Vocabulary builder: Idioms and phrases for the New Year

Bár már 6 napja új év van - azért ezt a szókincsbővítő feladatot érdemes mindenkinek átnéznie:)

New Year is a time when we often take stock of our life (think about what is good or bad about it). We may feel that we should draw a line under the past (finish with it and forget about it) and make a fresh start. This post looks at idioms and other phrases connected with this phenomenon.

If we decide to stop doing something we consider to be bad and to start behaving in a better way, we can say that we are going to turn over a new leaf. We might decide to kick a habit such as smoking (stop doing it), have a crack at (try) a new hobby, or even leave a dead-end job (one with no chance of promotion) or finish a relationship that isn’t going anywhere.

Of course, many of these things are difficult. You may have decided to give up sweets once and for all (definitely and for ever), but that’s easier said than done when you receive a birthday box of your favourite chocolates. If you have a bad day or two, it’s easy to feel that you are back to square one (have made no progress). However, people who advise on such things will tell you that it’s not all or nothing – if you break your resolution, it’s not the end of the world and you can soon be back on the straight and narrow (doing what you should be doing).

In order to stick to a resolution, there are some strategies you can use. First, you could put your money where your mouth is (pay money to show you are serious about something), for instance by taking out a gym membership to get fit. One common piece of advice is to take it one day at a time (not focus too much on the long-term goal). After all, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Another is not to bite off more than you can chew (not try to do too much) – we all know someone whose New Year’s resolution to ‘renovate their house’ means that they and their family are still living in a building site ten years later. It’s also important to be realistic – with the best will in the world (even with a lot of effort), a chain-smoking couch potato (lazy person) isn’t likely to give up cigarettes and go running five times a week. It may be a good idea to get the ball rolling (start) with a more modest aim.

Some people are very successful in their resolutions. Once they’ve decided to bite the bullet (do something difficult), they get their act together (organize themselves effectively) achieving what they want to achieve. If they manage to stay the course (not give up), they will see their efforts bear fruit.

And finally, I could not leave this topic without one well-known proverb: the road to hell is paved with good intentions, which means that although people often intend to be good, they often fail at it.

Happy New Year!

source: dictionaryblog.cambridge.org

Idiom	Meaning	Hungarian translation
to take stock of sy’s life	to think about what is good or bad about it	számbavenni, leltározni
to draw a line under the past	to finish with it and forget about it	lezárni a múltat és új lapot kezdeni
to make a fresh start	an opportunity to begin something again	új lapot nyitni, valami újat kezdeni
to turn over a new leaf	to start to act or behave in a better or more responsible way	új életet kezdeni
to kick a habit	to stop doing it	feladni egy szokást, leszokni valamiről
to have a crack at	to try	kipróbálni, megpróbálni
to leave a dead-end job	to leave a job in which there is no chance of progressing to a better, more important job	otthagyni az előléptetésre reményt sem nyújtó állást
with no chance of	it`s not at all possible	esély sincs valamire
it isn’t going anywhere	it’s not your priority, it’s not advancing	stagnál, nem megy előre
once and for all	definitely and for ever	egyszer s mindenkorra
easier said than done	be more easily talked about than put into practice	könnyebb mondani, mint megvalósítani
to be back to square one	to have made no progress	újra elölről kezdeni
it’s all or nothing	relates to doing something either completely or not at all	mindent vagy semmit
to break sy’s resolution	to not keep your promise	nem tartja meg a fogadalmát
it’s not the end of the world	something bad is not really as serious as someone thinks it is	ez még nem a világ vége
to be back on the straight and narrow	to do what you should be doing	visszatérni a helyes/egyenes útra
to stick to a resolution	to not give up on sg you’ve promised to do	kitartani az elhatározása mellett
to put your money where your mouth is	to pay money to show you are serious about something	anyagilag is befektetni valamibe, hogy látsszon, hogy komolyan gondoljuk
to take it one day at a time	to not focus too much on the long-term goal	csak kis időtávban/egy nappal előre gondolkodni
Rome wasn’t built in a day	important work takes time	Róma sem egy nap alatt épült fel/ jó munkához idő kell
to not bite off more than you can chew	to not try to do something that is too difficult for you	aki sokat markol, keveset fog – olyanba fogj bele, amit el is tudsz végezni
with the best will in the world	even with a lot of effort	még, ha a legjobbat akarjuk, sem

Vocabulary

phenomenon	jelenség
to consider	valamilyennek tekinteni
promotion	előléptetés
to give up	feladni, abbahagyni
progress	haladás
long-term	hosszútávú
goal	cél