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Idioms WorksheetWJ1PD

The document provides a collection of idioms related to various emotions, including happiness, anger, surprise, sadness, and excitement, along with their meanings and examples. Each section highlights idioms that convey specific feelings, such as 'on cloud nine' for happiness and 'down in the dumps' for sadness. The document emphasizes the figurative nature of idioms, enhancing the expressiveness of the language.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
27 views6 pages

Idioms WorksheetWJ1PD

The document provides a collection of idioms related to various emotions, including happiness, anger, surprise, sadness, and excitement, along with their meanings and examples. Each section highlights idioms that convey specific feelings, such as 'on cloud nine' for happiness and 'down in the dumps' for sadness. The document emphasizes the figurative nature of idioms, enhancing the expressiveness of the language.

Uploaded by

newbegining2424
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Writing Diary

Idioms about happiness:


1. On cloud nine
Expressions with similar meaning in English are “in seventh heaven” and “on top of the world.”
Examples:
I’ve had such a wonderful and relaxing holiday. I feel like I’m on top of the world!
Oh, I just got promoted, and I’m on cloud nine.
2. Like a dog with two tails

Dogs express happiness by wagging their tails. This is probably where the expression “like a dog with two tails”
came from.
Examples:
I just got a new bike, and I feel like a dog with two tails.
I finally passed my driving test. I’m as happy as a dog with two tails!
3. Full of the joys of spring
This idiom is good for expressing delight, joy, energy, and enthusiasm.
Example:
I feel full of the joys of spring because I’ve started dating this new guy.
4. Happy camper
This is said about a person who is completely satisfied with his life or with a certain situation in life. Everything
is fine with him, he never complains, and he simply enjoys life. If the word “not” is added, it has the opposite
meaning.
Example:
My friend just got a new job and also bought a new car. He is such a happy camper at the moment.
5. Over the moon
This is another great idiom that means the same thing as the expression “on cloud nine.”
In other words, you are ecstatically happy about something. You simply feel wonderful.
Examples:
She bought a new house, so she is over the moon now.
This school football team won two championships. They are over the moon!

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6. Paint the town red
This is today’s last idiom that can be used to describe happiness.
The color red is bright and can be associated with happiness.

This idiom is used when a person is very happy and is going to go celebrate something with friends or relatives,
or going out to a bar, club, or party to have a good time.
Example:
We are all going to paint the town red tonight.
Anger Idioms:
1. Get to somebody
This phrasal verb in English means “to upset, bother, or exasperate someone, or affect in some negative way.”
For example:
The heat was beginning to get to me so I went indoors.
2. Wind somebody up
The second phrasal verb on our list means “to make someone irritated, annoyed or angry.”
For example:
Our politicians wind me up.
He always knows how to wind me up.
3. Piss somebody off
You are probably familiar with this informal expression. It is heard fairly often in movies and TV shows,
especially those intended for a young audience. The phrasal verb “piss off” means “to make angry; irritate.”
For example:
His behaviour pisses me off.
She never does any washing up, and it’s starting to piss me off.
4. Work somebody up

This phrasal verb, work somebody up, means “to make someone angry or upset.” When said in regard to
oneself, it means “to become inordinately worried about something.”
For example:
Try not to work yourself up on the exams.
My brother works me up. He knows how to make me angry.

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5. Tick somebody off
This phrasal verb means “to annoy; to make angry.”
For example:
The teacher ticks me off.
Mary ticks me off when she’s trying to make everything perfect.
6. Blow up
This phrasal verb means “to have a sudden, sharp burst of anger.” It usually involves yelling angrily at someone.
For example:
When I see them together, I could just blow up.
My dad blew up when he saw the bill.
7. Freak out
This is another popular expression, which you have probably heard. It means “to be angry, surprised, excited,
or frightened to the point that you have difficulty controlling yourself.”
Yesterday my teacher freaked me out.
It’s really freaking me out!
My parents will freak out if we leave home.
8. Lash out at somebody

Sometimes a person becomes so upset, he angrily yells at someone. This is the basic meaning of our eighth
phrasal verb. Although “lashing out” is usually limited to angry words, it can also mean to attack a person
physically.
For example:
She lashed out at me last night.
Megan was jealous and angry, so she lashed out at you.
Being surprised idioms:
1. Blow Someone’s Mind
The phrase is used to express astonishment or greatly surprise someone.
Example: The magician’s tricks blew everyone’s mind during the show.
2. Knock Someone’s Socks Off
The idiom is used to amaze or impress someone to the point of astonishment.
Example: The new restaurant’s food quality and service knocked our socks off.

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3. Take Someone Aback
To catch someone off guard or surprise them unexpectedly.
Example: The sudden resignation of the CEO took the entire company aback.
4. Out of The Blue
Out of the blue phrase is used when something happens suddenly and unexpectedly.
Example: She received a job offer out of the blue from a company she hadn’t applied to.
5. Drop a Bombshell
Drop a bombshell means to reveal shocking or surprising news or information.
Example: The CEO dropped a bombshell during the meeting, announcing a major restructuring.
6. In the Blink of an Eye
In the blink of an eye can be used when something happens very quickly or suddenly
Example: The car accident happened in the blink of an eye, and nobody saw it coming.
7. Rip the Rug Out from Under Someone
To suddenly surprise or shock someone by taking away support or stability.
Example: The company’s decision to close down the department ripped the rug out from under many
employees.
8. Dumbfounded
The idiom means to leave someone speechless or unable to respond due to shock or surprise.
Example: The astonishing magic trick left the audience dumbfounded.
Remember, idioms are expressions that convey figurative meaning and are not meant to be taken literally.
They add colour and vividness to our language, making it more expressive and fun to use.
Sadness Idioms:
1. Down in the mouth
The first idiom on our list that expresses sadness means to look unhappy. It comes from the fact that the
corners of the mouth are usually turned down when a person is sad. This idiom is never used to describe
oneself. It is always used to describe another person.
Example:
She seems to be down in the mouth. Maybe she failed her exams.
2. Down in the dumps
This idiom, in contrast to the previous one, is not used so much to describe a person’s appearance, but rather a
person’s mood or the way they feel.
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Example:
Nina seems to be down in the dumps because she broke up with her boyfriend recently.
3. Reduce to tears
This idiom means to make someone cry or to be so unhappy, and down that, you begin to cry.
Example:
My boss reduced me to tears with his constant criticism today.
4. Lump in your throat
Usually, when we watch an emotional movie (for example a drama like Titanic), we get a feeling in our throat
that means we are about to cry. We are upset, sad, and we worry about the main characters of the film.
Example:
His speech was so emotional that I lumped my throat.
5. Feeling blue/to have the blues

I’m sure you’ve encountered this phrase in songs, films etc. The colour blue is associated with depression, a bad
mood, and sadness. That’s where this phrase comes from. We can use the phrase feeling blue when talking
about ourselves or others, but the phrase have the blues is usually used to speak about others.
Examples:
She has the blues today.
I was feeling blue yesterday.
6. Face like a wet weekend
This expression is British slang. It may come from a situation where a person wants to relax, do something
outdoors, or get some fresh air on the weekend but can’t because the weather leaves much to be desired – it’s
overcast, cold, or continuously raining, and this makes the person sad or depressed.
Example
Billy, your face is like a wet weekend. What’s wrong?
Excitement Idioms:
1. Ants in your pants
Meaning: to be so excited or impatient about something that you are unable to stay still
Example: Jamie has had ants in his pants ever since we bought tickets to the music festival.
2. Bounce off the walls
Meaning: to be so full of energy or so excited that you cannot keep still
Example: The children were bouncing off the walls as they made their way to Disneyland.
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3. Cause a stir
Meaning: to cause a bit of a commotion and create an atmosphere of excitement or great interest
Example: The arrival of the band Arctic Monkeys caused quite a stir in the audience.
4. Eager beaver
Meaning: an enthusiastic person who works hard
Example: There’s no need to be such an eager beaver; we have plenty of time to complete the assignment.
5 Hold your horses
Meaning: used to tell somebody that they should wait a moment and not be so excited that they take action
without thinking about it first
Example: Hold your horses! We need to get our parents to agree first.
6. Dial back
Meaning: to reduce the intensity of something, or tone it down
Example: I could barely move my arms all week – I guess it’s time to dial back the workouts!
7. Fever pitch
Meaning: a very high level of excitement or activity
Example: The crowd had been roused to a fever pitch by the drama of the game.

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