Phrases & Expressions

To have every quality that is needed to become a particular thing, such as a success.

• The new policy has all the ingredients of a successful reform: clear goals, enough funding and public support.
• Their plan to open a café near the university had all the ingredients of a profitable business.

To be mentally sharp and alert, ready to deal with whatever happens.

• When you're cycling in heavy city traffic, you need to have all your wits about you.
• 'You certainly have all your wits about you,' the doctor told my 96-year-old grandmother after her memory test.

To be naturally good at noticing or judging a particular kind of thing.

• She has an eye for detail, which makes her an excellent editor of academic articles.
• Good photographers have an eye for composition and can find a striking image where others see nothing special.

To keep a hidden plan or advantage ready to use when the time is right.

• Don't worry about the negotiations — our manager always has a few ideas up her sleeve.
• The company has a new product up its sleeve, which it plans to launch before the end of the year.

To know about the latest changes, trends or opinions in a particular area.

• Politicians who do not have their finger on the pulse often misjudge what ordinary voters really care about.
• Social media helps fashion companies keep their finger on the pulse of changing consumer tastes.

Difficult and tiring to read, understand or deal with.

• The first chapter of the textbook is rather heavy going, but the rest is much easier to follow.
• I found the conversation at dinner quite heavy going because everyone talked about tax law.

To avoid choosing just one option so that you are protected if one choice turns out to be wrong.

• Many students hedge their bets by applying to several universities instead of just one.
• The car company is hedging its bets by developing both electric and hybrid models.

To meet a small, unexpected problem that stops progress for a while.

• Work on the new bridge hit a snag when engineers discovered ancient ruins beneath the site.
• We were hoping to move house next month, but we've hit a snag with the mortgage.

(of a fact or situation) to be completely realised and deeply felt, often in a painful way.

• The reality of climate change hit home for many people when floods destroyed houses in their own town.
• It only hit home that I was leaving my country when I saw my family waving at the airport.

Very close to a large building or structure that dominates the area, often in a negative way.

• Few tourists notice the little chapel in the shadow of the cathedral, even though it is centuries older.
• Houses built in the shadow of the new airport have lost much of their value because of the constant noise.