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Vocabulary

Idioms & Fixed Expressions

CAE-level idioms · fixed phrases · colourful language

Words 1–4

Kick the bucket
to die (informal, humorous)
Bite the bullet
to endure a painful or difficult situation with courage
Burn bridges
to permanently destroy a relationship or opportunity
Ballpark figure
a rough approximate number or estimate
Examples
He almost kicked the bucket when he tried extreme skiing.
She had to bite the bullet and work through the night.

Words 5–8

The tip of the iceberg
a small visible part of a much larger problem
At the end of your rope
having no more patience or strength to deal with something
Count your chickens
to plan for something that has not happened yet (usually a warning)
Bite off more than you can chew
to take on more than you can handle
Examples
These complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.
After three sleepless nights, she was at the end of her rope.

Words 9–12

Sit on the fence
to avoid taking a position on a controversial issue
Pull your weight
to do your fair share of the work
Road map
a plan showing how to achieve a goal step by step
Grey area
a situation that is unclear or has no definitive rules
Examples
Politicians often sit on the fence on sensitive issues.
Everyone in the team needs to pull their weight.
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