carry the weight
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idiom

carry the weight

Meaning
to take on a large responsibility or burden
Example
As the team leader, it's his job to **carry the weight** of the project's success.
idiom

show initiative

Meaning
to take action without being told what to do
Example
Employees are encouraged to **show initiative** and come up with solutions on their own.
idiom

envy eats the heart

Meaning
jealousy destroys one’s peace of mind
Example
**Envy eats the heart**, so stop comparing yourself to others.
idiom

look before you leap

Meaning
to think carefully about possible risks before doing something
Example
Before starting your own business, remember to **look before you leap**.
idiom

brute force attack

Meaning
a method of hacking that tries all possible combinations of passwords until the correct one is found
Example
The attacker launched a **brute force attack** on the system’s login page.
idiom

give someone a leg up

Meaning
to help someone improve their situation or get an advantage
Example
Her mentor **gave her a leg up** in her career.
idiom

A blueprint for success

Meaning
A detailed plan or strategy for achieving success.
Example
Hard work and consistency are **a blueprint for success**.
idiom

kick back

Meaning
to relax and do nothing for a while
Example
After finishing the project, we just **kicked back** and watched a movie.
idiom

put your foot in your mouth

Meaning
to say something embarrassing or inappropriate
Example
He really **put his foot in his mouth** when he mentioned her age.
idiom

hit the road

Meaning
to start a journey; to leave a place
Example
We should **hit the road** before sunset to avoid traffic.
idiom

overnight success

Meaning
a person or thing that becomes successful very quickly
Example
Her first song made her an **overnight success**.
idiom

Balance the scales

Meaning
to make sure everything is fair or equal
Example
We need to **balance the scales** before making a final decision.
idiom

get along with someone

Meaning
to have a friendly relationship with someone
Example
They really **get along with each other** and are always laughing.
idiom

in a huff

Meaning
angry or offended, usually for a short time
Example
She left the meeting **in a huff** after being criticized.
idiom

meet someone halfway

Meaning
to agree to compromise with someone
Example
We finally **met each other halfway** and agreed on a solution.
idiom

user journey

Meaning
the complete experience a user has with a brand or product
Example
Mapping the **user journey** helps improve customer satisfaction.
idiom

Plow the field

Meaning
To prepare for future work or success.
Example
Before launching the product, we need to **plow the field** with proper research.
idiom

dream on

Meaning
used to say that something is unlikely to happen
Example
You think you’ll win the lottery? **Dream on!**
idiom

Make up for lost time

Meaning
To do something faster to compensate for wasted time.
Example
We worked overtime to make up for lost time.
idiom

to push the envelope

Meaning
to go beyond the usual limits; to innovate
Example
In the world of AI, companies must **push the envelope** to stay competitive.
idiom

fall flat on one’s face

Meaning
to fail completely or embarrass oneself
Example
He **fell flat on his face** trying to start a new business.
B1 idiom

all ears

Listening very attentively
Meaning
Listening very attentively
Example
When the teacher started explaining the concept, the students were all ears.
When the teacher started explaining the concept, the students were all ears.
idiom

step up your game

Meaning
to improve your performance or effort
Example
You need to **step up your game** if you want to win.
idiom

school of thought

Meaning
a particular way of thinking or set of ideas
Example
There’s a **school of thought** that believes learning by doing is best.
idiom

a run on the bank

Meaning
a situation where many people withdraw their money from a bank due to fear of collapse
Example
Rumors of insolvency caused **a run on the bank**.
idiom

chin up, soldier

Meaning
to stay brave and strong in difficult situations
Example
**Chin up, soldier**, things will get better soon.
idiom

nose to the grindstone

Meaning
to focus and work hard for a long time
Example
He kept his **nose to the grindstone** and got promoted.
idiom

the lesser of two evils

Meaning
the less harmful of two bad options
Example
Voters often choose **the lesser of two evils** during elections.
idiom

beat oneself up

Meaning
to blame yourself too much for something
Example
Don’t **beat yourself up** over one mistake.
idiom

art imitates life

Meaning
art reflects real-life experiences or truths
Example
**Art imitates life**, and great artists capture that essence.
idiom

a game plan

Meaning
a strategy or plan of action
Example
We need a clear **game plan** before we start the meeting.
idiom

at the end of your rope

Meaning
to be extremely frustrated and have no patience left
Example
After dealing with delays all day, she was **at the end of her rope**.
idiom

bear in mind

Meaning
to remember or consider something
Example
**Bear in mind** that traffic will be heavy at that time.
idiom

fail better

Meaning
to improve by learning from past failures
Example
Even if you fail, try to **fail better** next time.
idiom

in the hot seat

Meaning
to be in a difficult or uncomfortable position, often with public scrutiny
Example
After the controversy, the mayor was **in the hot seat** for several days.
idiom

The sun is shining

Meaning
A metaphor for happiness or positivity, often used when things are going well.
Example
After all the hard work, things finally seemed to be **shining**.
idiom

change your mind

Meaning
to decide something different from before
Example
She **changed her mind** about going to the party.
idiom

lose sleep over something

Meaning
to worry a lot about something
Example
Don’t **lose sleep over** minor issues.
idiom

head back to

Meaning
to return to a place
Example
Let’s **head back to** the office after lunch.
idiom

smooth things over

Meaning
to make a bad situation seem better by dealing with it calmly
Example
She tried to **smooth things over** after their disagreement.
idiom

beyond the pale

Meaning
outside acceptable rules or standards
Example
His behavior was **beyond the pale**.
idiom

blood, sweat, and tears

Meaning
great effort and hard work
Example
Building this company took a lot of **blood, sweat, and tears**.
idiom

fly by the seat of your pants

Meaning
to do something without planning, using only instinct and experience
Example
We didn't have a map, so we **flew by the seat of our pants**.
idiom

a good Samaritan

Meaning
a person who helps others in need
Example
A **good Samaritan** helped the injured man on the road.
idiom

hold your horses

Meaning
to be patient; to wait
Example
**Hold your horses**! The show hasn’t started yet.
idiom

hand in

Meaning
to submit something to someone in authority
Example
Please **hand in** your assignment by Friday morning.
idiom

as thick as thieves

Meaning
To be very close friends who share secrets.
Example
Lisa and Nora are **as thick as thieves** since childhood.
idiom

to weather the storm

Meaning
to successfully overcome a difficult or challenging situation
Example
Despite the economic downturn, the company managed **to weather the storm** and stay profitable.
idiom

throw someone under the bus

Meaning
to betray or sacrifice someone to save yourself
Example
He **threw his colleague under the bus** to avoid getting fired.
idiom

break the bank

Meaning
to cost too much; to use up all your money
Example
Buying that car will **break the bank**.
idiom

manna from heaven

Meaning
an unexpected gift or blessing
Example
The bonus was **manna from heaven** during the tough month.
idiom

to see eye to eye

Meaning
to agree with someone
Example
We finally **saw eye to eye** on the decision.
idiom

out of the woods

Meaning
no longer in danger or difficulty
Example
She’s recovering now, so she’s **out of the woods**.
idiom

refresh one's memory

Meaning
to help someone remember something
Example
Let me **refresh your memory** about what happened last week.
idiom

A scoop

Meaning
An exclusive piece of news
Example
The journalist got **a scoop** about the minister’s resignation.
idiom

click-through rate

Meaning
the percentage of users who click on an ad or link
Example
Our **click-through rate** improved after we changed the headline.
idiom

reinforcement learning

Meaning
a type of machine learning where an agent learns to make decisions by performing actions and receiving feedback
Example
In **reinforcement learning**, the model improves over time as it learns from trial and error.
idiom

green around the gills

Meaning
looking sick or nauseated
Example
He looked **green around the gills** after the boat ride.
idiom

on background

Meaning
information given to a journalist that cannot be attributed to the source
Example
The official spoke **on background** about the new policy.
idiom

pot luck

Meaning
whatever is available or happens by chance
Example
Let’s take **pot luck** and eat at that new café.
idiom

Go Dutch

Meaning
To share the cost of something equally.
Example
Let’s **go Dutch** on the dinner tonight.
idiom

put one's foot in one's mouth

Meaning
to say something embarrassing or inappropriate
Example
He really **put his foot in his mouth** when he mentioned her ex-boyfriend.
idiom

in stitches

Meaning
laughing uncontrollably
Example
His joke had everyone **in stitches**.
idiom

never say never

Meaning
to encourage someone to stay hopeful and not give up
Example
**Never say never**—you might succeed next time.
idiom

the moral compass

Meaning
a person's or society’s sense of right and wrong
Example
We must ensure AI doesn’t lose its **moral compass**.
idiom

take one's hat off to

Meaning
to show respect or admiration for someone
Example
I **take my hat off to** you for handling the situation so calmly.
idiom

miss the mark

Meaning
to fail to achieve the intended result
Example
His speech **missed the mark** and didn’t impress anyone.
idiom

blind faith

Meaning
trusting without questioning
Example
Having **blind faith** can sometimes lead to disappointment.
idiom

leave something in good hands

Meaning
to ensure that something is well taken care of by someone else
Example
I can retire now because I know my business is **in good hands**.
idiom

a global village

Meaning
the world considered as a single community due to technology and communication
Example
The internet has turned the world into **a global village**.
idiom

push the right buttons

Meaning
to do exactly what is needed to get a desired result
Example
She knows how to **push the right buttons** to impress her boss.
idiom

catch a bug

Meaning
to find a problem or defect in a system
Example
The developer was able to **catch a bug** in the system before it went live.
idiom

to pass the baton

Meaning
to transfer responsibility to someone else
Example
After years of leadership, he decided it was time to **pass the baton** to his successor.
idiom

there’s always tomorrow

Meaning
you’ll have another chance in the future
Example
Don’t be sad about today’s failure — **there’s always tomorrow**.
idiom

beyond a shadow of a doubt

Meaning
without any doubt; completely certain
Example
He is **beyond a shadow of a doubt** the best candidate for the job.
idiom

keep a straight face

Meaning
to avoid laughing in a funny situation
Example
It was hard to **keep a straight face** during his silly speech.
idiom

grateful as can be

Meaning
extremely thankful
Example
I’m **grateful as can be** for your guidance.
idiom

speak up

Meaning
to express an opinion openly and clearly
Example
If you disagree, please **speak up** during the meeting.
idiom

the story breaks

Meaning
when news becomes public or is first reported
Example
When **the story broke**, everyone was shocked.
idiom

take someone's word for it

Meaning
to trust that what someone says is true
Example
I’ll **take your word for it** since you were there.
idiom

Pilot project

Meaning
A small-scale experiment to test a concept.
Example
We launched a **pilot project** before going nationwide.
idiom

turn a blind eye

Meaning
to deliberately ignore something wrong or unpleasant
Example
The manager **turned a blind eye** to employees leaving early on Fridays.
idiom

touch gold

Meaning
to be very successful or lucky in something
Example
Every project he takes on seems to **touch gold**.
idiom

grey matter

Meaning
intelligence; the ability to think
Example
Use your **grey matter** to solve the puzzle.
idiom

line up for

Meaning
to queue in anticipation of something
Example
Fans will **line up for** tickets at dawn.
idiom

Zoom in on

Meaning
To focus closely on something
Example
Let’s **zoom in on** the key issues first.
idiom

in the trenches

Meaning
to be deeply involved in hard work or challenging situations
Example
She’s **in the trenches** with the rest of the team, solving problems every day.
idiom

High stakes

Meaning
Involving serious risk or significant consequences.
Example
Negotiating with investors is a **high-stakes** game.
idiom

Pour your heart out

Meaning
To express all your feelings honestly.
Example
She **poured her heart out** to her best friend.
idiom

political circus

Meaning
a situation where politics becomes chaotic and theatrical
Example
The election debates turned into a **political circus**.
idiom

take flak

Meaning
to receive strong criticism
Example
The government **took flak** for its poor handling of the crisis.
idiom

shake things up

Meaning
to cause change in a situation to make it better
Example
The manager decided to **shake things up** in the team.
idiom

Don’t give up hope

Meaning
Keep believing that things will get better.
Example
**Don’t give up hope**, miracles can happen any time.
idiom

bring up a family

Meaning
to raise and take care of children
Example
They worked hard to **bring up a family**.
idiom

scene of the crime

Meaning
the place where something important happened
Example
We returned to the **scene of the crime** to find the truth.
idiom

rules are made to be broken

Meaning
sometimes it's okay to ignore rules
Example
He believes **rules are made to be broken**.
idiom

win someone over

Meaning
to persuade someone to support you or agree with you
Example
The candidate’s speech **won the crowd over**.
idiom

train a model

Meaning
to teach an AI model using data to make predictions or decisions
Example
We need to **train a model** on the new dataset before running predictions.
idiom

lean into

Meaning
to embrace and actively engage with something
Example
She decided to **lean into** the new role and learn quickly.
idiom

alien concept

Meaning
something unfamiliar or strange
Example
Honesty seems like an **alien concept** to him.
idiom

Follow your nose

Meaning
Trust your instincts and go in the direction that feels right.
Example
If you're lost, just **follow your nose** and you'll find the way.
idiom

set a good example

Meaning
to behave in a way that shows others how they should act
Example
Parents should **set a good example** for their children.
idiom

make up for

Meaning
to compensate for something
Example
We’ll **make up for** the delay with extra support.
idiom

in hot water

Meaning
in trouble or difficulty
Example
He’s **in hot water** for missing the meeting.
idiom

throw a party

Meaning
to organize and host a celebration
Example
We’re going to **throw a party** for her birthday.
idiom

call it quits

Meaning
to stop or end something
Example
After working for hours, they decided to **call it quits** for the day.
idiom

bad blood

Meaning
anger or resentment between family members
Example
There’s still **bad blood** between the cousins after the inheritance issue.
idiom

go for the jugular

Meaning
to attack someone's most vulnerable point
Example
During the debate, he **went for the jugular**.
idiom

blow your own trumpet

Meaning
to boast or brag about your achievements
Example
He never stops **blowing his own trumpet** about his success.
idiom

lazy bones

Meaning
a lazy person
Example
Come on, **lazy bones**, get out of bed!
idiom

wrap up

Meaning
to finish something completely
Example
We need to **wrap up** the report before lunch.
idiom

warm up

Meaning
to prepare the body or mind for activity
Example
Let’s **warm up** before we dive into the rehearsal.
idiom

put down roots

Meaning
to settle and become established somewhere
Example
After moving to Canada, they finally **put down roots** there.
idiom

prodigal son

Meaning
a person who leaves home and returns repentant after wasting wealth or opportunities
Example
After years abroad, he returned home like **the prodigal son**.
idiom

hold sway

Meaning
to have great influence or power over others
Example
The leader **held sway** over the entire organization.
idiom

on thin ice

Meaning
in a risky or dangerous situation
Example
You are **on thin ice** with that behavior.
idiom

cross your mind

Meaning
to think of something briefly
Example
It never **crossed my mind** that he could lie.
idiom

ease around

Meaning
to move carefully to avoid disturbance
Example
Please **ease around** the cords near the podium.
idiom

adapt to new circumstances

Meaning
to adjust oneself to new situations or changes
Example
In order to survive in the changing world, we need to **adapt to new circumstances**.
idiom

spill the tea

Meaning
to share gossip or secrets
Example
Come on, **spill the tea** - what happened at the party?
idiom

gear up for

Meaning
to prepare for something
Example
The engineers are **gearing up for** the final test run.