Moja lekcja

act on

to do something because you have been advised or told to do it'act on findings/information/advice The board of directors will act on the findings in the report."'

act up

If a person, especially a child, acts up, he or she behaves badly/If a machine or part of the body acts up, it does not perform as well as it should

answer sb back

to speak rudely when answering someone in authority

answer for sth

to be responsible for something bad, or to be punished for something

answer to

to take orders from, obey, and explain your actions to someone

back down

to admit that you were wrong or that you have been defeated

back out

to decide not to do something that you had said you would do: You agreed to come. You can't back out now!

back up

to support or help someone/to say that someone is telling the truth

bear on

to be connected or related to something/I don't see how that information bears on this case.

bear with

to be patient and wait while someone does something: If you'll just bear with me for a moment, I'll find you a copy of the drawings.

abeyance

a state of not happening or being used at present/The project is being held in abeyance until agreement is reached on funding it.

be of/have no fixed abode

be homeless

abstract

abstract argument or discussion is general and not based on particular examplesSo far we've only discussed the question in the abstract (= without referring to any real examples).

agree to differ/disagree

stop arguing because there is no chance of agreement

in arrears

owing money that should have been paid already: My account is badly in arrears. They are in arrears on/with their mortgage payments.

cast aspersions

to criticize or make damaging remarks or judgments about someone or something

cost an arm and a leg

be very expensive

throw sb off balance

to confuse or upset someone for a short time by saying or doing something that they are not expecting: The question threw him off balance for a moment.

on the ball

aware of any changes or developments and quick to react to them: We need someone who’s really on the ball to answer questions from the press.

below the belt

If a remark is below the belt, it is very insulting and unfair.

bide your time

to wait patiently for a good opportunity to do something

in the black

earning more money than you spend: This year our business is in the black./op in the red

blaze a trail

to do something that has never been done before

on the blink

When a machine is on the blink, it is not working correctly.

go by the board

to be forgotten or not used: Does this mean our vacation plans will have to go by the board?

cut to the bone

reduced to the/a minimum

to the bone

all the way through, or very badly: I was frozen/chilled to the bone after waiting so long for the bus.

out of bounds

If an area is out of bounds, people are not allowed to go there

pick someone's brains

to ask someone who knows a lot about a subject for information or their opinion: Can I pick your brain about how you got rid of those weeds?

shirk

to avoid work, duties, or responsibilities, especially if they are difficult or unpleasant: If you shirk your responsibilities/duties now, the situation will be much harder to deal with next month.

slip

to slide without intending to: She slipped on the ice./to move out of the correct position:

dodge

to avoid being hit by something by moving quickly to one side/to avoid something unpleasant

lavish

large in quantity and expensive or impressive: lavish gifts/promises/praise/very generous

well-off

rich

ware

pottery (= objects made out of clay) of a particular type or make

disarray

the state of being confused and having no organization or of being messy/The news had thrown his plans into disarray.

for all I care

used to say that you are not interested in or worried about what someone else is doing: You can go to the game with Paula, for all I care.