idioms expression:

Lightning does not strike twice.
something that you say which means that a bad thing will not happen to the same person twice
I know the crash has scared you, but lightning doesn't strike twice.

Look before you leap.
something that you say in order to advise someone to think about possible problems before doing something
If you're thinking of buying a house, my advice is, look before you leap.

fan the flames. [usually + of]
to cause anger or other bad feelings to increase
to make someone feel an emotion more strongly:
His speeches fanned the flames of racial tension
• Comments like that will only fan the flames of distrust and fear.

shed/weep crocodile tears
to show sadness that is not sincere
to pretend you feel sad, sorry, or upset
Some stories say that crocodiles cry while they are eating what they have attacked.
Political leaders shed crocodile tears while allowing the war to continue.


let sleeping dogs lie
to not talk about things which have caused problems in the past, or to not try to change a situation because that you do not cause any problems
• The best plan is just to let sleeping dogs lie.
His parents never referred to the shoplifting incident again. I suppose they thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie.
It wasn't that we didn't want to improve the school - it was more a case of letting sleeping dogs lie.

pull the strings
to be in control of an organization, often secretly
to control something or someone, especially when you are not the person who is supposed to be controlling it:
• Who is really pulling the strings at the White House?
I'd really like to know who's pulling the strings in that organization, because it's not the elected committee.
pull strings
to secretly use the influence that you have over important people in order to get something or to help someone
I may be able to pull a few strings for you if you need the document urgently.
How long is a piece of string? British & Australian
something that you say when someone asks you a question that you cannot answer about how big something is or how much time something will take
'So how long does a project like that take?' 'How long's a piece of string?'

string along phrasal verb INFORMAL
[T] to deceive someone for a long time by making them believe that you will help them, that you love them etc.:
• He's never going to marry you - he's just stringing you along.

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

something that you say which means that only stupid people will work for you if you do not pay very much
'This company is full of incompetents!' 'Well, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.'


like a bat out of hell
INFORMAL very fast:
. if you go somewhere like a bat out of hell, you go very fast
He ran out of the building like a bat out of hell.
• I drove like a bat out of hell to the hospital