Exercise 1 Fill in the gaps with the correct colour to form idioms. Choose one of the colours below.

Then match the idioms to their definition on the right.

1. To be with envy 2. To tell a . lie 3. To see .. 4. Out of the .. 5. Once in a .moon 6. To catch somebody..-handed 7. A .. herring 8. To be . and blue 9. A .elephant

a) to become very angry b) not very often c) To be very unhappy because someone has something that you want. d) To have dark marks on your skin caused by being hit or having an accident e) a lie that is told in order to be polite or to stop someone from being upset by the truth f) to find someone in the act of doing something illegal g) something that has cost a lot of money but has no useful purpose h) Suddenly i) a fact, idea, or subject that takes people's attention away from the central point being considered j) to see only the pleasant things about a situation and not notice the things that are unpleasant

10. To see life through . coloured spectacles

Exercise 2 Complete the sentences with the correct colour idiom from exercise A.

1. When I heard they are going to the Caribbean for holidays I was .. 2. He caught his teenage son .. smoking in his room. 3. My sister lives in Alaska, so I only see her . 4. I told her I liked her dress to avoid hurting her feelings. It was a . 5. People who torture animals make me . 6. He is very optimistic and he sees the world through 7. His arm was ... He fell off the stairs. 8. One day, ., she announced that she was leaving. 9. The police investigated many clues, but they were all . Still it was difficult to catch the thief. 10. The horrible painting we were given as a wedding gift is a .. . What can we do with it?

Exercise 3 Can you guest the meaning of these colour idioms? Discuss your answers with the class.

1. She is feeling blue because her boyfriend didn't call her yesterday. 2. Our company has lost a lot of money recently and now were in the red. 3. We were finally given the green light to start the new project. 4. You know, he is the black sheep of the family. 5. You cant start a business in this country because of all the red tape! 6. I love gardening. I have green fingers! 7. When you come for a visit in Athens, we will go out and paint the town red. 8. She is a bit off - colour today because she didnt get much sleep yesterday.

Exercise 1 Fill in the gaps with the correct colour to form idioms. Then match the idioms to their definition on the right. 1. To be green with envy 2. To tell a white lie 3. To see red 4. Out of the blue

c e a h

a)to become very angry b)not very often c) To be very unhappy because someone has something that you want. d)To have dark marks on your skin caused by being hit or having an accident e) a lie that is told in order to be polite or to stop someone from being upset by the truth f) to find someone in the act of doing something illegal g) something that has cost a lot of money but has no useful purpose h) Suddenly i) a fact, idea, or subject that takes people's attention away from the central point being considered j) to see only the pleasant things about a situation and not notice the things that are unpleasant

5. Once in a blue moon

b
6. To catch somebody red-handed 7. A red herring 8. To be black and blue 9. A white elephant

f i d

g
10. To see life through rose coloured spectacles

Exercise 2

1. When I heard they are going to the Caribbean for holidays I was green with envy. 2. He caught his teenage son red-handed smoking in his room. 3. My sister lives in Alaska, so I only see her once in a blue moon. 4. I told her I liked her dress to avoid hurting her feelings. It was a white lie. 5. People who torture animals make me see red. 6. He is very optimistic and he sees the world through rose-coloured spectacles. 7. His arm was black and blue. He fell off the stairs.

8. One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving. 9. The police investigated many clues, but they were all red herrings. Still it was difficult to catch the thief. 10. The horrible painting we were given as a wedding gift is a white elephant . What can we do with it?

Exercise 3

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

To be sad To be in debt, to owe money To be given the permission To be a disgrace or embarrassment to a family or group. bureaucracy To be good at gardening To party and enjoy yourself To be not quite at ones best, to feel slightly ill.

Resources
http://www.clker.com/ www.flamingtext.com http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Created by Eleni Tsagari