Name: ………………………. Date: ………………….
IDIOMS AND COLLOCATIONS CHECKING 4
Part 1
1. She put up a fierce fight to secure the promotion. NAIL
She ___________________________________________ to get the promotion she
deserved.
2. He wanted to respond but chose to stay silent. TONGUE
He decided to ___________________________________________ instead.
3. His actions toward animals infuriate me. BLOOD
The way he mistreats animals ___________________________________________.
4. The inheritance has been a continuous source of disagreement between
them. BONE
The inheritance has been ___________________________________________ between
the siblings for years.
5. I won’t miss my annoying neighbor once he’s gone. BACK
I ___________________________________________ my annoying neighbor when he
moves away.
6. He is extremely lazy and never does any work. BONE
He’s absolutely ___________________________________________.
7. She excels in mathematics, which makes her great at accounting. HEAD
She ___________________________________________ numbers, which is why she’s
great at accounting.
8. We’ll only know the outcome in the future. TIME
___________________________________________ if their relationship will last.
9. That old TV show aired before I was born, but I’ve heard about it. TIME
That old TV show was ___________________________________________, but I’ve
heard about it.
10. The company is facing financial struggles and reducing expenses. LEAN
The company is going through ___________________________________________, so
they’re cutting costs.
11. She’s always prepared to leave at any time. MOMENT’S
She’s always ready to travel ___________________________________________.
12. We went out to celebrate and enjoy the nightlife. TOWN
We decided to celebrate with ___________________________________________.
13. He is waiting patiently for the right chance to act. TIME
He’s just ___________________________________________until the right opportunity
comes along.
14. He found the exam simple because he was well-prepared. EASY
He ___________________________________________ during the exam because he
studied well.
15. After years of effort, his business finally started to succeed. BEAR
His business finally began ___________________________________________.
16. She has many qualities that make her stand out. GOING
She ___________________________________________ her—she's smart, talented,
and hardworking.
17. I had a brief encounter with my former boss at the café yesterday.
BRUSH
I ___________________________________________ my old boss at the café
yesterday.
1
18. She was completely unaware of the surprise party we had planned.
INKLING
She ___________________________________________ the surprise party we planned
for her.
19. We laughed a lot about our embarrassing childhood moments. LAUGH
We ___________________________________________ our embarrassing childhood
memories.
20. He is feeling overwhelmed because he is juggling too many
responsibilities. IRONS
He’s stressed because he ___________________________________________ right
now.
21. They have been saving for years and now have a financial cushion for
retirement. EGG
They’ve been saving for years and
now ___________________________________________ for retirement.
22. I have more important things to deal with right now. FRY
I _____________________________________________________________________________
___.
23. The project was doomed from the very beginning. WORD
The project was doomed ___________________________________________ due to
poor planning. WORD
24. I need to talk to my manager about my work schedule.
I need to ___________________________________________my manager about my
schedule.
25. I hope you can convince him to avoid making a huge mistake. TALK
I hope you can ___________________________________________ into him before he
makes a big mistake.
26. He made a promise that he would arrive on time. WORD
He ___________________________________________that he would be there on time.
27. She had the audacity to ask for a raise despite constantly arriving late.
CHEEK
She ___________________________________________ask for a raise after showing
up late every day.
28. "John won the lottery!" "Really? That’s surprising!" SAY
"John won the lottery!" "You ___________________________________________!"
29. As far as I know, he might not be telling the truth about everything. FOR
___________________________________________, he could be lying about
everything.
30. His version of the events is completely unrelated to what actually
happened. BEARS
His story ___________________________________________ what actually happened.
31. Even after their argument, he didn’t hold any grudges against his friend.
WILL
Despite their argument, he ___________________________________________toward
his friend.
32. I haven’t seen him in an extremely long time. YEARS
I haven’t seen him ___________________________________________!
33. Searching for my lost keys in the park was a pointless and frustrating
experience. CHASE
2
Looking for my lost keys in the park turned
into ________________________________________.
34. He is the most powerful person in the business world. DOG
In the business world, he is the ___________________________________________.
35. I felt completely out of place at the fancy gala. WATER
At the fancy gala, I felt ___________________________________________.
36. You need to stay alert in dangerous areas. WITS
In a dangerous neighborhood, you need
to ___________________________________________ you.
37. This restaurant used to be amazing, but now its quality has significantly
declined. DOGS
This restaurant used to be great, but it has
really ______________________________________.
38. He accidentally revealed the secret about the surprise party. CAT
He accidentally ___________________________________________ about the surprise
party.
39. She does not remember ever meeting him before. NO
She ___________________________________________ meeting him before.
40. I got the information directly from a reliable source. MOUTH
I heard it (straight) ___________________________________________ that he’s
quitting.
41. We have a lot of difficult work ahead of us to meet the deadline. CUT
We ___________________________________________ for us if we want to finish by
tomorrow.
42. His arrogance really irritates me. GOAT
His arrogance
really _______________________________________________________________.
43. She took the biggest portion of the credit for the project. SHARE
She took the ___________________________________________ of the credit for the
project.
44. I can confirm his honesty because I have seen it firsthand. WITNESS
I ___________________________________________ his honesty—he would never
steal.
45. The senior employee guided and supported the intern. WING
The senior
employee ______________________________________________________________.
46. He completely messed up fixing the sink. PIG’S
He __________________________________________________________________ fixing
the sink.
47. You can’t expect to enjoy both benefits at the same time. WAYS
You can’t ___________________________________________—either commit or walk
away.
48. Winning the award was a great achievement for him. FEATHER
Winning the award
was ___________________________________________________________.
49. Stop exaggerating the situation; it’s not that serious. MOUNTATIN
Stop ___________________________________________—it’s just a small mistake.
50. She understands the subject very well. GRASP
She ___________________________________________ the subject.
3
51. I feel tempted to report him for his rude behavior. MIND
I ___________________________________________ report him for his rude behavior.
BORE
52. The employees suffered the worst consequences of the company’s
financial struggles.
The employees ___________________________________________ the company’s
financial troubles.
Part 2
1. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure of his abilities. RESERVATIONS
To ___________________________________________ his abilities.
2. There is no doubt at all that the government will win the election.
CONCLUSION
It ___________________________________________ the government will win the
election.
3. I'm looking forward to Sunday, the only thing that I find unpleasant is the fact
that I'll have to sit next to my mother-in-law. FLY
I'm looking forward to Sunday, ___________________________________________
that I'll have to sit next to my mother-in-law.
4. The perfect crime does not exist. SUCH
___________________________________________ perfect crime.
5. It is not sure if the conference will take place after all. OPEN
It ___________________________________________ the conference will take place
after all.
6. Nobody knows how the jury will vote. KNOWING
___________________________________________ how the jury will vote.
7. It’s more than possible that she’ll have forgotten all about it. CHANCES
___________________________________________ all about it.
8. He was in trouble with the police a lot when he was younger, but now he has
changed and become a much better person. REFORMED
He was in trouble with the police a lot when he was younger, but now
___________________________________________.
9. If that bottle of wine is available to be taken because no one else wants it, I'll
have it. BEGGING
If that bottle of wine ___________________________________________, I'll have it.
10. The last time that subject was mentioned was three weeks ago. NO
___________________________________________ that subject for three weeks.
4
Name: ………………………. Date: ………………….
IDIOMS AND COLLOCATIONS CHECKING 4
Part 1
1. She put up a fierce fight to secure the promotion. NAIL
She fought tooth and nail to get the promotion she deserved.
2. He wanted to respond but chose to stay silent. TONGUE
He decided to hold his tongue instead.
3. His actions toward animals infuriate me. BLOOD
The way he mistreats animals makes my blood boil.
4. The inheritance has been a continuous source of disagreement between
them. BONE
The inheritance has been a bone of contention between the siblings for
years.
5. I won’t miss my annoying neighbor once he’s gone. BACK
I’ll be glad to see the back of my annoying neighbor when he moves away.
6. He is extremely lazy and never does any work. BONE
He’s absolutely bone idle.
5
7. She excels in mathematics, which makes her great at accounting. HEAD
She has a (good) head for numbers, which is why she’s great at
accounting.
8. We’ll only know the outcome in the future. TIME
Only time will tell if their relationship will last.
9. That old TV show aired before I was born, but I’ve heard about it. TIME
That old TV show was before my time, but I’ve heard about it.
10. The company is facing financial struggles and reducing expenses. LEAN
The company is going through a lean period, so they’re cutting costs.
11. She’s always prepared to leave at any time. MOMENT’S
She’s always ready to travel at a moment’s notice.
12. We went out to celebrate and enjoy the nightlife. NIGHT
We decided to celebrate with a night on the town.
13. He is waiting patiently for the right chance to act. TIME
He’s just biding his time until the right opportunity comes along.
14. He found the exam simple because he was well-prepared. EASY
He had an easy time of it during the exam because he studied well.
15. After years of effort, his business finally started to succeed. BEAR
His business finally began to bear fruit.
16. She has many qualities that make her stand out. GOING
She has a lot going for her—she's smart, talented, and hardworking.
17. I had a brief encounter with my former boss at the café yesterday.
BRUSH
I had a brush with my old boss at the café yesterday.
18. She was completely unaware of the surprise party we had planned.
INKLING
She had no inkling of the surprise party we planned for her.
19. We laughed a lot about our embarrassing childhood moments. LAUGH
We had a good laugh about our embarrassing childhood memories.
20. He is feeling overwhelmed because he is juggling too many
responsibilities. IRONS
He’s stressed because he has too many irons in the fire right now.
21. They have been saving for years and now have a financial cushion for
retirement. EGG
They’ve been saving for years and now have a nest egg for retirement.
22. I have more important things to deal with right now. FRY
I have other/bigger fish to fry.
23. The project was doomed from the very beginning. WORD
The project was doomed from the word go due to poor planning.
24. I need to talk to my manager about my work schedule. WORD
I need to have a word with my manager about my schedule.
25. I hope you can convince him to avoid making a huge mistake. TALK
I hope you can talk (some) sense into him before he makes a big mistake.
26. He made a promise that he would arrive on time. WORD
He gave his word that he would be there on time.
27. She had the audacity to ask for a raise despite constantly arriving late.
CHEEK
She had the cheek to ask for a raise after showing up late every day.
28. "John won the lottery!" "Really? That’s surprising!" SAY
"John won the lottery!" "You don’t say!"
6
29. As far as I know, he might not be telling the truth about everything. FOR
For all I know, he could be lying about everything.
30. His version of the events is completely unrelated to what actually
happened. BEARS
His story bears no relation to what actually happened.
31. Even after their argument, he didn’t hold any grudges against his friend.
WILL
Despite their argument, he bore no ill will toward his friend.
32. I haven’t seen him in an extremely long time. YEARS
I haven’t seen him in donkey’s years!
33. Searching for my lost keys in the park was a pointless and frustrating
experience. CHASE
Looking for my lost keys in the park turned into a wild goose chase.
34. He is the most powerful person in the business world. DOG
In the business world, he is the top dog.
35. I felt completely out of place at the fancy gala. WATER
At the fancy gala, I felt like a fish out of water.
36. You need to stay alert in dangerous areas. WITS
In a dangerous neighborhood, you need to have/keep your wits about you.
37. This restaurant used to be amazing, but now its quality has significantly
declined. DOGS
This restaurant used to be great, but it has really gone to the dogs.
38. He accidentally revealed the secret about the surprise party. CAT
He accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
39. She does not remember ever meeting him before. NO
She has no recollection of ever meeting him before.
40. I got the information directly from a reliable source. MOUTH
I heard it (straight) from the horse’s mouth that he’s quitting.
41. We have a lot of difficult work ahead of us to meet the deadline. CUT
We have our work cut out for us if we want to finish by tomorrow.
42. His arrogance really irritates me. GOAT
His arrogance really gets my goat.
43. She took the biggest portion of the credit for the project. SHARE
She took the lion’s share of the credit for the project.
44. I can confirm his honesty because I have seen it firsthand. WITNESS
I bear witness to his honesty—he would never steal.
45. The senior employee guided and supported the intern. WING
The senior employee took the intern under his/her wing.
46. He completely messed up fixing the sink. PIG’S
He made a pig’s ear (out) of fixing the sink.
47. You can’t expect to enjoy both benefits at the same time. WAYS
You can’t have it both ways—either commit or walk away.
48. Winning the award was a great achievement for him. FEATHER
Winning the award was a feather in his cap.
49. Stop exaggerating the situation; it’s not that serious. MOUNTATIN
Stop making a mountain out of a molehill—it’s just a small mistake.
50. She understands the subject very well. GRASP
She has a good grasp of the subject.
51. I feel tempted to report him for his rude behavior. MIND
I have a good mind to report him for his rude behavior.
7
52. The employees suffered the worst consequences of the company’s
financial struggles. BORE
The employees bore the brunt of the company’s financial troubles.
Part 2
1. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure of his abilities. RESERVATIONS
To be honest, I have reservations about his abilities.
2. There is no doubt at all that the government will win the election.
CONCLUSION
It is a foregone conclusion that the government will win the election.
3. I'm looking forward to Sunday, the only thing that I find unpleasant is the fact
that I'll have to sit next to my mother-in-law. FLY
I'm looking forward to Sunday, the only fly in the ointment being the fact
that I'll have to sit next to my mother-in-law.
4. The perfect crime does not exist. SUCH
There is no such thing as a perfect crime.
5. It is not sure if the conference will take place after all. OPEN
It is open to doubt / question / speculation whether the conference will
take place after all.
6. Nobody knows how the jury will vote. KNOWING
There is no knowing how the jury will vote.
7. It’s more than possible that she’ll have forgotten all about it. CHANCES
The chances are that she will have forgotten all about it.
8. He was in trouble with the police a lot when he was younger, but now he has
changed and become a much better person. REFORMED
He was in trouble with the police a lot when he was younger, but now he's a
reformed character.
9. If that bottle of wine is available to be taken because no one else wants it, I'll
have it. BEGGING
If that bottle of wine is going begging, I'll have it.
10. The last time that subject was mentioned was three weeks ago. NO
There has been no mention of that subject for three weeks.
