back to square one

jelentés / meaning:
vissza a kiindulóponthoz; vissza az elejére ,hogy újrakezd az egészet előről

back to the beginning, to start again.



példák / examples:
  • We thought everything was settled, but now they say they're not happy with the deal, so we're back to square one again.
  • If this guy rejects our offer we'll have to go back to square one and start the whole recruitment process again.
  • The investigation was back to square one when Mrs. Earle proved she wasn't anywhere near the crime.  
  • If this doesn't work we're back to square one.
  • And now I’m giving all this up and going right back to square one. 

takes its toll on (something or somebody)

jelentés / meaning: 
áldozatot követel, áldozatait szedi, negatívan érint,  ("vámot szed")
toll= vám, útdíj, autópályadíj
 
to cause harm or suffering 
 
 
 példák / examples:
  • Divorce takes its toll on the children involved. 
  • Civil war has taken its toll on both sides.
  • The heavy truck traffic has taken its toll on the highways. 
  • Recession, unemployment take toll on men 
  • Heat Wave Continues to Take Toll in Eastern States : About 1.3 million homes and businesses in the eastern United States remained without power amid a      heat wave on Tuesday, and storm damage and high temperatures forced many Fourth of July celebrations to be canceled.

make somebody's day day

jelentés / meaning:
nagyon boldoggá tesz valakit / boldoggá teszi valaki napját (jó hírrel, dicsérettel, bókkal, meglepetéssel...stb.

to make someone very happy
példák / examples:
  • Go on, tell him you like his jacket. It'll make his day!
  • I was so pleased to hear from Peter. It really made my day. 
  • Name 3 things to make somebody's day.
  • What this simple act of kindness made me realize is that often it doesn’t take much to make someone else’s day.

 

have green fingers

jelentés / meaning:
különleges tehetsége van a növényekhez, nagyon ügyes kertész
="zöld ujjai vannak"

considerable talent or ability to grow plants and keeping them healthy


 példák / examples:

  • I'm afraid I don't have green fingers. I've killed every plant I've ever owned. 
  • My mum has such green fingers she could probably grow roses on the moon. 

hang somebody out to dry

jelentés / meaning:
magára hagy valakit, cserben hagy valakit, magára hagy valakit egy problémával (és gyakran a felelőséggel, őt hibáztatva)
 
  • Leaving someone on his (or her) own.
  • Leaving someone behind to take the blame for a bad situation
  • Abandoning someone who is in need of help

példák / examples:

eager-beaver

eager [UK: iːgər ]= buzgó, mohó
beaver [UK: biːvər ]=hód


jelentés / meaning:

túlbuzgó ember, buzgómócsing, stréber


 a person who is exceptionally, often excessively industrious - especially one who volunteers for extra work



példák / examples:
  • New volunteers are always eager beavers. 
  • The young assistant gets to work very early. She's a real eager beaver. 
  • She always does her English grammar homework and even asks for extra exercises on the weekend. What an eager beaver! 

spoil somebody rotten

spoil= elkényeztet, elront (múlt idő alakjai: spoilt/spoiled ; spoilt/spoiled)
rotten= romlott

jelentés / meaning:
valakit nagyon elkényeztet, túlságosan elkényeztet

spoil somebody greatly,
to do everything possible to satisfy someone's desires 

"He is spoilt rottten."
példák / examples:

  • My husband spoils me rotten.
  • Those children are spoiled rotten by their grandparents.
  • Dad always spoiled us rotten, and Mon was the one who disciplined us.
  • Below are the generous and very thoughtful gifts that my loved ones gave me almost a month ago now, for my 26th birthday. I am definitely spoiled rotten. 

precautionary measure

jelentés / meaning: 
megelőző lépés, elővigyázatosságból tett intézkedés


  • Precautionary measures are steps/actions which are carried out to ensure that nothing bad happens, e.g. an accident in the laboratory.
  • preventive, safety, protective step or action


példák / examples:
  • The curfew is a precautionary measure.
  • Afterwards, they sent him into exile in the capital of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville, as a precautionary measure.
  • What are the precautionary measures inside a laboratory? 
  • Governments should take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of climate change.

curfew= kijárási tilalom [UK: kəːfjuː]
exile= számüzetés  [UK: eksaɪl ]


notwithstanding

jelentés / meaning:
leszámítva valamit /ellenére, dacára valaminek/ mindamellett / jóllehet, habár 

-in spite of, despite
-never the less, nonetheless, however, though
 
példák / examples:
  • It was a beautiful day yesterday notwithstanding the rain.
  • It was a beautiful day, the rain notwithstanding.
  • We had a really good meal yesterday in this restaurant, the soup notwithstanding.
  • Notwithstanding the soup, the meal was good.
  • It is a beautiful house notwithstanding the motorway next to it.
  • He despised Pitt, notwithstanding the similar views they both held.
  • He doesn't want me there, but I'm going, notwithstanding.
  • Notwithstanding the bad weather, the ship arrived on time.
  • Injuries notwithstanding, he won the semi-final match.
  • Notwithstanding some members' objections, I think we must go ahead with the plan.


tough as old boots

[UK: tʌf ] ,  [UK: buːt ]
jelentés / meaning: 
1. kemény fából faragták (valakit)
2. rágós, kemény, rágós mint a cipőtalp (étel)

1. if someone is as tough as old boots, they are very strong and not easily injured
2. if food is as tough as old boots, it is difficult to cut or to eat


példák / examples:
  • 'Do you think Grandad will ever recover?' 'Of course, he's as tough as old boots.'
  • He might be in his eighties but he's tough as old boots.
  • Don't worry about me. I'm as tough as old boots.
  •  That steak I had was as tough as old boots.

pick somebody's brain

jelentés / meaning: 
kikérdez valakit (aki sokat tud az adott témában)

to ask for information or advice from someone who knows more about a subject than you do 

                                    Advise & Consent -1962 (IMDB)

példák / examples:
  • I'd love to pick your brains about computers - you seem to be the expert around here.
  • Would you mind having a look at our website? I'd love to pick your brains and get some new ideas for it.
  • Wow, Bob knows a lot about our order entry systems. One of these days I will have to sit down with him and pick his brain. 
  • Jenkins hopes to sit down with him for dinner soon to pick his brain. 
  • After I spent a couple of hours picking his brain, his scheme started to make sense.

by leaps and bounds

vagy: in leaps and bounds
jelentés / meaning: 
rohamosan, ugrásszerűen (növekszik, fejlődik valami)

with great or rapid progress, by large movements forward


példák / examples:
  • My teacher says my English has improved by leaps and bounds since I started using idioms.
  • The bush we cut back last fall is growing by leaps and bounds. 
  •  The profits of my company are increasing by leaps and bounds.
  • School enrolment is increasing by leaps and bounds 
  • After staying in China for a year, Mia’s ability to speak Mandarin grew by leaps and bounds. She came back speaking like a native.
bush= bokor
fall=ősz 
enrolment= beiratkozás, beiratkozottak
leap= ugrás, ugrásszerű  haladás
bound=ugrás

keep a low profile

jelentés / meaning: 

kerüli a feltűnést, meghúzza magát, elrejtőzik

to behave in a way that does not attract attention,

If you keep a low profile, you try not to do anything that will draw attention to you or create interest in you.
 

példák / examples:
  • After all the bad publicity over the problems in his private life, the team's captain kept a low profile for a few months.
  • The local people are not always pleasant to strangers, who are warned to keep a low profile while visiting.
  • Until his appointment becomes official, Ted is keeping a low profile . 
  • Gay England football fans travelling to Ukraine for Euro 2012 have been warned to keep a low profile for their own safetymore
  • Top 5 Ways to Keep a Low Profile Abroad 
appointment= kinevezés

evoke memories

 [UK: - ɪvoʊk ] 
 jelentés / meaning:
emlékeket idéz fel, emlékeket hoz vissza
  
to bring back memories ,to bring to recollection, to  trigger memories

recollection= emlékezet
trigger= előidéz, serkent, kivált  / ravasz (fegyveren)


példák / examples:
  • Her singing evoked memories of my childhood.
  • The old house evoked memories of her childhood.
  • Certain scents seem to evoke strong emotional memories—a phenomenon psychologists have long referred to as the Proust effect.
  • Why do smells evoke memories? -   How Scents Evoke Memories
  • Nike apologises for 'Black and Tan' trainers that evoke memories of notorious paramilitary unit. -The Telegraph article
phenomenon= jelenség
refer to= hivatkozik, utal valamire 
trainers= edzőcipő
notorius= notórius, hírhedt
paramilitary= katonai jellegű, félkatonai

off the top of my head

jelentés / meaning:
kapásból (mondok meg valamit), 
-(de nem vagy benne 100%-ig biztos)

from quick recollection, without research or calculation; - a phrase used when giving quick and approximate answers to questions, to indicate that a response is not necessarily accurate.


példák / examples:
  • Mary: How much do you think this car would be worth on a trade? Fred: Well, right off the top of my head, I'd say about a thousand.
  •  Tom: What time does the morning train come in? Bill: Off the top of my head, I don't know.
  • Off the top of my head I could probably only name about three women artists.
  • I can't recall what exactly he said off the top of my head, but it was cruel!
  • Off the top of my head, I think we have 4 bottles of wine in the cellar. (we may have 3 or 5, but this is my best guess)
  • Off the top of my head, I'd say Mary is 45 years old. (She appears to me to be about 45, but I could be wrong!)
  • Off the top of my head, I´d say...

build up

jelentés / meaning: 
növekszik, felgyülemlik, / összegyűjt, összegyűlik /
"felépít" (erőnlétet, állóképességet...)

develop, increase in intensity, to accumulate or collect,
to develop gradually 

 "I am building up my endurance for the marathon."

példák / examples:
  • Tension really builds up towards the end of the novel.
  • I am building up my endurance for the marathon.
  • I built up my hopes after the interview.
  • Sediment is building up on the ocean floor. 

sediment= üledék