Hello! my
lad; you look as if you've been in the wars (hurt yourself).
I suspect
he has an axe to grind (private ends to serve, a personal interest in the
matter).
The news
of Amir's death spread like wildfire (spread rapidly).
He took to
heart (was deeply affected by) the death of his wife.
He was
disappointed, but he took heart (cheered himself up) and tried again.
He has his
heart in the right place (means well, is of a kindly and sympathetic
disposition).
He
is coming to the front (attaining prominence, becoming conspicuous) in public
life.
10
He is not
a great lawyer but he has the gift of the gab (a talent for speaking).
Prohibition
is gall and wormwood (hateful) to distillers.
The
strikers have thrown out of gear (disturbed the working of) many of our
important
industries.
Though he
addressed his boys for a few minutes only, the earnestness with which he
spoke went
home to them (deeply appealed to them).
Just now
he is simply coining money (making money very rapidly, earning large sums
easily).
The screen
is in character (in keeping) with the rest of the furniture.
He is not
in the good books of (in favour with) his master.
I am
afraid I am in his bad books (out of favour with him).
I am quite
at sea (perplexed, at a loss what to do or how to act).
He does
not understand that he stands in his own light (acts against his own interests,
hinders
his own advancement).
11
Although
he denies it, I think he is behind the scenes (in the secret, in possession of
facts
not
generally known).
You are
sure to put your foot in it (to blunder, to get into a scrape) if you meddle in
his
affairs.
I begged
him to reconsider his decision, but he put his foot down (remained firm ;
refused
to yield).
He asked
me to dinner, but I had to foot the bill (pay for it).
We shall
fight tooth and nail (with all our power) for our rights.
The
property belonged to a Nawab, but recently it changed hands (became someone
else's
property).
He is by
long odds (most decidedly) the greatest of living mathematicians.
The thief
took to his heels (ran off) on seeing a policeman.
Our school
is within a stone's throw of (at a short distance from) the railway station.
A few days
before his death, he made a clean breast of (confessed without reserve)
everything
connected with that affair.
12
He stood
his ground (maintained his position) against his adversary.
He keeps
in touch with (has intimate knowledge of) the latest developments in wireless.
That is
where the shoe pinches (where the difficulty or trouble lies).
I told him
that I was prepared to show my hand (to reveal my plan of action, to let out my
designs)
provided he agreed to do the same.
The
medical graduates to a man (i.e., everyone without exception) voted in favour
of him.
He
insisted on his orders being carried out to the letter (exactly, with adherence
to every
detail).
For a long
time he kept his father in the dark (in ignorance) about the true state of
affairs.
Success
has turned his head (made him quite vain).
His
star is in the ascendant (i.e., fortune favours him).
13
The scheme
appears worthless at the first blush (at first sight). It was his constant
prayer
that he
might die in harness (continue to the last in his business or profession).
He has too
many irons in the fire (i.e., he is engaged in too many enterprises at the same
time).
The Sikh
soldiers were true to their salt (faithful to their employers).
The latest
police report says that the situation is now well in hand (under control).
He was at
his wit's end (quite puzzled, at a complete loss how to act).
What's the
matter with him ? He is falling foul of (quarrelling with) everybody.
I am sure
he won't go back on (fail to keep) his word.
The
directors of the company put their heads together (consulted one another) to
formulate
a new scheme.
Do
not give ear to (listen to) a tale-bearer.
14
So far as
I could see there was nothing out of the way (strange, eccentric) in the
behaviour
of that stranger.
A spirit
of unrest is in the air (prevalent, found everywhere).
The
controversy is likely to create bad blood (ill-feeling, bitterness) between the
two
communities.
The rebels
surrrendered at discretion (unconditionally).
The letter
is meant to be read between the lines (i.e., it has a hidden or unexpressed
meaning, not
apparent on the surface).
He was
murdered in cold blood (i.e., not in the heat of passion or excitement, but
deliberately).
Let us
have your terms in black and white (in writing).
On the
approach of a policeman the bully showed a clean pair of heels (ran away).
He has
politics on the brain (constantly in his thoughts, as a sort of monomania).
This
will suit you to a T (exactly).
15
His eldest
son, a spendthrift, is a thorn in his side (a constant source of annoyance to
him).
I smell a
rat (have reason to suspect something).
I nipped
his scheme in the bud (i.e., made it fail before it could mature).
What you
propose is out of the question (not to be thought of, impossible).
The
performance was not up to the mark (quite satisfactory).
The long
and the short of it (the simple fact, the whole matter in a few words) is that
I do
not want
to deal with that new firm.
I am told
he is in the running (i.e., he has good prospects in the competition).
Now that
he has nothing to fear from me, he is showing his teeth (adopting a threatening
attitude).
He changed
colour (turned pale) when I questioned him about his antecedents.
He had
made a great mistake in championing their cause, but, having done it, he stuck
to
his
guns (remained faithful to the cause).
16
This is the
time to take stock of (to survey) the whole situation.
What's the
good of entering into negotiations with a man of straw (a man of no substance
or
consequence)?
The
election campaign is just now in full swing (very active).
He is not
wise enough to keep his own counsel (to preserve a discreet silence, to be
reticent
about his opinions or affairs).
That young
fellow was born with a silver spoon in his mouth (born in wealth and luxury).
It stands
to reason (is quite clear, is an undoubted fact) that the rich never have
justice
done them
in plays and stories; for the people who write are poor.
This
suit-case has stood me in good stead (proved useful to me) in my travels.
You have
taken the wind out of my sails (made my words or actions ineffective by
anticipating
them).
I took him
to task (reproved him) for his carelessness.
I
have a bone to pick with you (some cause of quarrel with you).
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