Phrases & Expressions

Work done carelessly and without enough attention to detail.

• Our manager will not accept sloppy work, so always check your reports before you send them.
• Many of the building's problems were caused by sloppy work during construction.

Something similar to what has just been described.

• The company is planning a new loyalty scheme – discounts for regular customers or something along those lines.
• She called it a 'learning opportunity' or something along those lines, but really it was just extra work.

A home or rooms that are large and have plenty of space to move around in.

• Many international students struggle to find spacious accommodation near the city centre at a price they can afford.
• After years in a tiny studio, we finally moved into more spacious accommodation with a separate study.

To cause people to start discussing or arguing about something, often suddenly.

• The study sparked a national debate about how much homework primary school children should be given.
• The decision to ban mobile phones in schools has sparked a debate among parents and teachers.

To support or defend someone or something strongly by expressing your opinion.

• She always speaks up for her friends when people criticize them.
• We need to speak up for our rights before it is too late.

To make your body turn food into energy more quickly.

• Personal trainers often recommend lifting weights to clients who want to speed up their metabolism.
• There's no magic drink that will speed up your metabolism overnight, whatever the adverts say.

Of people, to come out of a place in large numbers, often into a street or open area.

• On warm summer evenings the cafés are so full that customers spill out onto the pavement.
• At lunchtime, office workers spill out of the tall buildings and fill the nearby parks and cafés.

To be easily noticed because you are different from or better than others.

• Small cafés need a clear identity and a memorable name to stand out from the crowd on a busy high street.
• With thousands of new apps released every day, it is hard for any single one to stand out from the crowd.

To be the thing that you remember most clearly from a time or experience.

• The kindness of the local people still stands out in my mind whenever I think about that trip.
• Of all the places we visited, the old harbour stands out in my mind the most.

A situation in which every seat is taken and any extra people have to stand.

• Commuter trains are so overcrowded at rush hour that it is often standing room only from the first stop.
• By eight o'clock it was standing room only in the café, as everyone had come to watch the final.