Idiomatics

1. If you receive 'a kick in the teeth' it means you have been treated badly or
have received disappointing news.
2. If you are 'at the end of your tether' you have reached the limit of your
patience.
3. If something is 'food for thought' it provides mental stimulus.
4. If you 'go out on a limb for someone' you put yourself in a disadvantaged
position to support them.
5. To be 'no spring chicken' means not to be young anymore.
6. To do something until you are 'blue in the face' means to do it for a long time.
7. If you 'have an axe to grind' you have a strong opinion about a subject which
you express whenever you have the chance.

Phrasal Verbs

1. If you 'slog away at something' you work very hard at it.

2. 'To lag behind' means to fail to keep up.
3. 'To reek of something' means to smell strongly of it.
4. If you 'cotton on' to something you get to know or understand it.
5. 'To goad someone into doing something' means to urge or incite them to do it.
6. 'To flesh something out' means to give it more substance.
7. If you 'muddle through' something you manage to get through it but without being
organised or with a clear idea of what you are doing.
8. 'To bottom out' means to reach the lowest point of a changing situation with the
prospect of the situation improving.

Collocations

1. 'Grim determination' means totally determined.

2. An 'auspicious occasion' is a very special occasion.
3. A 'conservative estimate' is one that is cautious.
4. If you live 'a frugal lifestyle' you are very careful with food or money.
5. If a vehicle 'screeches to a halt' it stops very suddenly with the sound of
screeching brakes or tyres.
6. If people are'sworn enemies' they have always hated each other.
7. 'To be in excruciating pain' means to suffer severe pain.
8. 'To be sorely tempted' means to be very tempted indeed.

Binomials

1. If something happens 'in fits and starts' it stops and then starts again.
2. If you are 'high and dry' you are in a helpless or abandoned situation.
3. The 'rank and file' are the ordinary members of a workforce as opposed to the
management.
4. 'Every nook and cranny' is every part of a place.
5. If something is 'null and void' it has no legal force.
6. 'Wear and tear' refers to the damage caused to an object through ordinary
everyday use.
7. If you 'scrimp and save' you save money by spending less on things that you
would normally buy or pay for.
8. If you win something 'fair and square' you do it honestly.

Similes

1. If something 'stands out like a sore thumb' it is very noticeable because of

being different.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.