 Questa parte riguarda gli avvenimenti imprevisti. L'ac- cento pu essere messo sull'imprevedibilit, e solo su quella, o sulla connotazione positiva o negativa di ci che all'improvviso avviene. Vi sono numerose sovrapposizioni, totali o parziali, nei modi di dire delle due lingue. SORPRESA come un fulmine a ciel sereno, sganciare una bomba (con una notizia o un avvenimento improv- visi) o estrarre dal sacco (come si fa con i numeri della tombola). CORRERE UN RISCHIO O UN PERICOLO senza va- lutare le conseguenze come allevare una serpe in seno, sparare nel mucchio o un colpo al buio, comprare a sca- tola chiusa, giocare con il fuoco, sfidare la sorte, ta- gliarsi i ponti alle spalle, camminare sul ghiaccio, sal- tare il fosso. AVERE SUCCESSO come andar lontano, farsi un nome, diventare un VIP; avere un colpo di fortuna come vince- re al lotto o fare tredici, fare un colpo (per un ladro un furto, per un commerciante un affare imprevisto); riu- scire sempre a cavarsela come cadere sempre in piedi. 7 TalkingaboutSurprise Noun phrases a bolt out of the blue a bombshell an eye-opener a shocker Examples The union leaders' strike announcement carne like a boltoutoftheblue. 'L'he article on dishonest advertising was a bombshell. aneye-opener. a shocker. Verb phrases bowl someone over catch someone off guard (base) catch someone napping (unawares) drop a bomb gobsmack someone knock someone for a loop knock someone over with a feather knock someone's socks off let the cat out of the bag throw someone a curve 8 Examples The new regulations bowledmeover. caughtmeoffguardo caughtmeunawares. gobsmackedme. knockedmefora loop. Iknockedmysocksoff.1 Sophie letthecatoutofthebagwhen she told us that her sister was getting married. Just when we thought the contract was settled, they droppeda bomb threwusa curve and asked for more money. 9 TalkingaboutRisk/Danger Noun phrases a long shot a near (close) thing a shot in the dark Examples I didn't know anything about the stock market when I bought those shares. I took[a shotin thedark.[ We won the game, though our winning was a longshot. a closething. Verb phrases be on dangerous ground be (slcate) on thin ice burn your boats (bridges) leave something to chance (luck) pla.y with fire run a risk Asil too near the wind stick your neck out take a chance take one's chances take a leap in the dark take your life in your hands tempt fortune (fate) try your luck lO 11 12 Examples Ifyou break the law, you may be ondangerousground. playingwithfire. runninga risk. sailingtoonearthewind. skatinl!onthinice. stickingyourneckout. takinga chance. takingyourlifeinyourhands. When Martin got married, he didn't know his wife very well. Re leftthe success of his marriage tochance. tookhischances. tooka leapinthedark. temptedfortune. triedhisluck. Ifyou leave your job now, you will never be able to go back to it. You will have burntyourbridges. 13 TalkingaboutSuccess Noun phrases a bigshot thetopdog a VIP(VeryImportantPerson) a winner Examples Reginaldstartedoutasa clerkbutnowhe's a bigshot. thetopdogo a VIP. Thisproducthassurprisedeveryonebysellingso well; it'sa winner. Verb phrases arrive backa winner beaheadofthepack beinthemoney beontarget beatthegame bringthehousedown comeoutahead(ontop) comethroughwithflyingcolours do(turn)thetrick do oneselfproud do (work)wonders finishinfront 14 getahead(intheworld) getsomewherewithsomething getthere go far go over(makeit)big go places havesomethinginthebag hitsomethingonthenose(Am) hitthebull'seye(mark;target) hitthenailonthehead land(falI)onyourfeet makea go ofsomething .makea nameforoneself makegood makeone'smark makethegrade playyourcardsright riseintheworld score settheworldonfire takeoff Examples Fredis anexcellentsalesman.Whenwehiredhim,we backeda winner. wereontarget. cameoutahead. didourselvesproud. playedourcardsright. Thecomedianmadeeveryonelaugh.Re broughtthehousedown. wentoverbig. Whenourstereosystemwaschosenasthebestbyan importantconsumermagazine,weknewthatwe had arrived. beatenthegame. comethroughwithflyingcolors. donethetrick. 15 hititonthenose. hitthenailonthehead. landedonourfeet. scored. takenoff. Marthahasalwaysbeenexceptional,evenasa child. It wasclearthatshewould beaheadofthepack. getaheadintheworld. getsomewherewithhercareer. getthere. gofar. goplaces. makea goofit. makea nameforherself. makegood. makehermarkintheworld. makethegrade. riseintheworld. Isettheworldon-fire.] lf youcontinueworkinghard,you'regoingto beinthemoney. dowonders. finishinfront. hitthebuU'seye. Marleneassuredme thatwe wouldgetthecontract. Shesaidshehaditinthebag. Idioms in Context Sandrawasplanninga surprisepartyfor herhusband. Shetoldme,"Don'tletthecatoutofthebag!Iwant to knockhissocksoff." "Don't worry,"Isaid."I cankeepa secret.You'renot stickingyourneckoutby tellingme." Whenthedayarrived,Sandradidherselfproud. Herhusbandwassosurprisedthatyoucouldhave knockedhimoverwitha feather. 16 Examples found in music I don'twanttosettheworldonfire. Justdon'tplaywithme, 'Causeyou' re playingwithfire. Rolling Stones 17 Part2 una parte dedicata a sentimenti come la collera (es- sere arrabbiati, far arrabbiare, essere furenti con qual- cuno) e la speranza, all'inganno, a come iniziare o ter- minare un rapporto. COLLERA essere neri, ribollire, avere la bava alla boc- ca, essere come un cane idrofobo, fare fuoco e fiamme, avere la mosca al naso, essere fuori di s, avere un dia- volo per capello. Arrabbiarsi cop qualcuno avere il dente avvelenato, saltargli alla gola, cavargli gli occhi. Far arrabbiare qualcuno finch perde il controllo di s far saltare i nervi, far girare le palle, rompere le scatole. INGANNARE prendere per il naso, mettere nel sacco, cambiare le carte in tavola; essere ingannati per insi- pienza avere le fette di salame sugli occhi. SI COMINCIA rompendo il ghiaccio, scagliando la pri- ma pietra. SI TERMINA facendo punto e a capo, voltando pagina, mettendo un punto fermo, tirando i remi in barca (cio riducendo le proprie pretese), a tarallucci e vino, ap- pendendo le scarpe al chiodo. SPERANZA tener le dita incrociate (per scaramanzia), volger gli occhi al cielo, veder la vita con gli occhiali ro- sa e infine domani un altro giorno, essere ancora in corsa, segnare in zona Cesarini. 19 TalkingaboutAnger BEINGANGRY Noun phrases hothead Examples Becarefulwhatyousaytorum. He'sa hothead. Adjective phrases boilingmad hotunderthecollar upinarms Examples HewasboilingmadwhenSaratoldhimshecouldn't go to thecinema. Whensomeonecriticizeshim, hegets hotunderthecollar. upinarms. Verb phrases blowa fuse(Am) blowa gasket(Br) blow(let) offsteam(Am) blowone'slid(top; cool) blow up boilover breathefire 20 l do a slowburn(Am) fly offthehandle foamatthemouth hittheceiling(rooD lose one'shead seered throwa fit Examples Whenhehearsthatwe lostthiscontract, thebosswill blowa fuse. blowhistop. blowup. 21 boHover. breathefire. flyoffthehandle. foamatthemouth. hittheceiling. seered. throwa fi.t. If a policemanstopsyouontheroad,keepcalmand don'tloseyourhead. Whenyouareveryangry,itissometimesagood idea toIblowoffsteaml bydoingphysicalexercise. ItoldmybossthatIwaslookingfor anotherjob. Redidn'tsayanythingbutIcouldseethathewas doinga slowburn. BEINGANGRY WITH SOMEONE Verb phrases chewsomeoneout(Aro) jumpdownsomeone'sthroat snap(take;bite)someone'sheadoff takesomethingoutonsomeone tellsomeonewheretogo (getoff) Examples Martindoesn'ttoleratemistakes. Ifyoumake a mistake,he chewsyouout. jumpsdownyourthroat. snapsyourheadoff. tellsyouwheretogo. WhenCarmencomeshomefrom worktired andfrustrated, sheoftentakesheranger outonthechildren. 22 MAKING SOMEONEANGRY Verb phrases drivesomeonecrazy(nuts;upthewall) getonsomeone'snerves get(put)someone'sbackup raisesomeone'shackles rubsomeonethewrongway(Am) rubsomeoneupthewrongway(Br) Examples Yourconstantchatteris drivingmecrazy. gettingonmynerves. Risbluntwayoftalkingabouthimselfreally getsmybackup. raisesmyhackles. rubsmethewrongway. 23 TalkingaboutDeception Noun phrases a dirty deal a red herring a white lie Examples The used car that Harold bought was in terrible condition. It was a dirty deal. We should concentrate on the main problem and not on the red herrings. Melissa asked me if I liked her new haircut. I didn't want to offend her so I told a white lie and said I did. Verb phrases cook the books have a pipe dream go through the motions live in a fool's paradise pay lip service to something pull a fast one pull the wool over someone's eyes put something over on someone sell someone a bill of goods (Am) stack the deck (cards) take someone to the cleaners throw someone off the scent 24 [! Examples With the new laws, it wilI be more difficult to cook the books. Even though he said he wanted free elections, we believed that he was only going through the motions. paying Hp service to the idea. 25 PeoplewhowanttoclimbMt.Everestwithout theproperpreparationare havinga pipedream. livingin a fool'sparadise. l'mverysuspiciousof salesmen.Nobodyisgoingto pulla fastoneonme. ! pullthewoof overmyeyes.! putsomethingoveronme. sellmea bilIofgoods. takemetothecleaners. Theydidn'tgivemeenoughinformationsowhen I triedto solvetheproblem,thedeckwasstacked againstme. Theythrewthedetectiveoffthescentbysaying theyhadarrivedyesterday. 26 TalkingaboutStarting/Finishing STARTING Verb phrases breakground breaktheice get(set;start)theballrolling gettheshowontheroad kickoff laythefirststone leadtheway openfire openthedoorto something Examples Thecivilrightsreforms brokenewground. ledthewaytogreaterequality. openedthedoortonewpossibilities. Let'sintroduceourselvesto breaktheice. ! getthe63.Il rollIiig:] gettheshowontheroad. kickoffthisconference. Inopeningthisshop,we arelayingthefirststonein whatwillsomedaybea greatchain. Shawopenedfirebycriticizingthenew organizationalpIan. . 27 RESTARTING Verb phrases make a fresh start pick up the pieces turn over a new leaf Examples After her terrible experiences with drugs, Amanda wanted to make a fresh start. pick up the pieces of her life. turn over a new leaf. FINISHING Prepositional phrases at the end of the line in the home stretch on the last lap Examples We have nearly finished our university studies. We are at the end of the line. in the home stretch. on the last lap. Verb phrases blow over bring the curtain down on something bring (come) to a head calI it a day come to a head draw to a dose make short Clight) work of something put the lid on something run its course wind up (down) wrap something up 29 28 Examples Thisstormcan't lastforever. Soonitwill bIow over. runitscourse. Forster'sdeathlbroughtthecurlaindownlononeof themostsuccessfulactingcareersofourage. l . Thedirectorwasforced totakeactionwhenthese problemscarnetoa head. We havedoneenoughworknow. Let's ... callita day. ... putthelidonitfor today. t winditup. wrapitup. ... t ... Iwouldliketofinishby5.00so pleaselet'smake shortworkofwhatisleft. , Thismeetingisdrawingtoa close,andIwouldlike f tothankallofyouforyourparticipation. ( 31 30 Talking about Hope Verb phrases beintherunning be ofgoodcheer beon thehorizon havehighhopes keepyoureyesonthestars keepyourfingerscrossed keepyourspiritsup knockonwood(Arn) lookat(on)thebrightside lookfor thesilverlining(Arn) lookthroughrose-coloredglasses takeheart Examples Myfavorite soccerteamhasmadeitto thesemi-finals. Theyarestillintherunning. Thechampionshipisonthehorizonfor them. You didverywellinyourfirstinterview.Don't worry. Beofgoodcheer. Keepyourspiritsup. Takeheart. Yourchancesofgettingthejobareverygood. Keepyourfingerscrossed. Knockonwood. 32 MyfriendMariais anoptimist. Shealways hashighhopes. Ikeepshereyesonthestars.1 looksatthebrightside. looksforthesilverlining looksattheworldthroughrose-colored glasses.
..-cJ ( - , 33 Idioms in Context Mymotherisa personwhoalwayslooksatthe brightsideoflife.Sheiscalmandrarelyfliesoff thehandIe.Ifsherunsintoa difficultsituation, shewaitsuntilitblowsoverandthenmakesa freshstart.Butshedoesn'ttoleratedishonestpeople. Whensomeonetriestoputsomethingoveronher, shegetshotunderthecollarandoftenchewsthe personout. Examples found in music Highhopes,l'vegothighhopes HighappIepieintheskyhopes Sammy Cahn Lookforthesilverlining Andtrytofindthesunnysideoflife. Buddy De Sitva Thenightthatyoutoldme Thoselittlewhitelies. Nowthestreetlightshavebeenturnedon, SonowI shalldieorstrikegoldorblowa fuse Andsayforth toyou... NowTHE STREETLIGHTS Jimi Hendrix AndI don'twannasaygoodbye AndI didn'tmeanthethingsI saidlastnight IflewoffthehandIe Andhadtoo muchwine Andl'msorryfor thehurtl'vecausedyou. NEVERSETMEFREE Lisa Stansfield 34 Part3 unapartededicataai modididirecheriguardanogli errori,l'insuccessoe quantonederiva, preoccupazioni, difficolteconomiche,incertezzepsicologiche,insomma potrebbeessere intitolata"Quandole cose si mettono male". INSUCCESSO un buco nell'acqua, cacciarsi in un vi- colo cieco, cadere dalla padella nella brace, andare in fu- mo, andare a piantar cavoli. ERROREpuntare sul cavallo sbagliato, prendere luc- ciole per lanterne, battere in testa. AVEREOGUADAGNARDENAROavere la grana, cavar sangue dalle rape (quando il denaro molto), sbarcare il lunario (quandoildenaro poco). PERDEREDENAROO NONAVERNEessere al ver- de, essere in bolletta, essere in braghe di tela, esser co- stretto a dormire sotto i ponti. INDECISIONE essere in un mare di dubbi, girare in tondo, fare come l'asino di Buridano. DIFFICOLTEPREOCCUPAZIONIsonoessere fra in- cudine e martello otra Scilla e Cariddi (quando lasi- tuazione totalmentepericolosa), avere una spina nel 35 fianco (cio unapreoccupazioneche nond tregua). Piangere sul latte versato odopo aver buttato il bambino assieme all'acqua sporca oancorachiudere la stalla do- po che sono scappati i buoi indicaunasituazionedi dif- ficolt dovutaa insipienza. Inquestocaso, a cose fatte, lo sciocco piangerlacrime di coccodrillo sentendosico- meun cane in chiesa. 36 TalkingaboutFailurelError Noun phrases a bust a dead-end(adead-endstreet) a flashinthepan a lemon a lostcause awashout Examples Hislatestbookis a busto a lemon. a washout. Let'stryanewapproach.We seemto be ata dead-end. Mitchell'searlysuccesswas,unfortunately,just a flashinthepan. Inmyopinion,SimmonswiU neverbeelected. It'sa lostcause. Verb phrases backthewronghorse barkupthewrongtree be atthebottomofthebarrel(Am) beatthebottomoftheheap(pile) bebehindthe8ball(Am) 37 bedriven(forced; pushed)to thewall befoundwanting bomb cometogrief(nothing) drawa blank fall flat(onyourface) flub(Am) go downswinging go down(over)likea tonofbricks(aleadballoon) go upinsmoke layanegg(Am) putyourfoot inyourmouth takea wrongturn takethecount Examples Perhapswe aremakinga mistakebysupportingthis candidate.Wemaybe backing the wrong horse. Ibarking up the wrong tree.1 drawing a blank. taking a wrong turno Noneofourpossiblechoicesisverygood.We are behind the 8 ballo have been driven to the wall. Accordingtothecritics,Flynn'slatestfilm was found wanting. bombed. came to nothing. fell flato went over like a ton of bricks. laid an egg. Hopes to settlethedispute have early gone up in smoke Thisisa wonderfulchancefor you.I hopeyoudon't flub it. 38 \ ~ 39 I may not be successful, but I will try ashard as I can. I want to godownswinging.I don't want to end up by beingatthebottomoftheheap. takingthecount. Because of lack of financing, our plans wentup insmoke. Remember that Marion has recently been divorced. Don't putyourfootinyourmouthby asking about her husband. 40 TalkingaboutMoney MAKlNG OR HA VING MONEY Verb phrases be in the chips (Am) be on Easy Street (Am) clean up hit the jackpot make a bundle make it big make one's fortune roll in the lap of luxury strike it rich Examples Howard made a lot of money in the stock market Nowhe isinthechips. isonEasyStreet. isrollinginthelapofluxury. No one believed Greta when she said she would be a millionaire by the age of 30. Instead she quickly cleanedup. hitthejackpot. madea bundle. madeitbig. madeherfortune. struckitrich. 41 NOT HAVING OR LOSING MONEY Verb phrases be flat broke be hard pressed (up) (Am) be in the red be on a shoestring be out of poeket be short (ofmoney) come down in the world drop a bundle (Am) feel the pinch go downhill hit the skids (Am) not be able to make ends meet tighten one's belt Examples During the recent economie recession, many people wereflatbroke. werehardup. wereinthered. wereona shoestring. wereoutofpocket. wereshortofmoney. wereunabletomakeendsmeet. feltthepinch. fl - --------5.l hadtotightentheirbelts. Winston inherited a lot of money but he wasted it. Re has obviously comedownintheworld. gonedownhill. hittheskids. Cary was very daring with his investments. Sometimes he made a lot of money and sometimes he droppedabundIe. 42 43 Talking about Uncertainty Noun phrases an open question a toss-up a touch-and-go situation Examples The resuIts are not in yet. It is still an open questiono a toss-up. a touch-and-go situation. Verb phrases be at sea be in two minds (Br) be of two minds (Am) be up in the air bIow hot and cold float in a sea of doubt get cold feet go around in circles not be abIe to make heads or tails of something not know where one stands pIay something by ear straddIe (sit on) the fence Examples I can't decide what to do. I am at sea. in two minds. 44 , \ t" up in the air about my plans. floating in a sea of doubt. going around in circles. ~ . 45 I really don't know what the President thinks. On this issue, he is blowinghotandcold. reallyplayingitbyear. straddlingthefence. Roward couldn't makeheadsortailsofhis wife's behavior. Re doesn't knowwherehestandswith her. Do you think Mary will getcoldfeetand call off her wedding? 46 TalkingaboutTroublelDifficulty Prepositional phrases at the end of one's rope (Am) at the end of one's tether (Br) between a rock and a hard pIace in a pickle (jam) (Am) in deep (hot) water in Dutch in someone's black (bad) books in the doghouse in the soup on the horns of a dilemma not out of the woods out on a limb under a cloud up the creek (without a paddle) Examples Brian had tried everything he could think of and now he was attheendofhisrope. When Fiona was stopped by the police for speeding for the second time, she realized that she was inajam. inhotwater. in Dutch. in thesoup. 47 Bold economic planning is required to break out of this viciouscircle. . Peter is betweena rockanda hardpIace. onthehornsof a dilemma. He has been offered two jobs. One is very interesting but doesn't pay much. The other has a high salary but is very boring. We are working to find a solution that will satisfy everyone, but we aren't outofthewoodsyet. Noun phrases can (bag) of wonns peck (sea) of troubles pretty pass uphill work tight spot (squeeze) vicious circle Examples We didn't need this controversy just before the elections. For us, it is a canofworms. peckoftroubles. If we can't fix the tire by nightfall, we will be in a prettypasso tightspot. To convince the judge that your client is innocent will be uphillwork. 48 49 BEING INDIFFICULTY Verb phrases biteoffmorethanonecanchew havea hardrowtohoe haveone'sbackagainst(to)thewall notbeabletoshowone'sface nothavea legtostandon Examples Eleanormayeventuallyfinishheruniversitystudies, butshestilihasa hardrowtohoe. Whenshedecidedto studymedicine,shemayhave bittenoffmorethanshecouldchew. Richardisclosetobankruptcy.Rehashisback againstthewall. Sincehisdifficultieswiththepolice,Georgehas notbeenabletoshowhisfaceinpublic. Youcanaskfora refund,butsinceyouboughttheshirt onsale,Idon'tthinkyouhavea legtostandono CREATING DIFFICULTYFOROTHERS Verb phrases gum uptheworks(Aro) makewaves put(throw)a monkeywrenchintheworks(Aro) put(throw)a spannerin theworks(Br) rocktheboat stirupa hornet'snest 50 Examples Justwheneverythingwasbeginningto runsmoothly, thebosshada newidea. Ihopethathewillnot gum.uptheworks. puta spannerintheworks. rocktheboato Thatactressisfamousforcreatingproblems ontheset. Sheisneverhappyunlesssheis makingwaves. stirringupa hornet'snest. Idioms in Context WhenLloydwasatuniversity,hewasverypoor. Rewaslivingona shoestringandoftenhadto tightenhisbeltto makeendsmeet.Evenafterhe graduated,lifewasnoteasyfor him. Rewent aroundincirclesforawhilebeforedecidingwhat todo. Whenhefirsttriedtofind professionalwork, hedrewa blank.Buteventuallyhebecamea very successfulmano Nowhehasmadehisfortune,but hestilllivesquitemodestly. Examples found in music TherearetimeswhenIfearIlosemyself Idon'tknowwhoI am Igetcaughtupinthestruggleandthestrain Withmybackagainstastonewall Myfingerinthedam Losingstrengthandgoingdownagain. To THE WILD COUNTRY John Denver 51 Part4 Accordo, affetto, amore da una parte, rifiuto o impossi- bilit di intendersi dall'altra. ACCORDO tra amici essere amici per la pelle, cemen- tare un rapporto, intendersi a vista d'occhio. AMORE essere due corpi e un'anima sola, mentre in- namorarsi un colpo di fulmine. RIFIUTO sbattere la porta in faccia, mostrare la por- ta, fare orecchio da mercante, rimandare al mittente, la- varsene le mani. IMPOSSIBILIT O DIFFICOLT di riuscire a fare qualcosa sono essere fuori questione, scopare il mare, es- sere in due posti nello stesso tempo, vuotare il mare con un setaccio, fare il passo pi lungo della gamba, volere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca, arrampicarsi sugli specchi. 53 TalkingaboutAgreement Verb phrases beatonewithsomeone/something be inharmonywithsomeone/something beonthesamewavelength burythehatchet faH inwithsomeone hititoffwithsomeone playballwithsomeone(Aro) seeeyetoeye strikea bargain Examples Concerningtheneedformoreandbetterhousing,we areatone. areinharmonywithyoursuggestiono areonthesamewavelength. seeeyetoeye. VVhen MichaelandThomasfirstmet,theydisliked eachotherverymuch.ButtheyagreedtoIburythel [hatchetlandgetonwiththeirwork. IlikedRosyrightfromtheminuteImether. Iimmediately felIinwithher. hititoffwithher. 54 .... '- ,........-. ,... Il IfMargaretwon'tplayballwithus,we'llfind someoneelse. It tookdaysofnegotiationbutwefinally strucka bargain. 55 iIl TalkingaboutLove Noun phrases love at first sight Examples When Marsha met Fred, she knew that he was the man she woUld marry. It was loveatfirstsight. Verb phrases be crazy (mad) about someone (Aro) falI in love fall head over heels in love get to first base with o m o n (Aro) make a play for someone steal someone's heart away wrap (twist) someone around your little finger Examples After forty years ofmarriage, James and Anne are still crazyabouteachother. Nearly every spring, my son fallsinlovewith someone new. Ifallsheadoverheelsinlove.1 Tell her how much you enjoy sports, if you want to gettofirstbasewithher. makea playforher. stealherheartaway. wrapheraroundyourlittlefinger. 56 57 TalkingaboutRejection Prepositional phrases out in the cold not in the picture Examples When the new trade agreements were signed, several countries were outin thecold. notinthepicture. Verb phrases give someone his/her walking papers (Am) give someone the bum's rush (Am) give someone the cold shoulder keep someone at arm's length send someone to the showers (Am) show someone the door strike out with someone (Am) steer clear of someone/something throw someone/something overboard turn a deaf ear (blind eye) to someone/something turn someone/something down turn thumbs down on someone/something turn your back on someone/something wash one's hands of someone/something 58 59 Examples If I were you, I wouldn't go to work for that company. If you make one rnistake, they will giveyouyourwalkingpapers. giveyouthebum'srush. showyouthedoor. throwyouoverboard. turntheirbackonyou. washtheirhandsofyou. Nancy heard that you were talking about her behind her back. That's why she is givingyouthecoldshoulder. keepingyouatarm'slength. steeringclearof you. The player protested when the coach senthimtothe showers. Usually girls are crazy about Patrick, but Cheryl isn't. Re struckoutwithher. Arnold knew that his design wasn't perfect, but he was surprised when the company turneda deafeartohissuggestiono turneditdown. Iturnedthumbsdownonit.1 60 TalkingaboutImpossibility/Rarity Prepositional phrases in a month of Sundays once in a blue moon Ccoon's/dog's age) out of the question till hell freezes over Examples We are so far behind in our work that we won't finish ina monthofSundays. tillhellfreezesover. Your request for a pay rise is outofthequestiono I almost never see Philip. I see him onceina blue moon. Verb phrases have a cat's chance in hell have as much chance as a snowball in hell look for a needle in a haystack try to be in two places at once try to catch water in a sieve try to change the leopard's spots try to make bricks from straw Examples Marilyn will never marry you. Y ou havea cat'schanceinhell. haveasmuchchanceasasnowballinhell. 61 We needa veryspecialpersonfor thisjob. Finding thatpersonwillbelikelookingforaneedlein a haystack. Attemptingtomakepeacebetweenthegovernrnent andtherebelswillbelike tryingtoheintwoplacesatonce. Itryingtocatchwaterina sieve. I tryingtochangetheleopard'sspots. tryingtomakehricksfromstraw. Idioms in Context PeterfellheadoverheelsinlovewithPaula. Buthisfriendstoldhimtoforgether."Shewouldn't lookatyouina monthofSundays,"theysaid. , I 62 "Youhaveasmuchchancewithherasa snow- hallinhell."InsteadPeterandPaulahltitoff immediately.Theyquicklyfoundthattheywere onthesamewavelength.Theyhavebeenhappily marriedfortwentyyears.AndPeterisveryglad thatheturneda deafeartohisfriends' suggestions. Examples found in music l'mnevergoingtokisstherubylips Oftheprettiestgirlintown. l'mnevergonnaaskhertomarryme, ForIknowshe'dturnmedown. COUNTRYBOY Nowyourdaddy'scool and Yourmamma'snofool, Theybothknowthat l'mheadoverheelsforyou. You GoT ME FLOATIN' Jimi Hendrix Butyouwokeandsmiledmyname, Andyoustolemyheartaway, Stolemyheartaway,littlegirI. ONE RAINY WrSH Jimi Hendrix ShehasthedeviIinhereye Andholdsanangelin herheart She'llgetyouwrappedaroundherUttlefinger Andtearyourminda millionmilesapart. PLEASE MR. LOVERMAN Jimi Hendrix Ifellinlovewithloveonenight Whenthemoonwaslow. I wasunwisewitheyesunabletosee. 63 Andalthoughyourskinwasblack You didn'tturnyourback Onthehungrywhitechildwithno name. REUBAN JAMES Kenny Rogers Howcanyoubeintwoplacesatonce Whenyou'rereallyno whereatalI. FrankZappa 64 Glossary A afloat..........a galla age............epoca agreement......accordo ahead ..........avanti air ............aria anger..........rabbia arm ...........braccio arms...........armi around.........incerchio arrive..........arrivare B back(n) ........schiena back(v) ........appoggiare bag............sacco ball............palla balloon.........pallone bargain ........affare bark...........abbaiare barrel ..........barile base...........base beat...........vincere behind.........dietro belt............cintura big ............grande 65 c bill ............bolla biteoff.........staccareconunmorso black ..........nero . blank..........lacuna;vuoto blindo..........cieco blow...........faresaltareinaria blowover.......passare blowup ........fare esplodere blue ...........azzurro boat ...........barca boil............bollire bolt............fulmine bomb(n)........sorpresa bomb(v) ........farefiasco bombshell ......bomba books ..........libri bottom.........fondo bowl...........giocarea bowling break..........rompere breathe ........respirare brick...........mattone bridge..........ponte bright .........felice; brillante bring ..........portare broke ..........alverde bull'seye .......centrodelbersaglio bum'srush......buttarfuori bundle .........gruzzolo burn(n) ........scottatura burn(v) ........bruciare bury...........seppellire bust...........fallimento cali............chiamare can............scatola cards ..........cartedagioco cat ............gatto 66 catch ..........sorprendere cause ..........causa ceiling .........soffitto chance.........fortuna;rischio change.........cambiare cheer ..........umore chew...........masticare chips ..........fiche; soldi circle ..........circolo cleaners........lavanderie cleanup........accumulare close(adj).......vicino close(n)........fine cloud ..........nuvola cold............freddo collar ..........colletto colours ........colori;bandiera come...........venire cook ...........cuocere cool............calma coon ...........procione count ..........conteggio course .........corso crazy ..........matto;pazzo creek ..........torrente cross ...........incrociare curtain.........sipario curve ..........lanciocurvo D danger.........pericolo dark...........oscuro day............giorno dead-end .......senzaviadi uscita deaf...........sordo deal ...........trattamento deception.......inganno deck...........mazzo 67 deep............profondo difficulty .......difficolt dilemma........dilemma dirty...........sporco;disonesto do.............fare dog............cane doghouse.......canile door ...........porta doubt..........dubbio downhill. .......discesa; declino draw...........sorteggiare dream .........sognare drive...........spingere drop...........perdere;farecadere E ear............orecchio egg............uova end............limite ends...........estremit error. ..........errore eye............occhio F face............faccia failure .........fallimento fall ............cadere;cascare far ............lontano fast ...........veloce fate ............destino feather.........piuma feel............sentire feet ...........piedi fence ..........recinto fmger..........dito finish..........finire; concludere 68 fire............fuoco first ...........primo fit.............attacco;crisi flash...........lampo;scintillio flat............piatto float...........galleggiare fly.............volare;sventolare flub............sbagliare foam...........spumare fool ............sciocco foot ...........piede force...........costringere fortune.........fortuna freeze .........congelare fresh. ..........fresco front...........davanti fuse ...........valvola G game ..........gioco gasket .........guarnizione get ............ottenere;portare glasses.........occhiali go.............andare goods ..........beni;merci grade ..........vetta;qualit grief...........malora ground.........terra guard..........guardia gum up.........incasinare H hackles.........piumaggiolungo hand...........mano handle .........manico hard...........duramente 69 I harmony .......armonia hatchet.........ascia have...........avere haystack .......pagliaio head....." ....testa heap...........mucchio heart ..........cuore heel ...........tacco hell............inferno herring.........aringa high...........alto;elevato hit ............colpire hoe............zappa homestretch ....partefinale hope...........speranza horizon.........orizzonte horn...........corno hornet .........calabrone horse ..........cavallo hot............caldo house..........teatro ice......... ....ghiaccio impossibility....impossibilit J jackpot .........colpo difortuna jam............pasticcio jump...........saltare K kickoff.........cominciare knock..........battere;bussare 70 L land...........cadere lap ..'" .......grembo last ............ultimo lay ............deporre;fare lead(v) .........condurre lead(n).........piombo leaf............foglia leap ...........saltare leave ..........lasciare leg ............gamba lemon..........limone length .........lunghezza leopardo........leopardo lid.............coperchio lie.............bugia life ............vita light...........leggero limb...........ramo line............fila lip.............labbro little...........piccolo live............vivere longshot ... .....cavallononfavorito look ...........guardare lose............perdere lost............perso love ...........amore luck ...........fortuna M mad ...........pazzo make ..........fare mark ..........segno meet ...........incontrare mind...........mente money .........soldi 71 monkey wrench .. chiave inglese month .... ..... mese moon .... . . .... luna motion .. . .... .. mozione mouth . . . . . . . . . bocca N nail. . . . . . .. .... chiodo name . . . . ... . .. nome; reputazione nap ... .. . . . .. .. sonnecchiare near .. ...... .. . vicino; per poco needle . . . . . . . . . ago nerves ....... .. nervi neck . ... . ...... collo nest ...... ..... nido new . .... .. . ... nuovo nose .. . . .. . . ... naso nothing . . . . . . . . niente nuts . .... . .. ... pazzo o once .. .. . .. ... . una volta one . . . ... .. ... . uno open .... .. .. .. . aprire; cominciare overboard . .. .. .. fuori bordo; al mare p pack .... .. ..... branco; muta paddle . .. . .. ... pala pan..... ...... . scodellino paradise ....... . paradiso pay ...... .... .. pagare peck ... ... . . ... misura per cereali pickle .... . .. . . . guaio 72 pick up . . . .. .... riprendere picture .. ..... .. quadro piece...... ..... pezzo pile ........ ... . mucchio pnch ... .. . ... . morso pipe . . . ..... . .. pipa pIace... . . . . .... posto play (n) ... .. ... mossa play (v) . . ... ... . giocare pocket .... . .... ~ s c proud ... .. . . ... fiero pull. . .. . . . .. . .. tirare push .. . ... .. . .. spingere put . ... ... ... . . mettere Q question . ... . . .. questione R raise . .... ... . .. alzare rarity .......... rarit red .... . ... . ... rosso rejection........ rifiuto rich... ... ...... ricco rise .. ... . . .. . . . alzarsi risk. . ... . . .. ... rischio road . . . . . . .. ... strada rock (n) ... ... . . roccia rock (v) .. ... .... far dondolare roll . . . .. ....... avvolgersi roof.. .. . . . .. ... tetto rope .. ... .. . .. . corda rose . .. .. .. ... . rosa row . . .... .. . . . . filare rub ... . . ....... strofinare run .. .. . .. .. . . . correre 73 s sail............navigare same ..........stesso scent ..........pista score...........segnare sea............mare see ............vedere sell............vendere send...........mandare service .........servizio set ............dareinizio shock..........choc shoestring......stringaperscarpe short ..........corto;insufficiente shot ...........sparo;personaggio shoulder........spalla show(n)........programma show(v)........mostrare showers........doccia side ...........lato sieve ...........setaccio sight ...........vista silver ..........argento sito ............sedere situation .......situazione skate ..........pattinare skids ..........malora slow...........lento smoke..........fumo snap...........addentare snowball .......palladi neve socks ..........calze soup...........minestra spanner........chiaveinglese spirits .........morale;umore spot(n).........chiazza squeeze ........allestrette stack(n) ........mucchio stack(v)........imbrogliare 74 stand..........essere;trovarsi star ...........stella start(n)........inizio start(v) ........iniziare steam..........vapore steal...........rubare steerclear......evitare street..........strada stickout ........sporgere stirup .........sollevare;smuovere stone ........' ..pietra straddle........esserea cavalcioni straw..........paglia strike..........colpire strikeout .......essereeliminato successo........successo Sunday ........domenica surprise........sorpresa swing..........tentaredi colpire T tails ...........croce take...........prendere takeoff.........decollare target ..........bersaglio tell............dire tempt..........tentare tether ..........pastoia;limite there ..........l thin ...........sottile thing ..........cosa throat ....... ...gola throw..........lanciare thumb .........pollice tight...........stretto tighten..... ....tirare;stringere ton ............tonnellata top ............cima;vetta 75 v toss-up.........cosaincerta touch-and-go....incerto;rischioso tree............albero trick...........colpo trouble.........disturbo try ............provare;tentare turn(n) ........direzione turo(v) ........girare;voltare turnover.......girarsi;voltarsi two............due u uncertainty.....incertezza uphill..........insalita;arduo vicious .........vizioso w wall ...........muro walkingpapers..notificadilicenziamento wanting........mancante wash ..........lavare washout........fiasco; fallimento water..........acqua wavelength .....lunghezzad'onda waves..........onde way ...........Diodo white . .. ... . . . .bianco wind...........vento windup(down)..finire winner.........vincitore wonder .........meraviglia wood...........legno woods..........foresta wool ...........lana work...........causare;operare works..........meccanismo world ..........mondo worm ..........verme wrapup........concludere wrong..........sbagliato 77 76 Index Introduction 5 PariI 7 TalkingaboutSurprise 8 TalkingaboutRisk/Danger lO TalkingaboutSuccess 14 Part2 19 TalkingaboutAnger 20 TalkingaboutDeception 24 TalkingaboutStarting/Finishing 27 TalkingaboutHope 32 Part3 35 TalkingaboutFailurelError 37 TalkingaboutMoney 41 TalkingaboutUncertainty 44 TalkingaboutTroublelDifficulty 47 Part4 53 TalkingaboutAgreement 54 TalkingaboutLove 56 TalkingaboutRejection 58 TalkingaboutImpossibility/Rarity 61 Glossary 65