Idioms – Communicating

Hey, guys!

Everybody knows the importance of learning some idioms and colloquial expressions, especially when you live in a foreign country. We always learn a lot of them by communicating with native speakers or watching movies and series. In this section, you learn some idioms and expressions to communicate in a more natural way when speaking English in a foreign country.

Here are a few Idioms related to the topic Communicating.

* At cross purposes – not in agreement (em desacordo)

They had been talking at cross purposes. They hadn’t been offering each other any share of the deal at all.

* Come out of your shell – become less shy and more confident (sair da concha)

She was very timid and shy but I think she’s come out of her shell.

* Find common ground – when two people who generally disagree find a particular subject that they agree about (ter interesses em comum)

Both leaders were seeking to find common ground during the discussion.

* From the horse’s mouth – first hand, directly from the source (direto da fonte)

I got this information straight from the horse’s mouth.

* Get your wires crossed / get your lines crossed – misunderstand something (confundir algo)

She looked confused and began to wonder if she had got her wires crossed.

* Get off on a tangent – when you suddenly start talking or thinking about a completely new subject (sair pela tangente)

It’s hard to get a firm decision out of him – he’s always going off on a tangent.

* To hear something from the grapevine – hear rumours about something, to hear some gossip (ouvir falar de algo)

I’ve heard it from the grapevine that they are getting divorced.

* In black and white – when you have written proof of what you are saying (preto no branco, ter algo escrito para servir de prova)

I have it in black and white that I’m entitled to three weeks of vacation each year.

* In the loop – be informed about a subject (estar informado do assunto)

I don’t know anything about the project. I’m not in the loop.

* Keep someone posted – keep someone informed (manter alguém informado)

Please, keep me posted about any changes ok?

* Let the cat out of the bag / spill the beans – reveal something secret or private (dar com a língua nos dentes, dedurar)

They didn’t tell the cops your real name, they would never let the cat out of the bag.

* Put someone in the picture – inform someone about something he/ she must know (colocar a pessoa a par do assunto)

Let me put you in the picture about the current situation.

* Touch base – make contact with someone (entrar em contato com alguém)

Long time no see! Let’s touch base one of these days!

 

I hope you learned some new idioms today, see you next time!