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.
1.
Little did I expect him to be ___________________________ when his love for
Jane was gone.
2.
Since he has been working hard in this field for all those years, he has the
______________________ the president.
3.
Spencer is such a __________________________ who is strongly determined to achieve
his dream no matter how long it takes.
4.
After some down time due to her calf injury, Jean was
______________________________ to run at her full throttle again.
5.
Cindy is always _____________________ before mid-terms or finals.
6.
Customers of this thrifty shop are considered the people
____________________________ because
most items sold in this place are very cheap and of low quality. FYI, I am one
of the customers. Sigh…
7.
Mark went __________________ when he found his car got all keyed by some nasty
kids in the neighborhood.
8.
Matt was _____________________________, trying to keep those two opposing
parties happy.
9.
The local charity in downtown L.A. has been working to _________________________
between different ethnic groups in the area.
10.
Peoria is a beautiful city but lack a certain __________________________ that
would make it more attractive to tourists.
Clues to solve
to go mental:
(verb) to become furious and very mad/ to lose self-control
to be off like a dirty shirt:
(verb) to leave quickly
to have the ear of someone:
(verb) if you have the ear of someone, they listen to you and respect your
opinions and advice
to be on edge:
(verb) to be nervous or worried
go-getter:
(noun) someone determined to be successful
je ne sais quoi:
(noun. French origin) meaning “I don't know what" in French. If someone
has a certain je ne sais quoi,
they have a quality, usually pleasant, that is elusive or difficult to describe
to strain at the leash:
(verb) to be eager to begin or do something/ to anxious to do something so much
below the salt:
(phrase) In mediaeval England salt was expensive and only affordable by the
higher ranks of society. Thus “below the salt” means “to have a low social
position”.
to walk a tight rope:
(verb) to be very careful not to annoy or anger people who could become enemies
to build bridges:
(verb) to improve relationships between people who are very different or do not
like each other (often + between )
Answer Keys
1. off like a dirty shirt
2. ear of
3. go-getter
4. straining at the leash
5. on edge
6. below the salt
7. mental
8. walking a tight rope
9. build bridges
10. je ne sais quoi
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