more or less: approximately, almost; somewhat, to a certain degree
a bone of contention: something which people argue and disagree over.Examples: Medicaid costs have long been a bone of contention between counties and the state. How climate change will affect hurricanes has long been a bone of contention.
to take advantage of: to use well, to profit from; to use another person’sweaknesses to gain what one wants Examples of TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF It’s not right to take advantage of people who aren’t as clever as you. The cab driver knew I was new to the city and so he tried to take…
fifty-fifty: divided into two equal parts Examples of FIFTY-FIFTY We’ve got, I’d say, a better than fifty-fifty chance of winning the game. The odds are the same for a heads or a tails to come up, they’re fifty-fifty.
to let up: to slacken, to lessen in intensity; to relax or ease one’s effort (also: related idiom: to take it easy) Examples of TO LET UP When Evie is working, she never lets up for a moment. Despite recent storms, the pain is not expected to let up anytime soon.
as soon as: just after, when Examples of AS SOON AS Terry burnt his mouth by taking a bite of the pizza as soon as it was out of the oven, rather than waiting for it to cool. We tried to avoid the line by getting to the aquarium as soon as it opened.
in time to: before the time necessary to do something Examples of IN TIME TO He had good position but had not turned his head in time to see the ball arrive. Officers went to the hospital, but did not arrive in time to talk to the victim.