Phrases commonly used in daily conversation.
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Come to think of it → Realizing something after some thought
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Come to think of it, I did see her at the party.
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Come to think of it, we haven’t talked in a while.
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Pull it off → To succeed at something difficult
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I can’t believe she pulled it off!
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He pulled off the performance perfectly.
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Hit the nail on the head → To be exactly right
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You really hit the nail on the head with that idea.
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Her comment hit the nail on the head.
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In the long run → Over a long period of time
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It’s cheaper in the long run.
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In the long run, healthy habits pay off.
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On the same page → To agree or understand each other
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We need to be on the same page before we begin.
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I think we're finally on the same page.
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Go with the flow → To relax and accept what happens
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Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
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I didn’t plan anything. I’ll go with the flow.
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Out of the blue → Unexpectedly
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He called me out of the blue.
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The storm came out of the blue.
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Up in the air → Uncertain or undecided
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Our plans are still up in the air.
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The trip is up in the air until we confirm the tickets.
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Think twice → To reconsider
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You should think twice before quitting.
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I’ll think twice next time.
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Make a big deal out of → To exaggerate something
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Don’t make a big deal out of it.
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She always makes a big deal out of nothing.
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Keep in mind → To remember
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Keep in mind that she’s allergic.
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Just keep in mind the deadline.
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Fill someone in → To update someone
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Can you fill me in on what I missed?
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I’ll fill you in later.
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Take it easy → To relax
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Just take it easy this weekend.
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He needs to take it easy after surgery.
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Cut it out → Stop doing something annoying
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Hey, cut it out!
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Can you cut it out already?
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Bite the bullet → To do something unpleasant
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I had to bite the bullet and go to the dentist.
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She bit the bullet and apologized.
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Get the hang of → To learn how to do something
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I’m finally getting the hang of this software.
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Just practice, and you’ll get the hang of it.
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Burn the midnight oil → To work late
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I had to burn the midnight oil to finish.
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He’s burning the midnight oil again.
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Cross the line → To go too far
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You crossed the line with that comment.
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Some jokes cross the line.
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Drop the ball → To make a mistake
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I really dropped the ball on this project.
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Don’t drop the ball again.
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Speak your mind → To say what you really think
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He always speaks his mind.
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Feel free to speak your mind.
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Get back on track → To return to the right path
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We need to get back on track.
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After the delay, we got back on track.
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Go the extra mile → To do more than expected
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She always goes the extra mile.
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He went the extra mile for his team.
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Keep your cool → To stay calm
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Try to keep your cool in stressful moments.
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He kept his cool, even under pressure.
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Blow off steam → To release stress
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Let’s go to the gym and blow off steam.
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She needed to blow off steam after the meeting.
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Hit the road → To leave or start a journey
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Let’s hit the road early.
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We should hit the road before traffic gets bad.
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Play it by ear → To decide as things happen
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Let’s play it by ear tomorrow.
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We didn’t plan—just played it by ear.
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Sleep on it → To think overnight before deciding
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I’ll sleep on it and decide tomorrow.
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Sleep on it before you say yes.
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Let someone down → To disappoint
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I didn’t want to let you down.
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He really let her down.
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Take it personally → To feel hurt by something
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Don’t take it personally. It’s not about you.
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I didn’t mean to take it personally.
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Keep your word → To do what you promised
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You should always keep your word.
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He kept his word and helped me move.
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In a nutshell → In short
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In a nutshell, it was a bad idea.
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In a nutshell, we need more time.
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Make ends meet → To earn enough money
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It’s hard to make ends meet.
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She’s working two jobs to make ends meet.
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Keep an eye on → To watch carefully
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Can you keep an eye on my bag?
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I’ll keep an eye on the kids.
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Have second thoughts → To reconsider
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I’m having second thoughts about this.
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He had second thoughts after applying.
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Break the ice → To start a conversation
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Jokes help to break the ice.
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He broke the ice by asking a fun question.
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Stick to it → To keep doing something
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Just stick to it and you’ll improve.
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I’ll stick to it no matter what.
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Run late → To be behind schedule
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Sorry, I’m running late.
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The meeting is running late again.
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Back to square one → To start over
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The plan failed—we’re back to square one.
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We lost the file and went back to square one.
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Take it for granted → To not appreciate
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Don’t take it for granted.
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He took her help for granted.
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Out of line → Inappropriate or disrespectful
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That comment was out of line.
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You were totally out of line yesterday.
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Put up with → To tolerate
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I can’t put up with the noise.
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She puts up with a lot.
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Call it a day → To stop working for now
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Let’s call it a day and rest.
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We’ll call it a day after this task.
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Touch base → To briefly talk or connect
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Let’s touch base later.
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I’ll touch base with her next week.
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Get cold feet → To become nervous
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I got cold feet before the speech.
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She got cold feet and didn’t show up.
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Step up → To take responsibility
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He finally stepped up and helped.
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It’s your turn to step up.
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Face the music → To accept consequences
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It’s time to face the music.
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She faced the music for her actions.
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Turn a blind eye → To ignore something
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Don’t turn a blind eye to bullying.
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He turned a blind eye to the problem.
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Throw in the towel → To give up
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He threw in the towel after many tries.
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I won’t throw in the towel yet.
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Cost an arm and a leg → Very expensive
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That phone cost an arm and a leg.
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The vacation cost an arm and a leg.
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Under the weather → Not feeling well
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I’m a bit under the weather today.
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He’s under the weather with a cold.
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