C1idiomcommunicationIELTS-friendly
lose the thread
USUK
to stop being able to follow what someone is saying
Also 'lose the thread of an argument' or 'pick up the thread' (continue). It can describe the listener or the speaker.
In context
Halfway through the long story, I lost the thread and had to ask him to start again.
If you lose the thread, just ask the speaker to repeat the key point.
More idioms about communication
- a bone of contentiona subject that people keep arguing about
- a broken recordsomeone who keeps repeating the same thing in an annoying way
- a heart-to-heartan honest, private conversation about personal feelings
- a moot pointUK: a question still open to argument. US: a question that no longer matters in practice.
- a red herringa fact or idea that takes attention away from the real issue