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Let’s Practice English Idioms VII

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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