Significato: Achilles heel

tallone di Achille, punto debole, punto vulnerabile

heel Idioma

a big wheel

a person with power, a big shot Bing has been acting like a big wheel since he got promoted.

a fifth wheel

a useless object, an unnecessary device The team already had two guards, so I felt like a fifth wheel.

Achilles' heel

a weakness, a vulnerable place Jewelry is my Achilles' heel. I buy too much jewelry.

as useless as a fifth wheel

not useful, not needed, redundant, (four wheels are sufficient) I sat there watching the four of them play bridge, and feeling as useless as a fifth wheel.

at the wheel

driving a car, steering a car or truck Who was at the wheel when the car went off the road?

big gun/cheese/wheel/wig

an important person, a leader The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but is not so important now.

big wheel

(See a big wheel)

cool your heels

wait for a judgement, serve a detention Chad is cooling his heels in the Remand Centre - the city jail.

dig in their heels

hold their position, not yield or move "If we discuss money, he digs in his heels. ""No raises,"" he says."

drag one's heels

act slowly or reluctantly The government has been dragging their heels in talks with the union about their new contract.

fifth wheel

(See a fifth wheel)

head over heels

in love with, crazy about Lan's head over heals for Chan. She's crazy about him.

hell-on-wheels

a short-tempered, nagging or crabby person She is hell-on-wheels in the morning so you should be careful of her.

hot on your heels

following close behind, not far behind If you begin to run, the bear will be hot on your heels.

kick up your heels

celebrate, go to parties, have fun After you've written your exams you can kick up your heels.

on the heels

immediately after, following On the heels of the typhoon was a five-day rain.

put your shoulder to the wheel

begin to work If you want a share of the profits, put your shoulder to the wheel.

set of wheels

vehicle, car, truck, wheels The Ford needs a lot of repairs. I need a new set of wheels.

shoulder to the wheel

(See put your shoulder to the wheel)

spin your wheels

waste effort, not progress If you don't have a career goal you'll just spin your wheels.

the squeaky wheel gets the grease

the person who complains loudest gets service Our clerks put up this sign: The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

the wheels fall off

it breaks, it fails, fall apart When the coach is away, our team loses. The wheels fall off!

to heel

under control The army brought the citizens to heel when they entered the town.

useless as a fifth wheel

(See as useless as a fifth wheel)

well heeled

wealthy, rich, well off The Clarks were well heeled, wealthy enough to hire servants.

wheeler-dealer

a person who is good at making sales and deals, a wheeler-dealer Cliff is a wheeler-dealer in the energy industry. He brings buyers and sellers together.

wheels

vehicle (car, truck etc.), set of wheels Jeff, can I borrow your wheels? My sister needs a ride to the mall.

wheels fall off

(See the wheels fall off)

three-wheel motion

ride upon three wheels with a low rider car. You can see it in videos for "Ain't nuthin but a G thang" and Today was a good day" [1993]. One of the back corners of the car is really close to the ground and the opposite corner is picked up off the road

wheels of steel

turntables

at sb's heels

near；following closely紧跟在…后面
He kept at my heels．他紧紧跟着我。
Famine often follows at the heels of war．战争之后常常跟着饥荒。

kick up one's heels

have a merry time； celebrate欢欣鼓舞；庆祝
When exams were over， the students went to town to kick up their heels．考试结束后，学生们进城去欢庆了一番。
The children kicked up their heels as soon as they were let out of school．孩子们一放学就高兴得手舞足蹈。

on sb's heels

following closely紧随
Little children like to follow on the heels of their elder brothers and sisters．小孩喜欢跟他们的哥哥姐姐学。

take to one's heels

begin to run or run away逃走
The criminal took to his heels but was soon caught by the police．罪犯逃跑了，但很快就被警察抓了起来。

wheel and deal

Idiom(s): wheel and deal

Theme: BARGAIN

to take part in clever but sometimes dishonest or immoral business deals. (Fixed order.)
• John loves to wheel and deal in the money markets.
• Jack got tired of all the wheeling and dealing of big business and retired to run a pub in the country.

well-heeled

Idiom(s): well-heeled AND well-fixed; well-off

Theme: WEALTH

wealthy; with sufficient money.
• My uncle can afford a new car. He's well-heeled.
• Everyone in his family is well-off.

spin one's wheels

Idiom(s): spin one's wheels

Theme: WASTE - EFFORT

to be in motion, but get nowhere. (Slang.)
• This is a terrible job. I'm just spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.
• Get organized and try to accomplish something. Stop spinning your wheels!

set one back on one's heels

Idiom(s): set one back on one's heels

Theme: SURPRISE

to surprise, shock, or overwhelm someone.
• Her sudden announcement set us all back on our heels.
• The manager scolded me, and that really set me back on my heels.

put one's shoulder to the wheel

Idiom(s): put one's shoulder to the wheel

Theme: EFFORT

to get busy.
• You won't accomplish anything unless you put your shoulder to the wheel.
• I put my shoulder to the wheel and finished the job quickly.

on the heels of

Idiom(s): on the heels of sth

Theme: PROXIMITY

soon after something. (Informal.)
• There was a rainstorm on the heels of the windstorm.
• The team held a victory celebration on the heels of their winning season.

head over heels in love

Idiom(s): head over heels in love (with sb)

Theme: LOVE

very much in love with someone. (Fixed order.)
• John is head over heels in love with Mary.
• They are head over heels in love with each other.
• They are head over heels in love.

head over heels in debt

Idiom(s): head over heels in debt

Theme: COMMERCE - DEBT

deeply in debt. (Fixed order.)
• Finally, when she was head over heels in debt, she tore up her credit cards.
• I couldn’t stand being head over heels in debt, so I always pay off my bills immediately.

hard on one's heels

Idiom(s): hard on one's heels

Theme: PROXIMITY

following someone very closely; following very closely to someone's heels. (Informal.)
• I ran as fast as I could, but the dog was still hard on my heels.
• Here comes Sally, and John is hard on her heels.

fall head over heels in love

Idiom(s): fall head over heels in love (with sb)

Theme: LOVE

to fall deeply in love with someone, perhaps suddenly.
• Roger fell head over heels in love with Maggie, and they were married within the month.
• Very few people actually fall head over heels in love with each other.
• She fell head over heels in love and thought she was dreaming.

fall head over heels

Idiom(s): fall head over heels

Theme: FALLING

to fall down, perhaps turning over or rolling.
• Fred tripped on the rug and fell head over heels into the center of the room.
• Slow down or you will fall down—head over heels.

down-at-the-heels

Idiom(s): down-at-the-heels

Theme: POORNESS

shabby; poorly dressed. (Refers to shoes that are worn down at the heels.)
• The hobo was really down-at-the-heels.
• Tom's house needs paint. It looks down-at-the-heels.

dig one's heels in

Idiom(s): dig one's heels in

Theme: STUBBORNNESS

to refuse to alter one's course of action or opinions; to be obstinate or determined.
• The student dug her heels in and refused to obey the instructions.
• I'm digging in my heels. I'm not going back.

cool one's heels

Idiom(s): cool one's heels

Theme: WAITING

to wait (for someone). (Informal.)
• I spent all afternoon cooling my heels in the waiting room while the doctor talked on the telephone.
• All right. If you can't behave properly, just sit down here and cool your heels until I call you.

Asleep at the wheel

If someone is asleep at the wheel, they are not doing their job or taking their responsibilities very carefully. 'Asleep at the switch' is an alternative.

Bring someone to heel

If you bring someone to heel, you make them obey you.('Call someone to heel' is also used.)