Idioms

A phrase which takes a figurative meaning and not a literal one

The combination of words in an idiom carries a changed meaning from the literal interpretation.
Complete the idioms with a missing word from the options given. Place a tick next to the figurative definition
for each idiom and complete the sentences with the correct form of a suitable idiom.

silver / on / water / birds / chew / count / go / head /

Idioms Figurative / Literal Information

1 bite off more than you can to take on a commitment that one cannot fulfil
___________ to attempt to eat more than can be bitten and worked down
2 bury your_________ in the to try to avoid dealing with a particular situation by pretending that it doesn’t exist
sand place the upper part of a body underground
3 down/out for the __________ knocked to the ground in a boxing match with the referee counting down from ten
tired; giving up, unable or unwilling to participate any longer
4 every cloud has a __________ each mass of atmospheric vapour contains a grey-white colouring
lining any negative situation can bring an unexpected benefit
5 fish out of ____________ a person put in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable situation
a sea creature on land
6 ___________ back to the start over; devising a new plan after an earlier proposal has failed
drawing board return to a large flat piece of wood on which paper may be spread for artists or
designers to work on
7 hit the nail _________ the hammer a small metal spike
head to pinpoint the exact answer/solution/cause
8 kill two ___________ with to exterminate a couple of winged creatures with a small rock
one stone to accomplish two things with one single effort

1 Everyday he throws bills in a drawer in his desk; he's really _____________________________ in regard to
these financial issues and soon it will lead to his credit history being ruined.
2 It turns out that the repairman _________________________ when he said that the machine had
malfunctioned because of a faulty spark plug, as fixing this problem restored it to its earlier state.
3 I know that you got injured in the accident and you’ve got no money because you spent it all on medical
costs, but ______________________________, at least you’re getting plenty of rest time.
4 After the lack of success of the most recent scheme, the government must _________________________
and review the whole issue of youth training and employment once again.
5 By working two part-time jobs while studying for his master’s degree, John may have
___________________________.
6 Matt had lived in a small town for all of his life, so he was always likely to be a _______________________
once he left to live in the city.
7 There is no need to take the dog for a walk; he’s __________________________ after chasing cats all day.
8 George plans to drop off his laundry when he goes to the supermarket and ___________________________.
under / wolf / air / last / fence / greener / pinch / slap

9 (a) ___________ on the wrist a hit to the joint connecting the hand with the forearm
a mild reprimand when a more severe punishment is deserved
10 sit on the ______________ to not take sides in a dispute or a competition
to rest on a gate
11 throw someone ___________ to propel beneath a large motor vehicle
the bus to avoid blame, trouble, or criticism by allowing someone else to take
responsibility
12 take it with a ___________ of to not believe something completely, or worry about it too much
salt to receive something with a piece of flavouring
13 the grass is not always the things other people have or their situations always look better than your
______________ on the other own, even when they are not really so
side short plant vegetation is more colourful elsewhere
14 the _____________ straw the final problem in a series that causes destruction, collapse or anger
the final dried stalk of grain
15 up in the ______________ suspended in the sky
the situation being planned is still undecided; the outcome is not certain
16 (a) ______________ in a person who hides their sinister agenda by being pleasant
sheep’s clothing a wild canine wearing sheepskin

9 While Sarah was contemplating leaving her job to go and work for a rival company, her friend reminded her
that ________________________________, which made her rethink the situation.
10 Carl always ___________________________ whenever England plays against Holland in Football. This is
because his Father is English and his Mother is Dutch.
11 The children refusing to stop their shouting and screaming in the back of the car was
__________________________ for their mother, who then decided to turn around and go back home.
12 His colleagues all believed Rob to be a kind and warm-hearted person, however they came to think of him
as a ___________________ once they found out he’d been stealing money from them.
13 Many people enjoy reading tabloid newspapers, however some of the information found in such media
should be ______________________, because often journalists write stories which are exaggerated and
sensationalised in order to attract more readers.
14 The fate of the old town shopping centre is still _________________________. Developers are intent on
building a set of new apartment blocks on the land, but many local residents are resisting this by appealing to
the local government to intervene.
15 The mugger robbed someone on the street and all he got was __________________________ - just
thirty days in jail.
16 The main suspect in the case is so worried about receiving an extended prison sentence that he would
___________________________ to avoid it.
Choose which expression featuring an idiom follows on most appropriately from the sentences below.

A ‘Don’t be too depressed about breaking up with your boyfriend.’

B ‘Lack of funding for after school programs discourages students from taking part in extra-curricular
activities.’
C ‘After being caught up in the latest corruption scandal, the mayor will never win an election in this town
again.’
D ‘The banker who was recently convicted of fraud has been ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.’
E ‘Never place any trust in the salespeople in that store.’
F ‘Jack is planning to run a marathon next week, but he hasn’t even done any training for it.’
G ‘Hey, did you ever figure out those plans for what’s going to be happening in the summer?’
H ‘The new tactics and game plan just haven’t worked out at all.'

- ‘It certainly was the last straw as far as I’m concerned.’

- ‘Tell me about it, they’re all wolves in sheep’s clothing in there.’
- ‘You’re right, I think it’s a case of having to go back to the drawing board from here.’
- ‘You’ve hit the nail on the head.’
- ‘No, they’re still up in the air for now. We’ll work it all out later.’
- ‘That’s ridiculous, it’s just a slap on the wrist.’
- ‘Every cloud has a silver lining.’
- ‘Sounds like he may have bitten off more than he can chew.‘

Explain each situation using an appropriate idiom.

- The young child slept soundly throughout the whole night without ever stirring or appearing disturbed in the
slightest.
- Jessica had always wanted to leave her hometown and start a new life in a different environment. ‘It is a
dump, and there’s nothing to do’ she would always tell her parents. However, after going to live in a different
city for university, she began to feel nostalgic about her hometown. Ultimately, she decided to move back after
finishing her studies.
- Whenever Jason does the housework, he likes to listen to English language learning podcasts. This way, his
house gets cleaned, and at the same time his English language skills improve.
- Arlena: ‘Hey! I didn’t want to go to Arnold’s party, so I told him you were too tired to go and that you asked
me to also not go.’
Nyima: ‘Don’t blame me for you not wanting to go! I’m going to go to the party and tell him I have no idea
what you were talking about.’
- Lisa’s grandfather frequently entertains his grandchildren with elaborate stories of events and
incidents that happened in his past, but his memory is not as good as it used to be and some of the details are a
little vague. - Martin was unexpectedly promoted to a management role last month, but it really doesn’t suit
him at all. He just doesn’t have any idea of how to act now that he’s in a position of authority. This is likely
because he’s always been quite a rebellious character.
- Governments of some of the world’s major powers have been accused of not
taking climate change seriously. It is claimed that not only have they ignored the latest research and data on
the issue, but they are also not putting forward policies that can address people’s concerns adequately.
- Two of Peter’s kids were insisting on getting a dog as a family pet,
while his wife and their youngest daughter preferred a cat. His decision would be decisive, but he just couldn’t
make up his mind on which would be better.
Form answers to the questions and include a suitable idiom in your response.

1 Can you think of a time when you felt out of place?

2 Can you describe a time when someone completed two tasks with a single effort?
3 What is an example of a situation where you feel someone ignored important information and failed to
address a problem effectively?
4 What is an occasion when someone avoided blame by passing on the responsibility to others?
5 Can you think of any sources of information that people should not fully believe most of the time?
6 Is there a topical or controversial issue that you try to avoid taking a strong position on either way?
7 What is an example of someone or something that has been thoroughly defeated or ruined?
8 Have you ever strongly desired to change something, but upon doing so found the results disappointing?

9 Who is someone that was given a slap on the wrist despite committing a serious offence?
10 Have you ever been in a situation where you had bitten off more than you could chew?
11 What was the last straw in causing you to lose your cool once?
12 Do you know of anyone who could be described as a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
13 What is an example of a time when you had to go back to the drawing board?
14 Is there anything that is up in the air for you currently?
15 When was the last time you hit the nail on the head while discussing a particular topic?
16 Can you describe a situation which could illustrate every cloud having a silver lining?

Describe an idiom for your own language by completing the details below
Idiom in native language: __________________________________________________________________
Literal translation: ________________________________________________________________________
Figurative definition / explanation: __________________________________________________________
Example sentence:_________________________________________________________________________
Animals
Big fish in a small pond / Cat got your tongue / Cry wolf / Keep the wolf from the door / Like water of a duck’s back
/ Lion’s share / No spring chicken / Open a can of worms / Put the cat among the pigeons / Sacred cow /

Colours
Be beaten black and blue / Be caught red handed / Black sheep / Blue-eyed boy / Feel blue /
Golden opportunity / Green light / Green with envy / Green-eyed monster / Red flag / Whiter than white

Death
Another nail in the coffin / Be dead to the world / At death’s door / Dance on someone’s grave / Dead meat /
Dead wood / Kiss of death / Over my dead body /

Food and Drink

A couch potato /A different kettle of fish / A hard nut to crack / A hot potato / A piece of cake / A raw deal / Bad
apple / Bring home the bacon / Butter someone up / Cool as a cucumber / Don’t cry over spilt milk / Easy as pie /
Gravy train / Have your cake and eat it too / Not my cup of tea / On the grapevine / Put all your eggs in one basket /
Sell like hot cakes / Spice things up / Sour grapes / The apple of my eye / The icing on top of the cake / Too much
on your plate

Money
Big bucks / Blank cheque / Cash in your chips / Cost an arm and a leg / Cut your losses / Daylight robbery / Foot the
bill / From rags to riches / Go bust / Golden handshake / Have-nots / Made of money / Made a killing / Make ends
meet / Money to burn / Pick up the tab /

Nature
A breath of fresh air / Add fuel to the fire / Calm before the storm / Come under fire /
Make a mountain out of a molehill / Make waves / Rise and shine / Under a cloud /

Parts of the Body

Achilles heel / All in the head / Armed to the teeth / At each others’ throats / Bad blood /
Behind someone’s back / Bend the knee / Blood, sweat and tears / Bite the hand that feeds you /
Blow your mind / Bone to pick / Break your leg / Broken heart / Get on my nerves / Get something off your chest /
Get your hands dirty / Hold your tongue / In the flesh / Iron fist / Itchy feet / Keep a straight face / Kick in the teeth /
Knee jerk reaction / Let your hair down / Lip service / Loose lips, sink ships / Lose face / Mind over matter / My
hands are tied / Neck of the woods / Off the top of your head / On the tip of your tongue / On your toes / Out of
hand / Play it by ear / Point the finger / Put on a brave face / Put your foot down / Put your money where your
mouth is / Safe pair of hands / Save face / Slap on the wrist / Slip through your fingers / Step on someone’s toes /
Stick your neck out / Thick skinned / Tongue-in cheek / Upper hand / Watch your back / Word of mouth /

Sport
A dark horse / Ahead of the pack / Back the wrong horse / Beat someone at their own game /
Call someone’s bluff / Call the shots / Down for the count / Down to the wire / Early bath /
Fall at the first hurdle / Front runner / Get a head start / Give it your best shot / Go to bat for someone /
Go down without a fight / Hat-trick / Hold all the aces / Home stretch / Hook, line and sinker / Jump the gun / Keep
your eye on the ball / Learn the ropes / Major leagues / On the ball / On the ropes /
Out of someone’s league / Poker face / Pull no punches / Right out of the blocks / Saved by the bell /
Stay the course / Step up to the plate / Take it on the chin / Take your eye off the ball / The ball is in your court /
Three strikes and you’re out / Throw in the towel / Under the table / When the chips are down /

Time
Any time now / Call it a day / It’s about time / Moment in the sun / Race against time / Turn back the clock / Up to
date / Work against the clock /
Idiom

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Idiom

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Idiom

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Idiom

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