Tổng hợp các idioms thường gặp trong đề thi THPT Quốc gia môn Tiếng Anh - Dung Nguyen

DUNG NGUYEN – dungnguyenht94@gmail.com 
Tổng hợp các idioms thường gặp trong đề thi THPT Quốc Gia 
1. RAINING CATS AND DOGS: rain heavily (Mưa nặng hạt) 
Ex:–> It’s raining cats and dogs = It’s raining heavily 
2. CHALK AND CHEESE: very different from each other (rất khác nhau) 
Ex:–> I don’t have anything in common with my brother. We’re like chalk and cheese. 
3. HERE AND THERE: everywhere 
Ex:–> I have been searching here and there for the gift I bought for my girlfriend. 
4. A HOT POTATO: something that is difficulut or dangerous to deal with ( vấn đề nan giải ) 
Ex:–> The abortion issue is a hot potato in the US 
5. AT THE DROP OF A HAT: immediately, instantly ( Ngay lập tức) 
Ex:–> If you need me, just call me. I can come at the drop of a hat. 
6. BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: time to start from the beginning; it is time to to plan something over 
again (bắt đầu lại) 
Ex:–> My plans to create a tiny car made of glasses were unsuccessful, so I guess it’s back to the drawing 
board for me. 
7. BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH: avoiding the main topic, not speaking directly about the issue (nói vòng vo, 
lạc đề) 
Ex:–> Stop beating about the bush and answer my question. 
8. BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD: a good invention or innovation, a good idea or plan 
Ex:–> Portable phones are marketed as the best thing since sliced bread; people think they are 
extremely good. 
9. BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL: to stay up working, especially studying late at night (thức khuya làm việc, 
học bài) 
Ex:–> I will have a big exam tomorrow so I’ll be burning the midnight oil tonight. 
10. CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO STOOLS: when someone finds it difficult to choose between two 
alternatives (tiến thoái lưỡng nan) 
11. BREAK A LEG : good luck! ( thường dùng để chúc may mắn ) 
Ex:–> I have heard that you’r gonna take a test tomorrow, break a leg, dude!!! (sounds funny hah???) 
12. HIT THE BOOKS : to study (học) 
Ex:–> I can’t go out tonight. I’ve got to hit the books. I’m having an exam tomorrow. 
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13. WHEN PIGS FLY : something will never happen (điều vô tưởng, không thể xảy ra, nhớ là “pigs” đừng 
nhầm với con vật khác nhé) 
14. SCRATCH SOMEONE’S BACK: help someone out with the assumption that they will return the favor 
in the future (giúp đỡ người khác với hy vọng họ sẽ giúp lại mình) 
Ex:–> “You scratch my back and I will scratch yours later,” the customer said when we talked about the 
new sales contact. 
15. HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD : do or say something exactly right (nói chính xác, làm chính xác) 
Ex:–> Mike hit the nail on the head when he said most people can use a computer without knowing how 
it works. 
16. TAKE SOMEONE/SOMETHING FOR GRANTED: coi nhẹ 
Ex:–> One of the problems with relationships is that after a while you begin to take each other for 
granted!! 
17. TAKE SOMETHING INTO ACCOUNT/ CONSIDERATION: to remember to consider something (tính đến 
cái gì, xem xét việc gì) 
Ex:–> We will take your long year of service into account when we make our final decision. 
18. PUT SOMEONE/SOMETHING AT SOMEONE’S DISPOSAL: to make someone or something available to 
someone (có sẵn theo ý muốn của ai) 
Ex:–> I’d be glad to help you if you need me. I put myself at your disposal. 
19. SPLITTING HEADACHE: a severe headache (đau đầu như búa bổ) (khi ra thi sẽ hỏi từ “Splitting”) 
Ex:–> I’ve got a splitting headache. I’m going upstairs for a nap. 
20. ON THE HOUSE: không phải trả tiền 
Ex:–> I went to a restaurant last night. I was the ten thousandth customer, so my dinner was on the 
house. 
21. HIT THE ROOF = GO THROUGH THE ROOF = HIT THE CEILING: to suddenly become angry (giận dữ) 
Ex:–> I”m afraid he will hit the roof when he finds out our vacation is canceled 
22. MAKE SOMEONE’S BLOOD BOIL: làm ai sôi máu, giận dữ 
23. BRING DOWN THE HOUSE: làm cho cả khán phòng vỗ tay nhiệt liệt 
Ex:–> G-Dragon brought the house down. He really brought down the house with his fantastic song. 
24. PAY THROUGH THE NOSE: to pay too much for something (trả giá quá đắt) 
Ex:–> If you want a decent wine in a restaurant , you to have to pay through the nose for it. 
25. BY THE SKIN OF ONE’S TEETH: sát sao, rất sát 
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Ex:–> I got through calculus math by the skin of my teeth. 
Ex:–> I got to the airport a few minutes late and missed the plane by the skin of my teeth. 
26. PULL SOMEONE’S LEG: chọc ai 
Ex:–> You don’t mean that. You’re just pulling my leg. 
27. IT STRIKE SOMEBODY AS/THAT A STRANGE: lấy làm lạ 
Ex:–> It strikes as a strange to me that he failed the exam because he is so smart and diligent a student. 
28. TAKE IT AMISS: to understand as wrong or insulting, or misunderstand (hiểu lầm) 
Ex:–> Would you take it amiss if I told you I thought you look lovely? I was afraid you’d take it the wrong 
way. 
29. HIGH AND LOW = HERE AND THERE: everywhere 
Ex:–> I have been searching high and low for the gift I bought for my girlfriend. 
30. THE MORE, THE MERRIER: càng đông càng vui 
Ex:–> Can I bring some friends with me?Yeah sure, the more, the merrier. 
31. SPICK AND SPAN: ngăn nắp gọn gàng 
32. EVERY NOW AND THEN: sometimes 
Ex:–> Every nowand then, I want to be alone. 
33. PART AND PARCEL: integral, crucial ( thiết yếu, quan trọng) 
34. GO TO ONE’S HEAD: khiến ai kiêu ngạo 
Ex:–> Too much success will go to her head. 
35. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: rất hiếm (rare) 
Ex:–> Once in a blue moon, I stop thinking about her. If only she knew how much I loved her. 
36. FEW AND FAR BETWEEN : rare (hiếm gặp) 
Ex:–> Go and tell her that you love her! That kind of girl is really few and far between 
37. ON THE SPOT:(1) immediately (ngay lập tức) 
Ex:–> I expect you to be on the post when and where trouble arises 
(2): in trouble; in a difficult situation (gặp rắc rối) 
Ex:–> I hate to be on the spot when it’s not my fault 
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38. ON THE VERGE OF = ON THE BRINK OF = IN THE EDGE OF: trên bờ vực (cẩn thận với giới từ “on” và 
“in” nhé!) 
Ex:–> Unless we take measures to protect tigers, they will be on the verge of extinction. (lưu ý: take 
measures: đưa ra biện pháp) 
39. IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS: good or bad things do not just happen a few at a time, but in large 
numbers all at once (họa vô đơn chí) 
Ex:–> First of allit was the car breaking down, then the fire in the kitchen and now Mike’saccident 
40. BE ON THE WAGON: kiêng rượu 
Ex:–> Bob’s old drinking buddies complained that he was no fun when he went on the wagon 
41. LED SOMEBODY BY THE NOSE: to control someone and make them do exactly what you want them 
to do (nắm đầu, dắt mũi ai) 
Ex:–> They simply didn’t know what they were doing and they were led by the nose by a manipulative 
government 
42. AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR: vào phút chót 
Ex:–> She always turned her term paper in at the eleventh hour. 
42. SELL/GO LIKE HOT CAKES: bán đắt như tôn tươi 
Ex:–> The book has only just been published andcopies are already selling like hot cakes in both Britain 
and America. 
43. FIND FAULT WITH: chỉ trích, kiếm chuyện, bắt lỗi 
Ex:–> It is very easy to find fault with the work others. 
44. OFF AND ON/ ON AND OFF: không đều đặn, thỉnh thoảng 
Ex:–> We don’t often go there- just off and on. 
45. MAKE BELIEVE: giả bộ, giả vờ 
Ex:–> I tried to make believe she was happy, but knew deep down it was not true. 
46. MAKE GOOD TIME: di chuyển nhanh, đi nhanh. 
Ex:–> We made good time and were at the hotel by lunch time. 
47. LOOK DAGGERS AT SOMEONE: giận giữ nhìn ai đó 
Ex:–> Their relationship is not free and easy but at least he is no longer looking daggers at her. 
48. BE OUT OF THE QUESTION: không thể được 
Ex:–> You cannot get married until you are 18, it’s out of the question. 
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49. ALL AT ONCE = suddenly: bất thình lình 
Ex:–> All at once, there was a loud banging on the door. 
50. BLOW ONE’S TRUMPET: bốc phét, khoác lác 
Ex:–> Anyone will tell you she’s one of the best journalist we’ve got, although she’d never blow her 
trumpet. 
51. SLEEP ON IT: suy nghĩ thêm về điều gì đó. 
Ex:–> You don’t have to give me your decision now. Sleep on it, and let me know tomorrow. 
52. FIGHT TOOTH AND CLAW/NAIL: đánh nhau dữ dội, cấu xé nhau 
Ex:–> We fought tooth and claw to retain our share of business. 
53. PLAY TRICKS/JOKES ON: chọc phá, trêu ghẹo, chơi khăm 
Ex:–> The kids are always play jokes on their teachers. 
54. DOWN THE DRAIN: đổ sông đổ biển (công sức, tiền bạc) 
Ex:–> It’s just money down the drain. 
55. SMELL A RAT: hoài nghi, linh cảm chuyện không ổn 
Ex:–> The minute I came in, I smelled a rat. 
56. THE LAST STRAW: giọt nước tràn ly 
Ex:–> When she showed up late a third time, that was the last straw. We had to fire her. 
57. GET THE HAND OF SOMETHING: nắm bắt được, sử dụng được 
Ex:–> After three weeks of using this computer, I think I’ve finally got the hand of it. 
58. HARD OF HEARING: lãng tai, nặng tai 
Ex:–> Tom is hard of hearing. Therefore, we have to speak loudly so that he can hear us. 
59. KEEP AN EYE ON: coi chừng, ngó chừng 
Ex:–> Please keep an eye on my baby while I’m out for a while. 
60. HAVE A BEE IN ONE’S BONNET (ABOUT SOMETHING): đặt nặng chuyện gì, chấp nhất chuyện gì 
Ex:–> She has a bee in her bonnet about going to America. 
61. GET/HAVE COLD FEET: mất hết can đảm, chùn bước 
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Ex:–> I’m worried my members in this page may be getting cold feet about the university entrance 
exam. Therefore, I will try my best to help them overcome this severe exam. ^O^ *tặng các Fans 
dethithu.net* 
62. ON SECOND THOUGHTS: suy nghĩ kĩ 
Ex:–> On second thoughts, it was a dumb movie. 
63. IN VAIN: uổng công, vô ích 
Ex:–> Government agents tried in vain kidnap him. 
64. CHIP IN: khuyên góp, góp tiền 
Ex:–> If everyone chips in, we will be able to buy her a nice present. 
65. OFF ONE’S HEAD: điên, loạn trí 
Ex:–> The old man has been off his head for at least a year. 
66. RUN AN ERRAND: làm việc vặt 
Ex:–> I’ve got to run an errand. I’ll be back in a minute. 
67. JUMP THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS: vượt đèn đỏ 
Ex:–> They ignore people who jumps the traffic lights. 
68. FLY OFF THE HANDLE: dễ nổi giận, phát cáu 
Ex:–> No one will fly off the handle for no reason. 
69. THE APPLE OF ONE’S EYES: đồ quý giá của ai 
Ex:–> You are the apple of my eyes ^O^ 
70. BUCKET DOWN: mưa xối xả, mưa to 
Ex:–> It’s been bucketing down all day. 
71. CLOSE SHAVE = NARROW ESCAPE: thoát chết trong gang tấc 
Ex:–> Phew, that was a close shave. I was so lucky. 
72. DROP A BRICK : lỡ lời, lỡ miệng 
Ex:–> I dropped a brick when talking with my best friend, and now she doesn’t want to talk to me. 
73. GET BUTTERFLIES IN ONE’S STOMACH: cảm thấy bồn chồn 
Ex:–> I always get butterflies in my stomach when it comes to taking test 
74. OFF THE RECORD: không chính thức, không được công bố 
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Ex:–> What the president said is not to be printed. It’s off the record 
75. ONE’S CUP OF TEA: thứ mà ta thích 
Ex:–> SNSD is my cup of tea. They are so beautiful and talented. Especially Seohyun, she looks so cute 
76. CUT IT FINE: đến sát giờ 
Ex:–> Only allowing half an hour to get from the station to the airport is cutting it fine, isn’t it? 
77. GOLDEN HANDSHAKE: món tiền hậu hĩnh dành cho người sắp nghỉ việc 
Ex:–> The manager got early retirement and a 600,000$ golden handshake when the company was 
restructed. 
78. PUT ON AN ACT: giả bộ, làm bộ 
Ex:–> We’ve known you are a good swimmer – stop putting on an act. 
79. COME TO LIGHT: được biết đến, được phát hiện, được đưa ra ánh sáng. 
Ex:–> Four soldiers have faced charges since the scandal came to light last fall 
80. TAKE THINGS TO PIECES: tháo ra từng mảnh 
Ex:–> Men like to take things to pieces and put them together. 
81. PUT ONE’S FOOT IN IT: gây nhầm lẫn, bối rối, phạm một sai lầm gây bối rối 
Ex:–> I really put my foot in it when I asked her about her job. I didn’t know she’d just been fired. 
82. PULL ONE’S WEIGHT: nỗ lực, làm tròn trách nhiệm 
Ex:–> The rest of the team complained that Sarah wasn’t pulling her weight. 
83. MAKE ENDS MEET: xoay sở để kiếm sống 
Ex:–> I have to work at two jobs to make ends meet. 
84. GET THE HOLD OF THE WRONG END OF THE STICK: hiểu nhầm ai đó 
Ex:–> I think I must explain to her that she got hold of the wrong end of the stick again. 
85. CUT AND DRIED: cuối cùng, không thể thay đổi, rõ ràng, dễ hiểu 
Ex:–> Although a deal has been agreed, it is not yet cut-and-dried. 
Ex:–> The human rights issue is by no means cut-and-dried. 
86. STAY/KEEP ON ONE’S TOE: cảnh giác, thận trọng 
Ex:–> We had better keep on our toes while we’re walking along the dark portions of this street. 
87. SEE EYE TO EYE: đồng tình 
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Ex:–> I’m glad that they see eye to eye on the matter of the conference location. 
88. HAVE IN MIND: đang suy tính, cân nhắc 
Ex:–> I don’t want to see a movie now, I have in mind going to the park. 
89. A LOST CAUSE: hết hy vọng, không thay đổi được gì 
Ex:–> It seems that Charles will give it up. I suppose he is a lost cause. 
90. TO BE BOUND TO: chắc chắn 
Ex:–> You’re bound to be late if you don’t hurry. 
91. AT HEART: thực chất, cơ bản (basically, fundamentally) 
Ex:–> James sometimes seems quite unfriendly but at heart he’s a good person. 
92. TO KNOW BY SIGHT: nhận ra (recognize) 
Ex:–> The woman said that she would know the thief by sight if she ever saw him again. 
93. NOW AND THEN = NOW AND AGAIN = AT TIMES = FROM TIME TO TIME = OFF AND ON = ONCE IN A 
WHILE = EVERY SO OFTEN : sometimes (thỉnh thoảng, không thường xuyên) 
94. TO TAKE PAINS: làm việc cẩn thận và tận tâm 
Ex:–> She takes pains to do everything well. 
95. TO MAKE DO: xoay sở, đương đầu (to manage, to cope) 
Ex:–> During difficult economic times, many people have to make do with less. 
96. CLOSE CALL = CLOSE SHAVE = NARROW ESCAPE: thoát được nguy hiểm trong gang tấc, mém chết! 
97. SELL SOMEONE SHORT: đánh giá thấp 
98. FACE THE MUSIC: chịu trận 
Ex:–> Mary broke a dining-room window and had to face the music when her father got home. 
99. LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG: to reveal a secret or a surprise by accident ( để lộ bí mật) 
Ex:–> It’s asecret. Try not to let the cat out of the bag. 
100. ON PROBATION: trong thời gian quản chế 
Ex:–> While Anne was on probation, she reported to the police regularly. 
Ex:–> John was on probation for a year.