Achilles' heel
A weak feature of someone or something that could cause failre or be attacked
His arrogance is his Achilles’ heel.
36 cards to learn, plus a reading text that puts the key phrases in context.
36 cards
A weak feature of someone or something that could cause failre or be attacked
His arrogance is his Achilles’ heel.
Make a bad situation worse
His comment only added fuel to the fire.
Below the usual or expected standard
I’m feeling under par today.
Completely honest or legal
That deal was clean as a whistle.
Extremely clean
Galen's house was clean as a whistle.
Say that you will definitely not allow or accept something
I draw the line at lying.
the newest and best type of something
This car is the last word in luxury.
someone or something that you are very pleased to see
You’re a sight for sore eyes!
extremely good or impressive
The food at that restaurant is out of this world.
more than what is considered normal or suitable
His reaction was a bit over the top.
in the place that is most central or important
Her award has pride of place on the shelf.
receive a lot of attention because you five the best performance in a show or other event
The young actor stole the show last night.
an advantage that makes someone or something more successful than other people or things
Her experience gives her the edge over the others.
start to have more colour or light
you could brighten up that skirt with a red blouse
start looking or feeling happier
Peter brightened up considerably as he thought of Emily's words
if the weather brightens up, it becomes sunnier
it's brightening up, at last
practice and improve your skills or knowledge of something
I took a class to brush up on my English before my trip
if information checks out, you feel that it is true after examining it
their story just didn't check out
examine someone or something in order to be certain that everything is correct, true or satisfactory
I've been taking lots of photographs , just to check out the camera
make something more interesting or exciting, or become more interesting or exciting
what we needed was some music to liven things up
give something a more interesting appearance, taste or other quality
you can liven up a plain shirt with a colorful scarf
change or improve the appearance of someone or something
They made over the three contestants of the show
make a mistake or do something badly; make something dirty or untidy
she says she completely messed up the interview
be the cause of someone's physical, emotional or mental problems
drugs really messed her up
hide a problem or disagreement rather than finding a satisfactory solution to it
fundamental problems where papered over, not resolved
learn a new skill or start a habit without intending to
I picked up Chinese when I was living there
go and meet someone or something that you have arranged to take somewhere in a vehicle
I'll pick you up at twelve!
if a business or organization runs down, or if someone runs it down, it gradually becomes smaller
they have been running the factory down for the last five years
succeed in doing something, but not in a very impressive way
John finally scraped through his English examination
improve the appearance of something, for example by cleaning or painting it
this room needs smartening up
if you smarten up or smarten yourself up, you make yourself look tidy and clean
I'm going to smarten myself up a bit before the meeting
be much more impressive or important than others
Germany stands out as the leader in environmental reporting
be easy to see or notice because of being different
His white tie stood out against his black suit
make a surface look better with small improvements
touch up the paintwork before you try and sell the house
gradually become thinner and weaker over a period of time, usually because of an illness
he hand't eaten properly for weeks and was starting to waste away
damage a vehicle so badly that it is not worth repairing
my uncle wrote his car off in an accident last weekend
A short text using 23 of the key phrases. Tap a highlighted phrase for its meaning.
Are you always , or do you ? Do you spend your time efficiently, or do you and procrastinate important tasks – then stay up working until ?
It has , but I’ve finally adopted some habits:
Plan things and don’t underestimate the things will take – otherwise you’ll end up being a slave to your . Take care of on a day when you have no . for major projects, so that you don’t and risk . Then, and try to if possible. There’s nothing worse than falling behind on a project with a . Leave home and work a little earlier than normal to avoid . Sleep for every night; you’ll wake up with more energy.
If you’re working from and you have little or no , it could mean that you’re overworked, and you should to .