all-nighter blank bookworm cap colours copycat dog dropout grade

heart knocks pet Rs ropes school schoolboy swot truant

Insert words from above into most appropriate sentences below

1) He passed the exam because he is a ________________. He kept looking at the answers on the paper of
the student sitting next to him. (Use the work of another and claim it as one’s own)
2) My son doesn’t like school very much and keeps playing _______________. If he keeps missing classes
he will have serious problems when he gets older. (Deliberately not going to school)
3) My mother is a real ______________. She is always reading and seems to know everything. It has made
her quite unsocial, to be honest. (Vey studious or a lover of books)
4) He is a real ______________ and has already revised everything he needs to in order to pass the exam.
(Very well revised and studious)
5) In a civilised society, all children should be educated to at least the basics in the three __________.
(Be able to read, write and do basic calculations)
6) I went to the School of Hard ______________ and the University of Life. It’s the best form of education
there is. There is nothing I’m not prepared for. (Life experience)
7) I can’t get my father to use the latest software. He is too used to the older version. You can’t teach an
old ____________ new tricks! (Train somebody who is very accustomed to doing things a different way.)
8) It took me a while to learn the ____________ when I first started in this job but it all seems pretty
routine now. (Learn all the procedures and routines and get used to them)
9) She had a good relationship with her teacher at school and was often labelled as a teacher's __________
as a result. (Somebody who is favoured by the teacher)
10) It’s a tricky issue and is going to require considerable thought to be able to solve it. I’ll have to put on
my thinking _____________ before deciding what to do. (To ponder carefully)
11) He passed his English exam with flying ____________. He did a lot better than we expected.
(Easily with high marks)
12) We had to learn our multiplication tables by ____________ when we were children. (To memorise)
13) My mother is old ____________ when it comes to cooking. She would never eat anything straight from
a packet. (Very traditional)
14) Although he was a high school ____________, he started his own business at the age of 18 and went on
to build the second biggest restaurant chain in the country. (Didn’t complete a full course of education)
15) Publishing a full list of demands before the negotiations had even finished was a classic _____________
error. A politician of that calibre should not have done that. (Obvious and stupid mistake)
16) We had several mathematicians working on the problem but they all drew a ___________.
(Unable to provide an answer after a great deal of effort)
17) The selection process is very tough and very few candidates make the ___________.
(Reach the required standard)
18) I knew nothing about the last exam and had to pull an _______________ the night before in order to
revise. (Study all night)

Follow up!
Now write five sentences using the expressions from above:
e.g. Riding a bike is as easy as ABC. etc.
iSLCollective.com
 Which below do you think the true origins of the expressions?

1) What is the origin of the word “copycat?”

a) This expression refers to way cats behave and their learning process. The expression was first used by William
Shakespeare in his play, The Dutch Prince when one of the characters says, “By my troth Sir, if thou art not a copycat of
feeble excuses!” in reference to a contemporary playwright who plagiarised one of his lesser well-known plays.
b) This phrase comes from an old Egyptian expression that is linked to the Pharaoh, Ramses the Great. He was said to
compare one of his architects to a cat, saying that he took other designs, copied them as a cat would and then made them
better. At the time that he said this, cats were considered to be gods and were seen as extremely intelligent.
c) This expression is taken from the word “copy-cut”, which was used by people before invention of photocopy machines
meaning to cut texts from newspapers and create posters as copy-cuts. Pronounced with an American accent, the word
changed to "copy-cat" later. Eventually it was used to refer to people who copied other people’s work, behaviour or even
fashion.

2) What is the origin of the expression “to play truant?”

a) This expression comes from a very old French word that means “beggar.” It refers to people that have no work or
possessions and can only survive by asking people for money or food. This was connected to people who had no skills or
training and eventually was used to indicate people who didn’t go to school.
b) This expression is related to fishing in coastal towns and communities in Scotland. The old Scottish word for fishing in a
boat was called truant. When the fishing season started, many of the towns up and down the coast of Scotland would
prefer to have their children helping their parents fishing rather than send them to school. So, they would play truant
instead.
c) This saying comes from the word “true.” In the 17th century, the upper classes received a decent form of education
while the lower middle classes and working classes received little or none. However, they were said to have had the
education of real life experience, or a “true education.” This became corrupted to “truant,” and eventually those that
didn’t go to school became known as truants.

3) What is the origin of the word “bookworm?”

a) In Old English the word worm also meant dragon or serpent. When Christianity finally arrived in the British Isles, the
only people that could read and write were priests and the nobility. Most educational books were written and read by
priests. However, they still believed that knowledge was an “original sin” as depicted in the story of Adam and Eve in the
Bible. This is when the devil, in the form of a serpent (or worm, in Old English), tempted Eve into taking a bite from an
apple on the Tree of Knowledge which led to humankind being expelled from paradise. As such, readers and writers of
books were known as bookworms to remind them of their sin.
b) The origin of the idiom “bookworm” probably originated as something of a derogatory term for a person who studied
or read more than was usual. Insects such as silverfish, book lice, and linoleum beetles were referred to as bookworms
because they inhabited books; hence the expression.
c) The first public library in England was built in the town of Worm, Worcester in 1327 as a gift from the king to the people
of England. The library was very successful and very soon other towns started to copy the idea. Free literacy classes were
given to the town’s poor in Worm and they were soon known as bookworms.

4) What is the origin of the word “swot?”

a) This is a corruption of the word “sweat” and relates to the perspiration or hard work involved when revising for
something. In Middle English, the word for sweat was swot, and in Old English it was swāt. It was first used as a verb,
perhaps originating from public schools, in the mid-19th century.
b) This word is a corruption of the verb to swat, meaning to kill by hitting or crushing, as in to swat a fly. Education in
schools of the middle ages was a very violent business. The teachers, who were usually priests, would beat the students if
they made mistakes. They would be swatted until they learned their lessons, hence the expression.
c) This is an abbreviation of Studies With Obsessive Thought and is believed to have originated from elite schools in
England during the 17th century.

5) What is the origin of the expression “the three Rs?”

a) This is an abbreviation of Radical, Religious and Restless and refers to the religious origins of schools in the British Isles
during the Dark Ages and the qualities expected from the students that attended these schools.
b) This expression actually is an ironic play on words and comment on mispronunciation. The first dominant consonant in
the words Reading, Writing and Arithmetic is the letter R. The expression has existed since at least 1795 when it was used
in a speech by a politician.
c) This refers to the three founders of England’s first independent school in England, The King’s School in Canterbury in
597. This school was founded by three men, Nathanial Richards, Henry Rawlinson and Clive Roberts. These men had a
rigid system of education based on the basics of reading, writing, mathematics and the study of religion and the men were
known as the three Rs. Eventually, the basics of education was named after the three men who started the system.

Follow up!
Now write five false origins for the expressions from the other page. iSLCollective.com
1) He passed the exam because he is a copycat. He kept looking at the answers on the paper of the student
sitting next to him. (Use the work of another and claim it as one’s own)
2) My son doesn’t like school very much and keeps playing truant. If he keeps missing classes he will have
serious problems when he gets older. (Deliberately not going to school)
3) My mother is a real bookworm. She is always reading and seems to know everything. It has made her
quite unsocial, to be honest. (Vey studious or a lover of books)
4) He is a real swot and has already revised everything he needs to in order to pass the exam.
(Very well revised and studious)
5) In a civilised society, all children should be educated to at least the basics in the three Rs.
(Be able to read, write and do basic calculations)
6) I went to the School of Hard Knocks and the University of Life. It’s the best form of education there is.
There is nothing I’m not prepared for. (Life experience)
7) I can’t get my father to use the latest software. He is too used to the older version. You can’t teach an
old dog new tricks! (Train somebody who is very accustomed to doing things a different way.)
8) It took me a while to learn the ropes when I first started in this job but it all seems pretty routine now.
(Learn all the procedures and routines and get used to them)
9) She had a good relationship with her teacher at school and was often labelled as a teacher's pet as a
result. (Somebody who is favoured by the teacher)
10) It’s a tricky issue and is going to require considerable thought to be able to solve it. I’ll have to put on
my thinking cap before deciding what to do. (To ponder carefully)
11) He passed his English exam with flying colours. He did a lot better than we expected.
(Easily with high marks)
12) We had to learn our multiplication tables by heart when we were children. (To memorise)
13) My mother is old school when it comes to cooking. She would never eat anything straight from a
packet. (Very traditional)
14) Although he was a high school dropout, he started his own business at the age of 18 and went on to
build the second biggest restaurant chain in the country. (Didn’t complete a full course of education)
15) Publishing a full list of demands before the negotiations had even finished was a classic schoolboy
error. A politician of that calibre should not have done that. (Obvious and stupid mistake)
16) We had several mathematicians working on the problem but they all drew a blank.
(Unable to provide an answer after a great deal of effort)
17) The selection process is very tough and very few candidates make the grade.
(Reach the required standard)
18) I knew nothing about the last exam and had to pull an all-nighter the night before in order to revise.
(Study all night)

iSLCollective.com
1) What is the origin of the word “copycat?”
a) This expression refers to way cats behave and their learning process. The expression was first used by William
Shakespeare in his play, The Dutch Prince when one of the characters says, “By my troth Sir, if thou art not a copycat of
feeble excuses!” in reference to a contemporary playwright who plagiarised one of his lesser well-known plays.
b) This phrase comes from an old Egyptian expression that is linked to the Pharaoh, Ramses the Great. He was said to
compare one of his architects to a cat, saying that he took other designs, copied them as a cat would and then made them
better. At the time that he said this, cats were considered to be gods and were seen as extremely intelligent.
c) This expression is taken from the word “copy-cut”, which was used by people before invention of photocopy machines
meaning to cut texts from newspapers and create posters as copy-cuts. Pronounced with an American accent, the word
changed to "copy-cat" later. Eventually it was used to refer to people who copied other people’s work, behaviour or even
fashion.

2) What is the origin of the expression “to play truant?”

a) This expression comes from a very old French word that means “beggar.” It refers to people that have no work or
possessions and can only survive by asking people for money or food. This was connected to people who had no skills or
training and eventually was used to indicate people who didn’t go to school.
b) This expression is related to fishing in coastal towns and communities in Scotland. The old Scottish word for fishing in a
boat was called truant. When the fishing season started, many of the towns up and down the coast of Scotland would
prefer to have their children helping their parents fishing rather than send them to school. So, they would play truant
instead.
c) This saying comes from the word “true.” In the 17th century, the upper classes received a decent form of education
while the lower middle classes and working classes received little or none. However, they were said to have had the
education of real life experience, or a “true education.” This became corrupted to “truant,” and eventually those that
didn’t go to school became known as truants.

3) What is the origin of the word “bookworm?”

a) In Old English the word worm also meant dragon or serpent. When Christianity finally arrived in the British Isles, the
only people that could read and write were priests and the nobility. Most educational books were written and read by
priests. However, they still believed that knowledge was an “original sin” as depicted in the story of Adam and Eve in the
Bible. This is when the devil, in the form of a serpent (or worm, in Old English), tempted Eve into taking a bite form an
apple on the Tree of Knowledge which led to humankind being expelled from paradise. As such, readers and writers of
books were known as bookworms to remind them of their sin.
b) The origin of the idiom “bookworm” probably originated as something of a derogatory term for a person who studied
or read more than was usual. Insects such as silverfish, book lice, and linoleum beetles were referred to as bookworms
because they inhabited books; hence the expression.
c) The first public library in England was built in the town of Worm, Worcester in 1327 as a gift from the king to the people
of England. The library was very successful and very soon other towns started to copy the idea. Free literacy classes were
given to the town’s poor in Worm and they were soon known as bookworms.

4) What is the origin of the word “swot?”

a) This is a corruption of the word “sweat” and relates to the perspiration or hard work involved when revising for
something. In Middle English, the word for sweat was swot, and in Old English it was swāt. It was first used as a verb,
perhaps originating from public schools, in the mid-19th century.
b) This word is a corruption of the verb to swat, meaning to kill by hitting or crushing, as in to swat a fly. Education in
schools of the middle ages was a very violent business. The teachers, who were usually priests, would beat the students if
they made mistakes. They would be swatted until they learned their lessons, hence the expression.
c) This is an abbreviation of Studies With Obsessive Thought and is believed to have originated from elite schools in
England during the 17th century.

5) What is the origin of the expression “the three Rs?”

a) This is an abbreviation of Radical, Religious and Restless and refers to the religious origins of schools in the British Isles
during the Dark Ages and the qualities expected from the students that attended these schools.
b) This expression actually is an ironic play on words and comment on mispronunciation. The first dominant consonant in
the words Reading, Writing and Arithmetic is the letter R. The expression has existed since at least 1795 when it was used
in a speech by a politician.
c) This refers to the three founders of England’s first independent school in England, The King’s School in Canterbury in
597. This school was founded by three men, Nathanial Richards, Henry Rawlinson and Clive Roberts. These men had a
rigid system of education based on the basics of reading, writing, mathematics and the study of religion and the men were
known as the three Rs. Eventually, the basics of education was named after the three men who started the system.

iSLCollective.com