IELTS Idioms for Knowledge and Understanding
1) get the hang of something
Meaning- If you get the hang of an activity, you learn how to do it well.
Example- After a few months you will start getting the hang of the language and expressing yourself quite well.
2) get the picture
Meaning- If you get the picture, you understand what is happening in a situation.
(NOTE- This expression is often used when someone does not understand something immediately.)
Example- Anna was giggling. She was beginning to get the picture.
3) get the wrong end of the stick or get hold of the wrong end of the stick
Meaning- If someone gets the wrong end of the stick or gets hold of the wrong end of the stick, they completely misunderstand a situation or something that is said.
Example-Did I get hold of the wrong end of the stick? Was that not what he meant?
4) get your head around something or get your head round something
Meaning- If you get your head around a fact or an idea, you succeed in understanding it or accepting it.
Example- At first people laughed at me because they simply could not get their head around what I was telling them. It's hard to get your head round figures this big.
5) go in one ear and out the other
Meaning- If something that you tell someone goes in one ear and out the other, they pay no attention to it, or forget about it immediately.
Example- I've told him so many times - it just goes in one ear and out the other.
6) a grey area
Meaning- If you call something a grey area, you mean that it is unclear, for example because nobody is sure how to deal with it, or it falls between two separate categories of things.
Example- Tabloid papers paint all sportsmen as heroes or villains. There is no grey area in between.
7) not have a clue
Meaning- If you do not have a clue about something, you do not know anything about it, or you have no idea what to do about it.
Example-I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to be doing.
8) jump to conclusions
Meaning- If someone jumps to conclusions, they decide too quickly that something is true, when they do not know all the facts.
Example- Forgive me. I thought you were married. I shouldn't jump to conclusions.
9) put two and two together
Meaning- If you put two and two together, you correctly guess the truth about something from the information that you have.
Example- He put two and two together and guessed what the police were searching for.
10) read between the lines
Meaning- If you read between the lines, you understand what someone really means, or what is really happening in a situation, even though it is not stated openly.
Example-He didn't go into details, but reading between the lines it appears that he was forced to leave.
11) take somethingon board
Meaning- If you take an idea, suggestion, or fact on board, you understand it or accept it.
(NOTE- The literal meaning of this expression is to take something onto a boat or ship.)
Example-I listened to them, took their comments on board, and then made the decision.
12) up to speed
Meaning- If you are up to speed, you have all the latest information about something.
Example- We try to keep people entertained and up to speed with what's going on in town.
Example- We try to keep people entertained and up to speed with what's going on in town.
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