back blood bright feet head Larry moon nothings

sevens soul tongue-tied tower

Insert words from above into most appropriate sentences below

1) They sat with each other all evening and neither of them looked at anybody else. They are
clearly ___________ over heels. (Deeply in love)

2) It makes my ___________ boil when people mistreat animals. (Make angry)

3) She wanted the job really badly and nearly got cold ___________ just before the interview
was due to start, but in the end, her application was accepted. (Get nervous)

4) She bared her ____________ to me about what happened and how she feels about it all.
(Reveal one’s feelings)

5) My mother was over the ___________ when I told her I was getting married. (Very happy)

6) I like Bob. He always looks on the _____________ side of life. (To take a positive attitude)

7) I didn’t mean to put her _____________ up, but I had to say something about her smoking in
front of the children. (To annoy someone)

8) My grandfather is a ___________ of strength to the whole family. (A source of emotional

support)

9) He’s all sixes and _________ this morning so don’t worry him unnecessarily. (In a state of
confusion)

10) She really likes him but every time she tries to speak to him she gets ________________
and doesn’t know what to say. (Find it difficult to express oneself because of strong feelings or
shyness)

11) He was as happy as _____________ when they told him that he had got the job. (Very
pleased)

12) They sat with each other all evening and whispered sweet ____________ into each other’s
ears.
(Said romantic or sentimental things to each other)

Follow up!
Now write five sentences using the expressions from above
1) What is the origin of the expression “to put one’s back up?”
a) In the 19th century, the was a form of street fighting, known as shinning, that was popular with the
poor in London whereby people would have to hold each other by the shoulders and then kick each
other in the legs. The first person to let go of the other person’s shoulders would lose valuable points.
The posture of the combatants would be such that their heads were lower than their backs, hence
the expression.
b) This expression has been around for many years and compares angry people to annoyed cats and
the way that these animals arch their backs when extremely irritated.
c) This is an expression that has been around since the middle ages. During medieval sieges, the
attacking forces would try and break down the doors of castles by loading long, and heavy, wooden
poles onto the backs of the assault force. Their heads would be down and their backs up, hence the
expression.

2) What is the origin of the expression “happy as Larry?”

a) The expression is a translation from Arabic and refers to T E Lawrence, a British officer who served
with the Arab tribes during the First World War, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia. He was very
popular with the Arab fighters and was known for his cheerfulness and enthusiasm. The Arabs would
call him Happy Larry and if anybody asked anybody how they were feeling they would say, “as happy
as Larry.”
b) This expression refers to an Australian boxer from the late 19th century, Larry Foley, who is often
referred to as the Father of Australian Boxing. He retired aged 32 with so much money that he never
had to work again.
c) This refers to D H Lawrence and was a nickname he acquired from the press regarding his novel
Lady Chatterley’s Lover. This book was banned in the UK until the early 1960s because it was
considered sexually offensive. However, the controversy surrounding the book made it a bestseller
worldwide and, consequently, it made T H Lawrence lot of money.

3) What is the origin of the expression “all sixes and sevens?”

a) This expression comes from the first British factories in the 18th century that used steam and water
engines to produce cloth. The machines worked together in one continuous production line which
would later be copied by Henry Ford when he started producing automobiles. However, this manner
of working had to be strictly controlled and two of the machines, number 6 and number 7, looked
very similar. If these machines were started out of sequence, the day’s work would be lost and the
whole process would have to start again.
b) This expression comes from the British military. There were several different types of ammunition
used by English musketeers in the 17th century and they were categorised by numbers. The bullets
that were assigned the numbers 6 and 7 were a similar size and if they got mixed up, they caused
serious problems in the heat of battle.
c) An old business dispute between the Merchant Taylors and Skinners livery companies is the most
probable origin of the phrase. The two trade associations were both founded in 1327 and argued
over their rank in the Guildhall in the City of London. In 1484, after more than a century and a half of
arguments, the Lord Mayor of London ruled that the companies would swap between sixth and
seventh place and feast in each other's halls. Nowadays, the companies still exist.