IELTS Idioms for Loving and Liking
1) carry a torch for someone
Meaning- If you carry a torch for someone, you are in love with them but they do not love you.
at one end which provides a light. This kind of torch is sometimes used in processions or parades.
Example- What makes a woman so special that a man will carry a torch for her all his life?
2) fall head over heels or fall head over heels in love
Meaning- If you fall head over heels or fall head over heels in love you fall suddenly and deeply in love with someone.
Example- It was obvious that Alan had fallen head over heels in love with Veronica. When I was 7 8 I fell head over heels for my next-door neighbor, Alex.
3) have a soft spotfor someone/something
Meaning- If you have a soft spot for someone or something, you like them.
Example- The actress has admitted having a soft spot for our future King.
Example- I've always had a soft spot for roses - my Dad used to grow them when I was a child.
4) head and shoulders above someone/something
Meaning- If one person or thing is head and shoulders above others of their kind, they are much better than them.
Example- In the world of newspaper publishing, there is one successstory that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Richards, according to lmran Khan, was head and shoulders above any other player.
5) no great shakes
Meaning- If someone or something is no great shakes they are not skilful or of good quality.
Example- She can write screenplays well enough but she's no great shakes as a director.
6) of your dreams
Meaning- If someone or something is the person or thing of your dreams, they are the best you can imagine.
Example- Maybe, just maybe, the man of your dreams will walk through that door and into your life tonight.
7) an old flame
Meaning- An old flame is someone who you had a romantic relationship with in the past.
Example- Last week Alec was seen dining with his old flame Janine Turner in New York.
8) not a patch on someone/something
Meaning- If one person or thing is not a patch on another, the first is not nearly as good as the second.
Example- He was handsome, she thought, but not a patch on Alex.
9) a saving grace
Meaning- A saving grace is a good quality or feature in someone or something that prevents them from being completely bad or worthless.
Example- It's an excellent performance and one of the film's few saving graces.
10) think the world of someone
Meaning- If you think the world of someone you like and admire them very much or are very fond of them.
Example- He thinks the world of his little grandson.
11) you have to be cruel to be kind
Meaning- When people say you have to be cruel to be kind they mean that sometimes if you are unkind to someone it will be the best thing for them.
Example- 'I have to be cruel to be kind' said Lindsay. 'If I don't control his food he will gain too much weight.'
12) there are plenty more fish in the sea or there are other fish in the sea
Meaning- If you tell someone that there are plenty more fish in the sea or there are other fish in the sea you mean that there are many other people they could have a relationship with.
Example- Tell him there are plenty more fish in the sea and he's sure to find the perfect woman.
Example- Tell him there are plenty more fish in the sea and he's sure to find the perfect woman.
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