Idioms diễn tả thái độ là một trong các nhóm từ vựng được sử dụng phổ biến trong giao tiếp tiếng Anh. Trong bài viết này, azVocab giới thiệu các Idioms thông dụng chủ đề Attitudes (gồm nhiều kiểu thái độ khác nhau), giúp bạn nắm vững cách sử dụng và áp dụng chúng trong cuộc sống hàng ngày.
Dưới đây là các Idioms thông dụng diễn tả thái độ (sắp xếp theo mức độ thông dụng giảm dần):
| IDIOMS | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| ignorance is bliss | not knowing is better than knowing and worrying (bơ đi mà sống; ngu si hưởng thái bình; nếu không biết thì không phải lo lắng) | Sometimes I just decide to ignore the news for a few days. Ignorance is bliss, I tell you. |
| make a mountain out of a molehill | to make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem (quan trọng hóa vấn đề) | You got one B and you’re acting like you’re failing the class. You’re making a mountain out of a molehill, if you ask me. |
| bury someone’s head in the sand | to avoid, or try to avoid, a particular situation by pretending that it does not exist (né tránh vấn đề, trốn tránh thực tại) | Lou, you can’t bury your head in the sand about your health – please, make an appointment with your doctor and get that rash checked out! |
| keep someone’s chin up | to improve someone’s mood, especially when sad or discouraged (ngẩng cao đầu, dũng cảm nhìn về phía trước, không nản chí) | Come on, the project was not a total failure – keep your chin up! |
| all bark and no bite | full of talk that is more threatening or impressive than that which one can or will actually do (người chỉ dọa suông, tỏ ra đáng sợ hoặc nguy hiểm chứ không làm thật) | He always threatens to call the police if I don’t stay off his lawn, but he’s all bark and no bite. |
| prick up someone’s ears | To pay sudden close attention to something one overhears (chăm chú lắng nghe) | Be sure to prick up your ears if anything about the case is mentioned. |
| give someone the benefit of the doubt | to believe something good about someone, rather than something bad, when you have the possibility of doing either (coi ai là đúng/đáng tin/có động cơ tốt khi chưa thể chứng minh ngược lại; ‘tạm tin’) | I didn’t know whether his story was true or not, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. |
| have an axe to grind | to have a strong personal opinion about something that you want people to accept and that is the reason why you do something (bày tỏ quan điểm, than phiền; có một động cơ cá nhân) | Environmentalists don’t have an axe to grind – they just want to save the planet. |
| the grass is always greener on the side of the fence |
something that you say that means that other people always seem to be in a better situation than you, although they may not be (đứng núi này trong núi nọ, luôn cảm thấy không hài lòng với những gì mình có và luôn so sánh với người xung quanh) | I sometimes think I’d be happier teaching in Spain. Oh well, the grass is always greener on the side of the fence! |
| dig someone’s heels in | to refuse to change your plans or ideas, especially when someone is trying to persuade you to do so (nhất quyết từ chối thay đổi hành động hoặc ý kiến của mình (bướng bỉnh, dứt khoát không lùi bước)) | They dig their heels in and don’t lower the price. |
| lose someone’s head | to lose control and not act in a calm way (mất lý trí; mất bình tĩnh) | I’m sorry, I lost my head out there. There’s no excuse for what I said. |
| stick to someone’s guns | to continue to have your beliefs or continue with a plan of action, even if other people disagree with you (giữ vững lập trường của mình dù có ai chỉ trích) | I really admire Jess for sticking to her guns during college, and not submitting to the peer pressure of those around her to drink or do drugs. |
| all ears | ready and eager to hear what one has to say (sẵn lòng lắng nghe) | Tell me about your first day at the new job – I’m all ears! |
| listen to reason | to listen to good advice and be influenced by it (lắng nghe, thấu hiểu, chú ý đến lẽ phải, lập luận, đánh giá hợp lý về một tình huống) | I finally managed to make him listen to reason, and he agreed not to sell the family farm just yet. |
| pull a face | to make a strange expression with your face, for example to show that you do not like someone or something (có biểu cảm kỳ lạ (khi không thích cái gì)) | “This tastes horrible,” said Tom, pulling a face at his glass. |
| not the end of the world | not to be a very big deal or problem (không phải vấn đề gì to tát; không có gì quá kinh khủng cả) | I know you’re upset that you failed a test, but, really, it’s not the end of the world! |
| look right through someone | to act as though one is not in front of the viewer, either because the viewer fails to notice one or because the viewer is deliberately ignoring one (cố tình làm lơ trước mặt ai; vờ như không thấy/không nghe gì họ) | I pleaded to the bystanders for help, but everyone just looked right through me. |
| keep an eye out for | to watch carefully for something (để mắt đến, trông nom cẩn thận) | Keep an eye out for a gift we could give your mother. |
| not know whether someone is coming or going | be confused about what you are doing, because you are doing too many things at the same time (rối bời, rối trí vì quá bận bịu hoặc choáng ngợp) | Lisa has been so busy getting everything ready for the party, she does not know whether she is coming or going. |
| give as good as someone get | to argue, fight or compete as strongly and fiercely as your opponent (ăn miếng trả miếng) | Arsenal are a tough side, but we can give as good as we get and we don’t fear anyone. |
| think nothing of something | to not consider doing something to be at all odd, difficult, improper, or otherwise out of the ordinary (đánh giá về điều gì là tầm thường, không có gì lạ, đặc biệt hay khó làm) | My brother earns so much money that he thinks nothing of spending $300 on a single meal. |
| go in one ear and out the other | to be heard and then soon ignored or forgotten (vào tai nọ ra tai kia; nghe xong quên ngay lập tức) | Everything I say to you seems to go in one ear and out the other. Why don’t you pay attention? |
| look on the bright side | to find good things in a bad situation (nhìn vào mặt tích cực của vấn đề) | I know you’re disappointed, but you need to look on the bright side. At least you made it to the championship game – that’s more than a lot of people can say. |
| miles away | to not be conscious of what is happening around you because you are thinking about something else (bị phân tâm, không tập trung) | You could tell by the expression on her face that she was miles away, thinking about home. |
| take someone for a ride | to deceive or cheat someone (lừa dối ai đó) | It’s not a pleasant feeling to discover you’ve been taken for a ride by someone you trusted. |
| not give an inch | to not change your opinion (không thay đổi ý kiến; kiên định) | She’s definite that she wants to do it, and she’ll not give an inch, however hard you try to persuade her. |
| as if there was no tomorrow | very rapidly and eagerly, without restraint or thought (rất nhanh, rất hào hứng, không kiềm chế hay suy nghĩ, đắn đo) | He must have been starving, because Jonathan started wolfing down his food as if there was no tomorrow! |
| fall for something hook, line, and sinker | to completely believe something that someone tells you that is not true (hoàn toàn tin tưởng vào điều dối trá của người khác) | She told him she needed the money for her baby and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker. |
| with half an ear | without giving your full attention to what is being said (chỉ nghe vậy nhưng không chú ý hết) | He listened to her with only half an ear as he watched TV. |
| keep up appearances |
to act as though everything is normal or fine in times of trouble (hành động như thể mọi thứ bình thường dù đang gặp rắc rối, khó khăn) | They were very unhappily married but kept up appearances for the sake of their children. |
| not on | to be inappropriate and/or unfair, as of one’s behavior (không phù hợp; không công bằng) | I’m sorry, but it’s just not on to spread gossip about someone. |
| mind someone’s p’s and q’s | to make an effort to be especially polite in a particular situation (lịch sự, cư xử đúng mực hoặc cẩn trọng với việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ) | Be sure to mind your p’s and q’s when you visit your aunt this weekend! |
| shift someone’s ground | to adopt a different viewpoint or opinion (thay đổi ý kiến lập trường) | I was shocked when Liz suddenly shifted her ground and started seeing things as I did. |
| I’ll believe it when I see it | you do not believe that something will happen or that someone will do something (trăm nghe không bằng một thấy) | A: “He’s actually changed a lot since college. He’s very nice now.” B: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” |
| put the knife in | to be unpleasant about someone, or try to harm someone (có ác cảm hoặc cố gắng để làm hại người khác) | And then he really put the knife in by telling me that he’d only pretended to like my writing. |
| turn a blind eye | to ignore something that you know is wrong (nhắm mắt làm ngơ, nhắm mắt cho qua) | Can’t you just turn a blind eye to this little incident, instead of telling Mom and Dad? |
| fair’s fair | something that you say when you want someone to behave reasonably or treat you the same as other people (dùng khi muốn người khác đối xử với mình một cách công bằng) | Come on, you need to watch the kids for Ellen tonight because I do it all the time – fair’s fair. |
| wine and dine someone | to entertain someone with food and drink, esp. expensive food and drink (thiết đãi ai nồng hậu) | They wine and dine clients in festive tents, promoting their image of achievement and success. |
| make a clean breast of |
to confess one’s misdeeds or wrongdoings (thú nhận, thú lỗi, nhận tội; khai hết những việc/điều sai trái đã làm) | I felt so guilty about cheating on the test that I had to make a clean breast of it to my teacher. |
| (that’s) a likely story | said when you do not believe something (cứ như trong truyện (không tin vào điều gì)) | He said he had to stay late at the office again. That’s a likely story – he’s probably out with his friends! |
| hold someone’s ground | to keep or defend an opinion or an idea, even when other people do not agree with you (giữ vững quan điểm) | We’ll hold our ground until they accept our changes to the contract. |
| in no uncertain terms | in a very clear way (rõ ràng, mạnh mẽ, quả quyết) | She was told in no uncertain terms that the magazine had no interest in her short stories. |
| someone’s heart is in the right place | to have good intentions (có ý/mục đích tốt khi làm điều gì) | His speech at the wedding was horribly embarrassing, but his heart was definitely in the right place. |
| take someone’s eye off the ball | to not give your attention to what you are doing at the time (không chú tâm/ để ý tới việc đang làm) | You can’t take your eye off the ball just before this merger deal is supposed to go through, not when there is so much at stake! |
| take something with a grain of salt | don’t take something seriously (không quá coi trọng điều gì, không tin hoàn toàn 100%) | You have to take everything she says with a grain of salt, because she tends to exaggerate. |
| keep both feet on the ground |
to be very practical and see things as they really are (thực tế, không viển vông) | Even during our family’s lowest points, he was always able to keep both feet on the ground. |
| look right through someone | to act as though one is not in front of the viewer, either because the viewer fails to notice one or because the viewer is deliberately ignoring one (cố tình làm lơ trước mặt ai; vờ như không thấy/không nghe gì họ) | I pleaded to the bystanders for help, but everyone just looked right through me. |
| feel something in my bones | to believe something very strongly (vô cùng tin tưởng vào điều gì) | Something bad is going to happen tonight – I can feel it in my bones. |
| worship at the altar of something | to completely support or follow a particular idea, principle, etc. (hoàn toàn ủng hộ hoặc làm theo một ý tưởng, nguyên tắc cụ thể) | She thinks that young people today are becoming increasingly selfish, and worship at the altar of individual happiness and gratification. |
| roll up your sleeves | to do or get ready to do something difficult, intense, or demanding (sẵn sàng làm điều gì khó khăn, cường độ cao) | There’s a lot of work to do, so roll up your sleeves and get busy. |
| i wouldn’t trust someone as far as i could throw someone | something you say that means you do not trust someone at all (“Tôi chẳng hề tin tưởng họ”) | He’s very charming but I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. |
| change someone’s tune | to change someone’s attitude, opinion, manner, or stance on something, typically in a way that is more positive or agreeable (thay đổi thái độ, ý kiến) | After I threatened him with no allowance, my son changed his tune and started doing his chores. |
| at someone’s beck and call | always willing and able to do whatever someone asks (vâng lời) | Your child has to understand that you can’t always be at his beck and call for every little thing. |
| go through the motions | to do something without thinking it is very important or having much interest in it (giả bộ làm một việc gì nhưng không chân thành hay nghiêm chỉnh, làm việc cho có lệ) | I’ve done this job for so long that I just go through the motions every day. |
| (as) bold as brass | with extreme confidence or without the respect or politeness people usually show (with extreme confidence or without the respect or politeness people usually show) | She marched into the store, as bold as brass, and demanded her money back. |
| grin and bear it | to accept something bad without complaining (nín nhịn, chịu đựng, ngậm bồ hòn làm ngọt) | I hate having to work for rude people. I guess I have to grin and bear it. |
| play it cool | to behave in a calm, controlled way, often intentionally appearing not to be interested in the thing that you very much want to get (giữ bình tĩnh, giữ vẻ ngoài lạnh nhạt, không làm theo cảm xúc của mình) | Play it cool – don’t let them know how much you need the money. |
| fall on stony ground | to be ignored or disregarded (không được ai để ý tới, bị lờ đi) | An email asking people to volunteer to work at the weekend conference is sure to fall on stony ground. |
| dodge the issue | to avoid or evade talking about some topic directly or at all (né tránh hoặc thảo luận không chi tiết về một vấn đề tiêu cực) | Instead of keeping dodging the issue, we need to directly address it. |
| meet someone halfway | to do some of the things that someone wants you to do, in order to show that you want to reach an agreement or improve your relationship with them (thỏa hiệp, nhân nhượng) | Young people need to develop skills at forming relationships with adults by meeting them halfway. |
| dog in the manger |
someone who keeps something that they do not want in order to prevent someone else from getting it (ích kỷ, không muốn ai dùng đến cái gì mình không dùng đến; chó già giữ xương) | The toddler, like a dog in the manger, refused to give her older sister the notebook she needed to complete her school assignment. |
| a change of heart | a change in one’s opinion or feelings on a matter (sự thay đổi trong quan điểm hoặc cảm xúc về một vấn đề) | She was going to take that job offer in California, but after thinking about how much she would miss her friends and family in Delaware, she had a change of heart. |
| leave someone in the lurch | to leave someone at a time when they need you to stay and help (bỏ rơi một người nào trong lúc hoạn nạn) | The manager will really leave me in the lurch if he decides to quit before this project is finished. |
| watch someone’s back | to be careful of the people around you, making certain that they do nothing to harm you (cẩn trọng với mọi người xung quanh) | I have to watch my back at work – there are a lot of people who would like my job. |
| someone’s bark is worse than someone’s bite | someone’s words or demeanor is worse than someone’s actual behavior (vẻ bề ngoài trông khó chịu hoặc đáng sợ nhưng thật ra họ không như vậy) | Mr. Stewart may yell a lot, but his bark is worse than his bite – he’s actually helped me carry my groceries many times. |
Chơi game trên azVocab để ôn tập các idioms chủ đề Attitudes 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 Attitudes. Hy vọng các bạn có thể áp dụng chúng linh hoạt, ứng dụng hiệu quả trong giao tiếp và thi cử.
