Phrases & Expressions

Extremely hot, often used humorously.

• It was hotter than a hooker’s doorknob outside today.
• The summer sun felt hotter than a hooker’s doorknob.

Specialist language that is so difficult that ordinary people cannot understand it.

• Many legal documents are full of impenetrable jargon that most citizens cannot follow.
• The scientist explained her research clearly, avoiding the impenetrable jargon that often puts the public off.

In a way that breaks a particular law, rule or agreement.

• The factory was found to be dumping waste into the river in contravention of environmental regulations.
• Several shops were selling alcohol to teenagers in contravention of the licensing laws.

To control something, such as spending or behaviour, very firmly.

• The government is keeping a tight rein on public spending in order to reduce the national debt.
• Parents who keep a tight rein on their children's screen time often say their kids sleep better.

To express sadness or disappointment that something is becoming weaker, smaller or less important.

• Many writers lament the decline of reading for pleasure among teenagers who prefer social media.
• Older residents lament the decline of the high street, where most of the small family shops have closed.

A goal that is good and worthwhile and therefore deserves praise.

• Reducing child poverty is a laudable aim, but the plan does not explain how it will be funded.
• Encouraging people to cycle to work is a laudable aim that requires safe cycle lanes to succeed.

To behave too humbly and obediently towards someone powerful in order to please them.

• Some employees seem willing to lick the boss's boots if it means getting a bigger bonus.
• I'm not going to lick anyone's boots just to keep this job.

To be extremely poor, without enough money for basic needs such as food and shelter.

• Many of Charles Dickens's novels describe children who live in abject poverty on the streets of London.
• The documentary follows families who live in abject poverty on the edges of a rapidly growing city.

To look extremely angry.

• When he saw the dent in his new car, my dad looked as black as thunder.
• The coach looked as black as thunder as his team left the pitch after another heavy defeat.

To keep moving suddenly and without control from one serious problem to the next.

• My first term at university felt like I was lurching from one crisis to another: lost keys, missed deadlines and a broken laptop.
• It is exhausting to work for a start-up that lurches from one crisis to another without ever making a long-term plan.