Idioms: success and failure
Learn the idioms English speakers use to talk about succeeding, failing, and everything in between.
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Terms in this deck
- make it bigto become very successful
- against all oddsdespite very unfavorable circumstances
- the sky's the limitthere's no limit to what's possible
- come out on topto be the winner or most successful in the end
- go down in flamesto fail badly and completely
- rise to the occasionto perform well when facing a challenge
- hit rock bottomto reach the lowest, worst point in a situation
- beginner's luckunexpected success when trying something for the first time
- fall shortto fail to reach a goal or expectation
- go from strength to strengthto become more and more successful over time
- bite off more than you can chewto take on more responsibility than you can handle
- blood, sweat, and tearsa lot of hard work and sacrifice
- cut your teethto get your first experience doing something
- dead in the watercompletely stopped, unable to continue
- hit a home runto achieve a big success
- in the same leagueto be of similar quality or ability
- jump the gunto do something before the right time
- lose your touchto no longer be as skilled at something as you used to be
- make or breaksomething that will determine success or failure
- one step at a timegradually, without rushing
- paved the waymade it possible for something to happen later
- take it up a notchto increase the intensity or quality of something
- the writing on the wallclear signs that something bad is going to happen
- win-win situationa situation that benefits everyone involved
- a long shotsomething unlikely to succeed
- practice makes perfectsaying used to encourage repeated effort to improve at something
- slow and steady wins the racesaying that steady, consistent effort leads to success better than rushing
- third time's the charmsaying used when something succeeds on the third attempt after two failures
- go down in historyto be remembered as important, often long after it happens
- put up a good fightto try hard to succeed, even if you end up losing
How to study this deck
These idioms are about achievements, failures and effort: "make it big", "against all odds", "hit rock bottom". They are frequent in speeches, interviews and the news. Learn the positive and negative ones separately and use them to tell one of your own experiences, such as an achievement or a difficulty you overcame.
The trickiest words
- against all odds: it means despite great difficulty: something was achieved although it seemed impossible.
- hit rock bottom: it means reaching the worst point, from which things can only improve.
- beginner's luck: it is the luck someone has when trying something for the first time.
Examples in context
She made it big in Hollywood.
Despite the challenges, she came out on top.
He won his first game, must be beginner's luck.
This business is my blood, sweat, and tears.
He's not in the same league as her.
This presentation is make or break for us.
The writing was on the wall when sales started dropping.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Mini dialogue
- A: She made it big as a singer.
- B: Against all odds. She hit rock bottom two years ago.
- A: Now the sky is the limit for her.
- B: She rose to the occasion and came out on top.