secrets and suspicion
Caught in the act
Discovered while doing something wrong.
To keep to yourself
Avoid socializing; be private.
A fresh start
An opportunity to begin again.
Run-of-the-mill
Ordinary; nothing special.
Collateral damage
Unintended damage caused while achieving something else.
Raising a red flag
Showing a warning sign that something is wrong.
A falling out
An argument that ends a friendship or relationship.
To sleep on it
Wait before deciding so you can think about it.
You know the drill
You already know the usual procedure.
To be in hot water
Be in trouble.
A shady past
A suspicious or questionable history.
To be on the same wave
Think or understand things in a similar way.
In hindsight
Looking back with knowledge of what happened.
To go the extra mile
Make more effort than expected.
To bite the bullet
Face something difficult or unpleasant bravely.
To keep it to yourself
Not tell anyone something.
To be in the same boat
Be in the same difficult situation.
To jump to conclusions
Decide something too quickly without enough information.
To get the ball rolling
Start something or get a process started.
To get cold feet
Become too nervous or afraid to do something.
A red herring
Something that distracts from the real issue.
To throw someone under the bus
Betray or blame someone to protect yourself.
To miss the point
Fail to understand the main idea.
To get your act together
Become organized and deal with your responsibilities.
A double-edged sword
Something with both advantages and disadvantages.
To go behind someone’s back
Do something secretly without their knowledge.
To have mixed feelings
Have both positive and negative feelings about something.
To take something with a grain of salt
Be skeptical; don’t completely believe it.
To bend the rules
Slightly break or stretch the rules.
To open a can of worms
Create a complicated new problem by dealing with something.
To call someone’s bluff
Challenge someone to prove they mean what they say.
To have a change of heart
Change your opinion or decision.
To hit the nail on the head
Describe something exactly or correctly.
To cut corners
Do something badly or cheaply by skipping necessary steps.
A slippery slope
A situation that can gradually lead to worse consequences.
To sweep something under the rug
Hide or ignore a problem instead of dealing with it.
To draw the line
Set a limit on what you will accept.
To put something on a pedestal
Treat something as much better or more perfect than it really is.
To make ends meet
Have enough money to cover your expenses.
The tip of the iceberg
A small visible part of a much larger problem.
An ulterior motive
A hidden reason for doing something.
To be on thin ice
Be in a risky situation where one mistake could cause trouble.
To take something for granted
Fail to appreciate something because you assume it will always be there.
To leave no stone unturned
Try every possible way to find or achieve something.
A blessing in disguise
Something that seems bad but turns out to be beneficial.
To read between the lines
Understand an unstated or hidden meaning.
A finger in every pie
Be involved in many different activities or affairs.
To face the music
Accept the unpleasant consequences of your actions.
To make a mountain out of a molehill
Make a small problem seem much bigger than it is.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Someone who appears harmless but is actually dangerous or dishonest.