The Usage of English and American Idioms
Министерство образования и науки
Республики Татарстан
Управление образования
исполнительного комитета
Нижнекамского муниципального района
Республики ТатарстанРеспубликанская юношеская научно-исследовательская
конференция
"Я - исследователь"
г. Нижнекамск
Школа №10
Класс 11 "Г"
Секция: английская филология
НАУЧНО-ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКАЯ РАБОТА
Тема: The Usage of English and
American Idioms
Руководитель Салихзянова Лилия Григорьевна,
учитель английского языкаквалификационной категории
Учащийся Почитаев Алексей
Нижнекамск 2008
Contents
Introduction
1. Chapter 1. American history reflected in idioms
1.1 What is an idiom?
1.2 Structure of Idioms
1.3 Idioms reflecting events of the 17th century
1.4 Idioms referring to the 18th century
1.5 Idioms referring to the 19th century
1.6. Idioms referring to the 20th century
2. Chapter 2. Differences and usage in American English and British
English
2.1 Influence of the American English on the world of idioms
2.2 Main differences in usage
3. Chapter 3. English idioms and their usage in everyday life
3.1 My own example of using idioms in daily speech
3.2 Examples of idioms from my textbook
Conclusion
Literature
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Introduction
All over the world free using idioms in speech is
a difficult problem for people, learning English language as a foreign one.
Idioms often cause serious difficulties even with people, who know English very
well. And if they intentionally avoid using idioms, in this case their oral and
written speech, most likely, will be dull and high-flown. So we think that this
research is quite actual.make our speech more expressive, vivid, and
imaginative. Having a rich vocabulary of idioms, you can not only understand
shades of meaning, stylistics, emotion, but you also will enrich your speech,
made it more natural, that, of course, will make your intercourse easier with
foreign colleagues and friends., who improving in English language, should
precisely understand that using idioms in daily intercourse isn’t foppery or
tribute to a style of the end of XX century. On the contrary, understanding and
right using idioms testifies about high level of possession of English
language.
Aims of the research:
to explore the world of English and American
idiomsanalyze school textbooks and show how to use idioms in practice
Tasks:
to research the history of idiomsdemonstrate a
variety of themhelp other students to use idiomsobject of the research,
thus, is an idiom as a linguistic phenomenon. Its subject comprises
investigation of usage of idioms in practice.: analysis, comparison, illustrative
method, method of material evaluationresults of the research can
be used by English-learners and the teachers of English.
Chapter 1. American history reflected in
idioms
1.
Chapter 1. American history reflected in idioms
1.1
What is an idiom?
Any language has a lot of idioms. Idiomatic
expressions are a vital component of English in particular. They reflect
mentality and culture of the people, speaking this language. If we compare
English and Russian language, we will also find out a great number of idioms,
like “has remained with a nose”, “to sit in a pool” or “ate a dog" and so
on in Russian language.idiom is a phrase or expression that has a
meaning different from what the words suggest in their usual meaning. All
idioms have some sort of meaning behind them such as “Butterflies in my
stomach”. The meaning is a feeling caused by nervousness. Idioms can be
really funny but some are really tricky.
Idiom (noun) - an expression
conforming or appropriate to the peculiar structural form of a language; in
extend use, an expression sanctioned by usage, having a sense peculiar to
itself and not agreeing with the logical sense of its structural form; The term
red herring, an idiom meaning 'false trail', is used of something which
is neither red nor a herring.and American idioms are very different. Such
American phrase as to put one's foot into it, meaning to
make a public offence, in British English is passed by phrase to drop a brick, which won’t
be clear for the majority of the people, living in USA.
Idioms are very widespread in modern English
language. We can divide all idioms into different parts according to their
meaning. They’re everywhere around us. (Appendix 1)
english american idioms usage
1.2
Structure of Idioms
idioms are unique and fixed in their grammatical
structure. The expression to sit on the fence cannot become to sit on
a fence or to sit on the fences. However, there are many changes that can
be made to an idiom.of these changes result in a change in the grammatical
structure that would generally be considered to be wrong. To be broken
literally means that something is broken. The lamp is broken so I
cannot easily read my book. To be broke is grammatically incorrect but it
has the idiomatic meaning of to have no money. I am broke and I cannot go to
a movie tonight.
There can also be changes in nouns, pronouns or
in the verb tenses. I sat on the fence and did not give my opinion. Many
people are sitting on the fence and do not want to give their opinion. Adjectives
and adverbs can also be added to an idiomatic phrase. The politician has
been sitting squarely in the middle of the fence since the election.
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.
The development of the language is always
connected with the development of society. In this context, it will be of great
interest to see the relationship between history and language. Perhaps the most
obvious demonstration of this relationship will come from identification and
analysis of those idioms, which reflect American history or rather American
culture of this, or that historic period.idioms many authors call attention to
the fact that they can more easily than other language units cumulate and store
facts about the past, cultural semantics of a nation, traditions, customs,
folklore, etc. because of the so called "cumulative" function of a
language. The element, which renders the information, is called
"national-cultural component". There exist many definitions of an
idiom, but most theorists stress three main features: that this linguistic unit
consists of more than one word, it is stable, and idiomatic, that is the
meaning of a whole unit does not emerge from the meaning of words it consists
of.analysis of the data obtained showed that it is possible to distinguish
several groups of idioms according to the period in the history of the U. S.
they reflect.
1.3
Idioms reflecting events of the 17th century
A very important historic event is reflected in
the idiom “a witch-hunt”, the idiomatic meaning of which is: "a
search for, and persecution of, people whose views are regarded as evil: The
McCarthy witch-hunt in the United States from 1950-54 sought out members of the
Communist Party." (Kirkpatrick and Schwarz, 1995). The prototype of the
idiom refers to the organized hunts for witches. And though it took place both
in America and in Britain the idiom originally appeared in the United States.
Against the background of extreme stress (being a colony of England, the country
was in a state of war with the French and their Indian allies and in 1690
northern frontiers of New England and New York were devastated by enemy
attacks) there occurred an outbreak of witch-hunt that led to accusations in
witchcraft. It was especially severe in Salem Village. In 1692 nineteen people
were hanged, another was pressed to death by heavy stones, and more than one
hundred people were jailed. To explain this puzzling episode, the authors of
the book “A People and A Nation” write, "to be understood it must be seen
in its proper context - one of political and legal disorder, of Indian war, and
of religious and economic change. It must have seemed to Puritan New Englanders
as though their entire world was collapsing." (1990: 67-68).
1.4
Idioms referring to the 18th century
There are some idioms, which reflect everyday
life of people during the 18th century. It refers to the idiom “have
an axe to grind”, the idiomatic meaning of which is "to have a
personal, often selfish, reason for being involved in something: I have no
axe to grind - I just want to help you.". The etymology of this idiom
presents a great interest. It represents a story as it is believed, told by
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American statesman, diplomat, author, scientist,
and inventor, about a man who "had once asked him to demonstrate how his
father's grindstone worked - and had then produced an axe which he wanted to
sharpen".
1.5
Idioms referring to the 19th century
Most idioms describe the everyday life; they are
connected with the tools. “Fly off the handle” idiomatically means
"to lose one's tempo: He flew off the handle when he heard that the
boys had raided his garden again." The metaphor is based on the
possibility of an axe head to fly off the handle while one is using it.
According to D. Boorstin, the idioms came into use in 1825.and implements play
an important role in the life of Americans, as in a life of any people. They
are often used in idioms. The prototype of the idiom “get the hang of
(something) ” originally meant, "to learn to use this or that
tool." Idiomatic meaning is "to learn, or begin to understand, how to
do (something): It may seem difficult at first, but you'll get the hang of it
after a few weeks. "very important facet of life is disclosed in the idiom
“bark up the wrong tree”, which presently means "to attempt to do
the wrong thing or to do something in the wrong way or from the wrong
direction: You're barking up the wrong tree if you think you will be
able to influence the judge." The metaphor comes from racoon-hunting,
where dogs were used to locate racoons up in trees.are many idioms including
elements denoting hunting in the common vocabulary stock, most of them were
inherited by American English. It is noteworthy to underline that the idioms
describes hunting a new animal, racoon, the habitat of which is the North
America. D. Boorstin refers this idiom to 1833.
1.6.
Idioms referring to the 20th century
The period of Prohibition gave rise to several
idioms pertaining to the organized crime. Many Americans first heard about this
type of crime in the early 1920s when it was started by notorious Al Capone
with bootlegging in Chicago. Later he came to control much of illegal
activities: extortion, gambling, prostitution, narcotics, etc. (Flexner, 1982:
435). The activity of gangsters is reflected in the idiom “take (someone)
for a ride”, which had a variant take (someone) for a one-way ride,
the etymological meaning was "to kill someone in a moving car"; it
was originally gangster's slang reflecting a common practice of exterminating a
person without attracting attention. Metaphorical meaning is: "to trick,
chit or deceive (someone)": He doesn't actually work for a charity at all,
so the people who have sent him money have been taken for a ride.
“Give (someone) the works" metaphorically
means "to give someone the full treatment: They’ve certainly given her
the works at the hairdresser's - she's had her hair cut, tinted and
permed." The prototype meant, "to kill someone".the prototype of
the idiom “stool-pigeon" meaning "a pigeon tied to a stool and
used as a decoy" goes back to the 1830's, the spread and active use refers
to the 1920's (Flexner, 1982: 436). Idiomatic meaning is "an informer or
spy especially for the police: The police received information about the
planned robbery from a stoolpigeon. "later period can be seen in
the idiom “on the breadline" meaning "with barely enough money
to live on: The widow and her children were living on the breadline."
The idiom reminds about The Great Depression (1929 - the late 1930's). But the
worst period was between 1929 - 1933, when unemployment reached 13 million
people in 1933, which comprised one fourth of the labor force. It is at that
time that soup kitchens were opened by such organizations as Red Cross and
Salvation Army in the United States, the poorest people queued in breadlines.
So, the prototype of the idiom meant literally "queues of destitute people
waiting for free food from soup-kitchens, especially run by the government.
"
To sum up, I would like to
underline that American studies perspective enabled to find cultural elements
in idioms which store the information about historic events, ethnographic
details, ways of life of different periods in the history of the U. S. A.
Albeit history is only implied in the idioms under study but the information is
very important for the students majoring in American studies as well as for
those who are interested in the United States.
Chapter 2. Differences and Usage in American English and British
English
If you look up the word idiom in Webster, you
will be given the following definition: Idiom is an expression whose meaning is
not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent element as kick the
bucket, hang one's head etc., or from the general grammatical rules of
language, as the table round for the round table, and which is not a
constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics. This definition
seems a bit dry and doesn't really tell anything about the function of idioms
in English language.is a language particularly rich in idioms - those modes of
expression peculiar to a language (or dialect) which frequently defy logical
and grammatical rules. Without idioms English would lose much of its variety
and humor both in speech and writing.background and etymological origins of
most idioms is at best obscure. This is the reason why a study of differences
between the idioms of American and British English is somewhat difficult. But
it also makes the cases, where background, etymology and history are known,
even more interesting. Some idioms of the "worldwide English" have first
been seen in the works of writers like Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott and Lewis
Carroll or even in the paperbacks of contemporary novelists. An example of
Shakespearian quotation can be found in the following sentence: "As a
social worker, you certainly see the seamy side of life." Biblical
references are also the source of many idioms. Sports terms, technical terms,
legal terms, military slang and even nautical expressions have found their way
to the everyday use of English language. Following are some examples of these,
some used in either American or British English and some used in both:
"Having won the first two Tests, Australia is now almost certain to retain
the Ashes." (Ashes is a British English idiom that is nowadays a
well-established cricket term.)
"In his case the exception proves the
rule." (A legal maxim - in full: "the exception proves the rule in
cases not excepted". Widely used in both AmE and BrE.)
"To have the edge on/over someone."
(This is originally American English idiom, now established in almost every
other form of English, including BrE.)
"A happy hunting ground." (Place where
one often goes to obtain something or to make money. Originally American
English idiom from the Red Indians' Paradise.)
2.
Chapter 2. Differences and usage in American English and British English
2.1
Influence of the American English on the world of idioms
In the old days English idioms rarely originated
from any other form of English than British English. (French was also a popular
source of idioms.) Nowadays American English is in this position. It is hard to
find an AmE idiom that has not established itself in "worldwide
English" (usually BrE). This is not the case with British English idioms
which are not as widespread. It has to be remembered that it is hard to say
which idioms are actively used in English and which are dying out or have already
died. Idioms are constantly dying and new-ones are born.idioms may have gone
through radical changes in meaning. The phrase - There is no love lost
between them - nowadays means that some people dislike one another.
Originally, when there was only the British English form, it meant exactly the
opposite. The shift in meaning is yet unexplained. All dialects of English have
different sets of idioms and situations where a given idiom can be used.
American English and British English may not, in this respect, be the best
possible pair to compare because they both have been developing into the same
direction, at least where written language is concerned, since the Second World
War. The reason that there is so much American influence in British English is
the result of the following:
· Magnitude of
publishing industry in the U. S.
· Magnitude of
mass media influence on a worldwide scale
· Appeal of
American popular culture on language and habits worldwide
· International
political and economic position of the U. S.
All these facts lead to the conclusion that new
idioms usually originate in the U. S. and then become popular in so-called
"worldwide English". This new situation is completely different from
the birth of American English as a "variant" of British English. When
America was still under the rule of the Crown, most idioms originated from
British English sources. Of course there were American English expressions and
idioms too, before American English could be defined as dialect of English.
Some examples of these early American English idioms follow:
"To bark up the wrong tree."
(Originally from raccoon-hunting in which dogs were used to locate raccoons up
in trees.)
"Paddle one's own canoe." (This is an
American English idiom of the late 18th Century and early 19th Century.)of
these early American idioms and expressions were derived from the speech of the
American natives like the phrase that "someone speaks with a forked
tongue" and the "happy hunting ground" above. These idioms have
filtered to British English through centuries through books, newspapers and
most recently through powerful mediums like radio, TV and movies.was the
turning point? When did American culture take the leading role and start
shaping the English language and especially idiomatic expressions? There is a
lot of argument on this subject. Most claim that the real turning point was the
Second World War. This could be the case. During the War English-speaking
nations were united against a common enemy and the U. S. took the leading role.
In these few years and a decade after the War American popular culture first
established itself in British English. Again new idioms were created and old
ones faded away. The Second World War was the turning point in many areas in
life. This may also be the case in the development of the English language.the
old days the written language (novels, poems, plays and the Bible) was the
source from which idioms were extracted. This was the case up until WWII. After
the war new mediums had established themselves in English-speaking society,
there was a channel for the American way of life and the popular culture of the
U. S. TV, movies and nowadays the interactive medium have changed the English
language more to the American English direction. Some people in the Europe speak
the Mid-Atlantic English, halfway from the British English to American
English.influence of American English can even be seen in other European
languages. In Finland, we are adopting and translating AmE proverbs, idioms and
expressions. It can be said that the spoken language has taken the leading role
over the written and the only reason for this is TV and radio. Most proverbs
and idioms that have been adopted to British English from American English are
of spoken origin. This is a definite shift from the days before WWII. What will
this development do to the English language? Will it decrease its value? This
could be argued, but the answer would still be no. Languages develop and
change. So is the case with English language and idioms.
2.2
Main differences in usage
How then does American English differ from
British English in the use of idioms? There are no radical differences in
actual use. The main differences are in the situations where idiomatic
expressions are used. There have been many studies recently on this subject.
American English adopts and creates new idioms at a much faster rate compared
to British English. Also the idioms of AmE origin tend to spread faster and
further. After it has first been established in the U. S., an American idiom may
soon be found in other "variants" and dialects of English. Nowadays
new British idioms tend to stay on the British Isles and are rarely encountered
in the U. S. British idioms are actually more familiar to other Europeans or to
the people of the British Commonwealth than to Americans, even though the
language is same. The reason for all these facts is that Britain is not the
world power it used to be and it must be said that the U. S. has taken the role
of the leading nation in the development of language, media and popular
culture. Britain just doesn't have the magnitude of media influence that the
United States controls.
The conclusion is that the future of
idiomatic expressions in the English language seems certain. They are more and
more based on American English. This development will continue through new
mediums like the Internet and interactive mediums. It is hard to say what this
will do to idioms and what kind of new idioms are created. This will be an
interesting development to follow, and by no means does it lessen the humor,
variety and color of English language.
What about English
idioms? I could find a lot of them, but I'll give examples only about some of
them which I consider the most interesting and I'd recommend my classmates to
use them working with British literature classes, making analyses of different
creative works and writing project tasks. Moreover, almost all of these
drawings were made by me.
a chicken and egg
situation. This is an informal expression, which describes a situation or
problem in which it is impossible to decide which of two things was the cause
of the other. For example: The connection between lack of education and
poverty is a chicken and egg situation. Are people poor because they
have no education or do they not get an education because they are poor?
The expression comes from
the idea of a chicken and its egg. Does the egg come from the chicken or the
chicken from the egg?
bread and butter. When we use
the idiom "bread and butter" we mean someone's livelihood or income.
For example: I don't especially like doing this job, but it's my bread and
butter.
Idiomatic expressions are
a vital component of English in particular. The common idioms will increase our
understanding, though most of us instinctively avoid trying to use them. In my
work I offer you some idioms around themes such as health, school,
accommodation, family relationship, everyday life. I've selected them from
different books and Internet sources according to my point of view and my
understanding. I hope it will be a good stream for teachers and students. (Appendix
2)
3.
Chapter 3. English idioms and their usage in everyday life
.1
My own example of using idioms in daily speech
I had a narrow escape this morning.
I was cycling to work when a lorry knocked me off my bike. The driver stopped
and got out to see if I was all right. He was as white as a sheet and I
was shaking like a leaf. Fortunately I had landed on some grass
and I wasn’t hurt.
To have a narrow escape - to be very
close to danger or something terrible but manage to escape
To be/go as white as a sheet - to be very
pale in the face, especially because of illness or great fear
Shaking like a leaf - to tremble
with fear or great anxiety
3.2
Examples of idioms from my textbook
Now, I would like to give you some examples from
my school textbooks “Hotline”.Unit:
a to have got
the message - to understand2:
a We’d better be
off - it’s time to come out3:
a The sky’s the
limit - you haven’t got any limits to improve yourself5:
a That’s beside
the point - it doesn’t concern the matterI think we should all think
about the environment. That’s why I’m buying a car with a small engine hat runs
on unleaded petrol.Huh! It’s all that you can afford. You’d buy that
gas-guzzler, too, if you had the money.That’s beside the point!7:
a I’ve made up
my mind - to decide to do something, to be going to do
a to get one’s
hand on somebody - to interfere in somebody’s business
Unit 10:
a to lose one’s
temper - to lose one’s head/wits, to blow up
a to want a word
with somebody - to want to talk with somebody
a a write-off
(car) - completely destroyed
Rosy If Kim hadn’t been driving so fast, she
wouldn’t have had an accident. She might lose her licence. The car’s a
write-off.
Unit 11:
a to have a real
heart-to-heart with (someone) = to have a friendly conversation
a That’s all
water under the bridge = to forget everything (esp., bad things) which
were in the past
Kim I had a real
heart-to-heart with Andrea when she came. So that’s all water under the bridge
now. Mind you, Vince hasn’t said anything about it!see: one of the characters,
Kim, has used not one, but two idiomatic expressions in the conversation., you
see that my classmates and I meet and use in our every day speech idioms. The
authors of this textbook understand the necessity of using idioms
fluently.conclusion I suggest a variety of exercise practice in recognition and
production of idioms. (Appendix 3).
Conclusion
Idioms make our speech more expressive, vivid,
and imaginative. Having a rich vocabulary of idioms, you can not only
understand shades of meaning, stylistics, emotion, but you also will enrich
your speech, made it more natural, that, of course, will make your intercourse
easier with foreign colleagues and friends., researching the history of
American idioms I've known that many authors call attention to the fact that
idioms can more easily than other language units cumulate and store facts about
the past, cultural semantics of a nation, traditions, folklore, etc. because of
the so called "cumulative" function of the language. When I've read
it I've tried to prove or disprove this affirmation, so, I've run through a
great number of different books and came to some conclusions, which were
expressed in my work.future of idiomatic expressions in the English language seems
certain. They are more and more based on American English. This development
will continue through new mediums like the Internet and interactive mediums. It
is hard to say what this will do to idioms and what kind of new idioms are
created. This will be an interesting development to follow, and by no means
does it lessen the humor, variety and color of English language.
In my work I've composed
small stories trying to apply the received knowledge about idioms in practice.,
I've analyzed my school textbooks and made my comments on some idioms, which
we've touched upon at the lessons.'ve also appended a lot of exercises and
examples how to understand idioms and use them in practice.
Well, all my aims have been achieved and I hope
my work will be a good stream for teachers and students in their work with
idioms.
Literature
1. Baranov
A. N., Dobrovol'skiy D. O. Idiomati^nost' i idiomi // Voprosi
azikoznania, No 5, cc.51 - 64
2. Burstin,
D. Amerikanci: Nacional'niy opit. M:
. Progress,
Litera, 1993
4. Vereschagin
E. M., Kostomarov V. G. Nacional'no- kul'turnaa semantika russkih
frazeologizmov // Slovari i lingvostranovedenie. M: Russkiy azik - 1982, ss.89 - 98
5. Billington,
R. A. America's Frontier Heritage.
. Albuquerque:
University of New Mexico Press, 1991
. Flexner,
S. B. Listening to America. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982
. Goodale,
M. Collins COBUILD Idioms Workbook.
9. London:
Harper Collins Publishers, 1995
10. Ickstadt,
H. Teaching American Studies Abroard: the European Experience. In U. S. Society
& Values. Electronic Journals of the U. S. Information Agency, 1996, vol.1,
No 15, pp 11 - 15
. Mechling,
J., Meredith, R., Wilson, D. American Culture Studies: The Discipline and the
Curriculum. In American
Quarterly, vol. XXV, No 4, October, 1973, pp.363 - 389
12. (A)
People and A Nation: A History of the United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company,
1990
13. Schlissel,
L. The Frontier Family: Dislocation and the American Experience. In Making
America. The Society and Culture of the UNITED STATES. Washington, D. C. United States
Information Agency, 1988, pp 81 - 90
14. Workman,
G. Phrasal verbs and idioms, 1996
. Hutchinson,
T. Hotline, Oxford University Press, 1995
16. <#"510903.files/image005.gif">
Exercises and Quizzes
Appendix
2
1. A big hand: ) friendly slap on the
back) enthusiastic round of applause
. A big mouth: ) over talkative person) a
liar
. A big noise: ) powerful and influential
person) insignificant and ineffectual
. A big head: ) knowledgeable person)
over-confident and conceited person
. A bitter pil: ) upsetting fact difficult
to accept) harmful fact difficult to accept
. A blessing in ) something advantageous
initially but: later unpleasantunpleasant initially but later) something
unpleasant initially but later
. A bright spark: a) clever and lively
person) devious and unfriendly person
. A close shave: a) unforeseen disaster)
narrow escape: 1---b; 2-a; 3-a; 4-b; 5-a;
6-b; 7-a; 8-b;
Idiom Quizzes - Clothes
1. The boy always comes to help his friends (very
promptly) which is why everybody likes him.
(a) dressed to kill (b) below the belt (c) at the
drop of a hat
. Our boss always (shows his feelings openly) and
everyone knows his problems.
(a) wears his heart on his sleeve (b) wears the
pants in his family (c) pulls up his socks
. He is a (very formal person) and nobody likes
to invite him to a party.
(a) wolf in sheep`s clothing (b) fine-tooth comb
(c) stuffed shirt
. It will be very difficult to (take his place)
as he is one of the best workers in our company.
(a) die with his boots on (b) fill his shoes (c)
pull up his socks
Answer:
. - a;
. - c;
. - b;
Complete this idioms
) have a sweet … = to have a
desire to eat sweet foodshave a sweet … and I love chocolate bars.
2) hot … = a question or
argument that is controversial and difficult to settleissue of building the
nuclear power plant is a hot … for the local town council.
3) out to … = to be crazy, to be
uninformedwoman is out to … and you should never believe what she tells
you.
4) catch one's … = attract one's
attention/interest.
"This brochure about Tahiti caught my …
when I was at the travel agency. "
5) so … (as yet) = up to now,
all the while up to now Hm! May I ask what you have said so …? Thirty
years ago five doctors gave me six months to live, and I've seen three of them
out so ….
So … you are right.
6) in seventh …
When George asked me to marry him, I was in
seventh ….time she wins a match she's in seventh …!
7) In the same … = in the same
bad situation.and I both lost our jobs yesterday. Now we're in the same …
) a shoulder to … on = someone who
you can tell about your problems and ask for sympathy and advice.gave my friend
a shoulder to … on when I met him at the coffee shop.
9) a … on a hot tin roof = full of
lively activityboy was jumping around like a … on a hot tin roof and we
could not make him be quiet.
) … love = infatuation (strong feelings of
love) between school-age children or teenagerstwo teenagers thought that their
love was the greatest in the world but everyone knew that it was only … love.
Complete the sentences below with the
given idioms
) dog in the manger = someone who
prevents others from doing what they themselves do not want to do
2) have a cow = to become
very angry and upset about something
3) blood runs cold = one is
terrified or horrified
4) monkey around with (someone or
something) = to play with or waste time with someone or something
5) monkey see, monkey do = someone copies
something that someone else does
6) smell a rat = to be
suspicious, to feel that something is wrong
The father and son spent the morning … the old radio.
It is always … for the boy. He copies everything that his
friend does.
My friend always acts like a … and often tries to prevent
us from enjoying ourselves.
My … when I saw the poison spider on my bed.
I …. There is something wrong with the offer of a free
credit card.
Our teacher … when he discovered that nobody had prepared
for the class.