Słownik idiomów

Lista angielskich idiomów zaczynających się na literę 'T'

Thick (8)

As thick as thieves

- (two people) very friendly, sharing the same (often profitable) interests

Bob and Tom have been as thick as thieves for years. They both have a large share in the industrial redevelopment project.

As thick as two short planks

- (informal) very stupid

If she doesn’t see through his little scheme, she must be as thick as two short planks.

Have/grow a thick skin

- be/become insensitive to criticism, rebuke, reproach

As a politician in the public eye, you quickly learn to grow a thick skin.

In the thick of it/of doing sth

- right in the middle of some activity, at the busiest part or time of something

We were in the thick of painting the living-room when our visitors from Leeds arrived, a week early!

Lay/pile it on thick

- (informal) exaggerate, especially when praising or criticizing

John gave a good talk at the conference, but Brown was piling it on thick when he spoke of 'an unforgettable experience'.

Thick and fast

- in large numbers/quantity and quickly

Our advertising campaign has been a great success. Orders for the new product are coming in thick and fast.

Thick on the ground

- numerous, in great supply/quantity

If I were you, I would take the job. Such good opportunities are not thick on the ground.

Through thick and thin

- through good times and difficult times, under all conditions

Tom and Chris went through thick and thin together in the war, and they’ve been great friends ever since.

Thin (9)

As thin as a rake

- (a person) extremely thin

She eats a lot of sweets and she is as thin as a rake.

Be skating on thin ice

- be in an uncertain, risky situation

Be careful. If you make any promises, you’re skating on thin ice. We don’t know yet whether we can guarantee these prices.

Disappear/vanish into thin air

- disappear without trace

Wherever can my glasses be? They can’t have vanished into thin air.

The thin end of the wedge

- just the beginning something that will develop into a much greater event, problem, scandal etc

I think that that incident at the factory is only the thin end of the wedge. The dissatisfaction among the workers is likely to lead to a major strike.

A thin excuse

- an unconvincing excuse

So you couldn’t find your glasses. Isn’t that a rather thin excuse for not doing your homework?

Thin on top

- not having much hair, becoming bald

He's a bit thin on top already. I think he'll be bald by the time he's 35.

A thin time

- a period of unpleasantness, poor health, lack of money etc

When he left prison, he had a pretty thin time. His wife had left him, he couldn’t get work and nobody was willing to help him.

Out of thin air

- from nowhere

The story about his love affair didn't just come out of thin air. There's some truth in in.

A thin audience

- not many spectators

There was a thin audience at the concert of The Ramsons.

Thing (12)

A close/near thing

- almost an accident, failure or misfortune; a narrow escape

Look out! The car!' 'Hell, that was a close thing! I didn`t see him.'

Do one`s (own) thing

- (informal) do what one wants to do without being infuenced by other people or by rules; act freely

The new assistant will have to learn that he can`t just do his own thing here. There are regulations to comply with.

For one thing

- one good reason/argument is . . . (Often introduces an explanation.)

I really don`t think Willson is the right man for the job. For one thing, he`s got no specialized knowledge of the problem and for another he can`t speak German.

Just one of those things

- (saying) something (usually unpleasant or regrettable) that is unavoidable and must be accepted

Leaving school and not being able to get a job is unfortunately just one those things these days.

Just the thing

- exactly the thing that is needed

'How about a nice cup of tea to warm you up?' 'Oh, yes! That would be just the thing'

Not quite the thing

- not what is socially acceptable

You`d better hurry up and change your clothes. It wouldn`t be quite the thing to arrive at Sarah`s wedding wearing your gardening trousers.

Sure thing!

- (informal) certainly, of course

'Could you give me lift to the library?' 'Sure thing! Hop in!'

A thing of the past

- something/someone no longer in demand or of topical interest etc

'Is Caroly still seeing Howard?' ' Goodness, no. That's been a thing of the past for months now.'

First things first

- (saying) do things in the necessary or correct order. (Often said as a slight warning or reminder)

First things first! Wait until you've got your degree before you talk about a career in banking.

Have (got) a thing about something/someone

- have a strong liking or dislike for something/someone

We were never allowed to have a cat as children. Father had a thing about them.

One thing leads to another

- (saying) one small event starts a whole sequence of events

Tom met Betty at the cinema. He asked her out, one thing lead to another, and noe they're engaged.

Show / teach / tell someone a thing or two

- show etc. someone something useful or important which they do not know

He thinks he knows all about the Internet, but I bet I could teach him a thing or two.

That (6)

Come to that

- When I think of that and other similar facts

I haven`t heard from Brenda for weeks. Come to that, we haven`t heard from any of the Walkers for quite some time, have we?

That does it!

- (informal) expresses that the speaker has reached the limit of his patience after several annoying incidents, and is now ready to act or show his anger

That does it! Jack`s late again! If he can`t be here on time, I`m not offering to drive him to work in my car any more!

That will do

- that is enough
(as a command/warning) no more!

That will do for the moment. If we need more sandwiches, we can make more later.
That will do, you boys! No more fighting in here!

That`s done/torn it!

- (informal) that spoils or ruins things! (e.g. plans, wishes)

Oh no! That's done it! I`ve just dropped the mixer and broken it so I can`t make a cake for the visitors.

That`s for sure

- (stands after a statement) that is quite certain

Once I`ve passed the exam, I shall never open another book on Latin verbs, that's for sure!

That`s the ticket!

- (informal) expresses surprise of satisfaction or encouragement. That is good. That is the right thing to do.

That's the ticket, Paula! You show them all who`s the best player.

There (23)

... and there you are!

- and there's the solution, the desired result etc.

Just put the plug in, turn the knob to 'On', press the start button and there you are! Easy!

Hang (on) in there!

- (informal, mostly US) an expression of encouragement to keep trying when something is difficult.

Come on, Joe! Hang in there! You'll do it!

There again

- additionally, alternatively

If Spain was too hot for you last year, why not go to Italy for a change? But there again, in August it may be just as hot as in Spain

There and then

- straight away, on the spot

If you take all the forms and necessary documents with you to the passport office, they can give you a new passport there and then.

There are no buts about it

- no excuses are acceptable because there is no doubt about something

You haven't done your homework, so you can't go out to play. There are no buts about it!

(But) there it is

- that's where the problem lies, that's just how it is, those are the facts

I can't allow in non-members, I'm afraid. I'm so sorry, but there it is.

There is (a bit/a lot/much) more to it than that

- it is more complex, involved etc. than that. It is not that simple

Jack said he had just been lucky in winning the music scholarship, but anybody knows that there is much more to it than that.

There is (much/ a lot) more to someone than

- ... someone is not just

Mandy's a very clever young woman. There’s much more to her than she tells you.

There is no knowing/telling what/when/where etc

- one cannot know/be sure/ say what will happen etc

There's no knowing when Jack will be back at work after his accident. It could take a few months.

There is no mistaking someone/something

- someone/ something is easy to recognize

Yes, of course I'm sure it was Liam on the phone. There's no mistaking his Irish accent.

There is no question

- there can be no doubt

There is no question that Sue could do better at school if she worked harder. She's very bright, but lazy.

There is no stopping/holding someone

- someone cannot be prevented from doing something

Once he starts telling jokes, there's no stopping him.

There is nothing (else) for it

- (informal) there is no other way.

There's nothing else for it - we'll have to cancel the holiday this year.

There is nothing in it

- it is not true, it is only a rumour

'I've heard that the Freemans are moving to Glasgow. ' 'So have I, but there's nothing in it, I'm sure. '

There is nothing like (a) + noun (for doing something/ to do something)

- something is better than everything else.

There's nothing like a comfortable chair and a good book to make you feel relaxed after a hard day at the office.

There's nothing to it

- it's easy, there is nothing difficult involved

Working this machine looks very complicated, but there's nothing to it really.

There is something to be said for

- something has its advantages and can be recommended for certain reasons which may not be immediately apparent.

There's something to be said for an off-season holiday - no traffic jams, no crowds, and cheaper hotel rates.

There is a time and (a) place for everything

- (saying) there are certain things which are only appropriate at a certain time or place, i.e. they are often inappropriate and should not be done.

A waiter was flirting with a girl in the restaurant. The manager soon appeared and warned him that there was a time and a place for everything.

There, there!/there now!

- said when comforting or calming someone who is crying etc.

There, there, dear! Drink this hot tea and you'll soon feel much better.

There you are!

- I said when giving something to someone that he wanted
- said triumphantly after hearing one's opinion etc. confirmed.

There you are, Mr Jones, your butter and your tomatoes. That will be £6.50 altogether.
'The book says Goethe was born in 1749. ' 'Well, there you are! I said so all along!'

There you go/he goes etc. again!

- (informal) you are starting to dol say again what you do/say repeatedly

There you go again! You worry about your daughter too much. She'll be fine.

There's a good boy/girl/dog!

- said to a child or animal in praise of something done well, or as encouragement

Come on, now, eat up your carrots. There's a good boy!

You've got me there

- (informal) I don't know the answer to your question, you know more than I do.

'Do you know how many cars Britain produces a year?' 'No, I don’t. You've got me there. '