Summary
Highlights
This idiom means to increase the standards of something. For instance, luxury car manufacturers raise the bar annually on their new cars' qualities. Another example is a restaurant that improves its food quality to achieve better success.
This idiom refers to trying to understand someone's unexpressed feelings or implied meanings. For example, inferring from a boss's reaction that they disliked an idea, or sensing a friend's unhappiness with a new job from the tone of their letter, even if not explicitly stated.
This idiom means to avoid criticism by blaming someone else for something. An illustration is a manager who blames employees for departmental issues instead of taking responsibility, or a team member who blames others for their own mistakes on a project.
This idiom signifies succeeding with the first step towards a goal. An example is someone working hard to enter the publishing industry, or an individual securing an internship at a company as the initial step towards a full-time position.
This idiom describes something unlikely to happen. For example, many people dreaming of early retirement find it to be a pipe dream, or someone realizing that their childhood aspiration of becoming an astronaut might not be achievable.