Hành vi là phần không thể thiếu trong cuộc sống hàng ngày, hành vi của con người được thể hiện qua cử chỉ, lời nói và hành động. Việc sử dụng các Idioms là cách thú vị để mô tả các kiểu hành vi khác nhau, từ tích cực đến tiêu cực. Trong bài viết này, azVocab giới thiệu một loạt các Idioms chủ đề Behaviors thông dụng liên quan đến hành vi và cách chúng ta có thể áp dụng chúng vào tình huống hàng ngày.
Dưới đây là các Idioms thông dụng diễn tả hành vi (sắp xếp theo mức độ thông dụng giảm dần):
| IDIOMS | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| rock the boat | do or say something that will upset people or cause problems (nói hoặc làm điều gì khiến người khác phiền lòng hoặc gây rắc rối) | None of my family members are fighting with each other right now, so please don’t rock the boat by bringing up politics or any other controversial topics. |
| take the mick out of | to laugh at someone and make them seem silly, in a funny or unkind way (biến ai/cái gì làm trò cười, chọc ghẹo hoặc chế giễu họ) | It really hurt Steph’s feelings to know that the group had been taking the mick out of her that whole time. |
| flip the bird | to show someone in an offensive way that you are angry with that person by turning the back of your hand towards them and putting your middle finger up (giơ ngón tay giữa vào mặt người khác (thể hiện sự tức giận)) | He decided to flip the bird on me for no reason when I looked at him. He must be mentally ill or something. |
| in someone’s face | aggressively interacting with one (nói hoặc làm gì đó một cách khiêu khích, thô lỗ, gây khó chịu cho người khác) |
The salesmen are going to be in your face the moment you walk in the door, so remember to say you’re just browsing. |
| rain on someone’s parade | to ruin someone’s plans or dampen someone’s excitement (phá hỏng kế hoạch/niềm vui của ai) | I hate to rain on your parade, but I think your A in chemistry was actually a clerical error. |
| look before you leap | think carefully about what you are about to do before you do it (cân nhắc kỹ trước khi làm việc gì, không nên vội hành động mà không suy tính các hậu quả và mối nguy hiểm của nó; cẩn tắc vô áy náy) | If you deceive your boss now, what do you think will happen if he finds out about it? I mean, look before you leap! |
| have someone’s head in the clouds | to not know the facts of a situation (đầu óc trên mây) | He always has his head in the clouds! |
| on the straight and narrow | behave in a way that is honest and moral (cư xử một cách trung thực và ngay thẳng) | My grandmother was strict and kept me on the straight and narrow. |
| shoot from the hip | to speak or act rashly, recklessly, or bluntly, without consideration of potential consequences (nói hay hành động một cách vội vã, thiếu thận trọng mà không cân nhắc trước tới các hậu quả) | The country’s prime minister has gained a reputation for shooting from the hip, issuing executive orders without consulting members of parliament. |
| you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar | you are more likely to get the results you want from other people if you treat them with kindness or flattery as opposed to scorn or aggression (bạn có thể đạt được điều mình muốn khi đối xử tốt với người khác thay vì đối xử tệ) | I think the kids would visit you more if you were nicer to them. You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar, you know. |
| out of character |
if a person’s behavior is out of character, it is very different from the usual way that person behaves ((cách hành xử) khác với bản chất, tính cách của ai) | That outburst was certainly out of character. Tom is usually very happy and laid back. |
| steal someone’s thunder | steal someone’s idea, or divert attention away from someone (lấy đi sự chú ý của mọi người dành cho họ, để có lợi cho mình) | We had the idea for “digital paper” years ago, but I see they’ve stolen our thunder and have their own version of it on the market. |
| get off someone’s back | to stop criticizing and leave someone alone (để ai được yên; ngưng làm phiền hay chỉ trích) | He kept on at me to such an extent that occasionally I wished he would get off my back. |
| off someone’s trolley | crazy or insane (hành xử ngu ngốc, rất không bình thường; nổi khùng) | When he told me about his plan to renovate the old, condemned house, I immediately thought he was off his trolley. |
| out of line | to behave in an unsuitable way (cư xử không phù hợp) | I’m sorry about last night, I was out of line when I made those demands. |
| step out of line | to behave in a way that is unacceptable or not expected (không tuân theo các quy tắc hay những gì được trông đợi; cư xử tồi) | That reporter stepped out of line when he asked questions about my personal life. |
| fall in line | if a person in an organization falls in/into line, he, she, or it starts to follow the rules and behave according to expected standards of behaviour (làm theo, tuân theo) | Teachers are expected to fall in line with the new regulations. |
| put on an act | behave in a way that does not show what someone is really like or what they really feel (giả vờ, giả bộ) | He’s just putting on an act for the boss’s benefit. |
| act your age | said to someone to tell them to stop behaving like someone who is much younger (dùng khi yêu cầu ai hãy cư xử đúng tuổi, bớt trẻ con lại) | Really, John, act your age a little. You’re like a child sometimes! |
| watch someone’s step | be careful about how you behave, or you will get into trouble (cẩn trọng với lời nói, hành động của ai) | He’ll have to watch his step if he wants to keep that job of his! |
| as a matter of course | as a regular habit, or as a normal way of behaving (như thói quen, như thường lệ) | Before making any important decision, I discuss it with my wife as a matter of course. |
| out to lunch | unaware of or inattentive to present conditions (cư xử một cách ngu ngốc và điên cuồng) | I always thought she acted strangely, she was totally out to lunch. |
| play to the gallery | to behave in a way intended to make people admire or support you (chiều theo thị hiếu tầm thường của quần chúng; làm cho người khác ngưỡng mộ mình) | She’s a great basketball player, but she spends more time playing to the gallery than playing to win the game. |
| asking for trouble | to be behaving stupidly in a way that is likely to cause problems for you (chuốc lấy phiền phức) | Drinking alcohol before driving is really asking for trouble. |
| on someone’s best behavior | to behave extremely well and be very polite on a particular occasion (cư xử thật khéo léo, cư xử thật tốt) | Now, you kids must be on your best behavior for your Auntie this weekend! |
| under someone’s feet | near someone in a way that is difficult and prevents him/her from doing what he/she wants to do (ở gần, bám dính lấy ai khiến họ không thể làm việc mà họ muốn) | The children were under my feet all day so I couldn’t get anything done. |
| put someone’s nose out of joint | to offend or upset someone, especially by getting something that that person wanted for himself or herself (xúc phạm ai; làm người khác buồn phiền, khó chịu) | You put your nose out of joint too easily about stuff like that. |
| while the cat’s away, the mice will play | said when the person who is in charge of a place is not there, and the people there behave badly (vắng chủ nhà gà mọc đuôi tôm) | When the teacher left for a few minutes, the children nearly wrecked the classroom. While the cat’s away, the mice will play. |
| turn over a new leaf |
to start behaving in a better way (có sự khởi đầu mới hoặc thay đổi hành vi của mình) | Apparently he’s turned over a new leaf and he’s not smoking any more. |
| play someone’s cards right | to behave in a way that gives you an advantage or allows you to succeed at something (hành động một cách cẩn thận và khéo léo để có được điều gì mình muốn) | The bosses have been impressed with your work so far. If you keep playing your cards right, you could see a promotion inside of a year. |
| clean up someone’s act | to improve someone’s behavior (cải thiện hành vi, tính cách của ai) | After I got in yet another fight at school, the headmaster told me that I had to clean up my act or else I’d be expelled. |
| act the fool | to behave in a silly way, often intentionally to make people laugh (hành xử ngớ ngẩn) | Joe never acts the fool – he’s always serious. |
| not cricket | if behaviour is not cricket, it is not fair, honest or moral (không công bằng, không trung thực, kém đạo đức) | It’s just not cricket to lie to a friend. |
| hands are tied |
if your hands are tied, you are not free to behave in the way that you would like (không được tự do hành động) | I’d like to raise people’s salaries but my hands are tied. |
| sound like a broken record | to say the same thing many times (nói đi nói lại một điều/chủ đề) | Would you stop telling me to clean my room already? You sound like a broken record! |
| go off the rails | to start behaving in a way that is not generally acceptable, especially dishonestly or illegally (đi sai hướng, hoặc (người) mất kiểm soát, hành động không đúng mực, không chấp nhận được) | He went off the rails in his teens and was a worry to his parents. |
| politically correct | describing statements or behavior careful to avoid offense or insensitivity (tránh gây xúc phạm) | Our CEO is constantly being criticized in the media because he rarely makes politically correct speeches. |
| make a pig’s ear of | to do something badly, wrongly, or awkwardly (làm việc rất tệ, dở, sai hoặc vụng về; phá hỏng) | Other countries have also made a pig’s ear of their radioactive waste policy |
| put a brave face on something | to behave as if a problem is not important or does not worry you (cố làm mặt tỉnh; cố gắng làm cho người khác tưởng bạn vui vẻ, trong khi thực tế không phải như vậy) | I could feel my knees shaking with terror before my commencement speech, but I put a brave face on it and stepped out onto the stage to deliver the address. |
| on the fiddle | involved in dishonest behaviour, usually to get money (lừa đảo, không trung thực) | My career will be over if anyone ever finds out I was on the fiddle during my time as the company treasurer. |
| all fingers and thumbs | to move your hands in an awkward way (vụng về, lóng ngóng) | I’m all fingers and thumbs today. That’s the second plate I’ve dropped this morning. |
| push the envelope | to behave in more extreme ways, or to try new things that have not been acceptable or tried before (vượt qua giới hạn; thử những thứ mới lạ) | The company is renowned for pushing the envelope whenever they develop a new piece of technology. |
| make an exhibition of | to do something that makes one the center of attention, and perhaps makes one look foolish (làm điều gì đó khiến một người trở thành trung tâm của sự chú ý và có thể khiến người ta trông thật ngu ngốc) | Vicky is always making an exhibition of herself in the cafeteria by singing along to whatever is playing in her headphones. |
| lie through someone’s teeth | to tell someone something that you know is completely false (nói dối một cách trắng trợn, trơ trẽn) | He asked me how old I was and, lying through my teeth, I said “29”. |
| good riddance | said when you are pleased that a bad or unwanted thing or person, or something of poor quality, has gone (giải thoát, tống khứ; “rảnh nợ”) | Well, I didn’t want to talk to you anyway, so good riddance! |
| make a spectacle of | to do something that makes you look stupid and attracts other people’s attention (thu hút sự chú ý vào bản thân bằng cách ứng xử một cách lố lăng, nhất là trước mọi người) | I wasn’t going to make a spectacle of myself just to give you a laugh! |
| look daggers at someone | to glare at someone very angrily, spitefully, or disdainfully (lườm/nhìn ai một cách giận dữ, khinh bỉ) | I noticed the bride looking daggers at the best man as he started making vulgar jokes during his speech. |
| become a law unto | to behave in a way that is independent and does not follow the usual rules for a situation (làm theo ý mình, không tuân theo các quy tắc/luật lệ) | He’s becoming a law unto himself, constantly breaking the law and getting arrested. |
| bluff someone’s way out of something | to achieve or accomplish something through deceit or by making a false display (nói dối, lừa dối để đạt được một điều gì đó) | My brother is a good liar, but even he couldn’t bluff his way out of that speeding ticket. |
| play the game | to behave fairly (cư xử công bằng) | You should have told them – it wasn’t playing the game to keep it secret. |
| under false pretences | to lie about identity, qualifications, financial or social position, etc. in order to get something (giả vờ là ai khác hoặc làm ra vẻ thế nào đó để đánh lừa; lừa đảo) | He got me there under false pretences. He told me he wanted to discuss a business deal, but when I got there, it was a surprise birthday party. |
| play dirty | to behave dishonestly, especially by cheating in a game (chơi bẩn; chơi ăn gian) | Their team started playing dirty as soon as they fell behind, throwing sand into other players’ eyes or stepping on people’s toes when the ref wasn’t looking. |
| give someone an earful | to complain angrily to someone (phàn nàn một cách tức giận; càm ràm) | The old lady gave the children an earful for nearly knocking her over. |
| prick someone’s ears up | to listen carefully (lắng nghe cẩn thận) | Be sure to prick your ears up if anything about the case is mentioned. |
Chơi game trên azVocab để ôn tập các idioms chủ đề Behaviors thông dụng nhất:
Như vậy qua bài viết, các bạn đã có thể thêm vào kho kiến thức của mình các Idioms thông dụng thuộc chủ đề Behaviors. Hy vọng các bạn có thể áp dụng chúng linh hoạt, ứng dụng hiệu quả trong giao tiếp và thi cử.
