English expression
Cut the mustard
Meaning
To be good enough for a task or meet the required standard.
In a sentence
This old laptop does not cut the mustard for video editing.
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THE EXPRESSION COLLECTION
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English expression
Come to grips with
Meaning
To make a serious effort to understand and deal with a difficult situation.
In a sentence
I need time to come to grips with the new booking system.
English expression
Come full circle
Meaning
To return to an earlier situation or idea after a series of changes.
In a sentence
After trying several designs, we came full circle and chose our original idea.
English expression
Touch a nerve
Meaning
To upset someone by mentioning a subject they are sensitive about.
In a sentence
My question about the cancelled trip seemed to touch a nerve.
English expression
Chase your tail
Meaning
To be very busy but achieve little because your effort is not producing useful progress.
In a sentence
I spent the morning chasing my tail instead of finishing the report.
English expression
Catch a break
Meaning
To experience some good luck or get a fortunate opportunity.
In a sentence
We finally caught a break when a larger room became available.
English expression
By the same token
Meaning
For the same reason, or following the same reasoning as the previous point.
In a sentence
We should respect their working hours; by the same token, they should respect ours.
English expression
By a hair’s breadth
Meaning
By a very small distance or margin.
In a sentence
Lena won the race by a hair’s breadth.
English expression
Burn your fingers
Meaning
To suffer an unpleasant result from an action and become reluctant to try it again.
In a sentence
I burned my fingers paying for an online course without checking the reviews.
English expression
Bury the hatchet
Meaning
To agree to end an argument or disagreement and make peace.
In a sentence
After months of arguing about the fence, the neighbours buried the hatchet.
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