Để diễn tả sự cố gắng, nỗ lực, tiếng Anh có rất nhiều cụm từ và thành ngữ thú vị. Trong bài viết sau, azVocab chia sẻ các Idioms thông dụng chủ đề Effort (sự nỗ lực), giúp bạn mở rộng vốn từ, chuẩn bị tốt cho các kỳ thi quốc tế, đồng thời là nguồn động lực giúp bạn có thêm sức mạnh trong cuộc sống.
Dưới đây là các Idioms thông dụng chủ đề Effort (sắp xếp theo mức độ thông dụng giảm dần):
| IDIOMS | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| bend over backwards | to expend a lot of energy or effort to do something (thể hiện sự cố gắng rất nhiều để làm điều gì đó) | I have been bending over backwards to make sure that you have a wonderful visit. |
| bite off more than someone can chew | to try to do something that is too difficult for someone (cố gắng làm việc gì đó quá khó) | I bite off more than I can chew when I volunteer to manage three little league teams in this season. |
| go the extra mile | to try harder to please someone or to get the task done correctly; to do more than one is required to do to reach a goal (làm nhiều hơn mong đợi, nhiều hơn cần thiết) | He’s a nice guy, always ready to go the extra mile for his friends. |
| raise someone’s game | to make an effort to improve the way that you do something (nỗ lực cải thiện cách bạn làm điều gì đó) | You can tell that they have really raised their game coming into this championship match. |
| put all someone’s eggs in one basket | risk all of someone’s resources in a single venture (đầu tư tất cả tiền bạc, công sức vào cùng một việc) | I applied to several colleges so I wasn’t putting all my eggs in one basket. |
| bust someone’s chops | (to upbraid one) to work very hard to do, accomplish, or complete something (dồn nhiều sức lực để làm công việc khó khăn/nặng nhọc, nghĩa khác là rầy là/mắng mỏ, bắt ép ai làm điều gì) | I’ve been busting my chops all night long to get this presentation ready for tomorrow’s meeting. |
| give something a whirl | to attempt to do something, often for the first time (thử làm việc gì lần đầu) | I’ve never danced salsa before but I’ll give it a whirl. |
| a piece of cake | something that is very easy to do (việc gì quá dễ dàng) | I thought I was going to fail the test, but it turned out to be a piece of cake! |
| bite the bullet | to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation (hành xử một cách can đảm khi đối diện với sự đau đớn hay khó khăn) | I don’t actually enjoy cleaning, but I bite the bullet and do it so that everything in my house isn’t covered in a thick layer of dust. |
| bob’s your uncle | a phrase used to emphasize how easily or quickly something can be done (đơn giản như đan rổ; nhấn mạnh một việc thực hiện dễ dàng, dễ hiểu) | All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients in one pot, let it cook, and then Bob’s your uncle, dinner is ready! |
| find a needle in a haystack | impossible or extremely difficult to find, especially because the area you have to search is too large (mò kim đáy bể) | Finding the piece of paper I need in this huge pile of documents is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. |
| wrap someone’s head around something | to comprehend something that one considers challenging, confusing, or a foreign concept (hiểu/chấp nhận một việc gì khó hiểu và khó khăn) | Kate is willing to pay full price for an expensive handbag, but I just can’t wrap my head around that. |
| go back to square one | to go back to the very first stage of something; to be returned to an initial starting point (trở về điểm xuất phát của một công việc hay một nhiệm vụ vì trước đó mình không đạt được tiến bộ nào) | I lost all my data when the computer crashed, so I’m afraid I’m going back to square one. |
| flog a dead horse | to waste effort on something when there is no chance of succeeding (nỗ lực vô ích, lãng phí thời gian mà không có kết quả tích cực) | He keeps trying to get it published but I think he’s flogging a dead horse. |
| leave no stone unturned | to do everything you can to achieve a good result, especially when looking for something (tìm kiếm thứ gì đó ở mọi nơi, mọi khả năng, ngoài ra còn có nghĩa làm tất cả để đạt được nhiệm vụ/ kết quả) | I left no stone unturned when I was researching my thesis topic. I think I checked out every book on it that the library had! |
| no pain no gain | only by facing, dealing with, or subjecting oneself to difficulty or hardship will one truly improve or progress (áp lực tạo nên kim cương; để thành công thì cần trải qua nhiều vất vả) | I know these training sessions are hard work, but you’ve got to do it if you want to be a contender for the championship. No pain no gain! |
| Rome wasn’t built in a day |
it takes a lot of time to achieve something important (phải mất nhiều thời gian để đạt được những điều quan trọng/vĩ đại) | A: “I’ve been working on my thesis all day and only wrote three pages.” B: “Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day.” |
| good things come to those who wait | if you are patient you will get what you want (nếu bạn kiên nhẫn bạn sẽ nhận được phần thưởng xứng đáng, dục tốc bất đạt) | A: “Mom, when can I have my birthday present?” B: “Good things come to those who wait, honey.” |
| come hell or high water | no matter what happens (dù cho có điều gì khó khăn hay nguy hiểm xảy ra đi nữa) | I don’t care if I have to drive through a blizzard – we are getting to this wedding come hell or high water! |
| go all out | to put all your energy or enthusiasm into what you are doing (dồn hết tâm huyết để làm gì) | The team went all out for a win. |
| make hard work of | to use more time or energy on a task than is necessary (dành nhiều thời gian, công sức hơn bình thường để làm một việc) | I always make hard work of these essays by leaving them until the last minute. |
| where there’s a will there’s a way | if you are determined enough, you can find a way to achieve what you want, even if it is very difficult (có chí thì nên) | Don’t tell me it’s impossible. Where there’s a will there’s a way. And we’re going to find that way. |
| go out of someone’s way |
to try very hard to do something, especially for someone else (nỗ lực làm điều gì (cho ai)) | You need to thank Monica – she really went out of her way to get you this job interview. |
| give something someone’s all | to put a lot of effort into doing something (nỗ lực rất nhiều để làm gì) | It doesn’t matter whether you win the race or not, just go out there and give it your all! |
| chase rainbows | to pursue goals that are unrealistic, fanciful, or unlikely to happen (cố gắng theo đuổi mục tiêu thiếu thực tế, ước mơ viển vông) | You can’t chase rainbows your whole life – you need to pick a stable career and start being an adult. |
| rain or shine | no matter what the weather or other circumstances are like (bất chấp thời tiết; dù có ra sao) | Pack a poncho because the outdoor concert is happening rain or shine. |
| have a go | to attempt to do or undertake something, especially that which is unfamiliar or new (thử làm việc gì mới lạ) | I know a lot of this work is new to you, but just have a go and let me know if you have any questions. |
| go one better | to do something that is more advanced or more generous than someone else (thực hiện điều gì một cách tốt đẹp hơn so với những người khác hoặc chính mình đã làm trước đây, hoặc so với những gì đã mong muốn) | I gave her a card, but my brother went one better and bought her a present. |
| come to terms with |
to begin to or make an effort to understand, accept, and deal with a difficult or problematic person, thing, or situation (chấp nhận tình huống (thường là đau buồn, không may, khó khăn), nhìn nhận sự thật; hòa giải (với ai)) | I should have the report ready for you by this afternoon, I just need to come to terms with this new software update first. |
| try someone’s hand | to attempt to do something new; to try something for the first time (lần đầu tiên thử (tay nghề, môn thể thao..)) | Thanks for letting Janet come to rugby practice with you. I know she’s eager to try her hand. |
| at a push | with extra effort (nỗ lực nhiều hơn) | I think I can have this order done early, at a push. |
| an a for effort | acknowledgement for having tried to do something, even if it was not successful (điểm 10 cho sự nỗ lực, dù có thể không thành công) | Jenny definitely deserves an A for effort, she put so much work into her entry for the competition. |
| go to the ends of the earth | to do whatever is possible or necessary to achieve something or benefit someone (cố gắng hết sức; làm bất kỳ điều gì khả thi và cần thiết để đạt được mục tiêu) | She went to the ends of the earth for this company, and they didn’t even have the decency to give her a severance package when they let her go. |
| last-ditch attempt |
an effort or attempt that is made at the end of a series of failures to solve a problem, and is not expected to succeed (nghĩa là nỗ lực cuối cùng để thành công sau nhiều lần thất bại) | He resigned in a last-ditch attempt to save his party from electoral defeat. |
| pull someone’s finger out | to start working hard, especially after a period of low activity (nỗ lực hết sức để làm điều gì; ngưng trì trệ) | She’s really going to have to pull her finger out if she wants to finish before Friday. |
| until you are blue in the face | you are wasting your efforts because you will get no results (tới khi bạc cả mặt, công dã tràng (phí hoài công sức làm điều gì đó mà vẫn không có được kết quả)) | You can tell her to clean her room until you are blue in the face, but she won’t do it. |
| blood, sweat, and tears | extremely hard work, or the greatest effort possible, in order to achieve something (nỗ lực rất lớn để đạt mục đích) | This has been a tough time. We have all put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. |
| never do things by halves | to always put as much effort and enthusiasm into doing things as possible in order to achieve success (làm tốt, làm hết sức mình) | You have to admire her determination – she never does things by halves. |
| go up a gear | to start to do something better, especially in sports, in a way that is easy to see (làm việc gì theo cách năng động, mạnh mẽ hoặc hiệu quả hơn trước) | After a disappointing first half, United went up a gear and took control of the game. |
| get the hang of something | to learn how to do something, esp. when it is not simple or obvious (học cách làm một điều gì đó đòi hỏi kỹ năng thông qua sự tập luyện) | After practicing this program a few times, I could get the hang of it. |
| give someone’s right arm for something | to go to any length or relinquish anything of value in order to obtain some specific thing (khao khát, rất thích điều gì hoặc muốn làm việc gì đến mức có thể đánh đổi bằng mọi nỗ lực) | She said she’d give her right arm for a chance to meet the singer in person. |
| fall over oneself | to be very eager to do something (cố gắng hết mình hoặc rất muốn làm việc gì) | After he became manager, people were suddenly falling over themselves to help him. |
| give up the ghost | to stop trying to do something because you know that you will not succeed (từ bỏ vì biết sẽ không thành công) | In Manhattan there was no Memorial Day parade this year. The organizers said they’ve given up the ghost after so few people came to see it last year. |
| rack someone’s brains | to think very hard (vắt óc suy nghĩ) | I’ve been racking my brains all day but I can’t remember her name. |
| reach for the stars |
to want or try to get something that is difficult or impossible to get (muốn hoặc cố gắng đạt được điều gì, cho dù là rất khó khăn) | My parents always taught me to reach for the stars when I was growing up – that I could be anything I set my mind to! |
| get blood out of a stone | to do something that is very hard to accomplish, especially when dealing with other people in some way (làm công việc rất khó hoàn thành, nhất là khi đối phó với ai) | Persuading Chris to buy a round of drinks is like getting blood out of a stone. |
| fight a losing battle | to try hard to do something when there is no chance that you will succeed (kiên trì, rất nỗ lực nhưng vẫn thất bại) | You’re fighting a losing battle if you think you can convince Sarah to go to college. |
| to the bitter end | until the point of completion or conclusion, even though it will likely be difficult, unpleasant, or take a long time to reach (cho đến giai đoạn cuối/kết thúc dù có khó khăn, cay đắng như thế nào) | I’m not really enjoying this book, but I always make a point of sticking with a novel to the bitter end. |
| get the bit between someone’s teeth | to do what you have decided to do in a forceful and energetic way (kiên quyết, quyết tâm làm gì) | I wasn’t that interested at first, but I loved it once I got the bit between my teeth. |
| put someone’s heart and soul into something | to make a lot of effort to do something (tâm huyết) | She puts her heart and soul into her work. |
| pull out all the stops | to do everything you can to make something successful (cố gắng hết sức, làm mọi thứ để làm cái gì thành công) | The company pulled out all the stops for the CEO’s retirement party. |
| (as) easy as pie | very easy (dễ dàng; dễ như ăn kẹo) | For Judy, getting a pilot’s license was as easy as pie – she seemed to have a natural talent for it. |
| oil the wheels | to make it easier for something to happen (làm cho công việc được suôn sẻ bằng cách đối xử tế nhị hoặc khôn khéo; đút lót) | The clients have been reluctant to sign on for another year, so we’re offering a cash incentive to help oil the wheels. |
| go to great lengths | to put in a lot of effort, energy, or work to achieve something (đầu tư, cố gắng hoặc làm việc rất nhiều để đạt được điều gì đó) | I appreciate that the tutor went to great lengths to make sure I understood the assignment. |
| get someone’s teeth into something | to deal with something or become involved in something with great energy and enthusiasm (giải quyết cái gì, tập trung vào cái gì) | I’d like you to get your teeth into this new project I’m developing. |
| under someone’s own steam | do something by your own without help (tự thân vận động; dựa vào sức mình, không có ai giúp đỡ) | Do you want a lift or will you get there under your own steam? |
| enter into the spirit of something | to show enthusiasm and enjoyment (thể hiện tinh thần nhiệt huyết) | Every year he enters into the spirit of Christmas by decorating his whole house with coloured lights. |
| sweat blood | to work very intensely and diligently; to expend all of one’s energy or effort doing something (nỗ lực để hoàn thành công việc; đổ mồ hôi, sôi nước mắt) | We sweated blood for six months straight, but we finally got our product finished and on store shelves. |
| slog your guts out |
to put a great amount of effort into something; to work very hard at something (làm việc chăm chỉ; nỗ lực làm gì) | There’s nothing more disheartening than to slog your guts out on an assignment, only for the computer to crash and delete all your work. |
| go to great pains | to do something with a lot of care or effort (nỗ lực hết sức) | He went to great pains to dress well for the occasion. |
| like taking candy from a baby | very easy (vô cùng dễ dàng) | Beating them was the easiest thing in the world – it was like taking candy from a baby. |
| put someone’s shoulder to the wheel | to work very hard and diligently (gắng sức thực hiện nhiệm vụ) | I know that the new deadline is tight, but if everyone puts their shoulders to the wheel, I know we can get it done in time! |
| not lift a finger | to not make any effort (không làm gì cả; không thực hiện được dù chỉ là một nỗ lực nhỏ) | He just watches TV and does not lifts a finger to help with the dishes. |
| get off your backside | to start being productive, especially after one has been inactive (dừng việc lười biếng và năng nổ mà làm việc) | If you don’t get off your backside now, you’ll be up all night finishing your paper. |
| have big shoes to fill | to have to work really hard in order to live up to the high standards set by the person who had the job before you (phải nỗ lực, cố gắng làm việc siêng năng, chăm chỉ để sánh được với và duy trì những tiêu chuẩn cao mà người đi trước đã đạt được) | I heard you’re taking over for Marcy, right? Well, good luck – you have big shoes to fill! |
| work someone’s fingers to the bone | to work extremely hard, especially for a long time (nỗ lực hết mình) | I have worked my fingers to the bone renovating this house, and I’m glad to say that it has all been worth it. |
| burn the midnight oil | to stay up late working on a project or task (thức khuya làm việc, học tập, nghiên cứu) | I’ll need to burn the midnight oil to have any chance of finishing this paper before class tomorrow morning. |
| by hook or by crook | by any method possible (bằng bất kỳ cách nào khả thi) | I decided I was going to get that job by hook or by crook. |
| put someone’s mind to something | to decide you are going to do something and to put a lot of effort into doing it (chú tâm vào việc gì) | If you’d just put your mind to it, I’m sure you could do it. |
| burn the midnight oil | to stay up late working on a project or task (thức khuya làm việc, học tập, nghiên cứu) | I’ll need to burn the midnight oil to have any chance of finishing this paper before class tomorrow morning. |
| pick up the pieces |
to try to return a situation to normality after a tragedy or trauma (cố gắng khắc phục những thiệt hại tài chính hay tình cảm v.v… đã xảy ra đối với mình, hoặc cố gắng trở về đời sống bình thường sau trải nghiệm khó khăn) | Now, 10 days since the hurricane made landfall, residents are struggling to pick up the pieces. |
| get to grips with something | to make an effort to understand and deal with a problem or situation (nỗ lực để hiểu và giải quyết một vấn đề/tình huống nào đó) | The president has failed to get to grips with the two most important social issues of our time. |
| banging someone’s head against a brick wall | to be attempting, continuously and fruitlessly, to accomplish some task or achieve some goal that is or seems ultimately hopeless (phí thì giờ, công sức để cố làm một việc gì nhưng không thành công) | I feel like I’ve been banging my head against a brick wall trying to understand this math equation. |
| child’s play | something that is very easy to do (trò trẻ con) | Oh please, I’ve been playing guitar for 20 years – that song is child’s play. |
| no prizes for guessing | something you say when it is very easy to guess something (điều gì rất dễ đoán) | No prizes for guessing why Sarah didn’t show up to work on the day after her birthday. |
| rest on someone’s laurels |
to be satisfied with your achievements and not to make an effort to do anything else (ngủ quên trên chiến thắng) | Just because you’ve got your degree doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels. |
| beat the pants off someone | to defeat someone completely (hoàn toàn đánh bại ai đó) | The final score was 17–11. Wow, we really beat the pants off that team! |
| you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs | it is hard to achieve something important without causing unpleasant effects (khó có thể đạt được điều gì đó mà không có khó khăn) | I have wanted to venture into the teaching profession from the longest time but you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. |
| pave the way (for something/someone) | to make it possible or easier for something or someone to follow (mở đường, tạo điều kiện cho điều gì đó xảy ra hoặc thành công) | Data from the space flight should pave the way for a more detailed exploration of Mars. |
| pull your socks up |
to make an effort to improve your work or behaviour because it is not good enough (nỗ lực để cải thiện điểm chưa tốt) | It’s time you pulled your socks up and started working seriously. Your final exams are coming. |
| at full stretch | using as much energy as possible, or the greatest possible amount of supplies (với toàn bộ sức lực; dùng hết khả năng; hoạt động hết công suất) | Fire crews have been operating at full stretch. |
Chơi game trên azVocab để ôn tập các idioms chủ đề Effort thông dụng nhất:
Như vậy qua bài viết, các bạn đã nắm được những Idioms thông dụng về sự nỗ lực. Hy vọng các bạn có thể áp dụng chúng một cách linh hoạt và hiệu quả trong cuộc sống hàng ngày.
