nod in agreement
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idiom

nod in agreement

Meaning
to show agreement by nodding
Example
Everyone **nodded in agreement** when the plan was explained.
idiom

do the right thing by someone

Meaning
to treat someone fairly and with respect
Example
It's important to always **do the right thing by your colleagues**.
phrasal-verb

take forward

Meaning
to move a plan or project to the next stage
Example
We need strong leadership to **take forward** the innovation agenda.
phrasal-verb

mingle with

Meaning
to move around and talk to different people at a social event
Example
Try to **mingle with** new people at the party.
idiom

come out clean

Meaning
To be proven innocent or free from blame.
Example
After investigation, he **came out clean**.
idiom

honor one's promise

Meaning
to keep a promise or commitment
Example
She **honored her promise** to visit the orphanage.
idiom

Take something with a grain of salt

Meaning
To not take something too seriously or literally
Example
You should **take his stories with a grain of salt**; he often exaggerates.
idiom

leave something up in the air

Meaning
to leave something undecided or uncertain
Example
We left the meeting **up in the air** without any clear decision.
phrasal-verb

come down on

Meaning
to criticize or punish someone strongly for a decision or action
Example
The board will **come down on** any department that exceeds the budget.
idiom

put one on the map

Meaning
to make someone or something famous or well-known
Example
His groundbreaking research **put him on the map** in the scientific community.
phrasal-verb

sleep over

Meaning
to sleep at someone else's house for a night
Example
My friend invited me to **sleep over** at his place.
phrasal-verb

look within

Meaning
to examine your own feelings and motives
Example
To grow emotionally, you must **look within** yourself.
phrasal-verb

invite over

Meaning
to ask someone to come to your home
Example
We’re planning to **invite over** our colleagues this weekend.
idiom

Pour your heart out

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

success is earned, not given

Meaning
success comes from hard work, not by chance
Example
Remember, **success is earned, not given**, so work hard every day.
phrasal-verb

turn off lights

Meaning
to switch off lights when not needed to save energy
Example
Employees are encouraged to **turn off lights** when leaving the office.
idiom

share the love

Meaning
to show support or appreciation by liking or sharing someone’s post
Example
**Share the love** by liking and commenting on this post!
idiom

beta test

Meaning
to test a product before official release
Example
We are going to **beta test** our app next week.
idiom

new blood

Meaning
new people who bring fresh ideas
Example
The company needs **new blood** to stay competitive.
phrasal-verb

center on

Meaning
to focus attention or thoughts on something; to make something the main point
Example
Try to **center on** the positive aspects of your life instead of the negatives.
phrasal-verb

clamor for

Meaning
to demand something loudly and emotionally
Example
Fans **clamored for** an encore performance.
phrasal-verb

play out

Meaning
to happen or develop in a particular way
Example
We watched how the story **played out** until the final twist.
phrasal-verb

bubble with

Meaning
to be full of excitement, happiness, or energy
Example
The kids were **bubbling with** excitement at the party.
idiom

second childhood

Meaning
the time in old age when a person starts behaving like a child again
Example
After retirement, he entered his **second childhood**.
phrasal-verb

turn to

Meaning
to approach someone for advice or help
Example
When I need feedback, I usually **turn to** my supervisor.
phrasal-verb

block off time

Meaning
to reserve a period in your schedule for something important
Example
I **block off time** every Friday to review the next week's deadlines.
phrasal-verb

run into trouble

Meaning
to experience problems or difficulties
Example
We **ran into trouble** when the car suddenly stopped working.
idiom

show true colors

Meaning
to reveal one’s real character or intentions
Example
He **showed his true colors** when he took charge of the team.
idiom

Calm before the storm

Meaning
A peaceful time before trouble or chaos starts.
Example
The office is quiet now, but it’s just **the calm before the storm**.
phrasal-verb

cut out negativity

Meaning
to remove negative thoughts or influences
Example
Try to **cut out negativity** and surround yourself with positive people.
idiom

at ease

Meaning
feeling relaxed and comfortable
Example
He felt completely **at ease** in the quiet garden.
idiom

work your fingers to the bone

Meaning
to work extremely hard
Example
She **worked her fingers to the bone** to support her family.
phrasal-verb

call someone out on

Meaning
to point out a person’s mistake or bad behavior
Example
Coworkers **call someone out on** gossip that hurts the team.
phrasal-verb

cool within

Meaning
to calm down internally and regain emotional balance
Example
When I feel overwhelmed, I take deep breaths to **cool within**.
idiom

burn your boats

Meaning
to commit yourself to a course of action without a way back
Example
He **burned his boats** when he quit his job to start a business.
idiom

chase your dreams

Meaning
to actively try to achieve your ambitions
Example
You should always **chase your dreams** no matter how hard it seems.
phrasal-verb

choke up

Meaning
to become emotional and unable to speak
Example
He **choked up** while giving his farewell speech.
phrasal-verb

keep improving

Meaning
to continue making things better or more effective
Example
Our company culture encourages everyone to **keep improving**.
idiom

branch out

Meaning
to expand into new activities or areas
Example
The bakery plans to **branch out** into catering services next year.
phrasal-verb

work out differences

Meaning
to find a solution or compromise to disagreements between parties
Example
The two nations tried to **work out differences** through dialogue.
idiom

drama queen

Meaning
a person who exaggerates or overreacts to situations
Example
Don’t be such a **drama queen**; it’s not that serious.
phrasal-verb

feel sorry for

Meaning
to pity or sympathize with someone or yourself
Example
I **feel sorry for** what I did to you.
idiom

spark an idea

Meaning
to cause someone to have a new thought or idea
Example
That movie **sparked an idea** for my next project.
idiom

political hot potato

Meaning
a controversial issue that no one wants to deal with
Example
Immigration reform has become a **political hot potato** for the government.
phrasal-verb

come over to

Meaning
to visit someone at their place
Example
Why don’t you **come over to** my house this weekend?
phrasal-verb

cut back on imports

Meaning
to reduce the amount of goods bought from abroad
Example
The country decided to **cut back on imports** to improve its trade balance.
idiom

busy bee

Meaning
a person who is always busy and active
Example
She’s a **busy bee**, always working on something.
phrasal-verb

work toward peace

Meaning
to make efforts to achieve harmony and stability among nations
Example
International leaders continue to **work toward peace** in conflict zones.
idiom

have a heart of gold

Meaning
to be very kind and generous
Example
Everyone loves her because she **has a heart of gold**.
idiom

Barking up the wrong tree

Meaning
To pursue a mistaken or misguided course of action.
Example
If you think I'm guilty, you're **barking up the wrong tree**.
phrasal-verb

stay ahead of

Meaning
to be more advanced or prepared than others
Example
Students who review regularly **stay ahead of** the class.
phrasal-verb

sit with yourself

Meaning
to spend quiet time alone reflecting on your feelings and thoughts
Example
It’s important to **sit with yourself** to understand your emotions.
phrasal-verb

grow closer

Meaning
to gradually become more emotionally connected
Example
Over the years, we’ve **grown closer** as a family.
idiom

hard act to follow

Meaning
someone or something so good that it’s difficult to replace
Example
The previous manager was a **hard act to follow**.
idiom

a few bricks short of a load

Meaning
a little stupid or crazy
Example
He tries hard, but he’s **a few bricks short of a load**.
phrasal-verb

take after

Meaning
to resemble a parent or relative in appearance or behavior
Example
He **takes after** his mother in both looks and nature.
phrasal-verb

grow beyond mistakes

Meaning
to develop personally by learning from one’s errors
Example
He chose to **grow beyond mistakes** instead of regretting them.
idiom

a bridge too far

Meaning
an attempt or goal that is too ambitious or impossible to achieve
Example
The proposal to negotiate with all the countries at once was **a bridge too far**.
phrasal-verb

do over

Meaning
to do something again; to decorate or renovate a place
Example
You’ll have to **do over** the report because it’s full of errors.
phrasal-verb

mentor others in

Meaning
to guide and support less experienced people
Example
Senior employees are encouraged to **mentor others in** their department.
phrasal-verb

stay with

Meaning
to continue supporting or believing in something or someone
Example
The employees decided to **stay with** the company during tough times.
idiom

pulling strings

Meaning
using influence to get something done
Example
He got the engineering contract by **pulling strings**.
phrasal-verb

work toward equality

Meaning
to make efforts to achieve fairness and equal opportunities
Example
International organizations continue to **work toward equality** for all genders.
idiom

blow your mind

Meaning
to impress or amaze someone greatly
Example
The new AI technology will **blow your mind**.
phrasal-verb

buckle down on

Meaning
to start working seriously on something important
Example
I have to **buckle down on** my thesis this weekend.
phrasal-verb

clean up after

Meaning
to remove waste or mess left behind by people or animals
Example
Volunteers came to **clean up after** the beach festival.
phrasal-verb

drop someone off

Meaning
to take someone by vehicle to a place and leave them there
Example
The driver **dropped me off** at the airport.
phrasal-verb

play into

Meaning
to contribute to or support a particular trend or situation
Example
The new technology **plays into** the growing demand for automation.
phrasal-verb

come in

Meaning
to enter a room or building
Example
Please **come in** and have a seat.
phrasal-verb

burst into laughter

Meaning
to suddenly start laughing loudly
Example
They **burst into laughter** after hearing the funny story.
idiom

steam coming out of your ears

Meaning
to look or feel extremely angry
Example
He had **steam coming out of his ears** after the argument.
phrasal-verb

allow for

Meaning
to consider possible factors when planning something
Example
When assessing risk, always **allow for** human error.
phrasal-verb

beam with joy

Meaning
to smile very happily because of joy
Example
She **beamed with joy** when she heard the good news.
idiom

behind the firewall

Meaning
protected or isolated from external threats
Example
Sensitive company data should always stay **behind the firewall**.
phrasal-verb

branch upward

Meaning
to move toward higher levels or bigger markets
Example
The business is **branching upward** into more profitable sectors.
idiom

tough as nails

Meaning
very strong and resilient
Example
She is **tough as nails**, nothing can break her spirit.
idiom

to be open and honest

Meaning
to speak frankly or sincerely
Example
I want to **be open and honest** with you about my feelings.
idiom

roll up one's sleeves

Meaning
to prepare to work hard or take on a challenge
Example
We need to **roll up our sleeves** if we want to finish this task on time.
idiom

in one’s element

Meaning
doing something one is good at or enjoys
Example
He’s **in his element** when he’s cooking for friends.
idiom

on solid ground

Meaning
in a safe or stable situation
Example
After months of hard work, the company is now **on solid ground**.
phrasal-verb

drain away pressure

Meaning
to slowly release mental or emotional pressure
Example
Talking to a friend helps me **drain away pressure** after a long day.
idiom

steal the show

Meaning
to be the most outstanding performer
Example
Her performance **stole the show** last night.
idiom

To break ground

Meaning
To begin a new project or initiative.
Example
The company is excited to **break ground** on their new office next month.
idiom

own your mistakes

Meaning
to take responsibility for what you did wrong.
Example
It’s important to **own your mistakes** and learn from them.
phrasal-verb

close a deal

Meaning
to successfully reach an agreement or finalize a business transaction
Example
Our company managed to **close a deal** with a top European distributor.
idiom

eat humble pie

Meaning
to admit your mistake and apologize
Example
After blaming her friend, she had to **eat humble pie** when she realized she was wrong.
idiom

as luck would have it

Meaning
by chance; fortunately or unfortunately
Example
**As luck would have it**, I met my old friend at the airport.
phrasal-verb

shore up against

Meaning
to strengthen or support something to prevent failure during crisis
Example
The government took steps to **shore up against** the collapsing economy.
phrasal-verb

pull back up

Meaning
to improve or recover after falling or dropping
Example
The national currency has started to **pull back up** against the dollar.
phrasal-verb

cut off by

Meaning
to be blocked or separated by something
Example
The road was **cut off by** the landslide.
idiom

outside the box

Meaning
thinking or acting in an unusual or unconventional way
Example
To solve this problem, we need to think **outside the box**.
phrasal-verb

sign off

Meaning
to end a message, email, or broadcast
Example
I’ll **sign off** here. Talk to you later!
idiom

grassroots movement

Meaning
a political movement started and driven by ordinary people
Example
The campaign grew into a powerful **grassroots movement** for change.
idiom

shoot for the stars

Meaning
to aim for something very ambitious
Example
Don’t be afraid to **shoot for the stars**.
idiom

At the drop of a hat

Meaning
Immediately; without hesitation.
Example
He’s ready to help **at the drop of a hat**.
idiom

Cover a lot of ground

Meaning
to deal with a lot of information or material
Example
The lecture **covered a lot of ground** in just one hour.
phrasal-verb

step forward with

Meaning
to take initiative in offering help or leadership
Example
Several countries **stepped forward with** humanitarian aid.
idiom

to bring someone to justice

Meaning
to capture and punish someone for a crime
Example
The police vowed to **bring the killers to justice**.
phrasal-verb

move toward improvement

Meaning
to progress gradually toward a better state or process
Example
Every organization must **move toward improvement** to stay competitive.
phrasal-verb

balance against

Meaning
to compare one factor with another to maintain equilibrium
Example
The government must **balance** public spending **against** revenue collection.
idiom

ease off on

Meaning
to reduce the amount or pressure of something
Example
They decided to **ease off on** overtime this month.
idiom

Out of one’s depth

Meaning
To be in a situation that is too difficult to understand or deal with.
Example
I felt **out of my depth** in that technical discussion.
idiom

to have a ray of hope

Meaning
to see a small sign of improvement in a bad situation
Example
After hearing the good news, I felt I had a **ray of hope** for my future.
idiom

Know it all

Meaning
Someone who acts as if they know everything.
Example
He’s such a **know it all**, it’s annoying.
phrasal-verb

digitize from

Meaning
to convert from physical or analog to digital form
Example
The company began to **digitize from** old paper records to cloud storage.
phrasal-verb

put out

Meaning
to extinguish a fire or light
Example
Firefighters worked hard to **put out** the forest fire.
phrasal-verb

give back

Meaning
to return something to someone
Example
Don’t forget to **give back** the book you borrowed.
phrasal-verb

listen out for

Meaning
to pay attention so that you can hear a specific sound or word
Example
Please **listen out for** your name during the announcement.
idiom

take the heat

Meaning
to accept criticism or blame.
Example
The manager **took the heat** for the failed project.
idiom

itchy feet

Meaning
a strong desire to travel or move around
Example
After a few months at home, I started to get **itchy feet** again.
idiom

to hack into

Meaning
to gain unauthorized access to a system or network
Example
The attackers managed **to hack into** the company's internal servers.
phrasal-verb

follow up

Meaning
to check progress or take further action on something previously discussed
Example
I’ll **follow up** with the client about the new proposal.
B2 idiom

up in the air

Uncertain or undecided
Meaning
Uncertain or undecided
Example
The plans for the project are still up in the air.
The plans for the project are still up in the air.
phrasal-verb

put on

Meaning
to organize or present an event or show
Example
The community decided to **put on** a music festival to celebrate their culture.
idiom

switch off

Meaning
to stop thinking about work or problems
Example
It’s important to **switch off** after a long day.
idiom

A Jekyll and Hyde

Meaning
A person with two very different sides to their personality.
Example
He’s like **a Jekyll and Hyde**—nice one moment and cruel the next.
idiom

to learn the hard way

Meaning
to learn by making mistakes or through difficult experiences
Example
He **learned the hard way** that honesty is the best policy.
idiom

at the top of one’s game

Meaning
to be performing at one’s best level
Example
The athlete is **at the top of his game** this season.
idiom

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer

Meaning
It's important to maintain good relationships with your friends, but it's equally important to understand your enemies.
Example
He always watches his competitors carefully because he believes in **keeping your friends close and your enemies closer**.
phrasal-verb

rise above setbacks

Meaning
to recover and continue after facing difficulties or failures
Example
She learned to **rise above setbacks** and keep moving forward.
idiom

rule out

Meaning
to decide that something is not possible
Example
We can’t **rule out** another delay yet.