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In the same boat as (someone): to be in the same situation as someone else.
Ex: I don’t know why he’s complaining about not getting a pay rise, I mean none of us did, so we’re all in the same boat.
Run into (someone): To meet someone (usually someone you already know) by chance.
Ex: I haven’t seen Bill since school, and then just by chance I ran into him on holiday in France.
I assure you: this is another way of saying “please trust me”. It’s used when you want someone to not worry and believe you.
Ex: I assure you, if it’s at all possible there will be no redundancies.
For what it’s worth: this basically means ‘my opinion may not change anything, but my opinion is this…
Ex: I know it doesn’t really concern me, but for what it’s worth, I don’t think he should be fired.
To know where you stand with (someone): This means that the other person is straight forward. Their position is clear. Their meaning is not difficult to understand.
Ex: He may not be very friendly, but at least you know where you stand with him.
To draw the line at…/to draw the line somewhere: this is a way of saying “this is the limit”. It basically means that this is acceptable but that isn’t.
Ex: I don’t mind people coming to work a few minutes late, but I draw the line at
employees coming in around mid-
Ex 2: It’s difficult to decide what is acceptable and what isn’t, but you have to draw the line somewhere, and I’ve decided that this situation is unacceptable.
To let (something) sink in: when you are getting used to a situation/ new situation. When you are trying to understand a new situation.
Ex: I can’t believe I’ve been promoted, it still hasn’t sunk in really.
To cut to the chase: to avoid over explaining something and directly state the point.
Ex: Ok, I could spend the whole meeting explaining how I reached the results, but I thought I would just cut to the chase and tell you the conclusions that I’ve come to.
Back seat driving: This means to interfere with something that doesn’t really have anything to do with you.
Ex: A) Why don’t you add some salt?
B) Err.. I’m cooking, not you, so less of the back seat driving please.
On a personal note: This is sometimes used in speeches and is used when you are talking about a topic in general and then want to say something that is connected to you personally.
Ex: Ok, I hope that I’ve been able to fully explain our project. On a personal note I’d just like to say how happy I am to of had the chance to work on this project.
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Phrases, Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Quiz 11