IDIOMS AND PHRASES For IELTS

Burn the Candle at Both Ends: To work too hard, with possible bad consequences for one’s health.

Sentence – Oh, Denise is definitely burning the candle at both ends—she’s been getting to the office early and staying very late to work on some big project.

Burn the Midnight Oil: To work late into the night.

Sentence – Denise has been burning the midnight oil trying to finish this report, so she must be exhausted.

Bury (Hide) one’s Head in the Sand: Ignoring something that’s obviously wrong, not facing reality.

Sentence – Lou, you can’t bury your head in the sand about your health—please, make an appointment with your doctor and get that rash checked out!

Bury the Hatchet: Make peace, agree to end a dispute.

Sentence – Can you please bury the hatchet and make up with your sister already? I can’t take the constant fighting.

Business as Usual: A normal situation (whether related to business or not), typically restored after some change.

Sentence – This shop is open for business as usual despite the shortages.

Busman’s Holiday: A vacation where you do the same thing you do at work, a working vacation.

Sentence – Because I’m a docent, visiting museums on vacation is like a busman’s holiday for me.

Busted Flush: A failure, someone or something that seemed promising but did not develop well.

Sentence – I thought I’d finally win the hand, but when I drew the ace of spades, I was left with a busted flush.

Butter Wouldn’t Melt in (Someone’s): Mouth This person is cool in manner, prim and proper.

Sentence – Sure, he looks as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth when he’s around people he doesn’t know, but stay a while and you’ll see what he’s really like.

Buy a Pig in a Poke: To buy something with no prior inspection.

Sentence – Purchasing a home without inspecting it first is like buying a pig in a poke.

Buy Time: Cause a delay in something with the aim of improving one’s position.

Sentence – I’m so sorry I’m running late to the party, but I’m almost there now—buy me some time so that I don’t miss the cake-cutting!

By a Whisker: By a very short distance.

Sentence – They’re just about to close the gates! It looks like we made the flight by a whisker.

By All Means: Of course, certainly.

Sentence – There will be a lot of people at this event, but we need to court that one big investor by all means.

By Hook or by Crook: By some possibly dishonest means

Sentence – We need to court that big investor by hook or by crook, so shameless flattery is a fine place to start!

By the Skin of One’s Teeth: Barely escaping disaster.

Sentence – Oh man, my car wouldn’t start this morning—I just made it here by the skin of my teeth!

By Word of Mouth: Via personal communications rather than written media.

Sentence – We don’t have the budget for a big marketing campaign, so we’ll just have to hope that buzz about our shop gets spread by word of mouth.