2. blood, sweat and tears
requiring a lot of effort and hard work
Mr Jack Ma’s success was not due to luck; it
was blood, sweat and tears all the way.
3. have one's heart set on
to be determined to obtain something you want
very much
From an early age, Tiger Woods had his heart set
on becoming a professional golfer.
4. bounce off the walls
to be very excited about something, or full
of nervous energy
Dhillon cannot wait to start his new job. He
is bouncing off the walls.
5. edge of one's seat
to describe someone who is very interested
in something and finds it both extremely
exciting and nerve-wrecking
Look at Shane! He is on the edge of his seat
watching the match between Argentina and
Germany!
6. bare one's heart/soul
to reveal your innermost thoughts and
feelings to someone
John could not keep things to himself any
longer. He decided to bare his soul to his best
friend.
7. pull no punches
to speak openly and honestly, holding
nothing back
The doctor pulled no punches. He explained
in detail the risks of the operation.
8. fair and square
when something is done in an honest and
open manner, the rules are respected and
there is no cheating or lying
Gavin won the competition fair and square –
there was no doubt about the result.
9. play by the rules
to behave in a fair and honest way with
people
You can trust him, don't worry. He always
plays by the rules.
10. bring the house down
to give a very successful performance
If Jeremy sings like that on Saturday, he will
bring the house down.
11. come up in the world
when someone is richer than before and has
a higher social status
My old school friend has bought an apartment
in Sentosa Cove. She has certainly come up in
the world.
12. crest of the wave
to be very successful in what you are doing
Our company is going from success to
success. We are on the crest of a wave right
now.
13. (reach) first base
to make progress or begin to have success
with someone or something
If you go to the interview dressed like that,
you will not get to first base!
14. rise to the occasion
to manage to do something successfully in
difficult circumstances
When her boss broke his leg, Julie had to
represent the company at the congress, and
she rose to the occasion extremely well.
15. weather the storm
to succeed in surviving a difficult period or
situation
Given the current recession, the company is
weathering the storm better than most.
16. bide one’s time
to wait for a good opportunity to do
something
He is not hesitating. He is just biding his
time, waiting for the price to drop.
17. make up for lost time
to increase one’s efforts or work harder to
complete something or meet a deadline
Progress has stopped because of bad
weather, but we are determined to make up
for lost time.
18. keep a level head
to remain calm and sensible no matter how
difficult or distressful the situation may be
All through the hijacking, the pilot kept a
level head.
19. keep one's feet on the ground
to continue to act in a sensible and practical
way, even if one becomes successful
His invention was an instant success, but he
kept his feet on the ground and invested his
money very wisely.
20. go out of one’s way
to take particular care or make a special
effort when doing something
Aunt Betty went out of her way to make us
feel comfortable when we visited her.
21. go to great pains (or lengths)
to do everything that is possible, when
trying to achieve something, in order to
succeed
The two parties went to great lengths to
reach an agreement.
