Idioms explanation English Language Priya.ppt

An idiom is a combination of words that
has a meaning that is different from the
meanings of the individual words
themselves

 It can have a literal meaning in one situation
and a different idiomatic meaning in another
situation. It is a phrase which does not always
follow the normal rules of meaning and
grammar.

Example of an IDIOM
 To sit on the fence can literally mean that one is
sitting on a fence.
I sat on the fence and watched the game.
 However, the idiomatic meaning of to sit on the
fence is that one is not making a clear choice
regarding some issue.
The politician sat on the fence and would not give
his opinion about the tax issue.

 Many idioms are similar to expressions in
other languages and can be easy for a learner to
understand. Other idioms come from older
phrases which have changed over time.
 To hold one's horses means to stop and wait
patiently for someone or something. It comes
from a time when people rode horses and
would have to hold their horses while waiting
for someone or something.
"Hold your horses," I said when my friend
started to leave the store.

 Other idioms come from such things as sports that are
common in the United Kingdom or the United States
and may require some special cultural knowledge to
easily understand them.
 To cover all of one's bases means to thoroughly
prepare for or deal with a situation.
 It comes from the American game of baseball where
you must cover or protect the bases.

I tried to cover all of my bases when I went to the job
interview.

IDIOM QUIZ
Please take out a sheet of paper and your pen.
Let us check your knowledge on IDIOMS.

Idiom Quizzes - Money
 My sister's husband is (in good financial condition)
after many financial problems last year.
(a) cooking the books (b) betting his bottom dollar
(c) back on his feet (d) bringing home the bacon

IDIOM QUIZ
1. I spent my (last small amount of savings) on
a ticket for a basketball game.
(a) bottom dollar
(b) cold hard cash
(c) money to burn
(d) kickback

IDIOM QUIZ
2. My father worked hard all of his life (earning
the family living).
(a) passing the buck
(b) paying through the nose
(c) stone broke
(d) bringing home the bacon

IDIOM QUIZ
3. I decided to (sell all of my belongings) and
go and work overseas.
(a) strike it rich
(b) cash in my chips
(c) put in my two cents
(d) tighten my belt

IDIOM QUIZ
4. The teacher (got no response) from the
students when she asked the question to the
class.
(a) took attendance
(b) filled in the blanks
(c) drew a blank
(d) cracked a book

IDIOM QUIZ
5. My sister was a (person who loved books)
during most of her childhood.
(a) school of thought (b) bookworm (c)
teacher's pet (d) copycat

MLVR- October 24, 2008
IDIOM QUIZ
6. I worked hard all weekend to (write out a
paper quickly) for my history class.
(a) crank out a paper (b) meet the
requirements (c) pass with flying colors (d)
brainstorm

IDIOM QUIZ
7. I was supposed to go to school but I decided (not
to go).
(a) to learn by rote
(b) to live in an ivory tower
(c) to have my nose in a book
(d) to play hooky(non attendance)

IDIOM QUIZ
8. The junior salesperson was (in charge) during
the meeting.
(a) driving a hard bargain
(b) getting the message
(c) dragging her heels
(d) calling the shots

IDIOM QUIZ
9. There is a lot of (anger) between my friend
and I.
(a) new blood
(b) bad blood
(c) flesh and blood
(d) blood, sweat, and tears

IDIOM QUIZ
10. My supervisor (suddenly became angry at
me) when I was late for the meeting.
(a) jumped down my throat
(b) jumped out of her skin
(c) took my breath away
(d) risked her neck

IDIOM QUIZ
11. The girl was (very pleased) that she was
chosen to represent her class at the
competition.
(a) blacked out
(b) tickled pink
(c) green with envy
(d) out of the blue

IDIOM QUIZ
12. Even though Mrs. Jensen is no "spring
chicken," she still enjoys swimming and
running every day.
A. Mrs. Jensen is not young, but she
enjoys exercising.
B. Mrs. Jensen doesn't eat chicken.
C. Mrs. Jensen is training for a marathon
race.

Idioms
13. The news that he had been accepted by the
University was "music to Mike's ears."
A. Mike is going to study music at the
university.
B. Mike received some very good news.
C. Mike enjoys listening to music.

Idioms
14. The way that Cindy was fired from her
job "left a bad taste in her mouth."
A. Cindy ate some strange food.
B. Cindy was fired because she said
something rude.
C. Cindy had some bad feelings about
being fired.

Idioms
15. When Robert met his girlfriend after a
long separation, he told her that she was a
"sight for sore eyes."
a. Robert told his girlfriend that he was
happy to see her.
B. Robert told his girlfriend that his eyes ]
were sore.
C. Robert told his girlfriend that she had
pretty eyes.

Idioms
16. When Richard said something about his
brother's surprise birthday party, he "let
the cat out of the bag."
A. Richard gave his brother a cat for his
birthday.
B. Richard revealed a secret.
C. Richard's brother is celebrating his
birthday.

For idiom quizzes

IDIOMS IN THE WORKPLACE
 the green light  My supervisor has read
my proposal. Now I
have the green light to
start the project.
(Like a green traffic
light, which gives
permission to start.)

 in black and white  The boss said we’ll have
a raise next year, but I
don’t know whether to
believe her or not.
 If only it were in black
and white!
 (Writing is black and
white, if you have
something in writing it's
like a contract.)

 in the red  The company’s in the
red. It’s got a lot of
debt and is having
difficulty covering its
expenses.
(Red ink was
traditionally used to
show negative numbers
in accounts.)

 out of the blue  The news of that fast-
food shop closing came
out of the blue. No one
was expecting it. We
all thought it was doing
well.
(Like something falling
from the blue sky.)

 to cost an arm and a leg  I’m not coming with
you to XYZ
department Store.
Everything there costs
an arm and a leg. With
my kind of salary, I
can’t afford to buy
anything there.
(Costs an arm and a leg
means it's very expensive.)

 a long face  You didn’t invite
Cathy to your
wedding? No wonder
she walked out with
such a long face.
(A long face means an
unhappy expression.)

 to keep the ball rolling  Let’s keep the ball rolling.
We’re off to a good start
with a successful bid, but
we’ve still got a lot of
work to do.
 (A football idiom - to get
[start] the ball rolling
means to start the match.
 To keep the ball rolling
means to continue
working.)

 on the ball  Arlene’s an excellent
supervisor. She really
knows how to organize
things and get things done.
She’s really on the ball.
 (Another football idiom.
On the ball means to be in
control of the situation.)

 a pain in the neck  an annoying or
bothersome person or
event
 The customer is a pain
in the neck and is
always complaining
about something.

General Idioms
 wet behind the ears: inexperienced and
naive.
 "Don't include Chris as part of the bargaining
team.He has just started
working here and is still too wet behind the
ears."

General Idioms
 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."
Note: This expression is used in the same way as
"until hell freezes over."

Idioms
 under the weather: ill; sick; unwell, prone to
illness, out of sorts.
"Ted was feeling under the weather yesterday, so he
decided not to go to work.“

Idioms
 nuke: heat in a microwave.
"If your coffee's cold, just nuke it for about a
minute.“

General Idioms
 nosh: snack/light meal
"There's plenty in the refrigerator if you want
something to nosh on.“
“she never loses weight
because she noshes bet-
-ween meals”

Idioms
 wishy-washy: uncommitted; without an
opinion of one's own.
 "Don't be so wishy-washy. Tell us how you
really feel.“
 Namby-pamby/spineless/gutless/weak in
willpower

 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.

Idioms
 antsy: restless; impatient and tired of waiting.
"I hope Katy calls soon. Just sitting around and
waiting is making me antsy.“
Nervous/Fretful/Itchy/Fidgety

Idioms
 do a bang-up job: do a very good job; do
very well at something.
"Have you seen Frank's home page? He did a
bang-up job with it.“

General Idioms
 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."

ANSWERS
1. A
2. D
3. B
4. C
5. B
6. A
7. D
8. D
 9. B
 10. D
 11. B
 12. A
 13. B
 14. C
 15. A
 16. B

Idioms explanation English Language Priya.ppt

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