Cambridge English: PET (B1 Preliminary) - Idiomatic Expressions

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{one's} cup of tea [phrase]

a type of activity, subject, etc. that one is very good at or enjoys very much

Ex: Adventure sports have always been her cup of tea .

piece of cake [phrase]

anything that is very easy to achieve or do

Ex: I thought the job interview would be tough , but it turned out to be a piece of cake .

to not take something seriously or to only partially accept it

Ex:

to [spill] the beans [phrase]

to reveal a secret that one was asked not to tell anyone

Ex: John could n't keep a secret and always ended up spilling the beans about surprises his friends had planned for others .

to [go] pear-shaped [phrase]

to proceed in a way that causes a bad outcome

Ex: I was trying to fix the leaky faucet , but then everything went pear-shaped and I ended up flooding the bathroom .

to [cry] over spilled milk [phrase]

to feel upset or regretful about something that has already happened and cannot be undone

Ex: The cake I baked did n't turn out well , but there 's no point in crying over spilled milk .

once in a blue moon [phrase]

used for saying that something can only happen on very rare occasions

Ex: Once in a blue moon , he cooks a gourmet meal to impress his friends .

to [see] eye to eye [phrase]

to completely agree with someone and understand their point of view

Ex: The negotiation process was challenging , but eventually , both parties found common ground and began to see eye to eye .

cold feet [noun]

the state in which one loses all one's confidence and willingness to continue doing something

Ex: The investor got cold feet about the risky business venture and withdrew their financial support .

to [pull] {one's} leg [phrase]

to joke with someone in a friendly manner by trying to make them believe something that is not true

Ex:

an arm and (a|) leg [phrase]

a large sum of money

Ex: The luxury car he bought cost him an arm and a leg , but he considered it a status symbol .

to [break] the ice [phrase]

to make two or more strangers get comfortable with each other and engage in a conversation

Ex: In a new workplace , team-building activities are often used to break the ice among colleagues .

Cambridge English: PET (B1 Preliminary)
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