Lumiere English academy
A Basic Grammar
The best way to begin to understand the language is by keeping up with its expression.
So memorise the list and make another
one of your own as you come across
further ones in your reading.
Idioms E to P
E
|
|
To err is human, to forgive divine
|
It’s good to forgive people for offending you
|
Eternal triangle
|
A third party breaks in on a couple
|
F
|
|
Faint heart never won fair lady
|
A man in love should court with courage
|
Favourite pastime
|
Most enjoyable pursuit
|
Fit for a king
|
Very smart
|
Fortune favours the brave
|
Those who are prepared to strive often succeed
|
G
|
|
The game isn’t worth the candle
|
The fun isn’t worth the effort
|
Get away with
|
To escape punishment
|
Getting into a rut
|
Settling into boredom
|
Ghost of herself
|
Looks as if she is very ill
|
Giving a wide berth to
|
Avoiding
|
Giving every appearance of
|
Making it seem
|
A good innings
|
A long time
|
Go through the motions
|
Observe all the rules
|
Grin and bear it
|
Accept the inevitable
|
H
|
|
Hale and hearty
|
Healthy
|
A hand to mouth existence
|
Unable to save money
|
Having a narrow shave
|
Having a narrow escape
|
He has only himself to blame
|
It is his fault
|
He who pays the piper calls the tune
|
The one who pays is in charge
|
He will get his comeuppance
|
He will be punished one day
|
Help oneself to
|
Serving oneself. Can also mean stealing
|
Hidden agenda
|
Ulterior motive
|
I
|
|
If need be
|
If it is necessary
|
In at the kill
|
Present when another is caught
|
In durance vile
|
In prison
|
In fits and starts
|
Acting on impulse, spasmodically without fixed rules
|
In good time
|
Punctually
|
In the final analysis
|
After all the details have been examined
|
In the nature of things
|
The way things are
|
It's a small world
|
You meet old acquaintances everywhere
|
It stands to reason
|
It is understandable
|
It never rains but it pours
|
When troubles come, they often seem to
come together |
K
|
|
Keeping the peace
|
Keeping the parties from discord
|
Kicking over the traces
|
Contravening the rules
|
Knowing how the apple gets into the dumpling
|
Understanding the finer details
|
L
|
|
Laugh and the world laughs with you,
cry and you cry alone |
People enjoy your laughter but despise your tears
|
Laughter is the best medicine
|
It is better to have a good laugh
|
Like a bolt from the blue
|
With shocking suddenness
|
Like a duck to water
|
Naturally
|
Live and let live
|
Give others the understanding you want for yourself
|
M
|
|
Make a commitment
|
Decide to support
|
Money is the root of all evil
|
Money leads to excesses
|
Moving like a ship in sail
|
Moving slowly and with dignity
|
N
|
|
Necessity is the mother of invention
|
If you don’t have resources you become resourceful
|
Neither here nor there
|
Unimportant, nothing to do with matter discussed
|
Never bite the hand that feed you
|
Never attack a person who is generous to you
|
Never say die
|
Don’t give up
|
A new lease of (on) life
|
A radically improved health situation
|
Not long for this world
|
Said of someone clearly about to die
|
Not to bat an eyelid
|
Not to betray shock
|
No time like the present
|
Do it at once
|
No use crying over spilt milk
|
No use complaining once the harm is done
|
O
|
|
One’s own flesh and blood
|
One’s own blood relations
|
Only scratching the surface
|
Superficially
|
Opportunity knocks but once
|
Seize the opportunity for it seldom comes again
|
P
|
|
Papering over the cracks
|
Covering up embarrassing details
|
Parting is such sweet sorrow
|
To say goodbye can be
sorrowful, yet at the parting there is the hope and promise of the joy of
meeting again. So within the sorrow there is sweetness
|
Perseverance will be rewarded
|
Keep trying and you’ll succeed
|
Pet aversion
|
The thing one dislikes most
|
Pipped at the post
|
Beaten when almost victorious
|
The place became too hot to hold him
|
For his own sake he had to leave the place
|
Pleading poverty
|
Pretending one is poor in the hope of getting gifts
|
Prior to
|
Before
|
Procrastination is the thief of time
|
To be slow to do your work is time-wasting
|
Proof positive
|
Conclusive evidence
|
Pulling a fast one
|
To deceive someone
|
Punctuality is the courtesy of kings
|
It is polite to be on time for an appointment
|
Putting one’s foot down
|
Forcibly refusing to continue negotiations
|
Putting up the bans
|
Announcing a proposed marriage
|
Dr Luky Whittle
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