Idioms: relationships and communication

Terms in this deck

• break the news
  to tell someone important, often difficult, news
• get along like a house on fire
  to get along extremely well with someone
• have a heart-to-heart
  to have an honest, personal conversation
• keep someone posted
  to keep someone updated with new information
• lend an ear
  to listen to someone talk about their problems
• bury the hatchet
  to end a conflict and become friends again
• give someone the cold shoulder
  to deliberately ignore someone
• mend fences
  to repair a damaged relationship
• on good terms
  having a friendly relationship with someone
• put words in someone's mouth
  to claim someone said something they didn't actually say
• get the wrong end of the stick
  to misunderstand something completely
• talk behind someone's back
  to say negative things about someone when they're not there
• break the silence
  to say something after a period of quiet
• get a word in edgewise
  to manage to say something when someone else won't stop talking
• small talk
  light, casual conversation about unimportant things
• straight from the horse's mouth
  information from the person directly involved, so reliable
• wear your heart on your sleeve
  to openly show your emotions to others
• take someone's word for it
  to believe what someone says without needing proof
• read someone like a book
  to understand someone's thoughts and feelings very easily
• spill the beans
  to reveal a secret, often accidentally
• have words with someone
  to argue with someone about something
• clear the air
  to resolve a disagreement or misunderstanding by talking openly
• cut someone some slack
  to not judge someone too harshly
• two-way street
  something that requires effort from both people involved
• birds of a feather flock together
  saying that similar people tend to become friends
• a shoulder to cry on
  a person who comforts you when you're upset
• keep in touch
  to continue communicating with someone over time
• put yourself in someone's shoes
  to imagine how someone else feels in their situation
• give someone a piece of your mind
  to tell someone angrily exactly what you think about something they did