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.
cut to the quick
b.
beside oneself (with emotion)
c.
bare your heart (or soul) to someone
d.
clinch a deal
e.
bind one’s time
f.
hold all the aces
g.
have a ball
h.
rigged
i.
mugwump
j.
cough up (some information/ money)
1. Brian
was
_________________________________ with rage when his boss gave a ton of
extra work for the upcoming three-day weekends.
2. The man
turned out to be just an old________________________, as he couldn’t make up
his mind between the two Republican candidates.
3. You’ve
seen her for a decade and not popped the question yet? I think it is just about
right time for you to __________________________________ to Mindy!
4. Dan
refused to say who attacked him until his father made him
________________________ the names.
5. Donald
Trump keeps asserting that mass media is totally _______________________
against him throughout the presidential campaign, which makes people believe
that he is an impossible villain and racist.
6. Ryan’s
cheating on his wife deeply _________________ her _____________________________.
7. It was
hard for the patient to win this case since the hospital
______________________________________________.
8. I
decided to ______________________________ until my child went to college before
I started my own study at graduate school.
9. Keisha
________________________________ at her birthday party yesterday.
10. I heard
that he finally ______________________________________to buy the land he’d
wanted so long.
Clues
cut
someone to the quick:
(verb) hurt someone’s feelings or offend
them deeply.
beside
oneself:
(adjective) If you are beside yourself (with an emotion), you lose your
self-control because of the intensity of the emotion you are feeling
bare
one’s heart (or soul) to someone:
(verb) reveal one’s innermost thoughts and feelings to them.
clinch
a deal: (verb) reach
agreement on a proposal or offer/ or finally win or get something
bide
one’s time: (verb) wait
for a good opportunity to do something
hold
all the aces:
(verb) to be in a very strong/winning/favorable/controlling position because
they have more advantages than anyone else
have
a ball: (verb) to
enjoy immensely (synonymous expression: to have a blast)
rigged: (adjective) used to describe a
situation where unfair advantages are given to one side of a conflict
mugwump: (noun) a political fence-sitter
who takes neutral position and remains aloof or independent from party politics
cough
up: (verb) If you
have to cough up something, such as money or information, you give it reluctantly or unwillingly
Answer Keys
1. b. beside himself
2. i. mugwump
3. c. bare your heart
4. j. cough up
5. h. rigged
6. a. cut to the bone
7. f. held all the aces
8. e. bind my time
9. g. had a ball
10. d. clinched a deal
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