English Idioms; vocabulary work

1. Teacher: M J Marques Idiom Quiz 1
Y12 English
Cursos: CCT, CAV & CHL
Vocabulary Test
Time: 20 minutes 1st Term Ensino Secundário
1. (Have) egg on your face
Silvia had egg on his face after saying he was much better than all the other drivers, and then
a. winning the race b. coming last in the race c. coming second in the race
2. (Your) bread and butter
This job is my bread and butter, so
a. I don't really need it b. I don't get paid for it c. I can't afford to lose it
3. A couch potato
When he was out of work, Frank was a couch potato and he
a. put on a lot of weight b. lost a lot of weight c. lost a lot of height
4. A flash in the pan
The company hopes that their new computer game won't just be a flash in the pan, but that it'll
a. be popular for a long time b. be unpopular for a very long time c. be very popular for a short time
5. A knuckle sandwich
Kenny gave me a knuckle sandwich and I said,
a. "No thanks, I'm not hungry." b. "Thanks, I needed that." c. "Ouch! That hurt!"
6. A piece of cake
Her homework was a piece of cake because
a. the house was very quiet b. it was filled with nuts c. it was so easy to do
7. A recipe for disaster
Which of the following would most people say is a recipe for disaster?
a. educating poor people b. reducing pollution from factories c. destroying huge forests
8. Chew the fat | chew the rag
While I was chewing the fat with Graham, he …
a. ate too much fat and got sick b. told me all about his new job c. got really tired and asked me to stop
9. Drink like a fish
Even though Uncle Barry drinks like a fish, he
a. never drinks alcohol b. never looks drunk c. never drinks much
10. Easy as pie | easy as ABC
They said configuring the software is easy as pie, but I don't think it is. I found it
a. really difficult b. really easy c. really delicious

2. Teacher: M J Marques Idiom Quiz 2
11. Eat humble pie
Jeremy had to eat humble pie because
a. there was nothing else to eat b. he wanted to seem humble c. it was clear he was wrong
12. Eat your words
Bernie said I couldn't possibly get Marion to go on a date, and he had to eat his words when I
a. said I definitely would b. took her out for dinner c. couldn't get her to go out with me
13. Go down a treat
The band came back on stage and played one last song and it went down a treat. Everybody
a. booed and hissed b. clapped and cheered c. yawned and nodded off
14. Grease someone's palm
It was obvious that many people had greased the chief of police's palm because he had
a. become very poor b. become very rich c. become very greasy
15. Half-baked
Jerry has come up with another of his half-baked schemes to make millions of dollars, but it
a. needs more baking b. can't possibly work c. will work for sure
16. Hard to swallow
Of all his stories, the one that most people found the hardest to swallow was the one about
a. being taken for a ride in a U.F.O. by aliens
b. being given fried spiders to eat in Cambodia
c. seeing people stick pins and needles through their cheeks
17. In a nutshell
I'll give you the story in a nutshell because
a. you need to know everything b. we don't have much time c. it'll make it more interesting
18. Junk food
Parents who feed their children junk food risk turning them into
a. healthy, happy, active kids b. overweight, unhealthy, unhappy kids c. well-balanced and well-fed kids
19. Not your cup of tea
Classical music isn't really Mary's cup of tea, so when I offered to take her to a concert of chamber music, she
a. wasn't all that excited b. was really excited c. looked very exciting
20. On the back burner
We'll put the project on the back burner for a while because
a. it's a terrible plan b. we've already tried it c. we're too busy just now (in 300 Idioms, p. 11-16)
Marks: 20 x 1
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