IDIOMS

An idiom is an expression or a group of words which has a different meaning

from the dictionary meanings of the individual words. Look at the idiomatic
expressions italicized in the following sentences:

I hope she wins the prize. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Nitin struggled with notation when he joined the music class; but he soon found
his feet.

Keep one’s fingers crossed is an idiomatic expression. It means that one will
hope for the best or hope for good luck.
Similarly, the expression find your feet means to become more comfortable with
something after some initial difficulty.

Here are some more idioms:

1. Take the bull by the horns: face up to or deal decisively with a difficult
situation or a problem.
2. Work like clockwork: things that happen efficiently or as planned or
expected.
3. Waving a red flag to a bull: something certain to make someone very
angry or even violent.
4. The pot calling the kettle black: used to say that you should not criticize
somebody for a fault you have yourself.
5. Once in a blue moon: very rarely
6. A fair-weather friend: someone who stops being your friend when you
are in trouble.
7. In the pink of health: in very good health or excellent physical condition.
8. Deliver the goods: do what is expected of one or do as promised.
9. On cloud nine: extremely happy
10.Explore all avenues: try out everything possible to get a result or solution.
11.Shake like a leaf: to be very afraid or nervous
12.As plain as the nose on your face: obvious, easy to see or understand.

A. Choose from the idioms above and say which can be used in each of
these sentences.
a. I wish she wouldn’t call me fat all the time. She herself is plump, it is a
case of ______________________
b. We must __________________ before we decide on a venue for the
party.
c. We had practiced hard for the Annual Day and everything
_________________ during the function.
 d. Manvi was so nervous before the competition that she _______________.
e. It’s ______________________ that you did not do your work and are just
making excuses.
f. As usual Gita hasn’t finished her assignments. She never
__________________ on time.
g. When the school bus was constantly late, our parents decided to
____________ and complained to the principal.
h. My friend started avoiding me the moment he realized I needed money.
He proved to be a __________________ .

B. Determine the meaning of the bolded expression. Choose the best

answer.

1. After going to the zoo, the mall, and the movies, Cassie was sick of bending
over backwards to entertain her nieces.
a. Cassie was doing very little to entertain her nieces.
b. Cassie was making small efforts to entertain her nieces.
c. Cassie was trying very hard to entertain her nieces.
d. Cassie was not trying at all to entertain her nieces.

2. Bobby would have been playing ball until the cows came home if it hadn’t
been for Suzie dragging him home for dinner.
a. Bobby was just about to stop playing ball.
b. Bobby didn’t even want to play ball to begin with.
c. Bobby prefers nature to athletics.
d. Bobby would have continued playing ball for a long time.

3. Mr. Johnson was very particular about the arrangement of his classroom, so
the thing he hated most was when his students caused a ruckus with their wild
horseplay.
a. Mr. Johnson hated when his students pretended to be animals.
b. Mr. Johnson hated when his students played sports.
c. Mr. Johnson hated when his students wrestled around with each other.
d. Mr. Johnson hated when his students made animal noises.

4. Eric wanted to fix his cousin’s computer, but he was already having problems
setting up his Aunt’s Wi-Fi network and he didn’t want to open a whole new
can of worms.
a. Eric was sick of spending his time helping his family.
b. Eric wanted to go fishing instead of working on computers.
c. Eric was having difficulties untangling the computer wires.
d. Eric was not ready to begin working on a complicated new problem.
5. Even though Candace already had a new job, she submitted her two week
notice and conducted herself in a professional way at her old job because she
didn’t want to burn bridges.
a. Candace didn’t want to ruin her positive relationship with her old
employer.
b. Candace wasn’t ready to start her new job.
c. Candace was really going to miss her old job.
d. Candace was waiting until her last day to rub it in everyone’s face that
she was leaving.