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In the cards?

If we say something is in the cards, we mean to say that they’re likely to happen.

Fly close to the wind?

When people say someone is sailing too close to the wind, they are saying that this person is doing something exceedingly risky or improper.

Shifting sands of democracy?

A plan on shifting sand won’t work because it doesn’t have a solid foundation.

Social safety net?

That means a safety net that prevents one from total failure and doom in society at large. Put another way, it helps one survive socially when the going gets tough.

Bad karma?

Metaphorically speaking, karma simply means that good deeds bring good while bad begets bad.

Overcoming idioms as stumbling block

A stumbling block is any hindrance that prevents you from reaching your goal, any goal.

Taking their feet off the pedal?

By taking their feet off the pedal, they stop giving the effort.

Turn the tables?

For the tables to turn is, originally, to reverse the positions of adversaries.

My bad?

“My bad” means “My fault”, literally. It is perhaps short for “My bad mistake”.

Silver bullets?

Your boss means to say you shouldn’t be looking for easy solutions to problems facing you at work.

Spanner in the works?

Juan Mata refuses to be tethered there; the Spaniard is becoming a spanner in the works.

Tooth and nail?

When people fight each other tooth and nail, in other words, they’re very desperate.

Bet the farm?

By betting the whole farm they own, they’re willing to risk everything – risking losing everything, that is.

Cooking the book?

In cooking the book, people manipulate the numbers, dressing them up, to make the company look good.

Left out to dry?

The person who’s hung out to dry is unprotected and alone.

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