Phrases & Expressions

To have very little time in which to complete a series of tasks.

• The builders are working to a tight schedule because the school must reopen in September.
• Film crews usually work to a tight schedule, because hiring locations, equipment and actors is so expensive.

To want something very much, especially something that is difficult or impossible to get.

• Many city workers yearn for a quieter life in the countryside, but few actually make the move.
• After years of conflict, the people of the region simply yearn for peace and stability.

Used to say that a place is completely silent, often because people are tense or attentive.

• When the head teacher walked into the exam hall, you could hear a pin drop.
• It's the kind of library where you could hear a pin drop, which makes it perfect for revision.

One of the central principles or ideas that a belief system or theory depends on.

• Freedom of speech is a key tenet of any truly democratic society.
• The idea that students learn best by doing is a key tenet of many modern teaching methods.

To agree to what people are asking for, especially after refusing at first.

• After weeks of protests, the university acceded to students' demands for cheaper accommodation.
• The government refused to accede to demands for a public inquiry into the accident.

(old-fashioned, informal) during your whole life.

• I've never seen snow like this in all my born days!
• Grandma says that in all her born days she has never owned a credit card, and she isn't going to start now.

To mention something in an indirect way, without talking about it openly.

• The poem alludes to the war without ever naming it, which makes it all the more powerful.
• In his speech, the manager alluded to possible job cuts but refused to give any details.

A strong and often openly shown dislike of a person, group, institution or idea.

• The film explores one village's antipathy towards outsiders who buy up local houses as holiday homes.
• His deep antipathy towards modern architecture was obvious from the way he described the new library.

(British, informal) very fast.

• The new manager is making changes at a rate of knots, and some staff are struggling to keep up.
• We were driving along at a rate of knots when we suddenly saw the police car behind us.

To do exactly as you please, without following the rules or conventions others accept.

• Our new manager is a law unto herself; she ignores company procedures and makes her own rules.
• My teenage son is a law unto himself when it comes to bedtimes and homework.