Lesson 1
Relationships
- hit it off
If two people hit it off when they first meet, they like each other and get on well together.
Example: I had to leave because my manager was awful. We never really hit it off.
- leave someone in the lurch
If someone leaves you in the lurch, they put you in a difficult situation by suddenly going away or stopping helping you.
I NOTE I ‘The lurch’ is a position of disadvantage in a card game called cribbage.
Example: My secretary left me in the lurch last month and I haven’t found a replacement yet.
- on the rocks
If a relationship is on the rocks, it is experiencing many difficulties and is likely to end.
Example: It’s rumored that their ten-year relationship is on the rocks.
- on the same wavelength
If two people are on the same wavelength, they understand each other well because they share the same attitudes, interests, and opinions.
INOTE I You cannot hear a radio broadcast unless you tune to the correct wavelength.
Example: Wendy’s sister is ten years older than her, and the two are not close. ‘We’ve never really been on the same wavelength’ said Wendy.
- save face
If you save face, you do something so that people continue to respect you and your reputation is not damaged.
INOTE I This comes from a Chinese expression which refers to keeping a calm expression and managing to avoid the disgrace of showing one’s emotions.
Example: Most children have a need to save face in front of their friends.
- sparks fly
If sparks fly between two people, they get angry with each other and argue.
Example: The group leader is not afraid to raise difficult issues or let the sparks fly when necessary.
- treat someone like dirt
If a person treats someone like dirt, they treat them very badly.
Example: As long as unemployment is rising, the bosses can keep treating you like dirt.
- your own flesh and blood
If someone is your own flesh and blood, they are a member of your family.
Example: You can’t just let your own flesh and blood go to prison if there’s any way you can help.
- break the ice
If a person, event or activity breaks the ice, they make people feel more relaxed and comfortable in a social situation.
Example: This exercise is usually good fun and can help break the ice for a new, and perhaps rather anxious, group.
INOTE I An icebreaker is something that you say or do to break the ice.
Example: This presentation, with a few additional jokes, was a good icebreaker.
- get off on the wrong foot
If you get off on the wrong foot, you start a relationship or an activity badly.
I NOTE I The ‘wrong foot’ refers to the left foot. There is an ancient superstition that the left side of the body is connected with bad luck and evil.
Example: We got off on the wrong foot the first time I met him, but that’s all forgotten now.
I NOTE I You can also say start off on the wrong foot.
Example: Their relationship had started off on the wrong foot.
- get on like a house on fire
If two people get on like a house on fire, they quickly become close friends.
I NOTE I This expression uses the image of an old wooden house burning suddenly and strongly.
Example: I went over and struck up a conversation, and we got on like a house on fire.
12.get on someone’s nerves
If someone or something gets on your nerves, they irritate you.
Example: She talks all the time and it gets on my nerves.
- give someone the cold shoulder
If someone gives you the cold shoulder, they deliberately stop being friendly to you and ignore you.
Example: He was upset to find his previously friendly colleagues giving him the cold shoulder.
INOTE I You can also say that you get the cold shoulder from someone.
Example: Nancy found she was getting the cold shoulder from a lot of people she’d thought were her friends.
- go back a long way
If two or more people go back a long way, they have been friends for a very long time. [mainly BRITISH]
Example: We go back a long way, and she’s always kept in touch, always been there for me.
Exercise 1
Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
- You have started………………………by arriving late for our appointment.
a) to save face
b) on the same wavelength
c) off on the wrong foot
- He’s highly educated, and she’s got no qualifications at all, but they managed to………………………….
a) get off on the wrong foot
b) hit it off
c) go back a long way
3. Mr. Sen invited them all to dinner at his house to………………………..
a) get off on the wrong foot
b) get on like a house on fire
c) break the ice
- As soon as the prisoners arrive, the guards begin to……………………………..
a) treat them like dirt
b) get off on the wrong foot
c) leave them in the lurch.
- Luca’s personal assistant quit suddenly and…………………………so I’m doing some typing for him.
a) left him in the lurch
b) treated him like dirt
c) got the cold shoulder
- They argue all the time now. There’s no doubt that their marriage is……………………….
a) on fire b) on the rocks
c) their own flesh and blood