Mastering Essential English Idioms & Vocabulary

Posted on Sep 5, 2025 in Medicine & Health

Essential English Idioms & Vocabulary

• Take to heart: To take something seriously or be deeply affected by it. (Spanish: tomárselo a pecho)
• Have a heart-to-heart: To have a very sincere and intimate conversation.
• Fall out with someone: To have an argument or disagreement with someone.
• Miss the point: To fail to understand the main idea or most important part of something.
• Raise someone’s expectations: To increase someone’s hopes or probabilities regarding a future event.
• Run into difficulties: To encounter problems or challenges.
• At ease: Feeling totally comfortable and relaxed.
• Come up to: To reach a certain standard or level; to meet expectations.
• Put something down to the fact that…: To attribute something as the cause of another thing.
• Commonly accepted: Widely recognized or well-known.
• Rooted in: Having its origin or basis in something.
• Determine ultimate shape: To establish the final form or structure.
• Hammer into shape: To force something or someone into a desired form or state.
• To a startling degree: To a remarkable or surprising extent.
• Brought up: Raised or educated (referring to a person).
• Make waves: To cause trouble or create a disturbance; to make conflict.
• Chalk and cheese: Completely different from each other.
• Stick it out: To endure a difficult situation; to persevere. (Spanish: aguantarse)
• Dread: To anticipate with great apprehension or fear; to hate the thought of something.
• Fail to stand out / Fail to fulfill expectations: To not be remarkable or to not meet anticipated standards.
• Stand out from the crowd: To be noticeably different or superior; to surprise positively.
• All-time low: The lowest level or point ever reached by something.
• Hectored: To talk to someone in a bullying way; to force a person.
• Score: A written piece of music.
• Get along like a house on fire: To become very good friends quickly; to have an excellent relationship from the start.
• Not to make a big thing of something: To not give something too much importance or attention.
• The greatest thing since sliced bread: Something new and impressive that is considered a significant improvement.
• Like two peas in a pod: To be very similar in appearance or character.
• Say what you mean: To express your thoughts clearly and directly.
• Eat humble pie: To admit that you were wrong and apologize; to receive a lesson in humility.
• Get a message across: To successfully communicate an idea or message.
• Lie through one’s teeth: To lie brazenly or shamelessly to somebody.
• Talk sense into him: To persuade someone to act in a more reasonable or sensible way.
• Get something off your chest: To express something that has been worrying you; to remove a problem by talking about it.
• Keep the wolf from the door: To have just enough money to avoid hunger or poverty; to manage to reach the end of the month financially.
• A fish out of water: Someone who is in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation.
• At a snail’s pace: Very slowly.
• Chicken out: To decide not to do something because you are afraid. (Spanish: rajarse)
• Be a fly on the wall: To secretly observe a situation without being noticed; to spy.
• Get by: To manage to live or survive, especially with difficulty.
• Sustain a level: To maintain a particular level or standard.
• Sure to succeed: Certain to be a success.
• To be bound to win: To be certain to win.
• Push for: To strongly advocate or make pressure for something.
• On a par with: At the same level or standard as.
• Implications for: The possible results or effects of a decision or action; to have power on a decision.
• Absent-minded: Tending to forget things or be distracted; forgetful.
• Jaw-dropping: Extremely impressive or surprising.
• Mouth-watering: Appealing to the taste; delicious.
• Innate fear: A fear that is natural or inborn, not acquired.
• Rugged landscape: A landscape characterized by rough, rocky, and uneven terrain.
• Remote spot: A place that is far away and isolated.
• Gaunt: (Adjective) Lean and haggard, especially from hunger, disease, or cold. (Note: “Gaunt nature” is not a standard phrase; “gaunt” typically describes a person or a stark, desolate landscape, not a lush jungle.)
• Ruthless: Having no pity or compassion for others; merciless.
• Balanced hierarchy: A system of organization where power or authority is distributed fairly or equally, often politically.
• Trustworthy appearance: An appearance that inspires confidence and reliability.
• Airtight: Completely sealed so that no air can get in or out; hermetic. (Spanish: hermético)
• Far from enough: Much less than what is needed or sufficient.
• In years to come: In the future; during the next years.
• Charged with: Entrusted with a task or responsibility.
• Paradigm shift: A fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions; an important change.
• Mere blip: A minor, temporary deviation or setback; an insignificant change.
• Fought with acrimony: Characterized by bitterness and ill-feeling.
• Nit-picky: Excessively concerned with minor details or faults; overly critical.
• Epithet: An adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned.
• Earth-shattering: Extremely important or shocking; capable of causing a profound impact.
• Planet clocking: (This phrase is unclear and non-standard. “Shattering” is a descriptor, often used with “earth-shattering” for profound impact.)
• Take heed: To pay careful attention to advice or a warning; to be cautious.
• Can’t give out: Unable to distribute or provide something.
• Can’t stop herself: Unable to prevent oneself from doing something.
• Give effective help: To provide assistance that produces a desired or significant result.
• Backdrop: The setting or background for an event or scene. (Spanish: telón de fondo)
• Grip in: (This phrase is unclear and non-standard. “Grip” as a verb means to hold firmly or engross; “talk about” is a separate action.)
• Tend novella: (This phrase is unclear and non-standard. A “novella” is a short novel; “customized novella” describes a specific type.)
• Mount as: To appear or develop into something; to increase or escalate as.
• Mar: To impair the appearance or quality of; to spoil or damage.
• Mirror: To reflect or show something accurately.
• Laden: Heavily loaded or weighed down; full of.
• Doom throughout: A sense of impending misfortune or destruction pervading an entire situation.
• Nod: A slight downward movement of the head, often indicating agreement or acknowledgment. (Note: Not typically used to mean “ending” unless in a highly specific, non-standard context.)
• Hackneyed: (Of a phrase or idea) Lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite.
• Steer clear of: To avoid someone or something.
• Wash down: To drink something after or with food to help it go down.
• Located on: Situated or placed on a particular position or surface.
• I’ll give you that: An expression used to admit that someone has made a valid point.
• Find something: To discover or locate something.
• Represent something: To stand for or symbolize something.
• Play around with an idea: To consider an idea in a playful or experimental way.
• Compel in: (This phrase is unclear and non-standard. “Compel” means to force; “agrupado en” is Spanish for “grouped in.”)
• Life relationship: (This phrase is unclear and non-standard. “Untruly relationship” is also not a standard English phrase.)
• Blot out: To obscure or cover something completely; to erase from memory.
• Eccentric: (Of a person or their behavior) Unconventional and slightly strange; rare in its uniqueness.
• Atrocious: Extremely bad or unpleasant; terrible.
• Mundane: Lacking interest or excitement; dull; common.
• Humble: Having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance; common or low in status.
• Accumulated layers of rock: Strata of rock formed over long periods of time.
• Catastrophic strike: A violent and devastating impact or shock.
• Compelling evidence: Evidence that strongly persuades or convinces; determinant evidence.
• Major survey: An important and extensive study or investigation.
• Inflicted on: To cause something harmful or unpleasant to be suffered by someone or something.
• In breach of: Not acting in accordance with a law, agreement, or duty.
• Embark on: To begin a course of action, especially one that is important or challenging; to start working on.
• Resigned to the fact: Accepting that something undesirable cannot be avoided; accepting an unchangeable fact.
• Impinges on: To have an effect or impact, especially a negative one, on something.
• Overwhelmed: Having too much to deal with; feeling strong emotion, often to the point of being unable to cope.
• Make a terrible din: To create a very loud and unpleasant noise.
• Get along: To have a friendly relationship with someone; to manage or cope.
• Stench of: A strong and very unpleasant smell. (Spanish: hedor de…)
• Rancid: (Of fatty foods) Smelling or tasting unpleasant as a result of being old and stale. (Spanish: rancio)
• Give off: To emit or produce (e.g., a smell, heat, light).
• Vivid memories: Clear, strong, and detailed memories, often positive.
• Dreadful memories: Horrible or negative memories.
• Bittersweet: Arousing pleasure and sadness simultaneously; having a mixture of good and bad feelings.
• Treasure: (Noun) A quantity of precious metals, gems, or other valuable objects. (Verb) To value highly; to cherish.
• Precious: Of great value; highly esteemed or cherished.
• Lingering: Lasting for a long time or slow to end; persistent.
• Flitting: Moving lightly and swiftly; passing quickly.
• Haunted: (Of a place) Inhabited by ghosts. (Of a person) Tormented by something; obsessed in a negative way.
• Off the beaten track: In an isolated or unfrequented place; not commonly visited or known.
• Fall hook, line, and sinker: To completely fall for a trick or deception; to fall completely in love with someone.
• Evocative: Bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind; making you remember things.