Phrases & Expressions

To ask someone to marry you.

• He finally popped the question.
• She hopes he will pop the question soon.

To complain or protest angrily and loudly.

• If they raise hell, we'll have to listen.
• She raised hell when the airline lost her luggage.

To deal with difficulties or unexpected events by staying calm and adapting.

• Things are tough, but we just have to roll with the punches.
• Learn to roll with the punches and you'll be more successful.

To make someone extremely tired or exhausted.

• The constant demands ran him ragged.
• This job will run you ragged.

Something that people treat as too important to be criticized or changed.

• The school's uniform rule is a sacred cow that nobody questions.
• We can't change the rules; it's a sacred cow.

To save yourself from a difficult or dangerous situation, often by sacrificing others.

• He betrayed his friends to save his own skin.
• The manager tried to save his skin by blaming his assistant.

A phrase used to emphasize a point or to check if the listener understands the speaker's perspective.

• This situation is complex, see what I'm saying?
• We can't just quit now, you see what I'm saying?

To give someone the correct information or explain the truth about a situation.

• Let me set you straight about what happened.
• She set me straight about the time of the meeting.

To do something extremely well or achieve great success.

• He's a talented musician, but I don't think he'll set the world on fire.
• She's very smart and could set the world on fire if she tried.

A course of action that seems small but will lead to a disastrous result.

• Skipping one workout can be a slippery slope to quitting completely.
• Once you start borrowing money, you are on a slippery slope.