Phrases & Expressions

To be extremely difficult, unpleasant or annoying to deal with.

• Finding affordable accommodation near the university is a real nightmare in September.
• Driving in the city centre during rush hour is a real nightmare, so I always take the metro.

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 seem unreal because so many unpleasant things are happening at once.

• First I lost my passport, then my wallet was stolen — the whole trip was like a bad dream.
• For the families who lost their homes in the flood, the past week has been like a bad dream.

To be unwilling to spend or share money, even when you can afford it.

• My grandfather was never mean with money; he always helped relatives who were going through hard times.
• Friends sometimes accuse him of being mean with money, but he is simply saving hard for a house.

To feel extremely happy, usually because something wonderful has just happened.

• Ever since he got the job offer from the engineering firm, he's been on cloud nine.
• We were on cloud nine for weeks after our daughter graduated with first-class honours.

To be getting better after an illness or injury.

• Thanks for asking; Grandma is on the mend and should be home from hospital by Friday.
• The doctor said my broken wrist was on the mend and the plaster could come off in two weeks.

To feel extremely happy and pleased, often because of a success.

• When she heard she had been accepted by her first-choice university, she was on top of the world.
• After finishing his first marathon, Emre felt on top of the world for days.

To be very happy about something that has happened, especially a success.

• She was over the moon when she found out she had got a band 8 in IELTS.
• The coach said he was over the moon with the team's performance in the final.

To have so much work to do that you can hardly deal with it.

• Teachers are snowed under with marking at the end of every term.
• The accounts team has been snowed under with work since the new tax rules came in.