Phrases & Expressions

To have an office job that keeps you inside and seated for most of the day.

• I became a park ranger because I couldn't bear the thought of being stuck behind a desk.
• Promotion means more money, but it also means I'll be stuck behind a desk instead of visiting clients.

To be extremely pleased and excited about something.

• My grandmother was thrilled to bits when we surprised her with a party for her eightieth birthday.
• The volunteers were thrilled to bits when the charity raised twice as much money as they had hoped.

To understand what someone is saying or explaining; often used in questions and negatives.

• Sorry, I'm not with you — do you mean the meeting has been moved to Thursday?
• Our tutor stopped halfway through the explanation and asked, “Are you with me so far?”

A relationship with many difficult periods, which keeps changing between good and bad times.

• They had a bumpy relationship for years before finally deciding to get married.
• The band's singer and guitarist have had a bumpy relationship, splitting up twice before reuniting.

To find a book so interesting that you do not want to stop reading it.

• Once you start reading this thriller, you can't put it down, so don't open it the night before an exam!
• The biography is so well written that even readers with no interest in science can't put it down.

To talk in a relaxed, friendly way for a long time.

• The two grandmothers chatted away in the corner while the children played in the garden.
• We were chatting away so happily that we completely missed our bus stop.

To invent a false explanation, usually to avoid getting into trouble.

• The teenagers cooked up a story about studying at a friend's house, but their parents knew they had been at a concert.
• The two suspects had cooked up a story to give each other an alibi, but the police soon found holes in it.

Used to say you were sure something was true, although it now seems you were wrong.

• I could have sworn I locked the front door, but when I got home it was wide open.
• Sorry, I could have sworn the seminar started at ten, not nine.

To meet someone for lunch, especially to talk about business or keep in touch.

• Let's do lunch next week and talk about the new project.
• Freelancers often do lunch with former colleagues to hear about new job opportunities.

Used to say that you doubt something will happen, even though someone expects it.

• The council says the new road will be finished by spring, but don't bet on it.
• 'Will the landlord fix the heating before winter?' 'Don't bet on it – he's been promising that for months.'