What’s the
biggest obstacle in your journey of exploring English? It could be grammar,
pronunciation, or huge amount of vocabulary that seems to be endless. Above
all, idiomatic expressions that have hidden, figurative meanings. Without
understanding the cultural background or conventional usage of idioms, one can
hardly imagine what those words are supposed to mean.
Using the
given list of idioms and your imagination, try to choose a proper expression to
fill in the blank of each sentence below.
a.
apple of discord
b.
ballpark figure
c.
bark up the wrong tree
d.
frame of mind
e.
give somebody a piece of one’s mind
f.
the ins and outs
g.
a man of his word
h.
pack rat
i.
a shot in the dark
j.
turn the tide
1. I don’t understand why she has
collected a ton of plastic bags in the pantry. She is such a
_______________________________.
2. Damn! Your car looks terribly
damaged! Why don’t you ask the body shop clerk about the
_____________________________________?
3. Well, the photos of her posh
lifestyle on Facebook have become an ___________________________________ among
her friends. She’d better calm down and stop showing off what she’s got.
4. The recent medical research on the
effects of coffee has _________________________________ of the existing belief,
and now it is believed to help prevent some cancers.
5. Wait a minute, are you trying to
borrow his car? Uh-oh, you are
________________________________________________. He would NEVER lend his
darling vehicle to anybody.
6. Who in the right
_____________________________________ would vote for the liar?
7. Well, as a project leader, I think
you need to give her ________________________________________ before she makes the same mistake again and
again destroying the whole work.
8. Since James was not prepared at all
for the mid-terms, all his answers to the Spanish exam had to be a
_____________________________________.
9. Her uncle is a well-known record
producer and musician who knows the ________________________________________ of
the field of music and show business.
10.
Ray
is the only person in the world that I can trust. He is a
__________________________________________.
Clues to Solve:
apple
of discord: (noun) anything
causing trouble, discord, or jealousy
ballpark
figure: (noun)
approximate estimate/ a number that is near the total
bark
up the wrong tree:
(verb) waste one’s efforts by pursuing the wrong thing or path
frame
of mind: (noun)
mental state
give
somebody a piece of one’s mind:
(verb) to scold/ reprimand somebody or to criticize somebody frankly
the
ins and outs (of something):
(noun) all information about something
a
man of his word:
(noun) a trustworthy person who keeps his promises
pack
rat: (noun) a
person who stores/ saves/ collects anything or unnecessary things they acquire
and will discard none of it
a
shot in the dark:
(noun) a random guess/ wild guess
turn
the tide: (verb) to
reverse the course of events/ to cause a complete reversal of the circumstances
Answer Keys:
1. h. pack rat
2. b. ballpark figure
3. a. apple of discord
4. j. turn the tide
5. c. barking up the wrong tree
6. d. frame of mind
7. e. a piece of your mind
8. i. shot in the dark
9. f. the ins and outs
10. g.
a man of his word
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