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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." |
| 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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