Example
“At lunch, Professor Ali held court with stories from his fieldwork.”
Dictionary details
Tags
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
hold the line
CEFR B2to maintain a position, decision, or principle despite pressure
take the piss
CEFR B2to mock someone, often through teasing or sarcasm
bad news
CEFR A2an unpleasant piece of information; (informal) a person or thing likely to cause trouble
so far so good
CEFR A2used to say that things have gone well up to now
break the ice
CEFR B1To do or say something that eases tension and gets people talking comfortably in an unfamiliar social situation.
circle back
CEFR B1to return to a topic or person later, after other things have happened
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.