Destination C1 unit 10 idioms

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Englishhardby peleskamiloslav
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used as a criticism of someone when they say things they should not

big mouth
Be careful what you say around him; he has a big mouth and might tell everyone. She always brags about her grades; she really has a big mouth. Don't be a big mouth and share our plans with others!

tell the truth about something that you have kept secret
come clean (about sth)
After weeks of lying, she decided to come clean about her grades. He finally came clean about breaking the vase. It's better to come clean now than to wait until you're caught.

understand the basic meaning
get/catch sb's drift
She could see from his expression that he caught her drift immediately. You can make a point quite subtly and you know that the audience will get your drift. I suspect she didn't catch your drift. It took me a moment but then I caught his drift.

talk to someone about something that has been worrying you, so that you feel better about it
get sth off your chest
I finally got my worries off my chest by talking to my best friend. After keeping it a secret for so long, she felt relieved to get it off her chest. He needed to get something off his chest, so he called his brother to talk.

understand something completely wrongly
get the wrong end of the stick
When she said she was busy, I thought she meant she didn't want to hang out, but I got the wrong end of the stick. He got the wrong end of the stick when he thought I was angry with him; I was just tired. Don't get the wrong end of the stick; I was j

promise to do something
give sb your word
I give you my word that I will help you with your homework. She gave him her word that she would arrive on time. He promised to keep the secret; he gave me his word.

the way in which information spreads quickly from one person to another through conversation
(hear sth) on/through the grapevine
I heard through the grapevine that there will be a surprise party for Sarah. She found out on the grapevine that her friend was moving away. They say on the grapevine that the company is planning to hire more staff next year.

regularly give someone information about something they are interested in, for example how a situation is changing or developing
keep sb posted
I will keep you posted about the meeting time. Please keep me posted on any changes to the schedule. I'll keep you posted as soon as I hear back from the team.

keep something secret
keep sth under your hat
Don't tell anyone about the surprise party; you need to keep it under your hat. She decided to keep her new job offer under her hat until she was sure. He asked me to keep his plans for the weekend under my hat.

tell people exactly what you are thinking or what you are intending to do
lay/put your cards on the table
Before we make a decision, let's lay our cards on the table and discuss our concerns. She decided to put her cards on the table and tell him how she really felt. In the meeting, he laid his cards on the table, explaining the challenges the team was f

provide a lot of information, especially in an indirect way
speak volumes
Her smile at the party spoke volumes about how happy she was to see her friends. The empty playground spoke volumes about how the neighborhood had changed over the years. His silence during the meeting spoke volumes about his disagreement with the pl

tell someone in authority about bad things that someone else has done, because you want them to be punished
tell tales
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