Tài liệu CAMBRIGDE INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS_ CHƯƠNG 2.4 doc

ice
be on
ice
if plans are on ice, they are not goingto
be dealt with until some point in the
future.
Both projects are on ice until the
question of funding is resolved.
put sth on ice.
Plans for a women-only
film screening have been put on ice
following threats of legal action.
an ice-breaker •
We usually start the
session with an ice-breaker in theform of
agame.
cut no icewith
sb
if something cuts no icewith someone,it
does not cause them to change their
opinion or decision •
I've heard her
excuses and they cut no icewith me.
ideas
put ideas into
sb's
head
to make someone want to do something
they had not thought about doing before,
especially something stupid • (often in
continuous tenses)

Don't go putting
ideas into his head. Wehaven't got the
moneyfor a car.• Whoput all these ideas
into her head about becoming an actress?
ifs
no ifs and buts
British
&
Australian
no ifs, ands or buts
American
something that you say to a child to stop
them arguing with you when you want
them to dosomething.
I want no ifs and
buts, just tidyyour room like I toldyou to!
• No ifs, ands or buts, you're going up to
bednow!
203
inch
ignorance
Ignorance is bliss.
something that you say which means if
you do not know about a problem or an
unpleasant fact, you do not worry about
it •
I wish the newspapers would stop
telling us about the dangers of eating
meat. It seems tome ignorance is bliss.
ill

be ill at ease
X
to feelanxious or embarrassed. (often
+
with)
Healwaysfelt a little ill at easewith
strangers. •
(sometimes
+
in)
The girl
behind the bar looked ill at ease in her
uniform.
It's an ill wind (that blows nobody any
good).
something that you say which means
most bad things that happen have a good
result for someone.
But it's an ill wind.
The wettest June in history has
replenished the reservoirs.
in
You're in there!
British, informal
something that you say in order to tell
someone that another person is sexually
attracted to thern »
Did you see how that
girl was looking at you? You're in there,
mate!

in absentia
in
absentia
formal
if something happens to someone in
absentia, they are not present when it
happens tothem>
The court convicted her
in absentia andfined her $500.
inch
be every inch
sth
to be a particular kind of person in every
way
>
He looked every inch the slick, city
businessman.
An inch is a small measurement of
length. It is used in the following
phrases connected with a small
amount.
beat sbto within an inch of
their
life
to attack someone so violently that they
almost die.
She was beaten to within an
inch of her life on a back streetin London.
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indian

not
budge/give an inch
to refuse to change your opinion or agree
to even very small changes that another
person wants
0
I keep asking her to think
again, but she won't budge an inch.
o
(sometimes
+
on) He refuses to give an
inch on health and safety issues.
come within an inch of
doing sth
X'
to very nearly do something, especially
something dangerous or exciting
oI
came
within an inch of losing my life on the
rocks below.
Give sban inch and
they'll
take a mile.
something that yousaywhich meansthat
if you allow someoneto behave badly at
all, they will start to behave very badly
° I'm always wary about making
concessions to these people. Give them an

inch and they'll take a mile.
not
trust sban inch
British
&
Australian
to not trust someone at all,
0
He's
charming enough but I wouldn't trust him
an inch.
indian
an Indian summer
a period of warm weather which
sometimes happens in early autumn
°
Both the UK and Ireland have been
enjoying an Indian summer over the past
few weeks.
2 a successful or pleasant period in
someone's life, especially towards the
end of their life
°
The book describes the
last 20years of Churchill's life, including
his Indian summer as prime minister
between 1951and 1955.
in flagrante delicto
in flagrante (delicto)
humorous

if someone is discovered in flagrante
delicto. they are discovered doing
something wrong, especially having sex
with someone who is not their husband
or wife
° She came home to catch her
husband inflagrante delicto with the next-
door neighbour.
influence
under the influence
if someone is under the influence, they
are drunk
° Wereyou serious last night
about wanting a baby or was it just
204
because you were under the influence?
°
Driving under the influence is a very
serious offence.
in loco parentis
in loco
parentis
formal
to be responsible for a child while the
child's parents are absent
° Teachers are
in loco parentis while children are at
school.
ins
the ins and outs

informal X
the details or facts about something
°
(usually
+
of)
I don't know all the ins
and outs of the situation but I gather
Roger and Mark haven't been getting on
toowell.
inside
an inside job
X
a crime committed by someone against
the organization that they workfor
°
(not
used with
the) The computers were taken
from a locked room, which makes it look
like an insidejob.
have the inside track
mainly American
to have a special position within an
organization or a special relationship
with a person that gives you advantages
that other people do not have
°
(often
+

with)
He thinks I have the inside track
with the director so he keeps hassling me
for information.
insignificance
.>
fade/pale into insignificance \
if something pales into insignificance, it
does not seem at all important when
compared to something else
°
When your
child's ill, everything else pales into
insignificance. ° With the outbreak of war
all elsefades into
insignificance.
in situ
in
situ
formal
if something isin situ, it is in its original
place
°
The cavepaintings must be viewed
in situ because they are considered too
delicate to be moved toa museum.
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insult ,/
add insult to injury
A

to make a bad situation even worse for
someone by doing something else to
upset them •
First of all he arrived an
hour late and then, to add insult to injury,
he proceeded to complain about my choice
of restaurant.
intents
to all intents and purposes
><-
in all the most important ways •
We've
got a few odd things tofinish, but to all
intents and purposes the job is done.
• They redesigned the old model and
createdsomething which was toall intents
and purposes a brand new car.
interference
run interference
American
to help someone achieve something by
dealing with the peopleor problems that
might prevent them from doing so
• (usually
+
for)
When it comes tofinding
a hotel room, you'll be glad to have a
tourist guide run interferencefor you.
inverted

in inverted commas
British
&
Australian
something that you say when a phrase
you are using to describe something is
the phrase that people usually use but it
does not really show the truth
ID Inverted commas are a pair of
printed marks put at the beginning and
end of a word or phrase to show that
someone else has written or said it.
• They were the kind of well-meaning
people that wanted to 'dogood' in inverted
commas.
iron
an iron fist/hand in a velvet glove
something that you say when you are
describing someone who seems to be
gentle but is in fact severeand firm.
To
enforce each new law the president uses
persuasion first, and thenforce - the iron
hand in the velvetglove.
an iron man
American
&
Australian
a man who is physicallyvery strong and
can workhard for a longtime·

Helikes to
205
ivory
think of himself as somesort of iron man
who doesn't needsleep like the rest of us.
pump iron
informal
to lift heavy objectsfor exercise in order
to increase your strength or to improve
your appearance·
These days, both men
and womenpump ironfor fitness.
rule
(sb)
with a rod of iron
British,
American
&
Australian
rule
(sb)
with an iron fist/hand
American
& Australian
to control a group of peoplevery firmly
having complete power over everything
that they do •
For
17
years she ruled the

country with a rodof iron.• My unclerules
thefamily business with an iron hand.
strike while the iron is hot
to do something irmnediately while you
have a goodchance of achieving success
• Youmay not get a better offer- I'd strike
while the iron's hot,
if
I wereyou.
irons
have [a few/a lot etc.] irons in the fire
tohaveseveraljobs at the sametime or to
have several possibilities of work •
If
that job application doesn't work out I've
got acouplemore irons in thefire.
itchy
have itchy feet
British
&
Australian,
informal
to want to travel or to do something
different.
Why'veyou got all these travel
brochures?Doyou have itchyfeet?
get itchy feet
British
&
Australian,

informal» He's beenin thesamejobfor too
long and he'sgetting itchyfeet.
ivories
tickle/tinkle the ivories
humorous
to playthe piano ID Theparts of a piano
that you press to play it used to be made
of a hard white substance called ivory.
• Grandma could tickle the ivories like
a
professional.
ivory
an ivory tower
.>(
if you are in an ivorytower,you are in a
place or situation where you are
separated from ordinary life and its
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ivy
problems • How much of the research
done by academics in their ivory towers is
ever read orpublished?
ivy /
the Ivy League American
X,
a group of old and very good colleges in
206
the north-east of the US • The company
thinks the best management trainees come
from theIvy League.

Ivy League American. He doesn't have
the Ivy League education of some of his
opponents. • He hated the Ivy League
conformity of the college.
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jack
a jack of all trades
X_
someone who has many skills or who
does many different jobs •
Bill can do
plumbing, carpentry, or a bit of
gardening - he's a jack of all trades,
really.
a Jack the Lad British, informal,
old-fashioned
a confident and not very serious young
man who behaves as he wants to without
thinking about other people •
Three
children with three different women? Well,
he always was a bit of a Jack the Lad.
jackpot
hit the jackpot
>C
to be very successful, often in a way
which means you make a lot of money
• When my second book was published I
thought I'd really hit thejackpot.
jack robinson

before
you
can say Jack Robinson
old-fashioned
if yousay that somethinghappens before
you can say Jack Robinson, it happens
very suddenly •
I offered her a chocolate
but before you could say Jack Robinson
she'd eaten half the box.
jam
jam tomorrow British
something that you want which you are
told you will get soon but which never
appears •
Nobody will accept a pay cut,
and it's not enough to promise
jam
tomorrow.
be in (a bit of) a jam old-fashioned
to be in a difficult situation.
I'm in bit of
a jam. Could you possibly lend me some
money till next week?
207
jim crow
Jane Doe
Jane Doe American
><
a woman or girl whose name must be

kept secret or is not known, especially in
a court of law •
A former employee,
referred to only as Jane Doe, is suing the
companyfor unfair discrimination.
jazz
and all that jazz informal
and other similar things •
They sell
televisions and all that jazz.
Jekyll
a Jekyll and Hyde
someone whose personality has two
different parts, one very nice and the
other very unpleasant
;b
This phrase
comesfrom the book
The Strange Caseof
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
by Robert Louis
Stevenson.•
You can't depend on him to
befriendly - he's a Jekyll and Hyde.
Jekyll and Hyde • Many alcoholics
developJekyll and Hydepersonalities.
je ne sais quoi
a je ne sa is quoi
a pleasant quality which you cannot
describe or name'

He's not particularly
attractive but he has a certain je ne sais
quoi which uiomenfind irresistible.
jewel
the jewel in the crown
the best or most valuable thing in a group
of things • (often
+
of)
The island of
Tresco,with its beautiful tropicalgardens,
is thejewel in thecrown of the Scilly Isles.
j iggery-pokery
jiggery-pokery old-fashioned
secret activities that are not honest.
We
suspect there's been some financial
jiggery-pokery going on in the accounts
department.
jim crow
Jim Crow American
a situation that existed until the 1960sin
the south of the US. when black people
were treated badly, especially by being
separated from white people in public
places
;b
Jim Crow was the name of a
black character in a 19th century song
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jitters
and dance act. •
Jim Crow meant there
were no black kids in white schools.
Jim Crow
American
»
(always before
noun)
As soon as he moved to Tenessee, he
became aware of the Jim Crow laws.
jitters
get the jitters informal
to feel anxious, especially before an
important event.
I always get the jitters
before an interview.
give sbthe jitters informal. Don't drive
sofast; You 're giving me the jiuers.
job
a job lot British
&
Australian
a collection of objectsthat are bought or
sold together as a group
s
I bought a job
lot of furniture at an auction.
do a job on
sb/sth

mainly American,
informal
to hurt or damage someoneor something
• He really did ajob on her, telling her how
much he loved her and then leaving her.
• Someone sure did a job on this table -
there are scratches all over it.
do the job
informal
x:
if something does thejob, it is suitable
for a particular purpose·
Here, this knife
should do the job .• I needed to tie the two
parts together and an old stocking did the
job perfectly.
fall down on the job
to fail to dosomething that you should do
• The armed forces will take over
if
the
local auihoritiesfall down on the job.
It's more than my job's worth. British
&
Australian, informal
something that you say in order to tell
someone that you cannot do what they
want you to do because you would lose
your job if you did.
I'm sorry, but it'd be

more than my job's worth to take any
money from you.
a Job's comforter old-fashioned
someone who tries to make you feel
happier but makes youfeel
worse
instead
tfb
Job was a character in the Bible who
had a lot of bad things happen to him.
• She's a real Job's comforter. She keeps
208
telling me I'm going to die soon anyway so
I shouldn't worry about a/Jything.
lie down on the job
.X
to not work as hard at something as you
should •
The new Police Chief fired two
officers he accused of lying down on thejob.
jobs
jobs for the boys British
&
Australian
work that is given by someone who is in
an important position to their friends or
members of their farnily
s
They operated
a system of jobs for the boys.

Joe B1099s
Joe Bloggs British
&
Australian
an ordinary person •
There's no point
asking your average Joe Bloggs what he
thinks about opera.
Joe Blow
Joe Blow American
&
Australian
an ordinary person.
Television today is
geared to your average Joe Blow.
Joe Public
»<;
Joe Public British, informal
the public.
The test of any new product is
will Joe Public buy it?
John Bull
John Bull
old-fashioned
a character who represents a typical
English man or the English people
tfb
This phrase comesfrom a bookcalled
The History of John Bull
written by John

Arbuthnot in 1712.•
In the cartoon, John
Bull appears as a short, stocky figure
wearing a waistcoat with the British flag
on.
John Doe ,,/
John Doe American ./~
a man or boy whose real name must be
kept secret or is not known, especially in
a court of law.
The patient was referred
to in court documents as John Doe.
John Hancock
your
John Hancock American, humorous
your signature
tfb
John Hancock's
signature was the first signature on the
American Declaration of Independence
in
1776 • If you put your John Hancock on
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the last page we'll be finished with the
formalities.
Johnny-come-Iately
a Johnny-come-Iately
old-fashioned
someone who has only recently started a
job or activity and has suddenly become

very successful • She denies suggestions
that she's a Johnny-come-lately; saying
that she has worked for years to get her
own show.
Johnny-on-the-spot
Johnny-on-the-spot
American, informal
someone who is immediately ready to do
something, especially to help someone
• This guy had just gotten a flat tire, and
there I was, Johnnv-on-the-spot with my
tools in the back of the car.
John
Q
Public
X
John
Q
Public
American, humorous
the public> You have to ask yourself what
John
Q
Public will think when he hears
about the government overspending.
joie de vivre
joie de vivre
a feeling of happiness and enjoyment of
life • She will be remembered above all for
her kindness and her great joie de oiore.

joke
get/go beyond a joke ).(
if a situation gets beyond a joke, it
becomes extremely serious and worrying
• He's drunk more nights than he's sober
these days - this has gone beyond a joke.
the joke's on
sb
something that you say which means
someone who tried to make other people
seem silly has made themselves seem
silly instead • The burglars managed to
lock themselves into the house until the
police arrived, so thejoke's on them!
joker
the joker in the pack
someone or something that could change
a situation in a way that you do not
expect. The independent candidate is the
joker in the pack in this election.
209
judgment
joking
You're joking!
informal
something that you say when you are
very surprised by what someone has just
told you > 'They're getting married, you
know' 'You're joking! They've only known
each other a month. '

jolly
be jolly hockey sticks
British, humorous
if a woman or situation is jolly hockey
sticks, the woman or the people involved
in that situation belong to a high social
class, and often talk in a very happy way
that seems false· Well, she's okay, but a
little jolly hockey sticks, if you know what
I mean.
Joneses
keep up with the Joneses
to try to own all the same things as people
you know in order to seem as good as
them • Her only concern in life was
keeping up with the Joneses.
joy
jump for joy
»;
to be very happy about something good
that has happened. Tina jumped for joy
when shefound out she'd be in the team.
judgment
a judgment call
American
a decision someone has to make using
their own ideas and opinions
rb
In
sport, a judgment call is a decision made

by an official in a competition using their
own opinion of what they have seen.• It's
a judgment call- do we go by plane or risk
taking the car to the conference?
sit in judgment on/over
sb
to say that what someone has done is
morally wrong, believing yourself to be
better· We none of us have the right to sit
in judgment on our fellow man.
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jugular
jugular
go for the jugular
informal
to criticize someone very cruelly by
talking about what you know will hurt
them most
tb
Thejugular is a large vein
that carries blood to the heart.
Cunningham, who usually goes
straight for the jugular, seemed
strangely reluctant tosay anything.
juice
stew in
your
own juice/juices
informal
if youleavesomeoneto stew in their own

juice, you leave them to worry about
something bad that has happened or
something stupid they have done'
She'll
calm down - just leave her to stew in her
oumjuicesfor a bit.
jump
get althe jump on
sb/sth
mainly
American, informal
to start doing something before other
people start, or before something
happens, in order to get an advantage for
yourself.
If I leave work early onFridays
I canget ajump on the
traffic.
210
jury
the jury is (still) out
if the jury is still out on a subject, no
decision has been made or the answer is
not yet certain' (usually
+
on)
Thejury's
still out on whether animal experiments
are really necessary.• Weasked people to
comment on the latest malefashions, but it

seems thejury's out.
just
not
be just a pretty face
humorous
if someone is not just a pretty face,they
are not onlyattractive but also intelligent
• 'How did you know that?' 'Well,I'm not
just apretty face, you know.'
be just the job
British
&
Australian
be just the ticket
British, old-fashioned
tobe perfectfor a particular purpose'
He
needed a car topick her up in and Will's
sports car seemedjust thejob.
get
your
just deserts
if you get your just deserts, something
bad happens to you that you deserve
because of something bad you have done
• Did you read about the burglar whose
own house was broken into? He really got
his
j
ust deserts.

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