IDIOMS

IDIOMS

                              
What happens if you go on a date and your partner decides to go Dutch? Would you feel disappointed? And what happens if you are “up to your eyes”?
These are just two examples of idioms (expresiones o frases hechas) that come very handy to show your excellent command of the English language in the speaking/ writing exam.
Below you can find some more examples and some links so you can research and select some of them according to the topic.
If you are talking about sport, food, holidays, etc… you can say that something is not your cup of tea. This is a British idiom and it means that you are not keen on sth.
Climbing is not my cup of tea/ Extreme sports are not my cup of tea.

 “At the end of the day” is not an idiom but a commonly used expression in British English, especially used in informal conversation. You used it to mean “al final” or sth like that. For example: At the end of the day we end up using the same words instead of adding new expressions to our speeches.

  “We´ll cross that bridge when we get to it” means that it´s not worth it getting worried before facing a problem. For instance you can say:

A says -I´m a bit blue because I might lose my job in September.
B replies-Don´t worry darling, we´ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

To be under the weather- you can use this idiom when talking about health and even when talking about healthy eating. If you are under the weather, you are ill. For example, you could say: When I am under the weather, I try to boost my defenses with “Actimel” although it has been said that it could be dangerous for your digestive system.
The last straw- if something is the last straw, it means is the final problem that makes someone lose their temper or the problem that finally brought about the collapse of something. For example: The warning from our city water and sewer department was simple the last straw. For Spanish speakers “el colmo” or “la gota que colmó el vaso”.

In the nick of time-if you arrive at the airport “in the nick of time” it

means that you were about to miss your flight because it means not too late but very close. In Spanish we use “por los pelos” in this case.
  Take it easy means relax. For example, if you are talking about stress at work, you can say: “I try to take it easy and do not worry  too much because otherwise I suffer from insomnia”.
In the red: If you are asked to talk about the economic crisis, you can say that many companies are in the red and, consequently, they have been forced to sack many employees. So, as you may have guessed, it means that "the business is losing money, it is unprofitable"
These are just a few examples but there are a lot of idioms you can use according to your needs. Click on the link below and select the ones you wish to use in your monologues taking into account that they fit in the topic.http://www.goenglish.com/idioms.asp

http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/10-common-idioms

           http://www.idiomconnection.com/mostfrequent.html
           http://www.henry4school.fr/Language/idioms.htm