being mean or nice
a blessing in disguise
Look at it as blessing in disguise; you'll find someone soon who really appreciates you.
something good that came out of a bad situation or seemed bad at first
to go back to the drawing board
That didn't work out the way I expected it to. Let's go back to the drawing board.
to start over, usually to rethink your approach to a problem
better late than never
Did you ever go to the doctor to get your foot checked out?
No, but I have an appointment next week.
Okay good. Better late than never with that stuff.
it's better to do something later than you should have, than to not do it at all
or: better to arrive late, than to never go
to get out of hand
I let my class play a game today, but it really got out of hand.
when a situation has lost control
speak of the devil
Speak of the devil!
the person you were just talking about showed up
to give someone the benefit of the doubt
to trust what someone says. to believe the nicest assumption about a person or situation when you could assume the worst
your guess is as good as mine
Do you know where the screwdriver is?
Your guess is as good as mine.
essentially "I have no idea"
call it a day
I think I'm going to call it a day, that's all I can do.
the last straw
That's the last straw. I have to say something to him.
that was the last mistake you will accept. your patience is over and the problem needs to be fixed
to get bent out of shape
Don't get bent out of shape, I'm sure she didn't mean it.
to get upset, usually about something small
BONUS 200: can you give another example of an idiom with this same meaning?
to add insult to injury
Don't add insult to injury, he doesn't need to know that she cheated.
to make a bad situation worse. Not always by saying something, but often with words
You're barking up the wrong tree, I can't help you.
to be looking for solutions in the wrong place
to be on the ball
You're really on the ball today!
to do a really good job, to pay attention to details and do a good job
BONUS 200: what does it mean to be "on a roll"?
pull yourself together
C'mon, pull yourself together! You have to go give a presentation!
calm down and recollect yourself, especially if you've been crying or you are hysterical
you can say that again
I don't think teachers understand just how much work students have!
You can say that again!
This phrase is used to agree with someone or show support for their opinion
to let someone off the hook
I'll let you off the hook this time, but don't do it again.
to not hold someone responsible for something bad they did
BONUS 200: explain what it means to "get away with something"
to cut someone some slack
Cut her some slack, she's trying her best.
to be less critical than you usually would, often because you see the person struggling
to wrap your head around something
I know this can be difficult to wrap your head around, so I'll explain it again.
to understand something complicated
to get it out of your system
Okay, okay. Laugh all you want. Get it out of your system.
to do something you really want to do so you can move on from it
a perfect storm
The language barrier and lack of communication is a perfect storm for misunderstandings.
two bad things came together and made something worse
or
the worst situation possible
to burn bridges
I want to tell her off, but I don't want to burn any bridges.
to destroy a relationship with someone (usually professionals or friends, not romantic)
BONUS 200: What does it mean to "tell someone off"?
We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
That's not a big problem yet, so let's not talk about it. We'll find a solution for that in the future.
to cut corners
I tried to cut corners to save money, but now my project doesn't look good. I'll have to re-do it anyways!
to do something poorly in order to save time or money
there's a method to the/his madness
I don't understand how this is organized, but I'm sure there's a method to this madness.
Something/someone seems crazy, but actually they're very clever. The way something is being done seems like it doesn't make sense, but it actually really does.
to be on thin ice
I wouldn't do that if I were you. You're on thin ice.
last chance to fix something. If you make another mistake, you'll be in trouble.