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The Abbey (3)
"The Abbey" by Chris Culver_vocab for learners of English - idiomatic phrases
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| tear at your heart/gut ----- I was going to have one of those nights I’d need to forget, but it took that moment for it to become real. It tore at my gut like barbed wire. | to strongly affect you in an emotional way; to distress you |
| break sb's heart ----- Nassir and Rana did as I asked. In return, I broke their hearts as gently as I could. | to make sb feel very unhappy |
| have no stomach for sth ----- If I went home, though, I’d have to tell my wife why I canceled our wedding anniversary plans. I didn’t think I had the strength or stomach for that yet. | to not have the desire or courage to do sth |
| turn your stomach ----- It wasn’t my case, but I had enough friends in my department that I had a stack of eight–by–ten photos and notes on my desk when I arrived. They made my stomach turn. | to make you feel upset, sick or disgusted |
| back on track ----- “The sooner we get the questions out of the way, the sooner you and your parents get your lives back on track. Okay?” | going in the right direction again after a mistake, failure, etc. |
| out of the way ----- “The sooner we get the questions out of the way, the sooner you and your parents get your lives back on track. Okay?” | finished; dealt with |
| on display ----- “If you don’t tell us what happened, we’re going to cut her open, we’re going to photograph her, and then we’re going to put her on display. Is that how you want to remember her?” | put sb/sth in a place where people can look at them |
| the bottom line ----- Bottom line, he denied killing my niece or supplying her drugs, and I believed him. | the most important thing that you have to consider or accept; the essential point in a discussion, etc. |
| be lost in sth ----- Two of the boys were in front of the line talking to each other, but the third was in back and looked lost in thought. | to be giving all your attention to sth so that you do not notice what is happening around you |
| talk some sense into sb ----- Olivia asked me to talk some sense into the kid, but I couldn’t help if he was talkative. | to try and persuade sb to stop behaving in a stupid way, sometimes using rough or violent methods |
| make fun of sb ----- “We didn’t talk about those sorts of things. We made fun of the teacher. We talked about TV. Stuff like that.” | to laugh at sb or make other people laugh at them, usually in an unkind way |
| small talk ----- Olivia warmed her up with small talk for a few minutes. | [uncountable] polite conversation about ordinary or unimportant subjects, especially at social occasions |
| go nowhere ----- “...Until the Coroner’s office says Robbie’s death is a criminal homicide, it’s going nowhere.” | to make no progress or have no success |
| every now and then ----- “She’s in every now and then,” he said. “Never pays for her own drinks.” | from time to time; occasionally |
| on the same page ----- “Tell me what you want.” “I’m glad we’re on the same page,” I said. | two or more people or groups agree about what they are trying to achieve |
| get in touch with sb ----- | to communicate with sb, especially by writing to them or telephoning them |
| keep/have your ear to the ground ----- He was a mid–level street dealer with his ear to the ground. If someone was moving drugs through The Abbey in any kind of volume, Jimmy would know about it. | be or remain well informed; be on the watch for new trends and information |
| move up in the world ----- “Moving up in the world, huh?” He snickered. “James is always moving up,” he said, casting his gaze around the crowd. | to become more important and successful in society |
| be out of the game ----- “You’ve been out of the game for a while. Things change.” “Some things stay the same, though. Someone’s giving you a problem. You tell me who it is, I’ll give them a problem.” | to longer have a chance of succeeding in an activity that you are taking part in |
| say sth, speak, etc. under your breath ----- I swore under my breath and told her I’d be up in a few minutes. | to say sth quietly so that people cannot hear |
| be sb's strong suit ----- “I don’t have a choice in this?” I asked. “No,” said Susan, already reading the file in front of her. “Have a nice break.” Subtlety was not Susan’s strong suit. | to be a subject that sb knows a lot about ----- If you have a strong suit in card games, it means that you have strong cards. (There are four suits in a deck of cards: hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades.) |
| loose ends ----- “The homicide investigations are closed for now, but we’ve got a couple of loose ends to tie up...” | Unfinished details, incomplete business. This expression alludes to the ends of a rope or cable that should be fastened. |
| at liberty ----- “I’m not at liberty to discuss operational specifics at this time,” I said. | having the right or freedom to do sth |
| bode well for sb ----- A few with whom I had worked even mouthed ‘good luck.’ That really didn’t bode well for me. | [formal] to be a good/bad sign for sb/sth |
| be in for sth ----- “You know what I’m in for?” I asked Susan’s secretary. “A mess,” she said. “Good luck.” | [informal] to be going to experience sth soon, especially sth unpleasant |
| give sb the finger ----- The driver, I imagine it was Smith, gave me the finger; I waved in return. | to raise your middle finger in the air with the back part of your hand facing sb, done to be rude to sb |
| kill time / an hour / a couple of hours etc. ----- I had a meeting at ten with Mack Monroe, but I had time to kill before that. | to spend time doing sth that is not important while you are waiting for sth else to happen |
| give sb the creeps ----- “All right. That’s what friends are for. Let’s get out of here. These kids give me the creeps.” | to make sb feel nervous and slightly frightened, especially because sb/sth is unpleasant or strange |
| hold sb/sth at bay ----- There was something in me that I hadn’t felt before. I didn’t get mad, not exactly. It was more like I relaxed the constraints that held my anger at bay. | to prevent an enemy from coming close or a problem from having a bad effect |
| miss the mark ----- Unless I missed my mark, their organization had probably also taken out Rollo and James Russo. | to fail in achieving or guessing sth ----- mark [formal] - a target |
| get your bearings ----- I woke up the next morning when my cell phone rang. The sun beat against my blinds and birds sang outside. I sat up and swallowed a few times, trying to get my bearings. | to make yourself familiar with your surroundings in order to find out where you are or to feel comfortable in a place ----- [countable] [technical] a direction measured from a fixed point using a compass |
| in the loop ----- If you’re right, we can’t trust anyone on this. Keep me in the loop, and I’ll do what I can for you on my end.” | Provided with information and included in a decision-making process. 'Loop' used in the sense of "a circle of individuals among whom information or responsibility circulates." The antonym - out of the loop - means "left out of such a circle." |
| drag your heels ----- “Don’t look too much into that,” he said. “Olivia Rhodes had been under investigation for months, but the Prosecutor’s Office had been dragging their heels about an indictment. We suspected she was f***ing Jack Whittler.” | to be deliberately slow in doing sth or in making a decision ----- heel - the back part of the foot below the ankle |
| hold sb/sth dear ----- I knew that eventually I’d have the dreams again. It might be a week or even a month, but eventually they’d come back. Probably the next time I tell someone that they’ve lost the person they hold most dear in the world. | to care very much for sb/sth; to value sb/sth highly |
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