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 English idioms relating to
INTELLIGENCE - UNDERSTANDING - LOGIC
 

 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."
 Big picture   To refer to the big picture means the overall situation, or the project
  as a whole, rather than the details.
  "While each aspect is important, try not to forget the big picture.
 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."
 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!"
 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 grips with something   If you come to grips with a problem or situation, you start to understand
  or deal  with it properly
  "After the initial shock, the patient began to come to grips with his illness."
 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."
 Common knowledge   When information is well-known to everyone (particularly in a
  community or group), it is called common knowledge.
 
"You didn't know the intern was Jack's son? I thought it was
  common knowledge."
 Crash course   If you do a crash course, you do an intensive training course in order
  to learn something quickly.
 
"Before going to Tokyo, he did a crash course to learn Japanese."
 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 message   If you get the message, you understand what someone is trying
  to tell you, even if it is expressed in actions or gestures rather than
  words.
 
"When Tony pointed at his watch, I got the message - it was time
  to leave for the airport."
 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."
 Hammer (something) home   If you hammer home a point or an argument, you repeat it often to
  make sure that it is fully understood.
  "The policeman hammered home the dangers of drinking and driving."
 Ignorance is bliss   This expression means that if you don't know about a problem or
  unpleasant fact, you won't worry about it.
  "I didn't know our neighbour was an escaped prisoner until the
  police arrived - ignorance is bliss!"
 Jump to conclusions   A person who jumps to conclusions reaches a decision or makes
  a judgement too fast, before taking the time to check out all the facts.
  "We haven't got the full story yet so let's not jump to conclusions."
 Know the score   When you know the score, you are well-informed about a situation
  and know what to expect
  "
If Julie damages the car, her dad won't lend it to her again. She
  knows the score."
 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."
 Learning curve
 
  This expression refers to the length of time needed to learn something
  new.
  "The new system has a long learning curve so we'll have to give the
  staff time to get used to it."
 Lose the plot   If a situation becomes so confusing that you are unable to
  understand what is happening or what you are supposed to do,
  you lose the plot
  "His instructions were so long and confusing that I just lost
  the plot!
 Lose the thread   If you lose the thread of something such as a conversation or a story,
  you are unable to follow it.
  "There were so many interruptions during the film that I completely lost
  the thread."
 A lost ball in high weeds   Someone who is totally confused, and doesn't know what they
  are doing or how to do it, is a lost ball in high weeds.
  "The new intern is a lost ball in high weeds - he has no idea how
   to begin the task he's been given."
 Make sense of something   If you make sense of something, you manage to understand
  something that appears complicated or incomprehensible.
  "I couldn't make sense of the instructions."
 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!"
 No-brainer   A decision or choice that requires little or no thought, because the best
  option is so obvious, is called a no-brainer.
 
 "The choice was between a cash refund or having the amount credited to
  my account - it was a no-brainer!  -  I took the cash!
 Non-sequitur   This latin term refers to a statement which does not seem to be
  a logical follow-up to the previous statement or argument.
  "After announcing the merger, the chairman began talking about
  global warming which seemed a complete non sequitur."
 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."
 The penny drops   When a person has difficulty understanding or realizing something,
  and then the penny drops, they finally understand.
  "The teasing continued for some time until the penny dropped and
  he realized it was a joke!"
 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!"
 Sharp cookie   Someone who is not easily deceived or fooled is a sharp cookie.
  "You can't fool my grandmother.  She's a sharp cookie!"
 Shed light   If you shed light on something, you help to explain it or make it
  easier to understand.
  "It was hoped that the testimony of the witnesses would shed light
  on the causes of the accident."
 Smart alec   A smart alec is an annoying self-assertive person who tries to
  show off how clever they are.
  "Some smart alec interrupted the game claiming that the answers
  were incorrect!"
 Smoke signals   To say that there are smoke signals means that there are indications
  that something is probably going to happen.
   "All the smoke signals seem to indicate that the company is going to
  be taken over."
 Spot on   To say that something is spot on means that it is exactly right.
  "That's absolutely correct!  Your answer is spot on!
 Street smart   A person who is street smart has enough experience and
  knowledge about life in the city to be able to deal with difficult or
  dangerous situations.
  "The kids living in this area are in less danger than us - they're
  street smart."
 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."
 Suss out   If you suss out something, such as a situation, you examine it and
  manage to understand it.
 
"Ask Jack to explain - he's got it all sussed out!"
 Tech savvy   People who are tech savvy have sufficient technical knowledge and
  skills to be comfortable using computers and other electronic devices
  and gadgets.
 
"Many students are more tech-savvy than their teachers."
 That figures!   This expression is used to say that something seems logical or
  is as expected.
 
"We'll have to get a bigger car when the baby arrives." "That figures."
 Tie yourself (up) in knots   If you tie yourself up in knots, you become totalled confused
  or confuse others when trying to explain something.
  "She tied herself up in knots when she tried to explain the rules
  of the game."
 Tunnel vision   If a person has tunnel vision, they focus on only one aspect of
  something, or they are unable to see more than one way of doing
  things.
  "Our manager has tunnel vision. He sees no reason to change
  anything."
 Use one's noodle   If you manage to understand something by using your noodle,
  you use your brain or your common sense.
 "How did I figure that out? I just used my noodle!"
 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."
 Window on the world   When something provides an opportunity to observe and learn
  about people and life in other countries, it is called a window
  on the world.
 
"The Internet has become a window on the world."
 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."
 Wise up/get wise to something   If you wise up or get wise to something, you become fully aware
  of a situation, finally accept the facts and are no longer fooled.
  "When Mike finally wised up to the methods being used, he
  resigned from the company."
 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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