be contingent + on/upon (a) depending on something else in the future in order to happen

Ex: Our success is contingent upon your support.

put (one’s) heart and soul into something/doing something (v) put a lot of effort

Ex: I put my heart and soul into cooking dinner last night.

be in a rut (a) too fixed in one particular type of job, activity, method, …, and needing to change

Ex: I need to change jobs - after 15 years here I feel I am in a rut.

Go out on a limb (v) take risk

pet peeve (n) something that especially annoys you

Ex: Weak coffee is one of my pet peeves.

Water off a duck’s back: nước đổ đầu vịt

leave no stone unturned in something/doing something (v) to do everything you can to achieve a
good result, especially when looking for something

Ex: He left no stone unturned in his search for his natural mother.

know the ropes (v) know how to do a job or activity

Ex: This job is difficult at first, but once you know the ropes, you will be OK.

learn the ropes (v) learn how to do a job or activity

Ex: She is a new staff. She is still trying to learn the ropes.
Every cloud has a silver lining: said to emphasize that every difficult or unpleasant situation has some
advantage

Ex: I know that you job is not going well and you are stressed out, but don't worry, things will be
better soon. Every cloud has a silver lining.

labor of love (n) a piece of hard work that you do because you enjoy it and not because you will
receive money or praise for it, or because you need to do it

Ex: He's always working on his car - it's a labor of love.

Steal someone’s thunder: lấy mất sự chú ý đáng lẽ thuộc về người khác

Bottle up: dồn nén cảm xúc

Sky is the limit: không giới hạn

Miss the boat: lỡ cơ hội

Take something by storm: to quickly become very successful or popular

There there: come on, don’t be sad

Party animal (n) người thích tiệc tùng

Ex: Jake is a real party animal, he likes to dance all night

Written in the stars: được định đoạt, quyết định bởi số phận
Ex: I don’t think my fame was written in the stars. It was a product of my hard work and the support
of the people who helped me along the way

In a funk: buồn chán về điều gì

Ex: She is in a funk about her job because of the low salary

On a shoestring: if you do something on a shoestring, you do it with a very small amount of money

Kind-hearted: nhân hậu

Ex: Beautiful as she is, she is not a kind-hearted woman

See eye to eye: hoàn toàn đồng ý, cùng quan điểm

Word of mouth: truyền miệng

Shape up or ship out: we say this to people who need to improve their performance in an activity
because if there is no improvement, the consequence is that they will be asked to withdraw from
that activity altogether

To face the music: đối mặt với sự thật

Ex: If you have done something wrong, you need to face the music

Burn the midnight oil: cày đêm

Ex: I will prepare our next project by burning the midnight oil

Have a knack for sth/doing sth: thành thạo 1 cái gì đó/ làm 1 cái gì đó
Ex: Jenny’s got a real knack for the piano (Jenny có sở trường chơi piano thực thụ)

Pin down: tìm ra, discover the exact details

Ex: Teachers try to pin down the secret to getting a 9 in IELTS

Be hooked on = be addicted to = be interested in = be enthusiastic about sth: thích, ghiền hoặc mê

cái gì đó

Ex: I’m hooked on Netflix

Make for = result in = cause: dẫn đến, tạo ra

Ex: What qualities make for a good teacher?