Down to the wire

Back the wrong horse

- to make the wrong choice, to support the wrong thing (from horse racing)

We backed the wrong horse in the school election and we were very surprised at the winner.

ball is in (someone's) court

- it is up to this person to make the next move (from tennis or a similar game)

We made an offer to buy the business and now the ball is in the owner's court to accept our offer or not.

ballpark estimate/figure

-a guess that is in a certain area or range, an approximate guess

We had a ballpark estimate about how much it would cost to buy the business.

Bat a thousand

- to be successful in everything that you do

The salesman was batting a thousand during his sales trip to Europe.

beyond one's depth

- in water that is too deep, doing something that is too difficult for one's ability

The manager's were beyond their depth when they chose to pick a fight with the union.

blow-by-blow account/description

- a description or account that provides much detail (originally from the sport of boxing)

I gave my friend a blow-by-blow account of the fight last night.

Bounce (something) off (someone)

- to test someone's reaction to an idea (when a ball is thrown against a wall it bounces back to the thrower)

I bounced my idea for a new restaurant off my friend.

Call the shots

- to control something, to make the rules (from calling the shots in billiards or pool)

My friend has been calling the shots in his company for several years now.

Carry the ball

- to be in charge of something, to be responsible for something (from carrying the ball in American football)

The director let his assistant carry the ball on the assignment for the new sale's contract.

Clear a hurdle

- to overcome an obstacle (from a hurdle in a track and field race)

We finally cleared a major hurdle in our effort to get a business license to sell our products.

cover all of one's bases

- to thoroughly prepare for or deal with a situation (this is from the game of baseball where you must cover or protect the bases)

The man covered all of his bases before going to the job interview and performed very well.

Dive in headfirst

- to do something impulsively without thinking about the consequences

The man likes to dive in headfirst with anything that he does.

Dive right into (something)

- to begin to do something without hesitating (some swimmers like to dive right in without checking the temperature of the water)

Many of the students decided to dive right into their studies when university started.

down to the wire

- at the very last moment, very close to the time when something is due (from the wire at the end of a horse race)

The election went down to the wire but the candidate was re-elected to another term in office.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14