pattern

Street Talk 1 - A Closer Look 2: Lesson 3

Review

Flashcards

Forms

Spelling

Quiz

Start learning
Street Talk 1
heads (will|are going to) roll
heads will roll
[sentence]

used to express that people are going to be punished for something, particularly by being fired

Ex: After the data leak, heads are going to roll. 
Close
Sign in
heads up
heads up
[interjection]

used to alert someone to pay attention or to be cautious about something

Ex: Heads up! The baseball is flying your way! 
Close
Sign in
to [make] headway

to advance and make great progress in one's career or life

Ex: She is making headway in her new job. 
Close
Sign in
to [hit] the nail on the head

to say or do the exact right thing in a particular situation

Ex: The coach analyzed my form and said I was holding the racket too tight - he really hit the nail on the head with that observation. 
Close
Sign in
like a hole in the head

used to say that something is not wanted or needed at all

Ex: She already has too many shoes. She needs another pair like a hole in the head. 
Close
Sign in
hothead
hothead
[noun]

a reckless impetuous irresponsible person

Close
Sign in
off the top of {one's} head

from one's memory, without spending time to carefully consider or think

Ex: Off the top of my head, there were about forty people at the meeting. 
Close
Sign in
over {one's} head

used to refer to something that is complicated or difficult beyond one's understanding or capability

Ex: The lecture was completely over my head. 
Close
Sign in
sorehead
sorehead
[noun]

someone who is peevish or disgruntled

Close
Sign in
swelled head

a sense of high self-esteem or self-importance that one has

Ex: Ever since he got promoted, he's had a swelled head. 
Close
Sign in
to [use] {one's} [head|noodle|naggin]

to carefully consider the facts of a situation in order to understand something, make a decision, or solve a problem

Ex: Use your head before you sign anything. 
Close
Sign in
to [eat] {one's} heart out

to feel deep sadness or disappointment, especially over a lost opportunity or unfulfilled desire

Ex: He ate his heart out after losing the chance to study abroad. 
Close
Sign in
have (a|some) heart
have a heart
[sentence]

used to ask a person to stop their unkind or indifferent behavior and offer some help or show some sympathy instead

Ex: Have a heart—she's been standing in the rain for an hour. 
Close
Sign in
to [get] to the (heart|bottom) of {sth}

to discover or determine the underlying cause of something, particularly an issue

Ex: The manager called a meeting to get to the bottom of the delay. 
Close
Sign in
{one's} [heart] [go] out to {sb}

used to show one sympathizes with and feels sorry for someone else's suffering

Ex: My heart goes out to the families who lost their homes. 
Close
Sign in
heart-to-heart
heart-to-heart
[Adjective]

describing a conversation or discussion that is honest, open, and sincere, typically between close friends or family members

Ex: We had a heart-to-heart conversation about our future together. 
Close
Sign in
heartache
heartache
[noun]

a feeling of great sorrow or sadness usually caused by the loss of a loved one

Ex: The heartache of losing her dog made it hard to even look at his empty bed. 
Close
Sign in
Achilles' heel

a point of weakness or vulnerability

Ex: Poor communication was the team's Achilles' heel. 
Close
Sign in
to [cool] {one's} heels

to be forced to wait for a person or anticipate something

Ex: They made us cool our heels in the lobby for almost an hour. 
Close
Sign in
to [drag] {one's} heels

postpone doing what one should be doing

Close
Sign in
to [kick] up {one's} heels

to experience an enjoyable time, particularly by spending time at parties

Ex: After a long and tiring week at work, Sarah was eager to kick up her heels and unwind at the weekend music festival. 
Close
Sign in
to [shoot] from the hip

to not think carefully before saying something or reacting to a situation

Ex: He tends to shoot from the hip during debates, often expressing his opinions without considering the consequences. 
Close
Sign in
to knuckle down

to begin to work or study hard and focus seriously on a task or goal

Ex: I need to knuckle down and study for these exams. 
Close
Sign in
knuckle sandwich

used to refer to a punch that is hit in a person's mouth

Ex: When the schoolyard bully wouldn't leave him alone, he finally stood up and threatened to give him a knuckle sandwich. 
Close
Sign in
to knuckle under

to submit to someone or something's authority

Ex: The police chief refused to knuckle under to the demands of the criminals. 
Close
Sign in
knucklehead

a foolish or stupid person

Ex: You knucklehead, why didn't you charge your phone before the trip? 
Close
Sign in
hollow leg

the capacity or ability to consume an excessive amount of food or drink, particularly alcoholic ones

Ex: The way she drinks on a night out, you'd swear she has hollow legs. 
Close
Sign in
to leg it
to leg it
[phrase]

walk

Close
Sign in
leg to stand on

a reasoning or explanation that is deemed sufficient to justify or defend someone's actions

Ex: The company's claims that the product is safe have no leg to stand on in light of the recent recall. 
Close
Sign in
an arm and (a|) leg

a large sum of money

Ex: That new laptop costs an arm and a leg. 
Close
Sign in
to [pull] {one's} leg

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

Ex: Relax, I was only pulling your leg. 
Close
Sign in
shake a leg
shake a leg
[sentence]

said as a way of asking someone to begin doing something or continue doing it faster than before

Ex: Shake a leg, or we'll miss the bus. 
Close
Sign in
to [stretch] {one's} legs

to go for a walk, particularly after spending a long time sitting in one spot

Ex: During the long flight, it's essential to stretch your legs to prevent discomfort and maintain circulation. 
Close
Sign in
to [button|zip] {one's} [lip]

to not say anything or immediately stop talking, particularly so as not to reveal a secret or make matters worse

Ex: Zip your lip before you make things worse. 
Close
Sign in
stiff upper lip

the ability to hide one's emotions and seem calm in unpleasant or difficult situations

Ex: Her stiff upper lip helped her endure the family crisis. 
Close
Sign in
lip
lip
[noun]

an impudent or insolent rejoinder

Close
Sign in
lip service

an insincere offer or promise of support, assistance, etc.

Ex: The politician gave lip service to environmental protection but took no action to address the issue. 
Close
Sign in
read my lips
read my lips
[sentence]

used to ask a person to pay attention to one's words and believe them

Ex: Read my lips: I am not paying for your mistake. 
Close
Sign in
chopped liver

a very insignificant individual or thing

Ex: I've been working hard on this project, and now they're all praising Sarah. What am I, chopped liver? 
Close
Sign in
blabbermouth

someone who gossips indiscreetly

Close
Sign in
down in the mouth

feeling sad or discouraged

Ex: He's been down in the mouth ever since his team lost the final. 
Close
Sign in
to mouth off

to complain or speak loudly in an immoderate way

Ex: He mouthed off about the bad food the entire night. 
Close
Sign in
to [run] off at the mouth

to enjoy having lengthy and non-sensical conversations with people

Ex: He can run off at the mouth for hours about nothing. 
Close
Sign in
to [shoot] off {one's} mouth

to continuously talk about something, in a way that seems foolish or careless

Ex: The child got into trouble for shooting off his mouth in class, making rude comments and interrupting the teacher 
Close
Sign in
to neck
to neck
[Verb]

kiss, embrace, or fondle with sexual passion

Close
Sign in
neck of the woods

an area that is near a place in which someone resides

Ex: I haven't seen him around this neck of the woods for quite some time. 
Close
Sign in
a pain in the neck

a person or thing that is very annoying or troublesome

Ex: This new password system is a pain in the neck. 
Close
Sign in
to [stick] {one's} neck out

to say or do a thing that can put one in trouble or danger

Ex: Despite the potential backlash, he decided to stick his neck out and speak up against the unjust policy. 
Close
Sign in
to [get] on {one's} nerves

to make someone really mad by constantly doing something that angers or annoys them

Ex: His constant whistling is really getting on my nerves. 
Close
Sign in
to [get] on {one's} nerves

to make someone really mad by constantly doing something that angers or annoys them

Ex: His constant whistling is really getting on my nerves. 
Close
Sign in
to [hit|strike|touch] a (raw|sensitive|) nerve

to mention or do something that causes someone to become upset or angry

Ex: His comment about money hit a raw nerve with her. 
Close
Sign in
nervy
nervy
[Adjective]

showing or requiring courage and contempt of danger

Close
Sign in
(as|) plain as the nose on  {one's} face

really easy to understand or notice

Ex: It was plain as the nose on his face that he was lying; his body language and inconsistent story gave it away. 
Close
Sign in
hard-nosed
hard-nosed
[Adjective]

guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory

Close
Sign in
to [keep|put] {one's} nose to the grindstone

to continuously put a lot of effort into doing something

Ex: She kept her nose to the grindstone to finish the project on time. 
Close
Sign in
no skin off {one's} nose

to not care about something or someone because one will not be effected

Ex: Go if you like—it's no skin off my nose. 
Close
Sign in
a nose for {sth}

one's ability to find things of a particular type to suit one's needs

Ex: She has a nose for bargains and always finds the best deals. 
Close
Sign in
nosy
nosy
[Adjective]

showing too much interest in people's lives, especially when it is not one's concern

Ex: My neighbor is extremely nosy and always asks personal questions. 
Close
Sign in
{one's} [nose] in the air

a type of unfriendly behavior that is meant to show that one is better than other people

Ex: She walked past us with her nose in the air and didn't even say hello. 
Close
Sign in
to [pay] through the nose for {sth}

to pay an unreasonably high price for something

Ex: We paid through the nose for a taxi from the airport. 
Close
Sign in
to [poke|stick] {one's} nose (into|in) {sth}

to become involved in a situation that in no way concerns one

Ex: I wish my neighbor would stop poking her nose into my personal life; it's none of her concern. 
Close
Sign in
under {one's} [nose]

used when something is either obvious or within one's field of vision but one does not notice it

Ex: The keys were under his nose the whole time, but he couldn'tsee them and wasted hours searching for them. 
Close
Sign in
to [turn] {one's} [nose] up

to turn something down because one believes that it is not satisfactory enough

Ex: She turned her nose up at the homemade food. 
Close
Sign in
to [have] {sb} (in the palm|eating out) of {one's} hand

to have someone under one's complete domination or control

Ex: The new CEO has the entire board eating out of his hand. 
Close
Sign in
to palm off

to dispose of something by giving or selling it to someone else though persuasion or deception

Ex: He tried to palm off a fake painting as the real deal. 
Close
Sign in
cold shoulder

an attitude or behavior characterized by a lack of warmth, friendliness, or interest

Ex: After the argument, she gave me the cold shoulder. 
Close
Sign in
to rest
to rest
[Verb]

to be assigned to or depend on a particular person for responsibility or action

Ex: The final decision rests with the manager. 
Close
Sign in
spineless
spineless
[Adjective]

lacking courage or determination

Ex: His spineless behavior made it difficult for him to stand up to bullies. 
Close
Sign in
{one's} eyes are bigger than {one's} (stomach|belly)

used to describe a greedy person who takes more food than they could possibly finish

Ex: At the all-you-can-eat buffet, I loaded up my plate, but my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach. 
Close
Sign in
to stomach

put up with something or somebody unpleasant

Close
Sign in
to [jump] down {one's} throat

to reply quickly and rudely to someone

Ex: When I asked a simple question, he jumped down my throat with a harsh response. 
Close
Sign in
to [be] all thumbs

to act in a very clumsy or awkward manner

Ex: I'm all thumbs when I try to wrap gifts. 
Close
Sign in
rule of thumb

a method or principle solely based on experience, which may not be completely accurate

Ex: As a rule of thumb, we should save at least ten percent of our income. 
Close
Sign in
thumbs up
thumbs up
[phrase]

an instance or gesture that indicates approval or satisfaction

Ex: The team leader gave a thumbs up to the new project proposal, indicating approval and support. 
Close
Sign in
under {one's} thumb

completely under one's direct control

Ex: He keeps the whole department under his thumb. 
Close
Sign in
to [tiptoe] around  {sth}

to decide not to deal with a problem directly out of the fear that it may make things worse

Ex: They tiptoed around the subject of her poor health. 
Close
Sign in
to [toe] the line

to unwillingly obey the rules and accept the ideas or principles of a specific group or person

Ex: The new recruits were expected to toe the line without question. 
Close
Sign in
to [go|stand|be] toe-to-toe

to fight or compete with someone with great force, determination, and strength

Ex: The two teams went toe-to-toe until the final whistle. 
Close
Sign in
to [hold]  {one's} tongue

to refrain from speaking or expressing one's thoughts or opinions

Ex: Despite his frustration, he held his tongue during the meeting to avoid causing further conflict. 
Close
Sign in
tongue
tongue
[noun]

a human written or spoken language used by a community; opposed to e.g. a computer language

Close
Sign in
cat got your tongue

said to someone who is annoyingly quiet when they are expected to speak

Ex: Cat got your tongue? You were very confident a minute ago. 
Close
Sign in
tongue-tied
tongue-tied
[Adjective]

unable to speak clearly or express oneself due to nervousness, shyness, or confusion

Ex: He felt tongue-tied during the interview, unable to answer the questions smoothly. 
Close
Sign in
by the skin of {one's} teeth

used to describe a situation in which one barely manages to do something or escape danger

Ex: He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth. 
Close
Sign in
tooth and nail

with all the resources, determination, and strength that one has

Ex: They fought tooth and nail to keep the school open. 
Close
Sign in
long in the tooth

describing an individual who has lived for a very long time and is not able to do certain activities due to old age

Ex: I'm getting a bit long in the tooth to climb mountains. 
Close
Sign in
to [set] {one's} teeth on edge

to make someone extremely annoyed or enraged

Ex: The sound of his chewing sets my teeth on edge. 
Close
Sign in
sweet tooth

a strong appetite for sweet food

Close
Sign in
LanGeek
Download LanGeek app