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08 Common English idioms
8.1.1 COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS
Pronunciation
Spelling
Relation 1
Relation 2
/ɡɒt/ /kəʊld/ /fiːt/
got cold feet
/ˈfiːlɪŋ/ /ˈʌndə/ /ðə/ /ˈwɛðə/
feeling under the weather
/hɛd/ /ˈəʊvə/ /hiːlz/
head over heels
/hɪt/ /ðə/ /neɪl/ /ɒn/ /ðə/ /hɛd/
hit the nail on the head
/lɛnd/ /ə/ /hænd/
lend a hand
/ɒn/ /ðə/ /bɔːl/
on the ball
/hɜːd/ /ɒn/ /ðə/ /ˈɡreɪpvaɪn/
heard on the grapevine
/əˈɡɛnst/ /ðə/ /klɒk/
against the clock
/ə/ /peɪn/ /ɪn/ /ðə/ /nɛk/
a pain in the neck
/kiːp/ /ən/ /aɪ/ /ɒn/
keep an eye on
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8.1.2 COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS
Pronunciation
Spelling
Relation 1
Relation 2
/hæz/ /ə/ /hɑːt/ /ɒv/ /ɡəʊld/
has a heart of gold
/ɒn/ /ðə/ /fɛns/
on the fence
/ˈtiːʧəz/ /pɛt/
teacher's pet
/kʌt/ /ˈkɔːnəz/
cut corners
/teɪk/ ... /wɪð/ /ə/ /pɪnʧ/ /ɒv/ /sɒlt/
take ... with a pinch of salt
/feɪs/ /ðə/ /ˈmjuːzɪk/
face the music
/ˈəʊvə/ /ðə/ /tɒp/
over the top
/lɛt/ /jɔː/ /heə/ /daʊn/
let your hair down
/ˈpʊlɪŋ/ /jɔː/ /lɛɡ/
pulling your leg
/lɛt/ /ðə/ /kæt/ /aʊt/ /ɒv/ /ðə/ /bæɡ/
let the cat out of the bag
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