TỔNG HỢP IDIOMS_COLLOCATIONS THI CHUYÊN ANH (PART 1)

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TỔNG HỢP IDIOMS – COLLOCATIONS THI CHUYÊN (PART 1) No. Idioms/Collocations Definition Example
to exclude someone from full knowledge or Keeping taxpayers in the dark about how their 1
keep somebody in the dark
disclosure (of something) (giấu ai đó một thông money is being spent is not how government tin nào đó) should operate.
a story, explanation, etc. that is completely untrue 2 a pack of lies
His alibi turned out to be a complete pack of lies.
(một đống lời nói dối)
to begin an activity or process (bắt đầu, khởi I'll start the ball rolling by introducing our first 3 start the ball rolling
xướng một việc gì đó) speaker.
something that misleads or distracts from the The detective realized the mysterious phone call 4 a red herring
main issue (đánh trống lảng)
was just a red herring.
a situation where one barely avoids danger or We had a narrow escape when a tree fell just 5 a narrow escape
disaster (thoát chết trong gang tấc) meters from our car.
to follow the rules or conform to the standard The new manager is strict and expects everyone to 6 toe the line
(tuân theo quy tắc, làm theo quy định) toe the line.
to learn how to do a particular job or task (học It will take a few months for the new intern to learn 7 learn the ropes
việc, học những điều cơ bản) the ropes.
The kitchen was a hive of activity as the chefs 8 a hive of activity
a place that is very busy (nơi nhộn nhịp, hối hả) prepared for the grand wedding. 2
in a very difficult or serious situation, especially After the factory closed, the whole town was in 9 in dire straits
financial (trong hoàn cảnh khó khăn, nguy cấp) dire straits.
to allow very little time for something, almost too You're cutting it fine – your flight boards in ten 10 cut things fine
little (sắp xếp thời gian sát giờ, vừa đủ) minutes!
a way of doing or managing something (một The committee agreed that the best course of 11 a course of action
hướng hành động, cách giải quyết)
action was to postpone the event.
to be thought of immediately (lập tức nghĩ tới, When I think of a reliable car, Japanese brands 12 spring to mind
hiện lên trong đầu) always spring to mind.
completely and finally (một lần dứt điểm, lần 13 once and for all
We need to settle this argument once and for all. cuối)
to do the same as someone else has done (làm One bank lowered its interest rates, and the others 14 follow suit theo, bắt chước) soon followed suit.
at a time that is far away in the future (về lâu về Studying might be hard now, but it will benefit you 15 in the long run dài) in the long run. 16 in the blink of an eye
extremely quickly (trong chớp mắt)
The race car was gone in the blink of an eye.
very quickly and by large amounts (tiến bộ nhanh Her Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds 17 by leaps and bounds chóng, nhảy vọt)
since she moved to Madrid.
to take the blame or responsibility for something, The CEO resigned, but it was his assistants who 18 carry the can
especially for someone else (gánh vác trách had to carry the can for the scandal. nhiệm) 3
to seem much less important when compared to My problems paled into insignificance when I 19
pale into insignificance
something else (trở nên nhỏ bé, không quan heard about her loss. trọng)
to refuse to change your plans or ideas, especially The children dug their heels in and refused to go to 20 dig your heels in
when someone is urging you (cứng đầu, ương bed. bướng)
a person who has secret skills or abilities (người He's a dark horse in this competition; nobody 21 a dark horse
bí ẩn, có khả năng được giấu kín)
expected him to be so good.
to be very different from something (rất khác xa, This luxurious hotel is a far cry from the hostels 22 be a far cry from
một trời một vực) we used to stay in.
to cause someone to feel sympathy, emotion, or The singer's song about home struck a chord with 23 strike a chord
enthusiasm (chạm đến cảm xúc, gây đồng cảm)
many immigrants in the audience.
to avoid attracting attention to yourself (giữ một After the controversy, the actor kept a low profile 24 keep a low profile
hình ảnh trầm lặng, ít thu hút sự chú ý) for a year.
to take advantage of an opportunity immediately They liked our proposal – we need to strike while 25
strike while the iron is hot
(thừa thắng xông lên, nắm lấy cơ hội)
the iron is hot and sign the contract now.
to keep something under control and prevent it 26 keep a lid on
The government is trying to keep a lid on inflation.
from increasing (kiểm soát, hạn chế)
Bringing up his past mistakes just added fuel to the 27 add fuel to the fire
to make a bad situation worse (thêm dầu vào lửa) fire. 4
a situation that proves how effective or genuine The World Cup will be an acid test for the young 28 an acid test
something or someone is (bài kiểm tra khó khăn team. nhất)
to decide to stop working on something (tạm We've been working on this for hours; let's call it a 29 call it a day
dừng, kết thúc một ngày làm việc) day.
the series of stages that lead to better and better He's climbing the career ladder quickly at his new 30 career ladder
jobs (nấc thang sự nghiệp) firm.
to be confused and unable to understand I'm all at sea with this new software; can you help 31 be all at sea
something (bối rối, lúng túng không biết phải làm me? gì)
to hope that something will happen in the way 32 cross your fingers
I'm crossing my fingers that I get the job.
you want (cầu mong, hi vọng)
something that seems bad at first but results in Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because 33 a blessing in disguise
something good (trong cái rủi có cái may)
it pushed me to start my own business.
to annoy or upset someone (làm ai đó phật lòng, He has a tendency to ruffle feathers with his blunt 34
ruffle somebody's feathers khó chịu) comments.
a very good and honest person (người tốt bụng và My grandmother was the salt of the earth; she 35 the salt of the earth đáng quý)
would help anyone in need.
to make someone stay alert and ready for My new boss keeps me on my toes with her 36
keep somebody on their toes
anything (làm ai đó luôn cảnh giác) constant questions. 5
to accept whatever is available, without knowing We didn't book a restaurant, so we'll have to take 37 take pot luck
what it will be (chấp nhận bất cứ thứ gì có sẵn) pot luck.
to avoid trouble or attention (tránh gây sự chú ý, Just keep your head down and do your work until 38 keep your head down giữ đầu xuống)
the boss's mood improves. 39 once in a blue moon
very rarely (hiếm khi, cả năm mới có một lần)
He only visits his hometown once in a blue moon.
to be so worried and tired because of problems I've tried everything to fix the computer, and I'm at 40 be at your wits' end
that you cannot think of any more solutions (bó my wits' end. tay)
the result of chance rather than something you Who you get as a teacher is just the luck of the 41 the luck of the draw
can control (sự may rủi) draw.
to change the rules to make them suit a particular Sometimes you have to bend the rules a little to 42 bend the rules
situation (làm lơ, không áp dụng luật lệ hà khắc) help a friend.
to be more exciting or interesting than most The actor was a larger-than-life character, both on 43 be larger than life
people (có tính cách mạnh mẽ, nổi bật) and off the screen.
to be extremely annoyed by something and I've had it up to here with their constant 44
have had it up to here with
unable to accept it any longer (quá chịu đựng, quá complaints! ngán)
to abandon someone who is in a difficult situation He promised to help, but he left me in the lurch at 45
leave somebody in the lurch
(bỏ rơi ai trong lúc khó khăn) the last minute.
the best choice or most useful course of action 46 your best bet
Your best bet is to take the train to avoid traffic.
(lựa chọn tốt nhất) 6
to be independent and take care of yourself By the age of 20, he was standing on his own two 47
stand on your own two feet
without help from others (tự lập)
feet and paying his own rent.
to have a misunderstanding because of a failure We must have got our wires crossed; I thought you 48
get your lines/wires crossed
in communication (hiểu lầm nhau)
were bringing the drinks. 49 in the nick of time
at the last possible moment (vừa kịp lúc)
The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.
to achieve two things with a single action (một By cycling to work, I kill two birds with one stone: 50
kill two birds with one stone
mũi tên trúng hai đích)
I save money and get exercise. to have a slight advantage
over Our team has the edge over theirs because of our 51 have the edge over
somebody/something (có lợi thế hơn)
experienced goalkeeper.
someone or something that is new and different The new manager is a breath of fresh air for this 52 a breath of fresh air
in a positive way (luồng gió mới) department.
to be deeply affected or upset by something (ghi He took the criticism to heart and worked hard to 53
take something to heart
lòng tạc dạ, cảm thấy buồn/bị ảnh hưởng sâu sắc) improve.
His constant humming is really getting on my 54
get on somebody's nerves
to annoy someone (làm phiền, chọc tức ai) nerves.
used to say that something is possible but 55 at a push
We can fit five people in the car, six at a push.
difficult (nếu cố gắng, nếu bắt buộc)
to formally agree to something by signing a 56
sign on the dotted line
All we need is for you to sign on the dotted line.
document (ký vào giấy tờ, đồng ý)
in a cruel and deliberate way, without emotion 57 in cold blood
The victim was shot in cold blood.
(một cách lạnh lùng, có chủ đích) 7
used to introduce the most important fact after 58 at the end of the day
At the end of the day, the decision is yours.
everything has been considered (suy cho cùng)
to pretend that you are happy when you are not Even though she was nervous, she put on a brave 59 put on a brave face
(tỏ ra mạnh mẽ dù đang buồn)
face and went on stage.
very confident in a way that is shocking or rude He walked into the meeting late, as bold as brass, 60 as bold as brass
(mặt dày, trơ trẽn)
and didn't even apologize.
to make a lot of money quickly (kiếm được bộn They made a killing by selling their shares just 61 make a killing tiền)
before the market crashed.
to start to happen or become organized in the Once I found the main clue, the rest of the mystery 62 fall into place
correct way (mọi thứ trở nên rõ ràng, đâu vào fell into place. đấy)
to reveal a secret accidentally (lỡ miệng tiết lộ bí I'm getting a bike for my son's birthday, but don't 63
let the cat out of the bag mật)
let the cat out of the bag! keep somebody/something at
to prevent someone or something unpleasant 64
I gargle with salt water to keep a sore throat at bay. bay
from coming near you (tránh xa, ngăn chặn)
a person or thing that is considered ridiculous and If I wear that hat, I'll be the laughing stock of the 65 a laughing stock
is laughed at (trò cười cho thiên hạ) whole office.