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Be on the ball | If you are on the ball, you are aware of what is happening and are able to react to the situation quickly. |
Bang your head against a brick wall | If you bang your head against a brick wall, you continue vainly to try and achieve something in spite of several unsuccessful attempts. "I've been banging my head against a brick wall trying to explain the internet to my grandmother." |
Beat one's brains out | If someone beats their brains out, they try very hard to understand something or solve a problem. "My grandmother beats her brains out every evening trying to do the crossword puzzle in the newspaper." |
Think better of something | If you think better of something, you decide not to do something that you intended doing. "I wanted to go shopping, but when I saw the crowded car park, I thought better of it." |
It's beyond me | The expression "it's beyond me" means: "it's impossible for me to understand" "It's beyond me why Mary wants to marry John." |
Big picture | To refer to the big picture means the overall situation, or the project as a whole, rather than the details. "While each aspect is important, try not to forget the big picture. |
Blind you with science | If someone tries to blind you with science, they confuse you with their knowledge by using difficult or technical words. "If you ask Tim for a simple explanation, he tries to blind you with science." |
I wasn't born yesterday | This expression is used to indicate that you are not as foolish or as easily deceived as some people seem to think. "Stop inventing silly excuses. I wasn't born yesterday you know!" |
Brains behind something | Someone who is the brains behind a project or action is the person thought to have planned and organized everything. "The police have arrested a man believed to be the brains behind the bank robbery." |
Build bridges | If a person builds bridges between opposing groups, they help them to cooperate and understand each other better. |
Can't make head or tail of something | If you can't make head or tail of something, you can't understand it at all. "Julie's message was so confusing, I couldn't make head or tail of it! " |
Can't see the wood for the trees | If someone can't see the wood for the trees, they are so concentrated on the details that they can't see the situation as a whole. "The new manager found the situation so complicated that he couldn't see the wood for the trees." |
Put on your thinking cap | If you tell someone to put their thinking cap on, you ask them to find an idea or solve a problem by thinking about it. "Now here's this week's quiz - it's time to put your thinking caps on!" |
Not have a clue | If you don't have a clue about something, you don't know anything about it. "My wife's grandmother's maiden name? I don't have a clue!" |
Collect one's thoughts | If you collect your thoughts, you try to think calmly and clearly in order to prepare yourself mentally for something. "Anne stopped to collect her thoughts before calling back the customer." |
Come to grips with something | If you come to grips with a problem or situation, you start to understand or deal with it properly "After the initial shock, the patient began to come to grips with his illness." |
Come to your senses | If you come to your senses, you start to think clearly and behave sensibly. "She finally came to her senses and realized that public transport was faster than driving." |
Common knowledge | When information is well-known to everyone (particularly in a community or group), it is called common knowledge. "You didn't know the intern was Jack's son? I thought it was common knowledge." |
Crash course | If you do a crash course, you do an intensive training course in order to learn something quickly. "Before going to Tokyo, he did a crash course to learn Japanese." |