Idioms and Phrases

1.   1. CRUNCH TIME: the period of time just before a project has to be completed and everyone has to work hard

·         I’m not getting enough sleep these days. It’s crunch time at work.

2. LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY: to let others see your uniqueness

·         My colleagues were surprised at the Christmas party- I let my freak flag fly and showed them a break dance routine.

3. GET OUT OF HAND: when you lose control of things, they get out of hand

·         The party got out of hand and the guests started to throw bottles at each other.

4. GET YOUR HEAD AROUND IT: to understand something

·         I just can’t get my head around the fact that Joe is leaving us.

5. DIG IN YOUR HEELS / STICK TO YOUR GUNS: to refuse to compromise or change your mind

·         My parents wanted me to give up writing, but I dug in my heels and went on to become a famous writer.

·         My parents wanted me to give up writing, but I stuck to my guns and went on to become a famous writer.

6. POUND THE PAVEMENT: to walk the streets looking for a job

·         I’d been pounding the pavement for months before I found a job in a fast food restaurant.

7. PULL A RABBIT OUT OF A HAT: to do something unexpected that may have seemed impossible

·         I thought we were going bankrupt, but my partner pulled a rabbit out of his hat and we landed a major contract.

8. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED: to do everything you can to achieve your goal

·         I’ll leave no stone unturned until I find out who did this.

9. GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM: to do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time and don’t want to postpone any longer

·         I wasn’t sure how she was going to react, but I had to get it out of my system, so I told her I had found another woman.

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10. STEP UP YOUR GAME: to start performing better

·         If you want to win this competition, you’ll have to step up your game.