1
a dog’s life
a difficult, hard life
don’t hold your breath
don’t wait for sb/sth anxiously
hold one’s horses
wait; be patient
it’s all Greek to me
sth new or foreign; not easily understood
with flying colours
with great success
a bitter pill to swallow
a difficult fact to accept
against all odds
despite the difficulties
fair and square
within the rules
get a bit hot under the collar
get angry, upset or embarassed
through thick and thin
whatever happens
go to the dogs
worsen
bark up the wrong tree
have a false idea about sth
make amends for
try to compensate for a past action
paint the town red
have a great time
smell a rat
suspect that sth is wrong
wear your heart on your sleeve
show your feelings or emotions rather than keeping them hidden
at close quarters
from a short distance
be as thick as a brick
be stupid
chip off the old block
sb who is very like one of his parents
fly off the handle
quickly become very angry
jack of all trades
sb who is able to do a variety of jobs
pick someone’s brains
ask sb to help with a problem
hear it through the grapevine
find out information indirectly
pop the question
make a proposal of marriage
red herring
sth which distracts you from sth important