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. mind one’s p’s and q’s
b. in the gutter
c. have a familiar ring
d. monkey business
e. Easy does it
f. know something inside out
g. final fling
h. give someone tit for tat
i. drag one’s feet
j. (to) add insult to injury
1. You had better pull yourself together and straighten
out your life, or you’ll ____________________________________.
2. Jamie studied
hard for his driver’s test until he knew the rules
____________________________.
3. Be careful with that porcelain doll when you touch
it. __________________________ please.
4. Jane messed up with me, and I did the same thing to
her. Each time she throws shadow at me like that, I become ready to do the same
to her. Yes, I am ______________ her ______________________.
5. The city council and planning department seem to
____________________________. Otherwise, the local roads would have been
revamped by now.
6. This term paper has
_______________________________________. I can tell it’s been definitely
copied.
7. First, our basement got flooded in the
three-day-long icy rains, and then to ____________________________________, the
water heater started act up! UGH!!! Just my luck!
8. Joe’s friends offered him a bachelor’s party as the
__________________________ before his marriage, but Joe did not want to join
the party.
9. You’d better mind
___________________________________ before you make the same mistake at the
presentation again.
10. Stop trying to deceive me with such a cheap
skullduggery! I just cannot put up with your ___________________________
anymore!
Clues
to Solve:
mind
one’s p’s and q’s: (verb) to mind one’s manners; to pay
attention to small details of behavior. This expression orginates from an old
caution to children learning the alphabet or typists to watch carefully for the
difference between p and q
in/into
the gutter: (adjective phrase) (for somebody to be) in a low
state or depraved
have
a familiar ring: (verb) to sound familiar
monkey
business: (noun) peculiar or out-of-the-ordinary activities,
especially illegal or mischievous
Easy does it! : (sentence) to act with care. You can also say
“Nice and easy does it.”
(*You can get this expression from
your workout/ yoga instructor while doing some posture. “Easy does it,
everybody! )
know something inside out:
(verb) to know something thoroughly; to know about something completely
final fling:
(noun) the last act or period of enjoyment before a change in one’s
circumstances or lifestyle
give
someone tit for tat: (verb) to give someone something equal to
what that person has given one; to exchange a series of things, one by one,
with someone
drag
one’s feet: (verb) to act very slowly, often deliberately/
intentionally
(to) add insult to injury:
(verb) to make a bad situation worse; to hurt the feelings of a person who has
already been hurt
Answer
Keys:
1. b. in the
gutter
2. f. inside out
3. e. Easy does
it
4. h. giving
tit for tat
5. i. drag
their feet
6. c. has a
familiar ring
7. j. to add
insult to injury
8. g. final
fling
9. a. your p’s
and q’s
10. d. monkey
business
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