To get your bearings

Get/find your bearings
to find out where you are and where other things are

• It took her a moment to get her bearings in the dark.

Have some/no bearing on something
to be relevant/not relevant to something, or to have an influence/no influence on it

• His private life has no bearing on his competence as a manager.

Lose your bearings
to become confused about where you are and where other things are

• I lost my bearings and ended up at the entrance again.

Take a bearing
to find out where you are or what direction you are going in, using a special instrument such as a compass

As blind as a bat

(as) blind as a bat 
(humorous) not able to see well

• She's as blind as a bat without her glasses.

The blind leading the blind
a situation in which people with almost no experience or knowledge give advice to others who also have no experience or knowledge

Not a blind bit/the blindest bit of… 

(British English, informal) not any

• He didn't take a blind bit of notice of me (= he ignored me).

• It won't make the blindest bit of difference(= it will make no difference at all).

Turn a blind eye (to something)

to pretend not to notice something bad that is happening, so you do not have to do anything about it

• The authorities were either unaware of the problem or turned a blind eye to it.

Blind (to something)

not noticing or realizing something

• She is blind to her husband's faults.
• I must have been blind not to realize the danger we were in.

Blind faith/obedience

[usually before noun] (of strong feelings) seeming to be unreasonable, and accepted without question; seeming to be out of control

• It was a moment of blind panic.

[usually before noun] (of a situation or an event) that cannot be controlled by reason

• a blind chance
• the blind force of nature

"Ain't No Sunshine" Bill Withers

"Ain't No Sunshine"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBKcAc8VpIw


Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
It's not warm when she's away.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And she's always gone too long
Anytime she goes away.

Wonder this time where she's gone
Wonder if she's gone to stay
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away.

And I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, 
Hey, I oughtta leave young thing alone
But ain't no sunshine when she's gone

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
Only darkness every day.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.

Sting - Shape of My Heart

"Shape Of My Heart"

Sting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAzV2PxbzvA

He deals the cards as a meditation
And those he plays never suspect
He doesn't play for the money he wins
He don't play for respect

He deals the cards to find the answer
The sacred geometry of chance
[Studio version:] The hidden law of a probable outcome
[Live version:] The hidden laws of a probable outcome
The numbers lead a dance

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart

He may play the Jack of diamonds
He may lay the Queen of spades
He may conceal a King in his hand
While the memory of it fades

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape, the shape of my heart

And if I told you that I loved you
You'd maybe think there's something wrong
I'm not a man of too many faces
The mask I wear is one

But those who speak know nothing
And find out to their cost
Like those who curse their luck in too many places
And those who fear a loss

I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape of my heart
That's not the shape, the shape of my heart

Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush -

"Don't Give Up"

Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush - Don't Give Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjEq-r2agqc

in this proud land we grew up strong

we were wanted all along

I was taught to fight, taught to win

I never thought I could fail

no fight left or so it seems

I am a man whose dreams have all deserted

I've changed my face, I've changed my name

but no one wants you when you lose

don't give up

'cos you have friends

don't give up

you're not beaten yet

don't give up

I know you can make it good

though I saw it all around

never thought I could be affected

thought that we'd be the last to go

it is so strange the way things turn

drove the night toward my home

the place that I was born, on the lakeside

as daylight broke, I saw the earth

the trees had burned down to the ground

don't give up

you still have us

don't give up

we don't need much of anything

don't give up

'cause somewhere there's a place

where we belong

rest your head

you worry too much

it's going to be alright

when times get rough

you can fall back on us

don't give up

please don't give up

'got to walk out of here

I can't take anymore

going to stand on that bridge

keep my eyes down below

whatever may come

and whatever may go

that river's flowing

that river's flowing

moved on to another town

tried hard to settle down

for every job, so many men

so many men no-one needs

don't give up

'cause you have friends

don't give up

you're not the only one

don't give up

no reason to be ashamed

don't give up

you still have us

don't give up now

we're proud of who you are

don't give up

you know it's never been easy

don't give up

'cause I believe there's a place

there's a place where we belong

"Wonderful Tonight" Eric Clapton

"Wonderful Tonight" Eric Clapton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUSzL2leaFM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-DpvF8BHwk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQlgcjosN9w (the best one)

Eric Clapton & Mark Knopfler

It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.

And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"

And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."

We go to a party and everyone turns to see

This beautiful lady that's walking around with me.

And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?"

And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight."

I feel wonderful because I see

The love light in your eyes.

And the wonder of it all

Is that you just don't realize how much I love you.

It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head,

So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed.

And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,

I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight.

Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight."

Metallica - Nothing Else Matters

"Nothing Else Matters"

Metallica - Nothing Else Matters 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAGnKpE4NCI

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they say
Never cared for games they play
Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
And I know

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No nothing else matters

"The Thrill Is Gone" de B.B. King

"The Thrill Is Gone" de B.B. King
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9AKF5id9KY

The thrill is gone
The thrill is gone away
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away
You know you done me wrong baby
And you'll be sorry someday
The thrill is gone
It's gone away from me
The thrill is gone baby
The thrill is gone away from me
Although, I'll still live on
But so lonely I'll be
The thrill is gone
It's gone away for good
The thrill is gone baby
It's gone away for good
Someday I know I'll be open armed baby
Just like I know a good man should
You know I'm free, free now baby
I'm free from your spell
Oh I'm free, free, free now
I'm free from your spell
And now that it's all over
All I can do is wish you well

Tears in heaven

"Tears In Heaven" de Eric Clapton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRsJlAJvOSM

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?

I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?

I'll find my way
Through night and day,
'Cause I know I just can't stay
Here in heaven.

Time can bring you down,
Time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart,
Have you begging please, begging please.

Beyond the door,
There's peace I'm sure,
And I know there'll be no more
Tears in heaven.

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?

I must be strong
And carry on,
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven.

Variations around "To pick holes"

To pick holes in something 
Syn: to split hairs, to quibble, to niggle at, to point out the flaws or fallacies in an argument. 

• The lawyer picked holes in the witness's story. 
• They will pick holes in your argument. 
• Stop picking holes in everything I say!

to find mistakes in something someone has done or said, to show that it is not good or not correct  

• The lawyer did her best to pick holes in the witness's statement.

To split hairs
to argue or worry about very small details or differences that are not important

• They don't have any serious differences. They are just splitting hairs. - couper les cheveux en quatre 
• Don't waste time splitting hairs. Accept it the way it is.

To quibble
to try to make petty distinctions, to be argumentative or contentious with someone about someone or something: 

to quibble about sth, to quibble over sth ergoter sur qch, (chicaner sur qch), to quibble with sth(disagree) ne (pas être d'accord avec qch)

• Let's not quibble about it.  
• Please don't quibble with your sister.  
• No need to quibble over it.

To niggle
To be preoccupied with trifles or petty details. trifles=broutilles

To worry or annoy someone slightly but continuously

• Something was niggling him
• Doubts continued to niggle at her

To find fault constantly and trivially; 

• Stop niggling, will you! 
• To niggle at someone

The Devil is in the details

The slang term “the devil is in the details” has a number of different senses. 

When people say that the devil in the detail, they mean that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on.

All of the meanings for the term boil down to the fact that it is often the small details of something which make it difficult or challenging. These details can prolong a task, or foil an otherwise straightforward dealing. Like many proverbs which involve the devil, it is meant to sound a note of caution. It may also be used to excuse or explain the complexity of an otherwise very simple project or task.

Some people also say that the devil's in the details when they examine a contract or agreement. Generally, the agreement looks reasonable at first glance, but a closer examination of the terms and small print reveals a problem. People who routinely sign such agreements usually learn to look them over very carefully, looking for the snag or issue which might ultimately make the deal untenable. This attention to detail is the hallmark of lawyers and accountants in particular.

An interesting example of usage in the news:
http://wamc.org/post/karen-hitchcock-devil-details-president-obama-s-higher-education-plan (with an audio track)

Pipe dream

Pipe dream
unattainable wish. - utopie
something you wish for that can never really happen
Syn: hope, expectation, optimism, prayer, a ray of hope, pious hope

• Peace on earth is a pipe dream.

To abhor

To abhor

to dislike something very much, usually because you think it is immoral. Syn: detest, loathe, abominate, execrate, despise

• Nature abhors a vacuum.

Prov. If there is a gap, something will fill it. Jill: As soon as the beggar who used to work that corner left, another one showed up. Jane: Nature abhors a vacuum.

No nonsense

No nonsense
sensible, practical, straightforward; without nonsense of any kind, not tolerating irrelevancies; direct, efficient, and practical 

• a businesslike no-nonsense approach - sans concession
• a severe no-nonsense look

very serious about doing things in a direct and efficient way without any foolishness or nonsense

• I want to wear something that will make me look like a no-nonsense professional.- professionel
• a doctor who is very no-nonsense
• a no-nonsense attitude
• to have no truck with nonsense - refuser d'avoir affaire à
• to accept no nonsense

Variation around "fade away"

To take a back seat
1. to deliberately become less active, and give up trying to control things

• I'll be happy to take a back seat when Robin takes over.

2. to become less important: take a back seat to

• Other issues must take a back seat to this crisis.- céder le pas
• In my early twenties, politics very much took a back seat to sport and socializing.

To fade away

To disappear slowly

• Her footsteps faded away down the staircase.
• If you don't start eating properly you're going to fade away.

To move/step aside
1. Lit. to move out of someone's way. 

• Would you step aside for my uncle and his walker? 
• We had to step aside for the people in wheelchairs to get by.

2. to leave an official position or job, especially so that someone else can take your place

• The manager announced he is stepping aside.
• Walter stepped aside for a younger person to take over.

To move back

• He moved back to let his partner take over.- se mettre en retrait

To wear away
be eroded

• The face of the statue was wearing away due to acid rain.- s'effacer

To step down
to resign

• The chairman of the committee decided to step down because of ill health.- se retirer, démissionner

To back out

• Sue backed out of helping us paint the house.- renoncer

Chocolate spread

chocolate-flavoured paste= pâte à tartiner
chocolate sprinkles = saupoudré de chocolat
chocolate chips, shave, curl = copeau de chocolat






Muisje
Muisjes are made of aniseed sprinkles with a sugared and colored outer layer. Muisjes, meaning "little mice" in Dutch, are named because the anise seed sprinkles are shaped like little mice, with the stem of the anise seed resembling a tail.

Snug

Snug
Syn: close-fitting, cosy

• if you are snug, you feel warm, comfortable, and safe:
  - nice and snug in front of the fire
• used about a room or a building that is small, warm, and comfortable:
  - a row of snug little cottages
• fitting closely to your body, or fitting closely into a space: well close fitting: bien ajusté

- Her close-fitting dress highlighted her best assets.

Variation around "conflict"

To be at loggerheads

Syn: not in agreement: controversial, divided, irreconcilable, disunited, discordant, at odds (with), in contention, at loggerheads (with someone), at cross purposes, on a collision course.

to be at loggerheads (with someone)
disagreeing very strongly with someone

• The British and Irish governments are still at loggerheads over the deal.- être à couteaux tirés

daggers drawn

• Fred and Joe are daggers drawn. - ennemis jurés

at odds (with)
disagreeing with someone

• She continued to find herself at odds with the chairman.

if things are at odds with each other, they are different or opposite when they should be the same

• This statement is completely at odds with what was said last week.

what's the odds?
Bristish informal: used for saying that something does not matter

• We'll miss the bus, but what's the odds? There's another at 10.00.

Chum

Chum
pal, buddy (slang), bud (slang), bosom buddy, bosom friend, crony (pote)

Penpal

• a friend with whom one corresponds

Chum up with

• to be or become an intimate friend (of)

Get chummy with someone 
become very friendly with someone

• I can't see him getting chummy with Bill, they have absolutely nothing in common

Chum up with
to become friends, to spend time with someone in a friendly way

• She's chummed up with a girl her parents don't approve of

Variations around "wear"

Wear
tired of
 

Weary

• I've grown very weary of your brash attitude.

Wear out

• Hard work will wear you out if you do not take breaks. 
• If I use my toothbrush eight times a day, it will wear out quickly.
• Don't wear yourself out by doing too much in one day.- s'épuiser

Wear

• The car's tyres must be changed, due to wear.-usure

Wear and tear

• The insurance company will pay for accidental damage, but not wear and tear.

Wear away

• Over time, the wind and rain wear away the stone of buildings.- éroder

Wear thin

• He's had that blanket since he was a child; it is worn thin.- être usé jusqu'à la corde

Outwear

• To last longer than; outlast: durable clothing that outwears other brands.

World-weary: déçu, désenchanté, désabusé
To wear out one's welcome: abuser de l'hospitalité de qqun 

Fuzzy

Fuzzy
Fuzzy thinking: pensée confuse

1. a fuzzy picture or image is not clear so that you cannot see all its details
2. covered with short soft hairs or fibres like hair
3. difficult to understand, or not explained clearly
4. full of love and kindness

Fuzzy search
A fuzzy search is a process that locates Web pages that are likely to be relevant to a search argument even when the argument does not exactly correspond to the desired information. A fuzzy search is done by means of a fuzzy matching program, which returns a list of results based on likely relevance even though search argument words and spellings may not exactly match. Exact and highly relevant matches appear near the top of the list. Subjective relevance ratings, usually as percentages, may be given.

A fuzzy matching program can operate like a spell checker and spelling-error corrector. For example, if a user types "Misissippi" into Yahoo or Google (both of which use fuzzy matching), a list of hits is returned along with the question, "Did you mean Mississippi?" Alternative spellings, and words that sound the same but are spelled differently, are given. 

Shooting star

Shooting star
a meteor that makes a line of light as it falls through the sky

Make a wish....

Swarm

Swarm
/swɔː(r)m/ swarm of insects, of people
to go somewhere as part of a large crowd, if insects swarm, they fly together in a large group

• Fans swarmed onto the pitch to celebrate.- affluer
• Bees swarmed around the apple tree.- essaimer
• A swarm of grasshoppers
• swarm about. - fourmiller

Once in a blue moon

Once in a blue moon
Meaning: very rarely

True love happens once in a blue moon...

Very occasionally, the moon actually does appear to be blue. This sometimes occurs after a volcanic eruption, like that of Krakatao in 1883. Dust particles in the atmosphere are normally of a size to diffract blue light, making the moon appear reddish at sunset. Larger volcanic dust particles diffract red light, making the moon appear bluish.

Tempting as it is to suppose that something that happens very rarely, and which is mentioned by name in a phrase that means 'very rarely', is the source of the phrase, it probably isn't.

Actual examples of the moon appearing blue would in fact be the exception that proves the rule, as the 'blue moon' was originally something that was considered not rare but impossible. The two notions, 'a blue moon' and 'the moon is made of green cheese', were synonyms for absurdity, like 'pigs might fly'.

The 'blue moon' expression with the 'impossibility' meaning is old and dates back to mediaeval England; for example, a work by William Barlow, the Bishop of Chichester, the Treatyse of the Buryall of the Masse, 1528, included a sarcastic reference to a blue moon:

Pent-up

Pent-up
Syn: bridled, repressed
1. not released; repressed pent-up emotions; pent up excitement/frustration/fear
2. kept unwillingly 

• Pent-up emotions can be harmful to mental health.- refoulé
• pent up emotions are strong feelings, for example anger, that you do not express so that they gradually become more difficult to control
• I've been pent up in this office for over a year- confiné

Cot death

Cot death. - mort subite du nourisson
Crib death, SIDS: sudden infant death syndrome

Crib death is a tragic situation, of which little is known. For all who have been confronted to the angst of the monitoring...this Horizon documentary gives an insight in how the research in this field was based on an error at its early stage.

Research into cot death syndrome has been held up for more than 20 years by a scientific error that may have cost hundreds of lives. Much of the research into sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has stemmed from a research paper based on one family who had five children who died from unexplained circumstances. The deaths turned out to have been caused by the children's mother, who suffered from Munchausen's Syndrome By Proxy. The condition means people enjoy the attention from nurses and doctors when their children get ill. This leads them to fake or induce the symptoms to keep the doctors' attention.

Come to grips with

come to grips with someone or something
to begin to deal with someone or something difficult or challenging in a sensible way. 

• We must all come to grips with this tragedy. - faire face à
• I cannot come to grips with Ed and his problems.
• For a long time, our biggest challenge was coming to grips with the logistics.

Variation around "scruffy"

Scruffy
untidy, dirty


[person, appearance]   débraillé (e)      
[clothes, jeans,]   dépenaillé (e)      
[hair]   hirsute   
[flat, street]   miteux (-euse)  

• This part of the city is scruffy

Shabby
old and in bad condition, dressed in clothes that are old or in bad condition, of low quality

• shabby clothes/furniture/building. - rapé usé
• The children were all so shabby and hungry.
• feel shabby: Linda felt shabby standing next to Andrea in her fashionable clothes
• The whole affair was rather shabby.
• He blasted the lawyers for submitting such shabby paperwork.
• a shop selling shabby goods

Ragged
torn and dirty, wearing old dirty clothes and looking very poor

• a pair of ragged shorts. - en lambeaux, en loques
• ragged posters hung on the walls.
• ragged children playing in the street

with edges that are not straight or smooth

• the ragged appearance of a bite wound

not skilful or organized

• It was a pretty ragged performance from the champions.

not smooth or regular

• He took a few ragged breaths and began to run again.- irrégulier

Figurative

• Ragged edge. - mauvaise passe
• on the ragged edge. - dans la limite, au bord de l'abîme

Pledge

Pledge
to promise seriously and publicly to do something

• pledge support: Britain, France, and Germany were among the countries pledging their support.
• pledge to do something:
  He has pledged to fight for a fairer system.
• pledge that:
  The President has pledged that putting the economy right will be his top priority.
• pledge someone/yourself to do something:
  They have pledged themselves to root out state corruption.

to promise a certain amount of money for a particular purpose

• The international community pledged $500 million for economic reconstruction.

to give something valuable to someone as a way of promising that you will pay them money later

• His home is pledged as security against the loans.

Dimly

Dimly
murkily, pallely

in a way that does not provide much light:

• dimly lit back streets

if you can dimly see or hear something, you can only just see or hear it because it is dark or far away:

• He could dimly see the house ahead of him.

if you dimly remember or understand something, you only remember or understand a little of it:

• Nina was only dimly aware of the doctor coming in.