AN UPHILL BATTLE / STRUGGLE / TASK

Unless you have a goal your learning will be an uphill struggle.
It will be an uphill battle to get a pay rise.
Getting my son to eat vegetables is often a real uphill battle.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
1. Osborne’s play brought a breath of fresh air to the British theatre.
We need a breath of fresh air in school inspections

2. I’m going outside for a breath of fresh air.

IN FAVOUR OF
Those in favour of the motion, please raise your hands now.
The court ruled in Mrs Adams’ favour.
They have come down very strongly in favour of the proposed changes.

STATE OF THE ART

My new car is state of the art – it’s solar powered.
I bought a state-of-the-art robot vacuum cleaner – it really works!

TAKE A TOLL
The recession has taken a heavy toll.

TAKE ITS TALL ON
The stress was beginning to take its toll on their marriage.

GO BEGGING

That's what I love about weddings. The day after, leftover food always goes begging.
It's going to be cold, and I have a coat going begging if you like. I don't use it anymore.
If this piece of cake is going begging, I"ll have it.

BEHIND BARS
Seventy per cent of prisoners are back behind bars within two years of release.
He was sentenced to life behind bars for her murder in June this year.

put someone behind bars
keep someone behind bars
spend time behind bars

BUY (IT)
It’s her birthday, but I told her I had to work late. She’ll never buy that!

She'll never buy that story about you getting lost!

WITH ONE ACCORD

1. With one accord, the delegates walked out of the conference.
2. A row of faces turned our way with one accord.

OF YOUR OWN ACCORD

She came of her own accord. No one asked her to come.
Do you think David resigned on his own accord?

1. RAY OF HOPE
No matter how difficult situation is, there is always a ray of hope.
offer, be, see, give, have, bring
a ray of hope

2. GLIMMER OF HOPE
The transplantation offers Lucy and her parents a new glimmer of hope.

MOMENT OF RECKONING
DAY OF RECKONING
There will be a day of reckoning for our lying Prime Minister.
Continue on as you have and a day of reckoning will find you.

PIN YOUR HOPES ON
(SOMETHING) (SOMEBODY)

They pinned their hopes on the new coach and his unusual tactics to win.
He spent his last dollar on a lottery ticket, and pinned all his hopes on that.

IT IS 100 YEARS TO THE DAY THAT...
(for example: women in UK got the vote)

IT IS 100 YEARS TODAY THAT...

TODAY MARKS 100 YEARS TODAY THAT...

IN / OUT
OF THE PUBLIC EYE

Her job keeps her in the public eye.
They insist on keeping their children out of the public eye.
She urged celebrities and people in the public eye not to wear fur as this can lead to fashion trends being set.

DIG IN YOUR HEELS
DIG IN YOUR FEET

The opposition party dug in their heels and refused to change their positions.

BE AIMED AT

The advertisement was aimed at males between the ages of 18 to 34.

BE ASSOCIATED WITH

Drinking milk is often associated with strong bones.

BE BASED ON

The study was based on 10 years of close observation.

BE REGARDED AS
BE SEEN AS

Albert Einstein is regarded as the premier theoretical physicist of the 20th century.

BE DEFINED AS

Darkness is defined as the absence of lihgt.

BE DERIVED FROM

Some medicines are derived from herbs.

BE DIVIDED INTO

Canada is devided into provinces and territories.

BE PREJUDICED AGAINST
/ˈpredʒʊdɪst/

Humans are often prejudiced against people they do not understand.

BE REQUIRED FOR

Regular sleep is required for good health.

USHER IN

The railways ushered in an era of cheap mass travel.
It closed a chapter of history that had been ushered in by the October revolution in 1917.
A week later as the New Year was ushered in, another bomb was discovered at St George's monastery in Mosul.

I'LL COVER YOU
I'LL GET IT
I GOT IT
IT'S ON ME
MY TREAT

SPLIT THE BILL

LIVING CHECK TO CHECK

CALL TIME ON

She has decided to call time on her tennis career.
The café bar currently calls time at 11 pm, roughly when the venue's nightly gig ends.

call time on smoking
call time on cigarettes

BETWEEN JOBS

I'm between jobs.

We'll also have associated members - former coaches or individuals who are between jobs.

TEETER ON THE EDGE

The country teetered on the brink of civil war.
The corporate sector is already teetering on the edge of a profits crisis, as the next chart shows.

IN A JIFFY

I'll be back in a jiffy.
Recommended software upgrades can be brought down in a jiffy.
Maintenance Man tells me he will be up to my office in a jiffy.

IN THE SPOT LIGHT
Their wedding announcement put the celebrities in the spotlight.

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
The CEO is now under the spotlight in this fraud investigation.

STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT

TO TABLE A PROPOSAL / QUESTION / MOTION

Dr Clark tabled a motion for debate at next month's committee meeting.
Mr Baldwin tabled proposals which involved payments of L34 million a year.
He has tabled a question on the issue for tomorrow's council meeting.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Let's not declare mission accomplished yet.
From his point of view the election represented a mission accomplished.

THE HEART OF SOMETHING

1. The corruption inquiry went right to the heart of the matter.

2. Our offices are in the heart of London.

IN ALL PROBABIITY

Woman tend to blame themselves for the loss, when in all probability there was nothing they could have done to prevent it.
She knew that, in all probability, he was seeing other woman as well as herself.

a strong / high / low / probability
an equal probability

IN PREFERENCE TO SOMEBODY / SOMETHING

She was chosen in preference to her sister.
They bought French planes in preference to British ones.

ON ALERT

Be on alert for anyone acting suspiciously.
Troops in the vicinity were put on alert.

THEN AND THERE

They wanted me to make a decision then and there.
I was hired then and there.

QUICK AND EASY

The test was quick and easy.

quick and easy cook book

SLOW BUT SURE

It's a project that's been in the works for 2 years, going slow but sure.
Brian took the animal home and the recovery has been slow but sure.

VICE VERSA
/ˌvaɪs ˈvɜː.sə/

The police maintain she is lying and vice versa.
She's very angry with him and vice versa.

IN SOME WAYS

In some ways television is more challenging than theatre.
We used to spend all of our free time together and, in some ways, we are more like sisters.

AT A TIME
1. Please speak one at a time and not all at once.
I can only do one thing at a time.
He took the stairs two at a time.

2. She can sit and read for hours at a time.

EVER SINCE

1. I met Harry at school and we've been friends ever since.

2. Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be a dancer.
Ever since his wife left him, he's had a drink problem.

PRIVATE MEANS

He inherited private means just sufficient to enable him to live as a man of letters.
he great inventors were always men of private means.

THE WORKING OF SOMETHING

I shall never understand the workings of his mind (=how he thinks).
Poweful microscopes reveal the inner working of cells.

AS MANY AS

As many as 500,000 people may have become infected with the virus.

CUT SOMEONE SOME SLACK

Cut him a little slack – his father just died.
We need to cut him some slack for his lateness. He has a young baby.