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| Be on the ball |
If
you are on the ball, you are aware of what is happening and are able to react to the situation quickly. |
| Bang your head against a brick wall |
If you bang your head against a brick wall, you continue vainly to
try and achieve something in spite of several unsuccessful attempts. "I've been banging my head against a brick wall trying to explain the internet to my grandmother." |
| Think better of something | If you think better of something, you
decide not to do something that you intended doing. "I wanted to go shopping, but when I saw the crowded car park, I thought better of it." |
| It's beyond me | The expression "it's beyond me" means:
"it's impossible for me to understand" "It's beyond me why Mary wants to marry John." |
| I wasn't born yesterday |
This expression is used to indicate that you are not as
foolish or as easily deceived as some people seem to think. "Stop inventing silly excuses. I wasn't born yesterday you know!" |
| Blind you with science |
If someone tries to blind you with science, they confuse
you with their knowledge by using difficult or technical words. "If you ask Tim for a simple explanation, he tries to blind you with science." |
| Build bridges | If
a person builds bridges between opposing groups, they help them to cooperate and understand each other better. |
| Can't make head or tail of something |
If you can't make head or tail of something, you can't understand it
at all. "Julie's message was so confusing, I couldn't make head or tail of it! " |
| Can't see the wood for the trees | If someone can't see the wood for the trees,
they are so concentrated on the details that they can't see the situation as a whole. "The new manager found the situation so complicated that he couldn't see the wood for the trees." |
| Put on your thinking cap | If you tell someone
to put their thinking cap on, you ask them to find an idea or solve a problem by thinking about it. "Now here's this week's quiz - it's time to put your thinking caps on!" |
| Not have a clue |
If you don't have a clue about something, you don't know
anything about it. "My wife's grandmother's maiden name? I don't have a clue!" |
| Collect one's thoughts |
If you collect your thoughts, you try to think calmly and clearly in order to prepare yourself mentally for something. "Anne stopped to collect her thoughts before calling back the customer." |
| Come to your senses |
If you come to your senses, you start to think clearly and behave
sensibly. "She finally came to her senses and realized that public transport was faster than driving." |
| At cross purposes |
If two people are at cross purposes, there is a misunderstanding
as to what each one is talking about. "Look, we seem to be at cross purposes : you're talking about 'sailing' boats but I'm talking about 'selling' boats." |
| Dumbing down |
If something, such as a television programme or a film production, is dumbed down, it is deliberately made less intelligent or less demanding, in order to attract a larger audience. "Some TV channels are dumbing down their programmes in an attempt to increase their audience ratings." |
| Eyes wide open | If you do something with your eyes open, you are fully aware of
what you are doing. "I took on the job with my eyes wide open, so I'm not complaining." |
| Get someone's drift | To tell someone that you get their drift means that you
understand in a general way what they are trying to say. "'I didn't understand every word but I got the drift." |
| Get the picture |
To say that a person gets the picture means that they understand what is being explained or described. "The alarm went off, people were running everywhere - you get the picture I'm sure!" |
| Get wise to something |
If you get wise to something, you learn something that you were unaware
of before. "He finally got wise to the fact that children were stealing apples from his garden." |
| Know
which side your bread is buttered |
If you know which side your bread is buttered, you know where
your interests lie, or what will be to your advantage. "Jack never argues with his father-in-law. He knows which side his bread is buttered." |
| Not miss a trick |
If a person never misses a trick, they are very aware or alert. "The old lady next door will know if Bill is there or not - she never misses a trick!" |
| More money than sense | If you have more money than sense, you
have a lot of money which you waste by spending it in a foolish manner. "He celebrated the birth of the baby by buying a sports car. He's got more money than sense!" |
| Muddy the waters | If you muddy the waters, you make
something less clear by giving confusing information "I had difficulty understanding, but Alan's explanation just muddied the waters!" |
| One-track mind | If you have a one-track mind, you have a tendency to think
about only one subject. "That boy has got a one-track mind; all he thinks about is football!" |
| Out of your depth | If you are out of your depth, you are unable to understand
a subject or deal with a situation because it is too difficult for you. "The level of the class was too high for me, so very quickly I felt out of my depth." |
| Out to lunch |
To say that someone is out to lunch means that they seem to be
either unaware of what's going on around them, or unable to understand what is happening. "He's hopeless as a leader - considered as 'out-to-lunch' by the group." |
| Put two and two together | To say that a person puts two and two together means
that they reach the right conclusion based on the information they have. "Forget your explanation. She'll never believe you. She can put two and two together!" |
| Quick off the mark | To say that someone is quick off the mark means that they are
quick to react to an event or take advantage of an opportunity. "You've got to be quick off the mark to avail of the airline's special offers." |
| Quick/slow on the uptake | Someone who is quick or slow on the uptake is quick or slow to
understand what is meant. "Please explain the problem in simple words - I'm a bit slow on the uptake." |
| Rocket science |
If you say that something is not rocket science,
you emphasize that it presents no particular difficulty. "Bob will explain how it works. Don't worry - it's not rocket science!" |
| By no stretch of the imagination |
This expression means 'however hard you may try to believe or imagine something'. "By no stretch of the imagination could he be called handsome." |
| Walking encyclopaedia |
This term refers to a person who is very knowledgeable about a
particular subject. "The origin of Halloween? Ask Jill - she's a walking encyclopaedia!" |
| Weigh your words | If you
weigh your words, you choose your words carefully in order to express exactly what you mean and avoid any misunderstanding. "At the press conference he spoke very clearly, weighing his words." |
| Get one's wires crossed |
If
people get their wires crossed, they misunderstand each other or are confused about what was said. "We must have got our wires crossed. I thought we were to meet in front of the station." |
| Wrap your brain around something |
If you concentrate on something so as to try to understand it,
you wrap your brain around it. "I need a translation of that report urgently, so wrap you brain round it fast!" |
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