Lesson 9: Idioms Around the House

Introductory Quiz
Guess the correct meaning of each idiom from the context. It's OK if you get a lot
of answers wrong – what’s important is to do your best in trying to figure it out!

1) We finally went to the most popular Italian restaurant in the city - but I
wasn't impressed. The food was OK, but nothing to write home about.

"Nothing to write home about" means...

A not especially good or exciting

B something you could easily make at home
C you don't plan to return to that place

2) After I won the lottery, a lot of people who I hadn't seen in years came out
of the woodwork and acted like they were my best friends.

To "come out of the woodwork" means...

A say one thing, but do something different

B appear unexpectedly
C send congratulations

3) I can't believe I got a computer virus that erased my entire hard drive. I
didn't have a backup, so it's over two years' work down the drain.

"Down the drain" means...

A in the future
B of bad quality
C wasted or lost

4) I normally don't pay much attention to the police reports because our town
is generally very safe - but it hit close to home when a 12-year-old girl was
shot on the school bus - she was the same age as my daughter.

If you say something "hit close to home," it means...

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 A it affected you emotionally because of some personal connection
B it happened near your house
C it was a tragedy for the entire community

5) I wish my sister would stop posting the details of her arguments with her
boyfriend on Facebook. In my opinion, the internet is no place to air your
dirty laundry.

"Air your dirty laundry" means...

A to be addicted to a bad habit

B reveal inappropriate personal things in public
C ruin someone else's reputation

6) There were some complications with my work permit, but my job started
last month, so I'm getting paid under the table while we wait for the permit
to be finalized.

If you are paid "under the table," it means you are paid...

A in secret
B less than minimum wage
C to resolve a specific problem

7) (at a restaurant):

I'm terribly sorry for the delay - it's inexcusable that you had to wait over an
hour for your dinner. To help make it up to you, dessert is on the house.

If food or drink is "on the house," it means...

A it's prepared especially for you

B you don't have to pay for it
C you will receive it immediately

8) Over half the kids in this school drop out and don't graduate, yet the
principal always sweeps it under the carpet and claims we have a "strong
educational tradition."

To "sweep something under the carpet" means...

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 A encouraging people to have a more positive attitude
B saying that an issue is not important
C trying to hide a problem instead of dealing with it

9) If you're planning to run for president, you can expect the media to
investigate your entire past to see if you have any skeletons in the closet.

A "skeleton in the closet" is...

A an irrational fear
B a major failure
C a shocking secret

10) I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something when packing for a trip, so
I end up bringing everything but the kitchen sink!

"Everything but the kitchen sink" means...

A almost everything you can think of

B inexpensive things that can easily be replaced if you lose them
C useful items for cooking

11) When I first started working in the publicity office for a celebrity, I was a
doormat - I did whatever my superiors told me to, even if it was outside my
area of responsibility. Now that I've got some experience, I'm better at setting
boundaries.

A "doormat" is a person who...

A accepts being dominated by others

B has the least important role in the organization
C is ignored by everybody

12) Sandy screamed at me when I borrowed a pencil from her desk. I think
she got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

If you "get up on the wrong side of the bed," it means you...

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 A are tired because you didn't sleep well
B are unusually grumpy on a particular day
C always take little things far too seriously

13) Amanda Hocking's career as an author took off when she sold over a
million of her novels electronically. Three years ago she was a nobody, and
now she's a household name.

Describing someone as "a household name" means they are...

A an expert
B famous
C humble

Explanation

#1 - nothing to write home about = (A) – not especially good or

exciting

When you're traveling, you write letters and e-mails to people at home telling
them about all the exciting things you're seeing on your trip. However, if
something is boring or mediocre, then you wouldn't mention it when you
write home.

#2 - come out of the woodwork = (B) – appear unexpectedly

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Decorations made of wood are called "woodwork." If insects appear
unexpectedly from inside the woodwork, it's an unpleasant surprise.

So "come out of the woodwork" is used when people appear unexpectedly

from a hidden place - and it usually has a negative connotation.

#3 - down the drain = (C) – wasted or lost

If an object goes down the drain, it is usually lost forever. Another idiom that
means wasted or lost is "down the toilet."

#4 - hit close to home = (A) – affect you emotionally because of

some personal connection

If your country was at war, and a bomb or missile hit an area close to your
house, you would be shaken (scared/nervous). So a comment or event that
touches a sensitive point for you, affecting you emotionally, is said to "hit close
to home."

#5 - air your dirty laundry = (B) – reveal inappropriate

personal things in public

In this expression, the verb "air" means to hang your dirty clothing in a place
where air can circulate (and help remove the bad smell of the dirty clothes). It

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would be considered rude to air dirty laundry in a public place - so the idiom
“air your dirty laundry” means to reveal extremely personal information in an
inappropriate place.

#6 - under the table = (A) – paid in secret

If you pass someone money under the table, nobody can see it. This phrase is
often used when a worker is working illegally or unofficially.

#7 - on the house = (B) – you don't have to pay for it

In the past, it was common for bars / restaurants to be located in a big house.
If the owner of the bar or restaurant is feeling generous, he can offer some
food / drink "on the house" (free).

#8 - sweep something under the carpet = (C) – try to hide a

problem instead of dealing with it

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If you're cleaning your house, and you sweep the dirt under the carpet, you
haven't really removed the problem - you only tried to hide it.

#9 – a skeleton in the closet = (C) – a shocking secret from your

past

If the police found a real skeleton in your closet, it would be evidence that you
had killed someone and hidden the body in your house! So the idiom "a
skeleton in the closet" describes any type of shocking secret from your past.

#10 - everything but the kitchen sink = (A) – almost everything

you can think of

During World War II, families had to donate all the metal in their houses to
help with the war effort. The only thing they didn't have to donate was the
kitchen sink, because it was made of porcelain, not metal.

#11 - doormat = (A) – a person who accepts being dominated by

others

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Everyone steps on the doormat, and it doesn't complain or resist! In the same
way, a person who is a "doormat" is passive and submissive.

#12 - get up on the wrong side of the bed = (B) – you are
unusually grumpy on a particular day

This idiom refers to the fact that if your day begins badly, you'll be grumpy (in
a bad mood) for the rest of the day.

#13 - a household name = (B) – famous

This expression implies that a person is so well-known that every family in

every house knows his or her name.

Now try the quiz and the short-answer exercises!

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Practice Quiz
1) If you need to buy cosmetics, you should go to Barbara's Beauty Superstore.
They have ___________________.

A everything but the kitchen sink

B nothing to write home about
C a household name

2) Some companies pay their workers ___________ in order to avoid providing

them with the obligatory benefits for full-time employees.

A on the house
B under the carpet
C under the table

3) My father invested half a million dollars in a company that went bankrupt a

year later. That's a lot of money ____________.

A close to home
B down the drain
C out of the woodwork

4) My last boyfriend was really a ____________. I prefer men who show more
initiative.

A doormat
B household name
C skeleton in the closet

5) When the international media exposed the rampant violence in that

country, the government could no longer _______________.

A air its dirty laundry

B get up on the wrong side of the bed
C sweep it under the carpet

6) I thought that movie was _______________ - I'd only recommend seeing it if you
have nothing better to do.
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 A down the drain
B nothing to write home about
C a doormat

7) Sorry I ignored you yesterday. I _____________ and wasn't feeling very

sociable.

A aired my dirty laundry

B came out of the woodwork
C got up on the wrong side of the bed

8) My father is a truck driver, so when Randy started making comments about

how rude and stupid truck drivers are, it ____________.

A went down the toilet

B hit a little too close to home
C was a skeleton in the closet

9) Good evening, folks. As a holiday special, all non-alcoholic drinks are

___________ today.

A a household name
B on the house
C under the table

10) When my first child was born, all sorts of random people _______________
and started giving me unsolicited advice on how best to take care of him.

A came out of the woodwork

B hit close to home
C swept it under the carpet

Answers are at the end of this lesson.

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Short-Answer Exercises
1) Have you ever had your money or time go “down the drain”?
2) Do you remember the last time something hit close to home for you?
3) Give an example of a store that has “everything but the kitchen sink.”
What sort of items are available there?
4) What advice would you give to somebody who’s a doormat (and doesn’t
want to be one anymore)?
5) In your opinion, what’s the best way to relax and get your positive
attitude back if you’ve gotten up on the wrong side of the bed?
If you want correction / feedback, you can e-mail me your writing at
homework@espressoenglish.net

Practice Quiz Answers

1) A

2) C

3) B

4) A

5) C

6) B

7) C

8) B

9) B

10) A

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