a bee in one's bonnet | A person who has a bee in their bonnet has an idea which |
constantly occupies their thoughts. |
"She's got a bee in her bonnet about moving to New York!" |
A figment of one's imagination | To refer to something as a figment of one's imagination |
means that an appearance, event or incident is not |
considered to be real but is only imaginary. |
"Other people saw the car, so it's not a figment of Tom's |
imagination!" |
A flight of fancy | To refer to an idea or plan as a flight of fancy means that it is |
very imaginative but not at all practical or sensible. |
"He often comes up with good ideas but his latest proposal is just |
a flight of fancy!" |
Light bulb moment | A light bulb moment is when you have a sudden moment of |
inspiration, comprehension or realization. |
"Harry had a light-bulb moment when he finally realized what was |
blocking the mechanism." |
All in your head | If something is all in your head, it is not real. It is in your imagination. |
"Don't be silly. Nobody is trying to harm you. It's all in hour head!" |
A mind of your own | If you have a mind of your own, you are capable of forming an |
opinion and making decisions without being influenced by others. |
"That boy doesn't need any advice; he's got a mind of his own." |
Never mind | When you say "never mind" to someone, you are telling them not |
to worry, that it is not important. |
"When the child broke the cup Susan said : "never mind - it was |
an old cup." |
One-track mind | If you have a one-track mind, you have a tendency to think |
about only one subject. |
"That boy has got a one-track mind; all he thinks about is |
football!" |
Take your mind off (something) | If an activity takes your mind off something that you are worrying |
about, it helps you to stop thinking about it for a while. |
"Sarah was worried about the result of the test so Tom took her to |
the cinema to take her mind off it." |
Take the words out of | If you say exactly what someone else was going to say, |
somebody's mouth | you take the words out of their mouth. |
| " I think so too. You took the words out of my mouth." |
Think again | If you tell someone to think again, you advise them to |
reconsider the situation and perhaps change their decision. |
"Your apartment is so well located; you should think again |
before selling it. ' |
Think outside the box/ | People who think outside the box try to find innovative ideas |
think out of the box | or solutions. |
| "Our competitors are more creative than us - they really think |
| outside the box. |
A penny for your thoughts | This phrase is used to ask someone what they are thinking |
about. |
"You look pensive. A penny for your thoughts." |
Perish the thought | This expression is used when the speaker really hopes that |
something will not happen. |
"If I lost my job, perish the thought, I don't know how we'd |
survive." |
Train of thought | A sequence of connected ideas is called a train of thought. |
"I was considering the different options when the noise outside |
broke my train of thought." |
Shot in the dark | To refer to a question or statement as a shot in the dark |
means that it is a complete guess, but at the same time it |
might be close to the truth. |
"He didn't know which players had been selected, so mentioning |
Carter's name was just a shot in the dark." |
Voice in the wilderness | If you are the only person expressing a warning or an opinion on a matter |
which is ignored by most others, you are a voice in the wilderness. |
"For many years she was a voice in the wilderness protesting against |
child labour." |
