9 Mystery & Imagination

Anxiety - Fear

afraid of one's own shadowA person who isafraid of his/her own shadowis very nervous or easily frightened.I've never seen anyone so easily scared. She's afraid of her own shadow!

bated breathIf you wait for something with bated breath, you are both anxious and excited about an imminent event.We waited with bated breath for the winner to be announced.

make yourbloodrun coldIf somethingmakes your blood run cold,it shocks or scares you a lot.The look in the prisoner's eye made my blood run cold!

break out in a cold sweatIf youbreak out in a cold sweat, you begin to perspire a lot, usually from anxiety.I get nervous at the dentist's and usually break out in a cold sweat.

bundle of nervesIf you describe someone as abundle of nerves, you mean that they are very nervous, tense or worried.My son is doing his driving test today. Needless to say he's a bundle of nerves!

butterflies in stomachIf you havebutterflies in your stomach, you are feeling very nervous.At the beginning of an exam, I always have butterflies in my stomach.

can't stand the paceIf youcan't stand the pace, you are unable to do things well when there is a lot of pressure.She once worked for a famous fashion designer but she couldn't stand the pace.

cat on hot bricksA person who islike a cat on hot bricksis very nervous or restless.The week before the results were published, she was like a cat on hot bricks.

on theedgeof one's seatSomeone who ison the edge of their seatis very interested in something and fits it both extremely exciting and nerve-wracking.Look at Bob! He's on the edge of his seat watching that rugby match!

getfingersburntIf someonegets their fingers burnt,they suffer as a result of an unsuccessful action and are nervous about trying again.He got his fingers burnt so badly in the last elections that he decided to withdraw from politics.

heart in one's mouthA person who has theirheart in their mouthfeels extremely anxious or nervous faced with a dangerous or unpleasant situation.Emma had her heart in her mouth when she saw her two-year-old son standing in front of the open window.

heart misses a beatIf yourheart misses (orskips) a beat, you have sudden feeling of fear or excitement.When the lights suddenly went out, my heart missed a beat.

heebie-jeebiesA state of apprehension, nervousness or anxiety is called theheebie-jeebies.Having to go down to the car park at night gives me the heebie-jeebies.

hold your breathIf someone isholding their breath,they are waiting anxiously or excitedly for something to happen or be announced.I went for a second interview today - now I'm holding my breath!

if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchenThis expression means that if you feel that there is too much pressure, you can leave.Amid the growing tension, the organizer declared : "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

ignorance is blissThis means that if you don't know about a problem or unpleasant fact, you won't worry about it.I didn't know our neighbour was an escaped prisoner until the police arrived - ignorance is bliss!

get/have thejittersIf youget (orhave) the jitters,especially before an important event, you become very nervous or anxious and begin to shake.Some people get the jitters when they have to make a speech.

have kittensTo say that you're going tohave kittensis a dramatic way of expressing worry, anxiety or fear.His mother nearly had kittens when Alex announced that we wanted to be a trapeze artist.

jump out of your skinIf youjump out of your skin, you are extremely surprised or shocked.Jane nearly jumped out of her skin when the horse put its head through the kitchen window!

get your knickers in a twistIf youget your knickers in a twist,you are anxious, nervous, or angry faced with a difficult situation.Don't get your knickers in a twist! Everything is under control.

nerves of steelSomeone who hasnerves of steelis not afraid in difficult or dangerous situations.Fire-fighters need to have nerves of steel.

on pins and needlesIf you areonpins and needles, you are very anxious or nervous about what is going to happen.Scott was on pins and needles while he waited for the result of the exam.

quaking in one's bootsWhen someone is extremely scared, it is said that they arequaking in their boots.When he saw the crocodiles in the water, he started quaking in his boots.

scare out of one's witsIf somethingscares you out of your wits,it makes you very frightened or worried.The feeling that a house is haunted can scare people out of their wits.

scare daylights out ofIf somethingscares the (living) daylightsout of you, it terrifies you.The sudden screaming scared the daylights out of me.

scared stiff Someone who isscared stiffis so frightened that they are unable to move.My mother is scared stiff of heights.

shake like a leafIf youshake like a leaf,you tremble with fear or nervousness.At the beginning of the interview the candidate was shaking like a leaf.

struck dumbIf someone isstruck dumb,they are unable to speak because they are so surprised, shocked or frightened by something.The accused was struck dumb when the verdict was announced.

on tenterhooksA person who ison tenterhooksis in a state of anxious suspense or excitement.The candidate were kept on tenterhooks for hours while the panel deliberated.

tongue-tiedIf you aretongue-tied,you have difficulty in expressing yourself because you are nervous or embarrassed.At the start of the interview I was completely tongue-tied!

whistle in the darkIf youwhistle in the dark,you try to hide your fear in a scary or dangerous situation.Bob looks confident but he's just whistling in the dark; he knows he's going to lose his job.

at your wit's endIf you areat your wits' end,you are very worried about something and do not know what to do.When her son dropped out of school, Susan was at her wit's end.

Safety - Danger

(Idioms, page 1 : batten down the hatches by a hair's breadth)

batten down the hatchesWhen youbatten down the hatches, you prepare yourself for danger or a forthcoming difficult period, like a ship preparing for a storm.Here comes that trouble-making guy. Batten down the hatches!

calculated riskAcalculated riskis a risk taken with full knowledge of the dangers involved.The company took a calculated risk when they hired Sean straight out of college.

throw caution to the windIf youthrow caution to the wind, you start taking risks and stop worrying about the danger involved.I decided to throw caution to the wind and invest in my best friend's new company.

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close shaveThis term describes a situation where an accident or a disaster nearly happened.I almost hit the child who ran out in front of my car. It was a close shave.

coast is clearTo say thatthe coast is clearmeans that there is no danger in sight or that nobody can see you.OK. The dog has gone inside. The coast is clear.

cry wolfTocry wolfis to call for help when you are not really in danger.As a result, nobody believes you when you really need help.There's Mary screaming again! Does she really have a problem or is she just crying wolf again?

dice with deathIf you put your life at risk by doing something very dangerous, youdice with death.Going mountain-climbing alone is dicing with death.

dicey situationAny situation that is potentially risky or dangerous is called adicey situation.The politician put himself in a dicey situation by getting involved with an intern.

false moveIn a dangerous or risky situation, if you make afalse move, youdo something which may have unpleasant consequences.He is under close surveillance. If he makes one false move he'll be arrested.

fraught with dangerAn activity or situation that is fraught with dangeris full of risks or serious difficulties.His journey across the mountains was fraught with danger.

by a hair's breadthIf you avoid or miss somethingby a hair's breadth, you only just manage to escape from a danger.A slate fell off the roof and missed the child by a hair's breadth.

hang on for dear lifeIf youhang (or hold) on for dear life,you are in a dangerous situation and grip something firmly so as not to fall.Andy took his mother on the back of his motorbike where she hung on for dear life!

live to tell the taleSomeone wholives to tell the talesurvives a terrible experience.Only two members of the expedition lived to tell the tale.

look before you leapThis is something you say when advising someone to think carefully about the possible dangers before doing something.Don't decide too quickly. Look before you leap!

no-go areaAno-go areais an area, particularly in a city, where it is dangerous to go.Tourists have been advised to avoid parts of the city which have become no-go areas.

out of harm's wayIf you put somethingout of harm's way, you put it in a safe place where it won't be damaged.I'm going to put this glass bowl out of harm's way so that it doesn't get broken.

play with firePeople who take unnecessary risks or behave in a dangerous way areplaying with fire.Driving alone on isolated roads in this weather is playing with fire.

put your head on the blockIf you put yourself in a dangerous situation where you risk losing your job or your reputation if things go wrong, youput your head on the block.Jenny asked me to recommend her son for the job, but I'm not putting my head on the block for someone I hardly know.

ride it outride out the stormIf you manage to survive a dangerous or very unpleasant situation, like a ship sailing through a storm, youride it out.His business was hit by the recession but he managed to ride it out.

risk life and limbIf yourisk life and limb,you are in danger of death or serious injury.The roads are icy today; you'll risk life and limb if you go by car.

in safe handsIf something isin safe hands, it is being looked after by a reliable person or organization, and is therefore at no risk.I'll look after Jamie while you go shopping. Don' worry - he'll be in safe hands.

on the safe sideIf you do something to beon the safe side,you do it as a precaution, to avoid any risks.I think I locked the door but I'll check again to be on the safe side.

safety in numbersThis expression means that being part of a group makes people feel more secure and more confident when taking action.None of the group went sightseeing alone, knowing there was safety in numbers.

sail close to the windIf yousail close to the wind,you do something dangerous or act just within the limits of what is legal or acceptable.He seems to invest his money well although he often sails close to the wind.

save one's neck/skinIf you manage to escape from serious danger or trouble, yousave your skin (or neck).He saved his skin by reversing off the bridge just before it collapsed.

at stakeSomeone who has a lotat stakeis in a risky situation, with a lot to be won or lost.He was nervous about signing the agreement because there was a lot at stake.

take coverWhen someonetakes cover,they hide from a danger, or bad weather, in a place where they find protection.As soon as the explosion was heard, people ran to take cover.

take life in one's own handsTo say that someone istaking their life in their handsmeans that they are taking the risk of being killed.If you drive home on this icy road, you'll be taking your life in your hands.

watch one's stepIf you tell someone towatch their step,you are advising them to be careful how they behave in order to avoid danger.There is zero tolerance in this school for bad behaviour, so watch your step!

Be wrapped in cotton wool Someone who iswrapped up in cotton woolis over-protected from dangers and risks.Their children are kept wrapped up in cotton wool.