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Paul Sparks, Online Business English Lesson Plans, Lesson Material and Ideas for
Grade 2 English Conversation Lessons at Xiangtan Normal University...
Lesson 19 -
Idioms
LESSON
OBJECTIVES:
The
purpose of this lesson is to increase the vocabulary of the students, enabling
them to find out new English words through a fun activity.
IDIOMS
A
ace:
make an "A" on a test, homework assignment, project, etc.
"Somebody
said you aced the test, that's great!"
all
right (1): expression of reluctant agreement.
A:
"Come to the party with me. Please!"
B:
"Oh, all right. I don't want to, but I will."
all
right (2): fair; not particularly good.
A:
"How's your chemistry class?"
B:
"It's all right, I guess, but it's not the best class I've ever had."
all
right (3): unharmed; in satisfactory condition.
A:
"You don't look normal. Are you all right?"
B:
"Yes, but I have a headache."
and
then some: and much more besides.
A:
"I'd guess your new computer cost about $2,000. "
B:
"It cost that much and then some because I also bought extra RAM and VRAM."
as
easy as pie: very easy.
"I
thought you said this was a difficult problem. It isn't. In fact, it's
as easy as pie."
at
the eleventh hour: at the last minute; almost
too late.
"Yes,
I got the work done in time. I finished it at the eleventh hour, but I
wasn't late.
B
bad-mouth:
say unkind, unflattering, embarrassing (and probably untrue) things about
someone.
A:
"I don't believe what Bob said. Why is he bad-mouthing me?"
B:
"He's probably jealous of your success."
be
a piece of cake: be very easy.
A:
"Bob said the test was difficult, but I thought it was a piece of cake.""
be
all ears: be eager to hear what someone has
to say.
A:
"I just got an e-mail message from our old friend Sally."
B:
"Tell me what she said. I'm all ears!"
be
broke: be without money.
"No,
I can't lend you ten dollars. I'm completely broke until payday."
be
on the go: be very busy (going from one thing
or project to another).
"I'm
really tired. I've been on the go all week long."
be
on the road: be traveling.
"You
won't be able to contact me tomorrow because I'll be on the road."
be
up and running: (for a technological process)
be operational; be ready to use .
"Dave's
ESL Cafe on the Web has been up and running since December 1995."
be
used to (+Ving/noun): be accustomed to; not
uncomfortable with.
"It
won't be hard to get up at 5:00 AM. I'm used to getting up early."
beat
around the bush: evade an issue; avoid giving
a direct answer.
"Quit
beating around the bush! If you don't want to go with me, just tell me!"
Beats
me: I have no idea.
A:
"What time's the party?"
B:
"Beats me!"
before
long: soon.
A:
"I'm really tired of working."
B:
"Just be patient. The weekend will be here before long."
bite
off more than one can chew: take responsibility
for more than one can manage.
"I'm
really behind with my project. Can you help me? I'm afraid I
bit
off more than I could chew!"
blabbermouth:
a very talkative person--especially one who says things that should be
kept secret.
"Don't
say anything to Bob unless you want the whole office to know.
Bob's
quite a blabbermouth."
blow
one's top: become extremely angry.
A:
"Was your father upset when you came home at 3 AM?"
B:
"He was more than upset. He blew his top!"
the
bottom line: the most essential information.
"The
discussion lasted many hours. The bottom line was that
the
XYZ Company isn't for sale."
Break
a leg!: Good luck!
"I
understand you have a job interview tomorrow. Break a leg!"
break
someone's heart: make someone feel very disappointed/discouraged/sad.
"Joe
broke his mother's heart when he dropped out of school."
bug:
annoy; bother.
"I'm
trying to concentrate! Don't bug me!"
burn
the midnight oil: study/work all night or
until very, very late at night.
"I'm
not ready for the test tomorrow. I guess I'll have to
burn
the the midnight oil."
by
the skin of one's teeth: barely succeed in
doing something.
"I'll
have to start earlier the next time. This time I only finished by the skin
of my teeth."
C
call
it a day: stop work for the day.
"It's
late and you've accomplished a lot. Why don't you call it a day?"
can't
make heads or tails of something: can't understand
something at all; find something confusing and illogical.
"I
can't make heads or tails of your e-mail. Were you having problems
with
your computer?"
catch
one's eye: attract one's attention/interest.
"This
brochure about Tahiti caught my eye when I was at the travel agency."
catch
some Zs: sleep for a while; take a nap.
"You
look tired, Dave. Why don't you catch some Zs?"
change
your mind: decide to do something different
from what had been decided earlier.
A:
"Why are you working this week? I thought you were going to be on vacation."
B:
"I changed my mind. I'm taking my vacation next month."
chow:
food.
"How's
the chow in the university cafeteria?"
chow
down: eat.
"It's
almost 6:00. Are you ready to chow down?"
a
cinch: something that's very easy to do.
A:
How was the test?
B:
It was a cinch. I finished it quickly and I know that all my answers were
correct."
Cool
it!: calm down.
"There's
no need to be so upset. Just cool it!"
cost
an arm and a leg: cost a lot; be very expensive.
A:
"Your new car is really nice."
B:
"It should be. It cost (me) an arm and a leg!"
cram:
try to learn as much as possible in a very short time.
"Sidney
did well on the test because he crammed for it. However, he probably
won't
remember any of the information a couple of days from now."
crash
course: short course designed to give a lot
of knowledge/information in a very short time.
"Tom's
company is sending him to a business meeting in Istanbul.
Should
he take a crash course in Turkish?"
Cut
it out!: stop doing something (that's annoying).
"You
kids are making too much noise. Cut it out!"
D
Don't
count your chickens before they hatch: Don't
assume that something will happen until it has happened.
A:
I'm sure that I'm going to win a lot of money in Las Vegas."
B:
"Don't count your chickens until they hatch!"
dicey:
uncertain; taking too much of a chance.
A:
A friend of mine says I can make a lot of moneyif I buy stock in the XYZ
company. Should I do it?
B:
I wouldn't if I were you. The chances for success are too dicey."
down
in the dumps: depressed; "blue."
A:
"Is something wrong?"
B:
"Not really, but I feel kind of down in the dumps."
drop
someone a line: write to someone.
"I
haven't written to my parents for a long time. I'd better drop them a line
today
or tomorrow."
drag
one's feet: delay; take longer than necessary
to do something.
"Joe
should have finished his project a week ago. Why is he dragging his feet?"
E
an
eager beaver: a person who is always willing
to volunteer or do extra work.
"Jan
is certainly an eager beaver. Any time there's work to be done, she's the
first to say she'll help."
Easy
does it!: Be very careful! / Don't do anything
too fast or too hard!
A:
"I'm going to move the table just a little further from the window."
B:
"Easy does it! If you move too fast, you might knock over the plant!"
an
egghead: a very intelligent person.
"Jake
didn't make very good grades in school, but his sister was a real egghead."
elbow
grease: hard work; effort.
"Yes,
the car is pretty dirty, but it'll look nice again with a little elbow
grease."
F
far-fetched:
difficult to accept; difficult to believe.
"That
story's pretty far-fetched. Nobody's going to believe it."
feel
blue: feel sad and depressed.
"I'm
feeling blue because I haven't had any mail except bills for a long, long
time."
fire
someone: dismiss someone from a job because
of poor performance.
"If
you continue to be late for work, the company will fire you."
G
get
going: leave.
"Look
at the time! I'd better get going!"
get
a kick out of something: find something amusing.
"I
really get a kick out of listening to children talk. They say some very
funny things."
get
lost!: go away
"I
wish he'd get lost and stop bothering me. I don't want to talk to him!"
get
on one's nerves: irritate someone; make someone
upset.
"I
know you like that song, but it's getting on my nerves. Can you play something
else?"
get
a move on: hurry
"If
you don't want to be late, you'd better get a move on."
get
one's wires crossed: be confused or mistaken
about something.
A:
"Bill said there was a meeting this morning. Don't we have one?"
B:
"No. The meeting's tomorrow. I guess Bill got his wires crossed."
get
out of hand: become out of control; become
badly managed.
"Your
absences are getting out of hand, Bob. You'd better do something quickly
to improve the situation if you want to keep your job."
Get
real!: Be realistic! / Don't be naive.
A:
"I'm going to Las Vegas. I know I'll win a lot of money!"
B:
"Get real! You'll probably lose a lot of money!"
get
up and go: energy.
"I'm
really tired. I don't have any get up and go."
go
with the flow: take things as they come.
"There's
no need to worry. Everything will be OK if you just go with the flow."
grab
a bite: get something to eat.
"I'm
really hungry. Would you like to grab a bite with me?"
H
hard
feelings: anger; animosity; bitter feelings.
A:
"I'm sorry that Jim got the job instead of you."
B:
"I have no hard feelings toward him; I know that he had stronger qualifications."
hard-headed:
stubborn; inflexible; unwilling to change.
"I
don't think Julie will change her mind. She's pretty hard-headed."
hassle
(verb): annoy; bother; interrupt one's normal routine.
"If
you'd stop hassling me, I might get this finished on time!"
have
one's hands full: be extremely busy.
A:
"Will you be able to help us this afternoon?"
B:
"I'm afraid not. I'll have my hands full trying to finish my research paper."
hit
the books: study.
"I
wish I could go to the movies, but I've got to hit the books."
hit
the hay: go to bed; go to sleep.
"It's
late, so I guess I'll hit the hay."
hit
the sack: go to bed.
"I'm
really tired. I think I'll hit the sack."
I
in
over one's head: in a situation that is too
much / too difficult for one to manage.
"Do
you have time to help me? I thought I could do this myself, but I'm afraid
I'm in over my head. I just can't handle things alone."
inside
out: with the inner part on the outside and
the outer part on the inside.
"Why
are you wearing your tee shirt inside out?"
in
the black: profitable; not showing a financial
loss.
"What
did you do to increase profit and eliminate losses? We've been in the black
for two months in a row."
in
the red: unprofitable; showing a financial
loss.
"We
have to do something to increase profit and decrease losses. We've been
in the red for two months in a row."
J
jump
the gun: do something before it's time to
do it.
A:
"How did Marsha know about the party? It was supposed to be a surprise."
B:
"Chuck jumped the gun. Without thinking, he said, 'I'm bringing the cake
at your party;
I
hope you like it!"
jump
to conclusions: decide something too quickly
and without thinking about it or
considering
all the facts.
A:
"Angela just doesn't like me. She won't even say hello."
B:
"You're jumping to conclusions. Actually, she's very shy."
junk
mail: unsolicited mail (usually advertisements
for something you're not interested in).
"I
didn't have any letters today--only junk mail."
K
keep
an eye on: check something regularly.
"You're
busy, so you'll need to keep an eye on the time.
Remember
that we have to leave at 4:30."
keep
an eye out for: watch for.
"I'll
keep an eye out for John. If I see him, I'll tell him you want to talk
to him."
keep
one's chin up: remain brave and confident
in a difficult situation; don't despair or worry too much.
"I
know that things have been difficult for you recently, but keep your chin
up. Everything will be better soon."
keep
one's nose to the grindstone: stay diligent;
steadily work hard, without breaks or an uneven pace.
"If
I keep my nose to the grindstone, I should be finished by the end of the
day."
keep
one's fingers crossed: hope for the best.
A:
"How did you do on the test?"
B:
"I think I passed, but I won't know until tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers
crossed!"
know
something inside out: know/understand something
thoroughly.
"If
you have a question about grammar, ask Dr. Martin. She knows grammar inside
out."
L
lend
someone a hand: help someone.
"I
can't do this alone. Can you lend me a hand?"
leave
well enough alone: do nothing (because doing
something would make things worse).
"Don't
tell Jim how to discipline his children. Leave well enough alone."
a
let-down: a disappointment; something that's
very disappointing.
"It
must've been quite a let-down not to be chosen for that job. I know you
really hoped you would get it."
Let
sleeping dogs lie: Don't cause problems by
doing something when it isn't necessary.
"I
know that what Julie said made you angry, but let sleeping dogs lie. If
you say or do anything, you'll only make things worse."
live
from hand to mouth: survive on very little
money; have only enough money to pay for basic needs.
"Chuck
and Alice are living from hand to mouth since Chuck lost his job."
live
and let live: don't unnecessarily make things
difficult; do as you wish and let others do as they wish.
"I'm
not going to criticize Alice's family just because their habits are a little
strange. My motto is 'Live and let live.'"
M
make
a mountain out of a molehill: make something
seem much more important than it really is.
"Calm
down. There's really nothing to worry about. You're making a mountain out
of a molehill."
make
up one's mind: decide what to do.
A:
Where are you going on your vacation?
B:
Maybe Canada, maybe Mexico. I can't make up my mind."
N
No
way!: Absolutely not! / Definitely not!
A:
"You didn't open this letter addressed to me, did you?"
B:
"No way! I'd never read look at else's mail!"
nosh:
snack.
"There's
plenty in the refrigerator if you want something to nosh on."
Not
on your life!: Absolutely not! (a strong "no").
A:
"Someone said you cheated on the test. Did you?"
B:
"Not on your life!"
now
and then: occasionally; from time to time.
A:
"Do you see Jennifer often?"
B:
"No, not really. I see her now and then, but not regularly."
O
on
the dot: exactly at a given time.
"We're
leaving at 9:00 on the dot. If you're late, we'll go without you."
on
the cutting edge: using the most recent technology.
"The
university's computer lab is (on the) cutting edge. It has all the latest
hardware and software."
once
in a while: occasionally; from time to time.
A:
"Would you like coffee or tea?"
B:
"Coffee, please. I drink tea once in a while, but I generally drink coffee."
over
one's head: too difficult or complicated for
someone to understand.
"This
explanation of cgi scripting is over my head. Can you explain it in a less
technical way?"
P
plastic:
credit card(s).
"Oh,
no! I forgot to get any cash! I hope this restaurant accepts plastic!"
pull
someone's leg: tease someone by trying to
make her/him believe something that's exaggerated or untrue.
A:
"Wow! Carl has done some really amazing things!"
B:
"Don't believe everything he tells you. He was probably pulling your leg."
Q
quite
a few: several; numerous.
"I
don't think I can meet you after work. I have quite a few errands that
I have to do."
a
quick study: someone who learns new things
quickly and easily.
A:
"Annie seems to be doing well at her new job."
B:
"I'm not surprised. She's a quick study."
R
R
and R: rest and relaxation (a vacation).
"I
think you're working too hard, Dave. You need some R and R."
rain
or shine: no matter what the weather is.
"We're
leaving tomorrow, rain or shine."
rain
cats and dogs: rain very hard.
"You
can't leave just now! It's raining cats and dogs and you don't have an
umbrella or raincoat!"
read
someone's mind: know what someone is thinking.
A:
"I'll be you're thinking of what you're going to have for dinner."
B:
"Hey, did you read my mind?"
A:
"No. I just know that you're always hungry and lunch was several hours
ago!"
S
sleep
on it: take at least a day to think about
something before making a decision.
"The
job that you're offering me sounds really good, but I'd like
to
sleep on it before giving you my final decision."
a
snap: something that's very easy to do.
A:
"Is your job difficult?"
B:
"No, actually it's a snap. In fact, it's so easy that it's a little bit
boring."
sooner
or later: eventually.
"You've
been working too hard for too long. If you don't relax a little,
sooner
or later you're going to get sick."
state
of the art: using the latest technology.
"The
company is very proud of the equipment in its
computer
room. It's state of the art."
T
tight-fisted:
very frugal; unwilling to spend money unnecessarily.
A:
Do you think Charlie will donate any money to the activities fund?
B:
No way! He's too tight-fisted!
two-faced:
deceitful; disolyal; someone who pretends to be a friend but isn't.
"I
thought he was my friend, but he's two-faced. He says nice things to me
when we're together, but makes jokes about me when we aren't.
U
under
the weather: ill; sick; unwell.
"Ted
was feeling under the weather yesterday, so he decided not to go to work."
until
you're blue in the face: forever.
"You
can talk until you're blue in the face, but I won't change my mind."
W
wear
out one's welcome: make someone uncomfortable
by visiting too long.
A:
"Can't you stay two or three more days?"
B:
"No. I don't want to wear out my welcome."
wet
behind the ears: inexperienced and naive.
"Don't
include Fred as part of the bargaining team.He's just started working here
and is still too wet behind the ears."
What's
up?: What's new? What's happening?
"Hi,
Dave. What's up?"
wishy-washy:
uncommitted; without an opinion of one's own.
"Don't
be so wishy-washy. Tell us how you really feel."
Y
You've
got to be kidding!: What you said can't be
true. What you said is very surprising/hard to believe
A:
"Did you know that Bob quit his job?"
B:
"You've got to be kidding!"
yummy:
delicious.
"Have
you tried the cookies that Jonathan baked? They're yummy!"
Z
zilch:
nothing.
A:
"How much money do you have?"
B:
"Zilch. I'm broke until payday."
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