Phrases & Expressions

To try doing something, especially something you have not done before.

• I'd never played golf before, but my friends finally persuaded me to have a go at it.
• Even if you are not sure of the answer, have a go at every question, because wrong answers lose no marks.

To try to do something, especially when you are not sure you will succeed.

• I'd never written a poem before, but I decided to have a shot at the creative writing competition.
• If you don't know the answer, have a shot at it anyway — there's no penalty for wrong answers.

To enjoy yourself enormously during a particular period or event.

• My son had the time of his life on the school exchange trip to Spain last spring.
• Volunteers say they had the time of their lives working at the international sports festival.

To suddenly become extremely angry.

• Our landlord hit the roof when he discovered we'd been keeping a cat in the flat.
• If the manager finds out we've missed the deadline again, she'll hit the roof.

Written in a friendly, relaxed way, as if the writer were talking to the reader.

• The blog is written in a chatty style, which makes complex scientific ideas easy for teenagers to follow.
• Avoid writing in a chatty style in formal emails, as it may sound unprofessional to the reader.

Very quickly or very soon.

• This soup is easy to make, and it'll be ready in a jiffy.
• Hold on, I'll be with you in a jiffy.

Said when details of something you had forgotten are returning to your memory.

• Wait, the hotel with the broken lift and the tiny pool? Yes, it's all coming back to me.
• Now that I'm reading my old diary again, it's all coming back to me: the exams, the friendships, the stress.

Interesting and often shocking information about other people's private lives.

• Celebrity magazines sell millions of copies because readers love juicy gossip about famous people's relationships.
• My aunt always phones on Sundays to share the latest juicy gossip about the neighbours.

To drive past a traffic light when it is red instead of stopping.

• Cameras have been installed at busy junctions to catch drivers who jump red lights.
• The taxi driver jumped a red light and nearly hit a cyclist who was crossing the junction.

A reason for doing something wrong that is too weak for anyone to believe.

• Saying that the dog ate your homework is a lame excuse that no teacher will believe.
• He gave some lame excuse about the traffic, but everyone knew he had simply overslept.