'That ship has sailed' and variations on it - is an idiom meaning 'too late' ...... She had wanted to rekindle her relationship with her boyfriend but that ship had already sailed (it was too late) 'Run for the hills' is an idiom - for run to safety ...... Quick, run for the hills (run for safety), before the swarm of bees arrive. 'Make a break for it' is an idiom - to leave quickly ...... I'm going to make a break for it (leave quickly), before the snow really starts falling heavily. 'Devil's advocate' - someone who argues for the bad choice for the sake of a cause or because they know it will start an argument..... Susan was playing the devil's advocate by asking her friend if she liked living in the city, even though she knew she preferred living the in the countryside.

Hi, Mike! It was a very detailed explanation, thanks! I'll write down in my notebooks. :D

Hi, SuKi! Glad to hear your suggestion! Actually I've found these idioms in YouDao online dictionary, but there are too less explanations and examples, it's not enough for me to completely figure them out. If you have any better online dictionary, please tell me then. By the way, I'll definitely take notes afterwards, and make sentences on my own and then write a journal for it. Anyway, thanks for your comment! :D

Hi Kate, 4) devil's advocate: Usually used in the expression 'to play devil's advocate'. You might use this expression in a serious discussion with a friend, but very often you will hear it on an interview program where a journalist is interviewing a politician or other "important person". Usually, the interviewer/journalist agrees with the interviewee's position, but the interviewer may either: 1) want to give the interviewee a "softball question" that he can "hit out of the park" (to make the interviewee look good) or 2) the interviewer may seriously be interested in hearing how the politician can answer a challenging question. The journalist may ask something like: "Mr. Secretary, let me play devil's advocate for a moment, and ask you to respond to the argument of your opponents who say that your proposal will destroy the economy."

I'm sure that lots of people could do this. But that's not the way to learn to use a language. You can find explanations and examples in any good dictionary. If your English is advanced for enough idioms like this, Kate, you should be taking some initiative and responsibility for your own learning. Look in any good dictionary, and find out this information for yourself.Then try to write some examples OF YOUR OWN. The good people of italki will be only to pleased to offer their opinions and corrections.