Essential english idioms (part 3 – K to R)
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A complete list of the most common English idioms and expressions:
| ENGLISH IDIOMS (K to R) | MEANINGS |
| Keep an eye on | To keep under careful observation. |
| Keep me in the loop | Keep me informed |
| Keep me posted. | Keep me informed. |
| Keep my head above water. | to just be able to manage, especially when you have financial difficulties |
| Keep something at bay | Hold something at a distance |
| Keep someone on their toes. | to make someone concentrate so that they are ready to deal with anything that might happen |
| Keep your cool | To maintain a calm and controlled attitude. |
| Keeping my fingers crossed | Hoping for good luck |
| Kill two birds with one stone | to succeed in achieving two things in a single action |
| Know something inside out | to know someone or something very well |
| Know which way the wind is blowing | Understand the situation (generally negative) |
| Larger than life | Bigger than life |
| Last straw | Last drop (The last problem of a series of problems.) |
| Leave no stone unturned | Don’t neglect any details |
| Let me know… | Keep me informed…… |
| Let me see if I can move some things around. | I’ll see if I can move some things. |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Stop discussing a problem |
| Let someone off the hook | Letting someone get away with it |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Accidentally revealing a secret |
| Let the chips fall where they may | Let something happen, whether it’s good or bad. |
| Let’s get down to business. | Used to mark a transition to a business discussion or serious talk. |
| Like riding a bicycle | Something you never forget how to do |
| Like two peas in a pod | They’re always together. |
| To live beyond your means. | You spend more money than you can afford. |
| Living the dream. | Living the good life |
| Long time no see | It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. |
| Look before you leap | Only take calculated risks |
| Lose your marbles | Going crazy |
| Maddening | Enrageant |
| Make a long story short | Get to the point |
| Make hay while the sun shines | Enjoy a good situation |
| Make time for (something). | Plan time for (something). |
| Make up one’s mind | To finally decide something. |
| Miss the boat | to say that someone missed their chance |
| My hands are full | I’m busy. |
| My two cents | To give or share your opinion |
| Nature Calls | means we have to go to the toilet! |
| Never mind | Forget what I said, it’s okay. |
| No pain, no gain | You have to work for what you want |
| No Strings Attached | Doing something for someone without asking for anything in return. |
| No Sweat | No problem |
| No Worries | No problem |
| Not playing with a full deck | to talk about someone who’s not very smart. |
| Nothing Matters | To express nothing else is important |
| To be on cloud nine | To be very happy |
| To be on the same page | to understand and agree with what is being done or suggested |
| On thin ice | On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble. |
| Once bitten, twice shy | You are more careful when you have already been injured. |
| Once in a blue moon | When something rarely happens |
| Once in a while | not very often |
| Out of the blue | from nowhere |
| Out of the frying pan and into the fire | Things are going from bad to worse |
| Out of this world | incredible |
| Over my dead body! | I will do everything you can to prevent something! |
| Over the moon | to be happy |
| Pain in the ass | Annoying (vulgar) |
| Picture paints a thousand words | a picture can express a complex idea in the same way a large amount of descriptive text can. |
| Plain as day | Obvious, clear |
| To play it by ear (=go with the flow) | Everything will be done when it’s done (spontaneously) |
| Play second fiddle | Be less important. |
| Pull a rabbit out of a hat | Do something unexpected |
| Pull someone’s leg | Joking, making fun of someone |
| Pull yourself together | Get a grip on yourself. |
| Push back the appointment. | postpone the appointment |
| Put (something) on hold | To pause, postpone, or suspend an activity |
| Put oneself in someone’s shoes | To try to look at a situation from a different point of view; as if one were the other person; to empathise. |
| Put something on ice | Put a project on hold |
| Put wool over other people’s eyes | cheating on someone to make them think well of them. |
| Put your foot in your mouth | Say something you shouldn’t have said |
| Rain on someone’s parade | To ruin something |
| Read between the lines | To try to understand someone’s real feelings or intentions from what they say or write |
| Read one’s mind | To know what someone is thinking without being told |
| Reduced to ashes | destroyed or made useless |
| Does that ring a bell? | Does it seem familiar? Does it remind you of something? |
| Rise and Shine | Get up! (in the morning) |
| Rub shoulders | be around people |
| Run like the wind | to run very fast. |
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