Let go over some interesting English expressions
which have but do not mean food items!
1. to
take …. with a grain/pinch of salt: to
accept that …..might be exaggerated
2. like
chalk and cheese: opposites
3. to go
pear-shaped: to fail or to turn out unexpectedly wrong
4. …doesn’t
cut the mustard: ….doesn’t meet or live up to the required
standard
5. a hard
nut to crack: a difficult person to understand or difficult
problem to solve
6. a
bad apple or a bad egg: a bad influence or someone who brings
trouble
7. to
butter someone up: to flatter/ brownnosing someone in the
hopes of receiving special
8. to
egg someone on: to push or urge someone to do (something mischievous
or bad)
9. a
smart cookie: a clever person who makes good decisions
10.
icing on the cake:
This expression can either be used in a positive or a negative situation. In a
positive situation, it means “an additional good thing that happens to
something that is already good” or “something that makes situation even better”
In a negative situation, it means “an
additional bad thing that makes the already bad situation worse”. In this case, the icing on the cake is used
with a sarcastic attitude.
Time to practice! Fill in the following
blanks with proper idioms learned above.
1.
Hans’s car is such a fast beauty, and the
addition of a turbo adds _______________________________________.
2.
Everyone in my family knows that auntie
Kirsten is a big talker. I just take whatever she says with _________________________________.
3.
Coach Miller didn’t want to let one bad
_________________ ruin the entire team. He made Tim, who had kept picking a
fight with other players, benched for a year.
4.
Have you seen the latest episode of Star Wars?
Well, I think it doesn’t cut _______________________________, and most of Star
Wars maniacs left the theatre a little disappointed.
5.
Little have I imagined that you and Paul are
brothers!! You guys are so different and totally opposite to each other in every way like __________________
and __________________.
6.
What’s the answer to question #5 on the pop
quiz yesterday? I still can’t figure out what the question itself means. Such a
hard __________________________________!
7.
The surprise birthday party for Ethan went
__________________ as he had happened to find out about it.
8.
Are you snapping at me? Hey, I guess you should
at least __________________ me up if you
want to borrow my car!
9.
I think you are underestimating your daughter.
If you give her a chance, she’ll be one ____________________________ and make
the right thing to do!
10.
Don’t _______________ him on to drive faster.
The speed limit on this road is only 45 mph!
Answer Keys
1. icing
on the cake
2. a
grain of salt or a pinch of salt
3. apple
or egg
4. the
mustard
5. chalk
and cheese
6. nut
to crack
7. pear-shaped
8. butter
9. smart
cookie
10.
egg
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