IDIOMS WITH FOOD

CREATE IDIOMS
Use the words in the box to create the idioms. You are not expected to know them all,
but give it a go and have fun!

salt cheese pear nuts

peas beans potato cucumber

1. Big _____________________.

2. Couch _____________________.

3. To go _____________________-shaped.

4. To take something with a grain of _____________________.

5. Two _____________________ in a pod.

6. Go _____________________.

7. Cool as a _____________________.

8. Full of _____________________.

ESL Pals 1 Grammar Worksheet

 EXAMPLE SENTENCES
Read the sentences below which use the idioms correctly.

1. He left business school and became a big cheese in the city.

2. Our son has become a real couch potato this summer. All he does is sit in front of
the TV watching sitcoms and football games.

3. We won the first three games, but everything went pear-shaped when Anthony got
injured. We ended up losing the next five games.

4. Danielle tells some great stories, but we take what she says with a grain of salt
because she has quite an active imagination and tends to exaggerate a lot!

5. Lisa and her best friend could be sisters, they’re like two peas in a pod.

6. My dad will go nuts when he finds out I crashed her car.

7. I expected her to be nervous before his interview but he was as cool as a cucumber.

8. Jennifer was full of beans after a long sleep.

Using the example sentences try to match the idioms to their definitions.

big cheese. full of beans. as cool as a cucumber.

couch potato. go nuts. two peas in a pod.
to go pear-shaped. take (smth) with a grain of salt.

1. to be calm and relaxed.

2. to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

3. to not completely believe something that you’re told because you think it is unlikely
to be true.

4. a lazy and inactive person.

5. to become extremely angry.

6. to say that two people or things are very similar to each other.

7. to describe a situation that goes wrong.

8. an important person in a company or organisation with a lot of influence.

ESL Pals 2 Grammar Worksheet

 COMPLETE THE SENTENCES
Use the idioms to complete the sentences, you may need to change the verb tense.

big cheese. full of beans. as cool as a cucumber

couch potato. go nuts. two peas in a pod.
to go pear-shaped. with a grain of salt.

1. I was scared and nervous to enter the room, but Anna was ______________________.

2. Stop being a ______________________! Turn off the TV and go outside!

3. How was your holiday? It was terrible! Everything ______________________ as soon

as we arrived. First, I lost my bag, then we couldn't find the hotel.

4. After receiving the good news, Natalie was ______________________.

5. Hannah is doing everything she can to impress the ______________________ at her

company in the hopes of getting a promotion.

6. Terry and Jack are like ______________________! They have the same taste in music
and the same sense of humour.

7. I wouldn’t trust John! I advise you to take everything he says ____________________.

8. His brother ______________________ when he heard the bad news.

9. Paul is a ______________________ at the company, so he’ll be able to get you a job

there without a problem.

10. My dad is going to ______________________ when he sees this mess!

11. My dad has become a complete ______________________ since he bought that new
plasma TV and a Netflix subscription.

12. When Danny and Lawerence were younger, they always used to hang out together.
They were like ______________________ .

13. The company has lied to us before, so we need to take everything they say
______________________.

14. The deal ______________________ because of disagreements over pay.

15. I've never known anyone to be so ______________________ before breakfast.

16. He stayed ________________________ even though the other players shouted at him.

ESL Pals 3 Grammar Worksheet

 DIALOGUES
Complete the dialogues by using the correct idioms. Use the idioms from the box to
complete the sentences, you may need to change the verb tense.

big cheese. full of beans. as cool as a cucumber

couch potato. go nuts. two peas in a pod.
to go pear-shaped. with a grain of salt.

Dialogue 1:

Dialogue 2:

ESL Pals 4 Grammar Worksheet

Dialogue 3:

Dialogue 4:

Dialogue 5:

ESL Pals 5 Grammar Worksheet

Dialogue 6:

IDIOMS QUESTIONS
Answer the questions below, each of the questions uses an idiom.

1. Who are the big cheeses at your company? Describe your relationship with them.

2. Describe a time in your life when you felt like a couch potato.

3. Describe a project or event from your life that went pear-shaped. Why did it go
pear-shaped? What did you learn from the experience?

ESL Pals 6 Grammar Worksheet

 4. Do you know anyone with whom you have to take everything they say with a grain
of salt? Give an example of something they said that you didn't believe.

5. Do you know people who are like two peas in a pod? What makes them similar?
What do they have in common?

6. Describe a time your manager went nuts.

7. Are you full of beans in the morning? Describe your ideal morning routine.

8. Describe situations where it is easy to lose your temper but more effective to stay as
cool as a cucumber.

ESL Pals 7 Grammar Worksheet