Szupica idiom of the day spring semester

to turn a blind eye

to pretend not to see; not to pay attention

to turn a deaf ear to

to pretend not to hear; refuse to hear

off the top of one's head

quickly, without thinking hard

to keep one's eye on the ball

to be watchful and ready to win or succeed; to be smart

word of mouth

communication by oral rather than written means; given or done by people talking about sth or telling people about sth

in words of one syllable

language that makes the meaning very clear; simple, frank language

to take one's word for

to believe one's promise

to take one up on sth

to make someone keep a promise

jack of all trades (master of none)

a person who is knowledgeable in many areas; can be used as a praise or as a derogatory remark

to cross a bridge before one comes to it

to deal with a situation when, and not before, it occurs; to worry about future events or trouble before they happen

to add insult to the injury

to make a situation worse

to cost an arm and a leg

to be very expensive

culture vulture

a person who is avid cultural sightseer; one who seeks out cultural opportunities ostentatiously and brags about it

scratch the surface

to learn or understand very little about sth

scratch one's back

to do sth kind and helpful for someone

steal one's thunder

to do or say sth intensionally or not, that another person has planned to say or do

to put all eggs in one basket

to risk everything by placing too many hopes on one job or project

to kill the goose that lays the golden egg

to destroy sth that is profitable or valuable to you

you cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs

in order to get what you want you have to give up sth else; you can't have it both ways

to walk on eggs/eggshells

to be very cautious

to brainstorm

to have a discussion among fellow researchers/coworkes/students on a project/problem in order to find the best solution

a brainstorm

a sudden clear idea, a sudden insight, a stroke of comprehension

a brain trust

a group of specially trained, highly intelligent experts in a give field

to brainwash

to change sb's way of thinking by constantly bombarding them with the desired information under duress (until the victim believes what they are being told)

to be brainy

to be able to learn easily and think quickly

the silent majority

a majority of people holding a certain opinion but not stating it publicly

silent partner

somebody who's closely associated with a business, through financial investment so as to share in its risks and rewards without participating in its day-to-day operations and manegement

reduce one/sth to silence

to cause one to become silent, especially after being nosy or outspoken

heave atmosphere

a very tense, awkward or uncomfortable atmosphere among a group of people

pregnant pause

a long pause in speech that indicates a lot of meaning or significance

to scrape the bottom of the barrel

to use whatever is left after the most or the best has been taken

by the skin of one's teeth

by a narrow margin, with no room to spare, barely

to swear by

use as the support or authority that what you're saying is truthful; take an oath upon; to have complete confidence in; to be sure of; trust completely

swear off

to give up sth you like or you got in the habit of using by making a promise

to swear blind

to make a very serious, solemn pledge, especially that one is telling the truth

every trick in the book

to do everything possible to achieve a result or to be successful at sth

a closed book

to convey that there is limited knowledge about a particular subject or individual

cook the books

to falsify facts or figures; to change accounts or figures dishonestly normally to make money

book smart

to be very smart or successful in scholastic way, but not in real world interactions

we'll cross the bridge when we come to it

let's not talk about that problem right now

wrap your head around sth

understand sth complicated

you can say that again

that's true, I agree

your guess is as good as mine

i have no idea

don't beat a dead horse

move on, the subject is over

every dog has his day

everyone gets a chance at least once

familiarity breeds concept

the better you know someone the less you like him