23 Idioms & idiomatic expressions

IDIOMS

I. Find idioms that could be used in place of the italicised phrases.

a) beat about the bush f) let bygones be bygones

b) build castles in the air g) make the grade
c) chew the fat h) paint the town red
d) flog a dead horse i) shake a leg
e) hold water j) sign on the dotted line

1. We should forget about the quarrels and forgive each other. …………..
2. Stop wasting your time talking about the matters that cannot be settled the way you would like it. …………..
3. All you have to do is to commit yourself to the rules unconditionally. …………..
4. She tends to make plans that can never be fulfilled. …………..
5. The boy’s excuses don’t sound true. …………..
6. We’ve passed our exams. Tonight, we’re going to celebrate it. …………..
7. Get to the point now. You’ve been talking about some unrelated matters for too long. …………..
8. Hurry up! We don’t want to miss the plane, do we? …………..
9. We were sitting all night talking about this and that and drinking wine. …………..
10. All the students in the class achieved the required level of knowledge and were complimented on by their
teachers. …………..

II. Complete the sentences using the appropriate idioms.

a) cook the books f) overstep the mark

b) do bird g) pay lip service
c) feel the pinch h) pop the question
d) get cold feet i) pull a long face
e) get blood out of stone j) right the wrongs

1. Now, you have ………………………. with your foolish behaviour. You’re not going to get away with it this time.
2. ‘Have you heard Dick is …………………….. again?’ ‘What for? What offence did he commit this time?’
3. When it got dark, we all …………………….. . It was so scary in the forest.
4. It wasn’t until all the money that he had inherited had run out that he started to ………………………….. .
5. Robbie ………………….. when his parents told him they couldn’t afford to go on a seaside holiday that summer.
6. You shouldn’t trust her. She will ………………………….. to you but when it comes to the crunch she will do
nothing to support you.
7. The accountant has been fired for …………………………….. . His wrongdoing has put the company in a really bad
position.
8. Asking Tony for a loan is like ……………………….. . He’ll make up dozens of excuses so as to avoid lending you
even a penny.
9. There’s a lot to be done to ………………………….. that have been done to all the suffering people in this world.
10. ‘I’ve heard Gary has ……………………….. and has been accepted by Lucy.’ ‘That’s great. Has the date of their
wedding been fixed yet?’

III. Choose the appropriate verbs to complete the idioms.

bear break call clutch follow

pour rack split square sweat

1. Trying to convince the management to change their policy is like ………………. the circle. They invariably ignore
any suggestions from the Trade Unions.
2. David maintains that he can run the distance of one hundred metres in less than ten seconds. I’m going to
……………….. his bluff to check whether it’s true.
3. The amount you’ve been arguing about is not worth the squabble. Stop ……………….. hairs and get down to
solving the real problems.
4. With their pioneering attempt at growing human parts in the laboratory, the team of the researchers
……………….. new ground in biotechnology.
5. When their favourite player dyed his hair red, the most eager supporters of the team ……………….. suit.
6. It seems to me Bob still ……………….. a grudge against me. He won’t speak to me and hangs up on me
whenever I try to talk to him on the phone.
7. Jenny ……………….. her brains but could not remember which magazine she had seen the advertisement in.
8. ‘I’ve heard the factory owners are selling out all their assets to pay their debts and save the company from
collapsing.’ ‘That’s true. They are ……………….. at straws, in fact.’
9. A feverish argument broke out between the leaders of the two opposing parties, but the prime minister
managed to ……………….. oil on troubled waters.
10. It’s been a very difficult assignment. I’ve really ……………….. blood over it, but I have succeeded in completing
it.

IV. Choose the appropriate nouns to complete the idioms.

axe bay bell brick chest edgeways holes socks stone weight

1. Mandy is a real chatterbox. When she starts speaking, you can hardly get a word in ……….. .
2. So far, you haven’t been playing too well. It’s about time you pulled your ……….. up and tried to score a goal.
3. Miss Jones is just a secretary. Her judgements and remarks don’t carry much ………….., so you can ignore
them.
4. Hiding your worries and anxieties makes you feel more depressed. Why not get them off your ………..?
5. The deputy must have had a(n) ………….. to grind judging by his active support that he offered to the
investment project.
6. Why do you always pick ………….. in my reasoning? If you think your conclusions are always correct, then
you’re wrong.
7. A number of very good decisions taken by the former government helped to hold unemployment and
financial worries at ………….. . But, now everything’s changed for worse.
8. ‘If I say that my full name is Edward Binkley, does that ring the …………..?’ ‘Frankly, not. I’m sorry but I don’t
think I have ever met you before.’
9. Suddenly I realized I had dropped a ………….. by asking Mrs Hobson about her son’s name. I had no idea that
the young man by her side was her husband.
10. The investigators say they have left no ………….. unturned but are nowhere near finding those guilty of the
fraud.

V. Match the idioms with the phrases describing the exact actions.

1. He has put up the shutters. ………………..

2. He has let the cat out of the bag. ………………..
3. He has drawn a blank. ………………..
4. He has feathered his nest. ………………..
5. He has cut his losses. ………………..
6. He has hit the roof. ………………..
7. He has got the chop. ………………..
8. He has jumped the gun. ………………..
9. He has carried coals to Newcastle. ………………..
10. He has turned over a new leaf. ………………..

a. … failed to obtain what he has been striving for.

b. … turned very angry.
c. … brought something of which there is enough.
d. … given up participation in an unprofitable activity.
e. … closed the business.
f. … started doing something before the set time.
g. … gained riches in a dishonest way.
h. … started behaving better.
i. … revealed a secret.
j. … been fired from work.

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

VI. Fill the gaps with the appropriate adjectives.

burning crashing cutting flying going hopping roaring tearing teething working

1. Get out of my way! I’m in a ……………….. hurry.

2. Ron can express himself directly. He has the ……………….. edge
3. This store is a ……………….. concern. It brings huge profits to its owners.
4. The boss was ……………….. mad, so I preferred not to mention the question of my rise.
5. When we get through the ……………….. troubles, things will start going better, I promise. It’s always the same
at the beginning.
6. Our daughter has passed her examinations with ……………….. colours. We’re so proud of her.
7. What’s the ……………….. issue, Mike? Why do you want to see me so badly?
8. The furniture manufacturer is doing a ……………….. trade. His products sell really well.
9. Mr Harris has worked in the assembly department for over twenty years, so he has enough ………………..
knowledge to train the apprentices.
10. This play was a ……………….. bore. I almost fell asleep during it.

VII. Fill the gaps with the appropriate adjectives.

extenuating fighting flying going nodding

rolling saving shooting sitting spitting

1. a ………………….. image - someone looking exactly the same as someone else,

2. ………………….. circumstances - circumstances providing an excuse,

3. a ………………….. grace - the one good feature that makes something acceptable,

4. a ………………….. stone - someone travelling from place to place and having no

permanent address,
5. a ………………….. duck - someone who is easy to attack or deceive
6. ………………….. pains - sudden, sharp pains all over the body,
7. a ………………….. chance - a small but real chance requiring much effort,

8. a ………………….. acquaintance - a superficial familiarity with someone or something,

9. a ………………….. rate - the current rate of selling,

10. a ………………….. visit - a very short visit,

VIII. Combine the words into correct phrases and put them in the gaps.

jet last night razor vicious + cap circle edge set straw

1. If you can’t get to sleep, I advise you to have a ………………. ………………. before going to bed. I always take one
of whiskey on the rocks.
2. After becoming a successful entrepreneur, Adam Clark was accepted by the ………………. ………………. . Now,
he’s a friend of the President himself.
3. Due to huge financial losses the company has found itself on a ………………. ………………. . It’s quite likely to
collapse.
4. We’re caught in a ………………. ………………. . Whenever we want to introduce changes, our suggestions are not
taken into consideration. And then we’re blamed for not doing enough. It’s a hopeless situation.
5. We had caught our landlord reading our mail a few times. We also knew he entered our rooms while we
were out. But his stealing our food and money was the ………………. ………………. . We decided to move out.
 blind dab Hobson’s home rough + choice diamond hand spot truth

6. The troops couldn’t do anything else but to march forward. It was a ………………. ………………. .
7. Whenever we mention the question of perks, the boss pretends to have a ………………. ………………. . He claims
he doesn’t understand what we mean.
8. You may think Leo is rather coarse, but in fact he is a ………………. ………………. . Only when you get to know
him better, will you find out how nice and friendly he is.
9. I don’t know much about building boats. My brother, Simon, is a ………………. ………………. at it. He’s built
quite a few of them in his life.
10. It‘s a ………………. ………………. that you are a kleptomaniac. You can’t deny it any longer and you need to get a
therapy.

IX. Complete the sentences using the appropriate phrases.

cleft stick close shave dead wood French leave lame duck latchkey child red tape strong suit
trump card wrong foot

1. Robert is a ……………………………… . His parents often leave him alone at home.

2. I put on the brakes and swerved to the right to avoid crashing into the car in front of me. Luckily, nothing
happened, but it was a ……………………………… .
3. Charles can’t deal with delicate matters in a tactful way. Diplomacy has never been his …………………………… .
4. The two guards who took a ……………………………… at night leaving the gates unprotected later explained they
didn’t intend to desert from the army.
5. Our situation is rather complicated. We’re caught in a ……………………………. and there’s very little we can do
about it.
6. Mr Adams has a great fortune and very influential friends. It’s him who holds the …………………… in the trial.
We stand no chance of winning the case.
7. You should have disposed of all this decrepit machinery a long time ago. Why keep such
……………………………… if you can’t make any use of it?
8. The reporter caught the minister on the ……………………………… . The official was unable to answer any of the
journalist’s questions directly.
9. It’s this horrible ……………………………… that delays the proceedings in the immigration office. There are
dozens of forms that you have to fill in and as many questions that you have to answer before your visa application
is accepted.
10. It seems to me Christine is a little bit of a ……………………………… . She never knows how to deal with things
and her actions are rather awkward.