Phrases & Expressions

To be short of money at the moment, so that paying for things is difficult.

• With rents so high, lots of young people are strapped for cash and end up sharing flats or living with their parents.
• The club is strapped for cash, so this year's end-of-season party will be a simple picnic in the park.

To be trapped in a dull routine, especially at work, with no change or progress.

• After ten years in the same office, I felt I was stuck in a rut and decided to retrain as a teacher.
• Travelling abroad for a year can be a good way to avoid getting stuck in a rut.

To face serious difficulties, especially with too little time or too few resources.

• With three staff off sick and a deadline on Friday, we are really up against it this week.
• Small farmers are up against it as fuel and fertiliser prices keep rising.

To have far more of something difficult, such as work or debt, than you can easily deal with.

• I'd love to come to the party, but I'm up to my neck in marking at the moment.
• By the age of thirty, he was up to his neck in debt after a series of bad investments.

To be completely certain that something is true or will happen.

• You can bet your life on the price of petrol going up again before the holidays.
• 'Will she remember your birthday?' 'You can bet your life on it – she never forgets anything.'

To reach a top position at work despite the unofficial barriers that often block women and minorities.

• Although more women are breaking through the glass ceiling, men still hold most senior positions in large companies.
• She was the first woman to break through the glass ceiling at the bank and become its chief executive.

To give fresh energy, interest or ideas to something that had become weak or dull.

• The award-winning chef breathed new life into the struggling restaurant by introducing a menu based on local produce.
• City planners hope the summer festival will breathe new life into the old harbour district.

To spend nearly all your time studying and ignore other activities.

• Once the exam timetable came out, my flatmate buried herself in her books and hardly left the library.
• You can't just bury yourself in your books all term; you need some time to relax and see friends.

Used to complain that there is so much noise that you cannot concentrate.

• With the drilling next door going on all day, I can't hear myself think, let alone write my essay.
• The open-plan office is so noisy that on most days I can't hear myself think.

To still show or feel the damage caused by a bad experience long after it has ended.

• The town still carries the scars of the factory closures, with empty shops and high unemployment.
• Some families carried the scars of the financial crisis for years, long after the economy had recovered.