Posted by Hey guys!
Everybody knows the importance of learning some phrasal verbs, 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 post, you learn some phrasal verbs, idioms and expressions to communicate in a more natural way when speaking English in a foreign country.
* put money on sth – bet on (something or someone).
This strategy is definitely going to work. I’d put money on it.
* stick your neck out – take a risk.
I’m always prepared to stick my neck out if there’s a new opportunity.
* call sb’s bluff – make someone prove that what they are saying is true, or to make someone prove that they will really do what they say, because you do not believe them.
When people threaten to do things, I rarely call their bluff.
* get yourself into sth – become involved in a difficult situation, often without intending to.
I don’t want to get myself into their problems, that’s why I am staying away from them.
* play it safe – be careful and not take risks.
To play safe, I’d allow an extra ten minutes, just in case.
* risk your neck / risk life and limb – risk being killed or injured in order to do sth.
Would you risk yourself to save someone else?
* take a chance on sth – decide to do sth knowing it may be the wrong choice.
I want to take a chance and try this job, if it doesn’t work for me, at least I tried.
* a long shot – an attempt that is unlikely to succeed, but maybe be worth trying.
The horse was a long shot, but we bet on him anyway. She always bets on long shots at the racetrack.
* err on the side of caution – use or show more of (something) than may be needed so that one can be sure that he or she is using or showing enough of it.
We chose to err on the side of caution when planning our investments.
* at risk from/of sth – If you do something at the risk of something unpleasant happening, you do it even though you know that the unpleasant thing might happen as a result.
Americans wanted to aid Britain even at the risk of war.
* run the risk of sth – expose oneself to the possibility of something unpleasant occurring.
She preferred not to run the risk of encountering his ex.
* do sth at your own risk – used to indicate that if harm befalls a person or their possessions through their actions, it is their own responsibility.
They undertook the adventure at their own risk.
I hope you learned some new phrasal verbs and idioms today, see you next time!
Source: Idioms and Phrasal Verbs – Advanced / Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman – Oxford
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