Phrases & Expressions

A combination of circumstances or a plan that will almost certainly cause serious trouble.

• Cutting the number of nurses while patient numbers are rising is a recipe for disaster.
• Leaving all your revision until the night before the exam is a recipe for disaster.

A sign that something may be wrong or dangerous and needs attention.

• A sudden drop in a student's grades can be a red flag that something is wrong at home.
• Investors should treat promises of very high, guaranteed returns as a red flag.

Having ideas or features that were too modern for most people to appreciate when it first appeared.

• The architect's design was ahead of its time, using solar panels decades before they became common.
• The online learning platform was ahead of its time; when it launched in 1999, few students had a fast enough internet connection.

Extremely quiet, making almost no noise at all.

• The new student sat at the back of the class, as quiet as a mouse, for the whole first week.
• My new flatmate is as quiet as a mouse, which is perfect when I'm trying to study.

Extremely pale, usually because of shock, fear or illness.

• The passenger next to me went as white as a sheet when the plane suddenly dropped.
• You've gone as white as a sheet — sit down and I'll get you a glass of water.

Spotlessly white and clean, suggesting purity.

• The hotel sheets had just been washed and were as white as snow.
• The dentist promised that after the treatment my teeth would be as white as snow.

To be in danger of being lost or damaged, depending on how a situation turns out.

• With thousands of jobs at stake, the union is desperate to reach an agreement with the company.
• The future of the small fishing village is at stake if the new harbour wall is not finished before the winter storms.

To be fully healthy and active again after an illness or injury.

• With proper rest and physiotherapy, most patients are back on their feet within a month of the operation.
• After a month of physiotherapy following his car accident, my father is back on his feet and walking to work again.

To enjoy something so much that you find it very hard to stop doing it.

• Many young people are hooked on social media and check their phones dozens of times a day.
• By the end of the first season, I was hooked on the series and watched every episode twice.

To be looked after or managed by someone who is reliable and capable.

• Don't worry about your dog while you're away — he'll be in safe hands with us.
• Parents need to know that their children are in safe hands when they leave them at nursery.