English Indioms

Prévia do material em texto

ENGLISH 
 
IDIOMS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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1 – AGREEING AND DISAGREEING 
(CONCORDANDO E DISCORDANDO) 
 
 
1. And how! / You bet! / You can say that again! – E como! Realmente! 
That was a great game! And how! 
 
 
2. be on the same wavelength / on the same page – estar de acordo, 
pensar da mesma forma. Doing that project was easy because Mark and I 
were on the same wavelength. 
 
 
3. You must be kidding! / You’ve got to be kidding! – Você deve estar 
brincando! / Você não está falando sério, está? 
 
 
4. be at odds – não estar de acordo com. Such behavior is at odds with 
how we work here. 
 
 
5. on the contrary – pelo contrário. Mary is a very nice woman. Her 
husband, on the contrary, is a rather obnoxious man. 
 
 
6. put your two cents in / speak your mind / speak up – dar sua 
opinião, dizer o que pensa. OK, at the meeting you say your piece, and then 
I’ll put my two cents in. 
 
 
7. sound out someone / sound someone out – “sondar” alguém, ver o 
que alguém pensa antes de dizer algo ou tomar alguma atitude. He sounded 
out the boss to see if we would have Christmas bonus this year. 
 
 
8. win someone over – fazer alguém mudar de opinião. The argument she 
used to win the directors over was not about who was right or who was 
wrong, but rather she pointed out they should come to a compromise. 
 
9. where someone is coming from – enteder o que alguém quer dizer, a 
razão pela qual se diz algo. I understand where he’s coming from but I don’t 
quite agree with him. 
 
 
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2 – COMMUNICATING 
(COMUNICANDO-SE) 
 
 
1. open up – abrir o coração, falar honestamente. I can’t get my friend to 
open up to me, he’s really shy. 
 
 
2. between you and me – cá entre nós 
 
 
3. let someone in on something – contar um segredo a alguém, deixar 
alguém a par de uma situação. I’d been on vacation for 20 days when Greg 
let me in on the boss’s new decisions. 
 
 
4. compare notes – trocar opiniões (ou impressões de algo) com alguém. 
We met at the coffee shop to compare notes on the new teacher. 
 
 
5. touch base (with someone) – conversar com alguém rapidinho. I’ll 
touch base with her later to tell her what happened at work today. 
 
 
6. pick up on something – ficar a par sobre algo que foi dito 
anteriormente. I’d like to pick up on what Sam was saying. 
 
 
7. beat around the bush – “enrolar”, fazer rodeios. Stop beating around 
the bush and tell me what’s on your mind. 
 
 
8. bend someone’s ear – falar com alguém por muito tempo, geralmente 
sobre algo chato. The teacher kept bending our ears about what would 
become of us if we didn’t study enough. 
 
9. get through (to someone) – conseguir falar com alguém pelo telefone. 
If you have trouble getting through, email him. 
 
 
10. draw someone out – tentar fazer alguém falar sobre seus 
sentimentos. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t draw her out. 
 
4 
 
 
11. lend an ear (to someone) – escutar alguém, prestar atenção no que 
alguém tem a dizer. Susan lent an ear when I was sad and needed to talk to 
someone. 
 
 
12. bite your tongue / hold your tongue – “morder a língua”, não chegar 
a dizer o que se pensou. He was angry and wanted to tell his boss to go to 
hell, but he bit his tongue instead. Wise choice! 
 
 
13. clam up – “fechar-se”, calar-se (como uma ostra). At the funeral, 
Anthony clammed up and didn’t talk to anyone. 
 
 
14. get wind of something – ficar sabendo de algo. Matt’s got wind of his 
surprise party... 
 
 
15. in the loop – (estar) sabendo dos acontecimentos, a par da situação. … 
someone who’s in the loop might have let him in on it. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5 
 
 
3 – EATING AND DRINKING 
(COMENDO E BEBENDO) 
 
 
1. break bread with someone – fazer uma refeição com alguém. I don’t 
get to break bread with my brother very often, because he lives so far, so 
when he comes we usually get together. 
 
 
2. eat like a horse / pig out – comer muito. Man, Ted eats like a horse. 
Never invite him to lunch! 
 
 
3. put away food or drinks – comer ou beber muito. He put away a whole 
apple pie in one sitting! 
 
 
4. stuff your face – encher-se de (comida ou bebida). They’re at home, 
watching the game and stuffing their faces with beer and hot dogs. 
 
 
5. pick at food – “mexer” na comida, comer pouco e sem prazer. Sam said 
she didn’t want to eat and kept picking at the mashed potatoes and meat. 
 
 
6. drink to someone/something – fazer um brinde a algo ou alguém. 
Let’s drink to Harry’s new job! 
 
 
7. drown your sorrows – “afogar as mágoas”. After Jane left him, Bob was 
in the bar every day drowning his sorrows. 
 
 
8. tank up on something – beber muito. Be sure to tank up on water 
before you go on that hike of yours. 
 
 
9. wash something down – beber água para ajudar a engolir comida ou 
remédio. That cake was so dry I had to wash it down with milk. 
 
 
 
 
 
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10. break out something – servir comida e/ou bebida. Break out the 
champagne and the food and let’s celebrate! 
 
 
11. whip up something – preparar algo para comer rapidamente. OK, as 
we’re all tired I’ll whip up a sandwich in two seconds. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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4 – FEELINGS 
(SENTIMENTOS) 
 
 
1. over the moon / walking on air – (estar) muito feliz. He’s over the 
moon: he got the job he fought so hard for. 
 
 
2. a sight for sore eyes – colírio para os olhos. Watching her come to work 
so enthusiastic in the morning is a sight for sore yes, given that we work in 
such a stressing environment. 
 
 
3. whatever floats your boat – faça o que te deixar feliz. You want to quit 
that boring job of yours, do it – whatever floats your boat. 
 
 
4. pick someone up – animar alguém. Seeing her always picks me up. 
 
 
5. be swept away / carried away (by something) – estar muito 
entusiasmado ou emocionado. I was swept away by their kindness. 
 
 
6. get up on the wrong side of the bed – levantar com o pé esquerdo. 
Man, I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Nothing, I mean, 
absolutely nothing worked for me. 
 
 
7. down in the dumps – triste, deprimido. Joe was so down in the dumps 
when his dog died. 
 
 
8. have a lump in your throat / get choked up – estar com um nó na 
garganta (com vontade de chorar). We couldn’t watch that movie without 
having a lump in our throats. 
 
 
9. cool down / cool off – relaxar, acalmar-se. I told him to cool off before 
he went to talk to his boss, otherwise things would get worse. 
 
 
 
 
8 
 
 
 
10. blow hot and cold – ser instável, ser “de lua”. I don’t know what to 
make of him: he blows hot and cold and no one can understand him. 
 
 
11. your heart isn’t in something – não estar comprometido ou não 
gostar de algo. I stopped teaching kids because my heart wasn’t in it. I 
prefer adults. 
 
 
12. on edge – ansioso ou preocupado. He’s been on edge the whole 
afternoon because he doesn’t know the result of his test yet. 
 
 
13. out of sorts – de mau humor. If I were you I wouldn’t mess with Jack, 
he’s been out of sorts all day long. 
 
 
14. up in arms – muito bravo. The teacher was up in arms when he found 
out some students had cheated on the test. 
 
 
15. touch / hit a (raw) nerve – “pisar no calo” de alguém, causar uma 
reação emotiva. When the teacher told Johnny’s mom she had to make him 
study harder she hit a raw nerve because his mom always says Johnny’s the 
best student at school. 
 
 
16. drive someone up the wall – enlouquecer ou irritar alguém. My boss 
was driving me up the wall with that project. 
 
 
 
 
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5 – EXPRESSINGEMOTIONS 
(MOSTRANDO AS EMOÇÕES) 
 
 
1. light up – relaxar, ficar tranquilo. She looked so sad at the party but 
when she saw her boyfriend walk into the room, she lit up. 
 
 
2. be all smiles – estar muito feliz. When we got to his house he was down 
in the dumps, but after a few funny stories from our trip, he was all smiles. 
 
 
3. gales of laughter – gargalhadas. We were in gales of laughter in the 
movies watching that new Mike Myers’ flick. 
 
 
4. burst into tears – chorar copiosamente, de repente. She burst into tears 
when she found out she hadn’t been accepted in that famous college. 
 
 
5. dissolve into tears / laughter – rir ou chorar desconsoladamente. 
Harry dissolved into laughter after he noticed he’d been wearing different 
color socks. 
 
 
6. blow / let off steam – desabafar, “abrir o coração”. She shouted a lot at 
the meeting but I guess she needed to let off steam. 
 
 
7. bare your soul – contar a alguém seus pensamentos e sentimentos 
secretos. I couldn’t believe it, I’d just met the woman and there she was, 
baring her soul! 
 
 
8. get something off your chest – desabafar, contar a alguém algo que 
está incomodando. Sometimes it’s good to discuss your problems, just to get 
them off your chest. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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9. wear your heart on your sleeve – ser honesto, mostrar o que sente. 
Jane always wears her heart on her sleeve, so we all know when 
something’s not right with her. 
 
 
10. lower / drop your guard – baixar a guarda. When he found out I 
wasn’t going to tape our conversation, he dropped his guard. 
 
 
11. lose your head – perder a cabeça. Andy’s mom lost her head when she 
found out he’d arrived at 5am from the party. 
 
 
12. lose your temper – perder a paciência. It’s hard not to lose your 
temper when you’re teaching kids. 
 
 
13. go ballistic – ficar muito bravo. My dad will go ballistic when he finds 
out I ruined his car. 
 
 
14. throw a tantrum / a fit – fazer um escândalo, “dar um piti”. Mrs. 
Johnson threw a fit because the neighbor’s dog had been running around her 
garden and stepped on her newly planted flowers. 
 
 
15. get a grip (on yourself) – controlar-se. OK, I know you love Jack and 
stuff but when he comes to talk to you about professional matters, you have 
to get a grip. Got it? 
 
 
16. keep a straight face – ficar sério, conter o riso. I couldn’t keep a 
straight face when she told me why he was crying: she’s broken a fingernail! 
 
 
 
 
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6 – FIGHTING AND ARGUING 
(BRIGANDO E DISCUTINDO) 
 
 
1. spoiling for a fight – doido para brigar. Mark was spoling for a fight 
when Jack managed to calm him down and smooth things over. 
 
 
2. take on someone / take someone on – enfrentar alguém. He knew he 
couldn’t take on Pete. He was much taller and stronger than him. 
 
 
3. pick a fight / start something – procurar briga, começar uma briga. 
When those guys entered the bar I knew they were going to start 
something. 
 
 
4. go at someone / go at it / let someone have it – atacar alguém 
fisicamente ou com palavras. Last night James really let Richard have it. 
 
 
5. let fly with someone – irritar alguém. Rodney really let fly with his 
brother when he told him their father had paid for his car. 
 
 
6. bring it on – começar uma briga ou competição. Usado geralmente como 
imperativo. You wanna fight? Bring it on! 
 
 
7. fight it out – resolver algo com briga, “no tapa”. The two brothers fought 
it out to see who was going to use the car. 
 
 
8. have it out (with someone) – resolver algo com briga, “no tapa”. “OK, 
it’s time we had this out.” “Are you sure you want to take me on?” 
 
 
9. come to blows – começar a brigar fisicamente. When they started 
arguing, it was obviously going to come to blows. 
 
 
 
 
 
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10. a running battle – briga longa. I’ve had a running battle with the 
neighbors over their kids throwing trash on our yard. 
 
 
11. hot and heavy – bravo, exaltado. They went at it hot and heavy. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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7 – HEALTH 
(SAÚDE) 
 
 
1. have a clean bill of health – com a saúde perfeita. The doctor gave me 
a clean bill of health. 
 
 
2. do you a world of good – fazer muito bem a você. You need a vacation. 
It’ll do you a world of good. 
 
 
3. not up to par / below par / under the weather – não se sentindo 
muito bem. I was not up to par so I decided to lie down a bit. 
 
 
4. worn out – muito cansado, exausto. Man, am I worn out! 
 
 
5. not agree with you / upset your stomach – não cair bem (comida, 
bebida). Maybe something I ate didn’t agree with me, I should take some 
antacid. 
 
 
6. come down with something – sentir que está ficando doente. I think 
I’m coming down with something: I’ve been sneezing and feeling cold. 
 
 
7. fight something off – tomar remédio para não ficar doente. I think I’m 
coming down with the flu but I’m fighting it off with vitamin C and herb tea. 
 
 
8. have bags under your eyes – estar com olheiras. I’m really tired, I 
have bags under my eyes. 
 
 
9. run a fever – estar com febre. I feel so tired, I think I’m running a fever. 
 
 
10. going around – diz-se de uma doença que está afetando muitas 
pessoas. They say the flu is going around so you’d better watch out. 
 
 
14 
 
 
 
11. have one foot in the grave / be at death’s door – estar com o “pé 
na cova”. Well, I wasn’t at death’s door or anything but I had to take care of 
myself. 
 
 
12. on the mend – sentindo-se melhor depois de uma doença, em 
recuperação. He hasn’t come back to work after his illness, he’s still on the 
mend. 
 
 
13. get over an illness – sarar de uma doença. I still need to get over this 
flu so I can go back to work. 
 
 
14. get back on your feet – recuperar-se e sentir-se saudável novamente. 
Follow the doctor’s orders and you’ll be back on your feet in no time. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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8 – FAMILY 
(FAMÍLIA) 
 
 
1. your nearest and dearest – sua familia. When people are stressed out 
at work they tend to go home and take it out on their nearest and dearest. 
 
 
2. blood is thicker than water – a familia é mais importante do que 
qualquer outra coisa. They say blood is thicker than water, so how come so 
many families hate each other? 
 
 
3. run in the/someone’s family – ser comum na familia (de alguém), “é 
de familia”. My dad loves cooking and so does my brother, it runs in the 
family. 
 
 
4. take after someone – “puxar” para alguém. Mary took after her mother, 
they look exactly alike. 
 
 
5. a chip off the old block – “Tal pai tal filho.” You’re as stubborn as your 
dad. A chip off the old block! 
 
 
6. be born with a silver spoon in your mouth – nascer em berço de 
ouro. David was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He doesn’t need to 
worry about paying bills and stuff. 
 
 
7. hand down something / hand something down – passar (de geração 
para geração). My grandma handed down her wedding ring to my sister. 
 
 
8. wear the pants (in the family) – mandar (na casa). Who wears the 
pants in your house? You or your husband? 
 
 
9. home away from home – lugar onde você se sente tão confortável 
como se estivesse na sua própria casa. My aunt Sylvia’s house is home away 
from home. 
 
 
16 
 
 
 
10. feel at home – sentir-se à vontade. During your stay here, I want you 
to feel at home and tell me if you need anything, right? 
 
 
11. in the bosom of the family – no seio da família, sentindo-se seguro e 
confortável. She was glad to be home again, back in the bosom of her 
family.12. leave the nest / fly the nest – sair da casa dos pais. My kids have 
grown up and flown the nest, but I miss them a lot. 
 
 
13. pull up roots – mudar-se de um lugar onde você morou e se sentia 
confortável. I love living here but it’s time to pull up roots because my 
husband got a real good job in another city. 
 
 
14. settle in / put down roots (in a place) – criar raízes, adaptar-se a 
um lugar novo. They’ve put down strong roots in Greenville and are well 
liked. 
 
 
15. settle down - “sossegar”. It’s time you settled down and got married. 
 
 
 
 
 
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9 - LEARNING AND STUDYING 
(APRENDENDO E ESTUDANDO) 
 
 
1. at first blush – a princípio. At first blush, the house seemed perfect – 
turns out we didn’t have any heat or water. 
 
 
2. learn something by rote – aprender algo de cor. The kids had learned 
multiplication tables by rote and could do the four basic math operations 
very quickly. 
 
 
3. drill something into someone – ensinar alguém algo usando repetição. 
I couldn’t get those Spanish verb conjugations right, but Harry drilled them 
into me. 
 
 
4. learn something the hard way / find something out the hard way 
– aprender com a experiência e dificuldade, “na marra”. Since he won’t take 
advice from anyone, he’ll learn the hard way. 
 
 
5. learn a / your lesson – aprender através de uma experiência ruim, 
“aprender a lição”. Well, I won’t be taking my dad’s car without asking him 
first because he got real mad and grounded me for two weeks. I’ve definitely 
learned my lesson. 
 
 
6. learn the ropes – aprender um ofício, aprender o “riscado”. It’ll take 
time for the new secretary to learn the ropes. 
 
 
7. pick something up / pick up something – aprender algo estando em 
contato, “pegar no ar”. If you keep listening to Spanish on a regular basis, 
you’ll soon pick it up. 
 
 
8. soak up something / soak something up – aprender algo rápido e 
facilmente. I can’t get over how fast he learned to speak English; he soaked 
up everything the teacher said in class. 
 
 
18 
 
 
 
9. brush up on something – revisar algo que foi estudado, rapidamente. 
I’m going to need to brush up on my vocabulary before I take the SATs. 
 
 
10. bone up on something – estudar para um exame ou teste. If we want 
to pass the Proficiency exam, we have to bone up on phrasal verbs and 
idioms. 
 
 
11. read up on something – estudar ou ler muito sobre um assunto. He 
was so interested in the TV Show, The Tudors, that he read up on Henry 
VIII’s life. 
 
 
12. read the fine print – ler as letras miúdas. Never sign a contract before 
reading the fine print. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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10 – MONEY 
(DINHEIRO) 
 
 
1. break even – ganhar e gastar na mesma proporção, “empatar”. I don’t 
expect to turn a profit with the sales but I hope to break even. 
 
 
2. turn a profit – ter lucro. I don’t expect to turn a profit with the sales but 
I hope to break even. 
 
 
3. bring home the bacon – ganhar o sustento. I wanted to do some 
painting, but I had to work in a store to bring home the bacon. 
 
 
4. pull down (an amount of money) – ganhar (geralmente muito 
dinheiro). He’s just out of college and he’s already pulling down $100,000 a 
year! 
 
 
5. clean up / make a killing / strike it rich – ganhar muito dinheiro. We 
played poker last night and I really cleaned up. 
 
 
6. laughing all the way to the bank – rindo à toa, ganhando muito 
dinheiro facilmente. He’s laughing all the way to the bank now that he’s CEO 
of that company. 
 
 
7. be in the money – ter muito dinheiro (de repente). We won! We’re in 
the money now! 
 
 
8. Money talks. – O dinheiro é poderoso. They didn’t want to sell their 
house on the beach, but as they say, “Money talks!”, they sold it! 
 
 
9. get your money’s worth – fazer valer o dinheiro. When I see how much 
I spend with repairs, I wonder if I got my money’s worth with my car. 
 
 
 
 
20 
 
 
10. throw good money after bad – jogar dinheiro fora. If you try to fix 
that car you’ll be throwing good money after bad. 
 
 
11. throw money at something – tentar resolver os problemas gastando 
muito dinheiro com algo. You can’t create a successful online business 
simply by throwing money at it, you have to be creative. 
 
 
12. Money is no object. – Dinheiro não é problema. Where would you go 
on vacation if money were no object? 
 
 
13. (something costs) an arm and a leg / pay an arm and a leg / 
charge an arm and a leg – (algo custar) o olho da cara / pagar o olho da 
cara / cobrar o olho da cara. Those opera tickets cost me an arm and a leg. 
 
 
14. be on the breadline – ser muito pobre. More people in Brazil are on 
the breadline today than 30 years ago. 
 
 
15. live in the lap of luxury – viver no luxo. Paris Hilton lives in the lap of 
luxury, she doesn’t need to work. 
 
 
16. tighten your belt – apertar o cinto, fazer economia. Nowadays we 
have to tighten our belts because no one’s job is secure. 
 
 
17. be a money spinner – ser uma máquina de ganhar dinheiro. Google is 
a money spinner. 
 
 
18. pay through the nose – pagar caro por algo. I paid through the nose 
for this new jacket. 
 
 
19. a rip-off – um roubo, muito caro. This is a rip-off! I won’t pay $300 for 
a meal at this restaurant. 
 
20. pick up the tab/bill – pagar a conta. George invited us for a drink and 
luckily he picked up the tab because we didn’t have any money on us. 
 
21 
 
 
11 - NEGOTIATIONS AND DECISIONS 
(NEGOCIAÇÕES E DECISÕES) 
 
 
1. come to the table – reunir-se para discutir como resolver um problema 
ou chegar a a uma conclusão. We have to come to the table today to decide 
what will be done to increase our sales in the next quarter. 
 
 
2. give and take – toma-lá-dá-cá, troca. With some give and take on both 
sides we can reach an agreement. *Give or take é usado para indicar 
“aproximadamente”. There were 20 students in the classroom, give or take. 
 
 
3. meet someone halfway / split the difference – chegar a um acordo 
parcial, sem vantagens para nenhuma das partes. He put forward some 
good proposals but the union representatives weren’t willing to meet him 
halfway. – The teacher always tries to split the difference when her students 
don’t agree on something. 
 
 
4. hammer out something / hammer something out – “bater o 
martelo”, chegar a uma conclusão. After months of talking, the companies 
decided to hammer out their joint venture. 
 
 
5. put your cards on the table / tip your hand / show your hand – 
colocar as cartas na mesa, explicar exatamente o que acha ou quer. She 
thought it was time to put her cards on the table and tell him that she had 
no intention of marrying him. – Rumours still abound about Meryl Streep’s 
next project but she has so far refused to tip her hand. 
 
 
6. up / raise the ante – aumentar o risco, exigências ou custo (de algo) 
para obter lucro. The government has upped the ante by refusing to 
negotiate until a ceasefire has been agreed. 
 
 
7. between a rock and a hard place – entre a cruz e a espada, num 
dilema. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place: if I take the new job, 
I’ll make more money, but if I stay in my current job, I will save a lot on 
gas. 
 
 
22 
 
 
8. on the fence – em cima do muro, indeciso. I’m still on the fence. I’m 
going to wait until the next laptop model comes along to see if I’ll buy it. 
 
 
9. draw the line – dar, ter um limite, decidir que não vai fazer algo. I’m a 
good friend, but I draw the line when I’m asked to do something I’m not 
comfortable with. 
 
 
10. against your better judgement – contra sua vontade (sabendo que 
sua decisão podeser efeito negativo). I lent him the money against my 
better judgement, because I knew he was going to buy beer. 
 
 
11. take the plunge – aceitar o risco. I’ve decided to take the plunge and 
start up my own business. 
 
 
12. seal someone’s/something’s fate – determinar o destino (de algo ou 
alguém). His father's illness sealed his fate - Sam gave up his hopes of a 
college education and stayed home to run the family business. 
 
 
 
 
23 
 
 
12 - PERSONALITY AND CHARACTER 
(PERSONALIDADE E CARÁTER) 
 
 
1. have a heart of gold – ter um coração de ouro, ser muito generoso. He 
has a heart of gold because he’s always helping his brothers. O oposto é 
have a heart of stone. 
 
 
2. at peace with the world – em paz consigo mesmo. She was sitting on 
the terrace, looking out over the olive groves, she felt at peace with the 
world. 
 
 
3. at your best – em sua melhor forma. I was feeling wonderful that day, I 
was at my best. 
 
 
4. blessed with something – tendo uma (determinada qualidade). He’s 
been blessed with a wonderful talent for painting. 
 
 
5. salt of the earth – gente comum e decente. Susan and Jack are good, 
decent people – they’re salt of the earth. 
 
 
6. a man (or person) of few words – pessoas de poucas palavras, que 
não falam desnecessariamente. He’s a man of few words, but he’s extremely 
wise. 
 
 
7. have a chip on your shoulder – irritar-se facilmente, ser “encanado” 
com alguma coisa. He had to drop out of college and has had a chip on his 
shoulder about it since then. – Even though he went to university, he's 
always had a chip on his shoulder about his poor upbringing. 
 
 
8. full of yourself – cheio de si, “se achando o tal”. I’m not sure I like Jack, 
he’s so full of himself all the time and keeps making fun of people. 
 
 
 
 
 
24 
 
 
9. not have a friendly / honest / selfish boné in your body – não ser 
amigável / honesto / egoísta, etc. Mr. Rudd is so mean; that teacher doesn’t 
have a friendly bone in his body. – Mary’s been working in that chilcare for 
very little money for five years; she doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body. 
 
 
10. as friendly / honest / selfish (etc.) as they come – extremamente 
amigável, honesto, egoísta, etc. Sarah is as competitive as they come; she’s 
always trying to win. 
 
 
11. have a thick skin – “ser casca dura”, não se importar com as criticas. 
You’ve got to have a thick skin in the world of fashion. People will criticize 
your skin, your hair, your clothes and even how you talk. 
 
12. to be in your blood – estar no sangue. She had music in her blood and 
started singing at the age of 4. 
 
 
13. be yourself – ser você mesmo. In a job interview you have to be 
yourself and try not to make up stories. 
 
 
14. come across as – parecer ser ou ter alguma característica. He comes 
across as impolite, but he’s just shy. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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13 - PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS 
(PROBLEMAS E SOLUÇÕES) 
 
 
1. hit a snag – enfrentar ou encontrar uma dificuldade. The problem was 
going well until we hit a snag and had to redo our original planning. 
 
 
2. a touch / hard nut (to crack) – um osso duro de roer, problema difícil 
de resolver. Collecting data when you’re doing research is a tough nut to 
crack. – Unemployment is a hard nut to crack. 
 
 
3. a thorn in the side – uma pedra no sapato, algo que incomoda. Health 
inspectors are a thorn in the side of restaurant owners. 
 
 
4. in a bind / in a tight spot / up the creek – numa situação difícil, “num 
mato sem cachorro”. Joe was in a bind, he had two different directions he 
was supposed to take but didn’t know which one he was actually going to 
take. – You’re in a tight spot, the teacher caught you cheating and to add 
insult to injury, you called him “incompetent”. 
 
 
5. in dire straits – em situação desesperadora, calamitosa. His family is in 
dire straits, financially speaking. 
 
 
6. with your back against the wall – pressionado, colocado contra a 
parede. When his back was against the wall he became very aggressive. 
 
 
7. when the chips are down – quando você está numa situação difícil. 
When the chips were down, she found she didn't really love him as much as 
she thought. 
 
 
8. put your head together – duas cabeças pensam melhor que uma. OK, 
let’s put our heads together and come up with a solution to this problem. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26 
 
 
9. puzzle over something – pensar muito sobre algo, refletir. I puzzled 
over those words, trying to understand their hidden message. 
 
 
10. think outside the box – resolver problemas com criatividade. These 
guys are incredibly creative — they really know how to think out of the box. 
 
 
11. paper over something – resolver um problema temporaria e 
parcialmente. They papered over their disagreements in order to end the 
meeting on a positive note. – She has a solid record of bridging differences 
between groups, not just papering them over. 
 
 
12. come up – surgir, aparecer. I don't care how well you planned, 
something always comes up that you didn't think of. 
 
 
13. save the day – salvar o dia, a vida de alguém (figurativamente), 
resolver um problema sério. The hero saved the day by rescuing the 
hostages just in the nick of time. 
 
 
14. wave a magic wand – balançar a varinha mágica; resolver um 
problema sem muito esforço. Unfortunately, you can't just wave a magic 
wand and get rid of poverty. 
 
 
15. puzzle something out – esmiuçar um assunto, descobrir os detalhes 
de algo. The reader shouldn’t have to puzzle out what the author means. 
 
 
 
 
 
27 
 
 
14 – RELATIONSHIPS 
(RELACIONAMENTOS) 
 
 
1. go back a long way – conhecer alguém há muito tempo. My parents go 
back a long way. They met each other when they were 12. 
 
 
2. hit it off – dar-se bem. We hit it off at the very start. We shared the 
same interest in music and art. 
 
 
3. have something in common – ter algo em comum. They don’t have a 
lot in common but they love each other. 
 
 
4. build bridges – criar relações. A local charity is working to build bridges 
between different ethnic groups in the area. A expressão oposta é “burn 
bridges” (romper relações) 
 
 
5. mend (your) fences – tentar reestabelecer relacionamentos, fazer as 
pazes. China is trying to mend fences with Russia after the recent border 
dispute. 
 
 
6. keep / hold someone at arm’s length – evitar alguém, manter alguém 
à distância. I always had the feeling she was keeping me at arm's length. 
 
 
7. part company (with someone) – terminar a amizade com alguém, 
romper relações. Pam and I parted company a long time ago. We’re both 
married and have our families now. 
 
 
8. fall in love with (someone / something) / lose your heart to 
(someone / something) – apaixonar-se por alguém. I fell in love with 
Maggie the first time I ever saw her. – Billy lost his heart to airplanes when 
he was 12. Now, he’s a pilot with American airlines. 
 
 
9. sweep someone off his/her feet – fazer alguém se apaixonar. He 
swept her off her feet when he put up that banner in front of her house. 
 
28 
 
 
 
10. be head over heels / to have got it bad – estar completamente 
apaixonado. He’s head over heels in love with his new classmate. – He 
missed football practice because he went to see his girlfriend. He must have 
got it bad! 
 
 
11. hung up on someone – estar “caidinho” por alguém. Jeff’s hung up on 
that girl he met at the party. 
 
 
12. on the rocks – prestes a terminar ou não dar certo. It became clear 
that her 15-year marriage to David was on the rocks. 
 
 
13. be in someone’s good / bad books – estar bem / mal noconceito de 
alguém. I cleaned the bathroom yesterday so I'm in mom's good books. I 
didn’t take out the trash so I’m in Dad’s bad books. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29 
 
 
15 – TIME 
(TEMPO) 
 
 
1. at the moment – agora. Are you doing anything at the moment? Can 
you help me out here? 
 
 
2. for the time being – por hora. I can’t guarantee sales for the time 
being, but in the short run I can give you a ballpark figure. 
 
 
3. the here and now – o agora, o momento presente. The hardships of the 
here and now. 
 
 
4. down the line / down the road – no futuro. Waiting to put money into 
your retirement account can make a difference down the line. 
 
 
5. in the fullness of time – com o passar do tempo. Mark is sure 
everything will be all right in the fullness of time. 
 
 
6. make up for lost time – recuperar o tempo perdido. I didn't travel much 
as a young adult but I'm certainly making up for lost time now that I’m 
retired. 
 
 
7. turn back the clock / turn the clock back – voltar no tempo. Let’s 
turn back the clock now and see how we were doing this activities five years 
ago. 
 
 
8. around the clock – sem parar, dia e noite. They’ve been working around 
the clock to deliver the merchandise on time. 
 
 
9. day and night / night and day – dia e noite, sem parar. 
 
 
10. every now and then – de vez em quando. He comes over every now 
and then to see how we are doing. 
 
30 
 
 
11. once in a blue moon – quase nunca, raramente. The teacher lets us 
use the book during a test once in a blue moon. 
 
 
12. all along – o tempo todo. I’ve known they were dating secretly all 
along. 
 
 
13. over the long haul –a longo prazo. You have to think how the 
company will perform over the long haul. 
 
 
14. in the long run / in the long term – a longo prazo. It means 
spending a bit now, but in the long run it'll save us a lot of money. 
 
 
15. in the short run / in the short term – a curto prazo. Although prices 
may rise in the short run, they should begin to fall again by the end of the 
year. 
 
 
16. in a heartbeat – rapidamente, num instante. The police arrived at the 
scene in a heartbeat. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adaptado de In the Know – Understanding and Using Idioms - CUP