Idioms — Set 15

Set 15 of Idioms covers 5 idioms: get cold feet, keep your chin up, put your foot down, turn a blind eye to something, keep an eye on something. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. get cold feet · idiom/ɡɛt koʊld fit/

   to become frightened about doing something

   The bride got cold feet and called off the wedding at the last minute.

   Origin: From American slang in the late 1800s — soldiers feared their feet going cold from cowardly retreat.

2. keep your chin up · idiom/kip jʊr tʃɪn ʌp/

   to be brave and not give up

   You're going to have hard days on this long journey but you've got to keep your chin up and stay positive.

   Origin: From early 1900s sports culture — lifting the chin shows confidence, opposite to a defeated downward gaze.

3. put your foot down · idiom/pʊt jʊr fʊt daʊn/

   to make your decision about something and state it firmly

   My daughter's spending started to get out of control, so I decided to put my foot down.

   Origin: From the 1500s — putting your foot firmly down literally marks a position you refuse to move from.

4. turn a blind eye to something · idiom/tɜrn ə blaɪnd aɪ/

   to ignore something and pretend that you do not know about it

   All these politicians choose to turn a blind eye to all the violence and destruction going on.

   Origin: Attributed to Admiral Nelson at the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen — he held a telescope to his blind eye to ignore orders.

5. keep an eye on something · idiom/kip ən aɪ ɔn/

   to watch or pay attention to something

   Could you keep an eye on my luggage while I go get a cup of coffee?

   Origin: Used in English since the 1300s — refers to maintaining attention with one eye while focusing the other elsewhere.