come under fire	be sharply criticised
foot the bill	pay for sth
count the cost	suffer the consequences of some foolish action
on the other hand	however
break the bank	leave sb withou money
a drop in the ocean	a very small amount compared to what is needed
toe the line	obey rules
go up in smoke	result in failure
pay lip-service	voice agreement on sth without actually supporting it
a step in the right direction	positive action, step towards solution
a breath of fresh air	sth refresingly new and different
put sb on the spot	put sb in a difficult situation
bring to light	make known
a clean bill of health	statement tha sth/sb is in good condition
a clean as a whistle	very clean
a rude awakening	sudden understanding of sth unpleasant
burn to a crisp	burn sth completely
pitch-black	very dark/black
bury one's head in the sand	ignore trouble by pretending it doesn't exist
at loggerheads (with sb)	in strong disagreement