Clothes Idioms

		I’m not a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, so in this unit I will tell you what the above mentioned idioms really mean!
	It is time that you pull up your socks and begin to learn also some idioms! Teachers will love it if you just pull them out of a hat!

to air/to hang out one’s dirty linen in public	to have ants in ones pants	to handle with kid gloves	below the belt
tell about one`s private quarrels or problems where others can hear	restlessness, nervousness	treat very gently and carefully	in an unfair or cowardly way
My wife always airs the family’s dirty linen in public when she goes out with friends.	The little boy was moving around as he had ants in his pants.	You must handle the new employee with kid gloves as he is very sensitive.	I think that he was hitting below the belt when he began to criticize me after I told him my true feelings on the matter.
to bet one’s boots	to keep sth under one’s hat	to roll up one’s sleeves	shoes is ont he other foot
bet everything that one has	keep something secret	get ready for a hard job, prepare to work hard or seriously	the opposite is true, places are changed
I will bet my boots that he is not able to save up enough money to come with us to Greece this winter.	I plan to keep my plans to apply for a new job under my hat.	Let`s roll up our sleeves and begin to work so that we can finish early.	For a long time my friend laughed at my problems at work. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he also has serious problems.

Some Phrasal Verbs and Expressions

to get on – to enter, to board I always get on the bus in the city centre. to get off – to leave, to descend from Mary never gets off the bus in the city centre.
	to put on – to place a piece of clothes on yourself Sam put on a sweater but it was not his size. . to take off – to remove a piece of clothes Sam took off the sweater as it was not his size.
to call up – to telephone Did anyone call me up while I was taking a shower? to call on – to visit You look terrible! You should call on Dr Johnes!
		to turn on – to start, to begin If you want to turn on the television, just press the green button on the remote controll. to turn off – to stop, to termitate Turn off the lights before you go to sleep!

to look at – to direct your eyes toward Look at me! – said the hypnotist to his patient. to look for – to search Haven’t you seen my glasses? I’ve been looking for them for 2 hours!

Heart Idioms

break one`s heart
make very sad or hopeless

It broke my heart to see the boy fall over during the competition after he had practiced so much.

eat one`s heart out
grieve long and hopelessly for something, want something

"You can eat your heart out but I won't buy you a puppy for your birthday."

from the bottom of one`s heart - with great feeling, sincerely -
My sister thanked the man from the bottom of her heart for saving her dog`s life.

from the heart - sincerely, honestly
The President gave a speech from the heart after the terrible earthquake.

get to the heart of (a matter) - understand the most important thing about something
It took a long time but we finally got to the heart of the matter about the new employee.

heart goes out to - one feels very sorry for, one feels sympathy for
My heart goes out to the victims of the hurricane that recently struck.

heart is in the right place - kindhearted, sympathetic or well-meaning
Although she makes a lot of mistakes her heart is in the right place.

heart of gold - a kind, generous or forgiving nature
My grandmother has a heart of gold and is always willing to help a stranger.

heart of stone - a nature without pity
The man who murdered his wife and children has a heart of stone.

heart skips a beat - be startled or excited from surprise, joy or fright
My heart skipped a beat when I saw my name on the television screen.

heart stands still - be very frightened or worried
My heart stood still when the truck on the highway almost hit our car.

open one`s heart - talk about one`s feelings honestly, confide in someone
She suddenly opened her heart when I began talking to her on the bus.

FOOD IDIOMS

POPCORN	PANCAKE	FRUITCAKE	HONEY
as busy as popcorn on a skillet	as flat as pancake	as nutty as a fruitcake	as sweet as honey
very active	very flat	silly, crazy	very sweet
Bob and Mary were busy as popcorn on a skillet when their mother entered their room.	The tire on my bike was as flat as a pancake after the accident.	My uncle is as nutty as a fruitcake, he can’t stop doing crazy things.	Little Susy is as sweet as honey, everybody adores her.
TOAST	CUCUMBER	CREAM PUFF	BEANS
as warm as toast	as cool as cucumber	a cream puff (person)	full of beans
very warm and cosy	to be calm, not to be nervous about anything	a person who is easily beaten or influenced	to feel energetic, in high spirits
I hate winter but our home is as warm as toast, so I prefer staying at home and having a nice cup of tea in the evenings.	He is a cool as cucumber. He never gets worried about anything.	Poor little Tony is just like a cream puff. He is always the victim of his mates insults.	Our teacher is full of beans today and doesn’t want to stop talking about her childhood!

Cat Idioms

CAT IDIOMS

as week as a kitten - very weak/sick
The old lady was as week as a kitten but finally managed to recover.

a cat nap - a short sleep during the day
I'm so tired, I have to take a cat nap.

a cat on a hot tin roof - full of liveliness
Robbie was like a cat on a hot tin roof, the teacher couldn't make him be quiet.

a copycat - somebody who copies another person
Sarah is such a copycat! If I change my hairstyle she does the same immediately.

curiosity killed the cat - being too nosy may lead a person into trouble
Don't go in! Don't forget, curiosity killed the cat.

to fight like cats and dogs - we use this when people (who generally know each other) fight too much
The two brothers fight like cats and dog about everything!

to let the cat out of the bag - to tell a secret to someone
Don't tell this to anybody! Please, don't let the cat out of the bag.

to look like a cat that swallowed a canary - to look very self-satisfied
Mike looks like a cat that swallowed a canary! Did he pass the exam?

rain cats and dogs - rain heavily
It's raining cats and dogs! Let's run home!

When the cat is away the mice will play. - when you are not watching someone they may get (you) into trouble
The kids made an incredible mess while the parents were away. As usual, when the cat is away, the mice will play.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Discuss the following questions.

1. Do you think you have a healthy diet?

2. What do you consider a balanced diet?

3. How often do you eat junk food? When you do, do you fear the
effect it may have on your health?


4. Are people in your country health-conscious. Do they care
about what they eat and drink?

5. How much alcohol a week do you consider safe to drink?

6. What are drinking habits in your country?

7. Does your country have strict rules regarding
underage drinking? When should young people
be allowed to buy alcohol?

8. What, do you think, can be done to tackle the
problem of underage drinking?



Read the article and decide whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:


1. The report on the British nation’s diet was published in November.

2. Pubs are not allowed to sell alcohol 24 hours a day.

3. The number of young people with liver disease is growing.

4. A million children under 16 are obese because of lack of government
healthy eating campaigns.

5. Junk food advertising is banned on children’s television in the UK.



FAT & DRUNK UK


A damning report on the British nation’s diet revealed a huge rise in alcohol and junk food sales. The report was published a few months before a change of the licensing laws in November, which will allow 24-hour drinking in pubs and shops to sell alcohol around the clock.
According to the information provided by the Department of Health, 13 drunk children are being taken to hospital on an average day and the number of young people with liver disease is on the rise. Sales of alcopops, especially popular with young people, are up almost 11 per cent.
A lot of young people do not realise the risks and consequences of excessive alcohol use and poor diet. Soaring junk food sales are disturbing. A million children under 16 are classified as obese despite government healthy eating campaigns. At the same time consumption of fruit and vegetables is down by nearly 2 per cent.
How to tackle the problem? A limit on junk food advertising on children’s television, a new system of food labelling to alert people to their health value and a ‘sensible drinking’ campaign is under discussion. The fact remains that if the problem is not tackled quickly, large numbers of the population are going to die prematurely.



Find the words and expressions in the article.


1. critical (adjective)

2. food bad for your health (noun expression)

3. a fizzy drink containing alcohol (noun)

4. greater than normal or appropriate (adjective)

5. rising quickly (adjective)

6. try to solve, deal with something (verb)

7. to be still present (verb)

8. happening too early (adverb)



focus on idioms


when something happens around the clock it means that it happens all day and night without stopping

They worked around the clock for three days and nights.


when something is on the rise it means that it is growing (usually used with negative trends)

Religious extremism is on the rise again.


when something is under discussion it means that it is being discussed


The project has been under discussion for over a month now.



focus on grammar: much, many, few, little

use MUCH and LITTLE with uncountable nouns

use MANY and FEW with countable nouns

use MUCH / MANY in negative sentences and questions; A LOT OF is
more usual in positive sentences:
I had a lot of luck.
We didn’t meet many people.

use LITTLE and FEW when you want to say that there is not enough
of something in a negative way
I have very few friends – I’m lonely.
I have little money – I can’t lend you any.

use A LITTLE and A FEW when you want to say that there is a small
amount of something in a positive sense
I have a few very good friends – I’m happy.
I have a little money – I can lend you some.



Put in MUCH, MANY, (A) FEW, (A) LITTLE


1. She is a great singer. He has ……………………. fans all over Europe.

2. I can’t talk to you now. I have too ………………… time.

3. I keep in touch with ……………………. from my school and next month we are
organising a reunion party.

4. – How about your German? - I can get by. I speak ……………………. German.

5. Can I ask you …………………. questions

6. I have ……………………… opportunities to go out to the pub these days, so I’d love
to have a pint with you.

7. Does he earn …………………….. money in his new job?

8. I’m not very busy today. Actually, I have ………………………….. to do.

Visiting London

Look at the sentences below. They all give you advice about what to do in London, but you have to decide which the correct preposition is for each of the phrasal verbs with get. When you decide that a preposition is correct, shade in the shapes in the picture below which contain the letter in the bracket. When you’ve finished, you’ll see a very famous London sight.

1 If you want to buy a cheap leather jacket, you have to get up (A) through (B) early on a Sunday

morning to go to Brick Lane market.

2 The tube is the best way to get over (C) around (D) the centre of London.

3 Get off (E) by (F) the tube at Leicester Square if you want to go to Chinatown.

4 You must dial 0171 or 0181 for London numbers, or you won’t get in (G) through (H)

5 It’s difficult to get across (J) under (K) Leicester Square at the weekend because of all the people.

6 If you go to Notting Hill carnival, when you get behind (L) back (M) home, you’ll need to have a rest.

7 If you’re in London at the end of January, why not go to Chinatown? Lots of Chinese people get

through (N) together (O) there and celebrate Chinese New Year.

8 There’s no point in getting up (P) across (Q) too early to go sightseeing. You can’t buy a one-day

travelcard before 9.30 am.

9 There are a lot of different people living in London but generally they get on (R) back (S) quite well.

Is it really there??

Look at the picture and read the statements. Find and correct the mistakes.

E.g.: The cinema is between the supermarket and the post-office.
　　　　　⇒　The cinema is between the supermarket and the bank .

1. There is a theatre opposite the supermarket.
2. The post-office is around the corner.
3. The cinema is at the end of the street.
4. There are four bus stops.
5. There is a park next to the cinema.
6. There isn’t a hotel.

Compare the bridges

Millenium Bridge










San-Francisco Bridge

Tower Bridge

E.g.: (big)

Millenium Bridge is bigger than Tower Bridge. San-Francisco Bridge is the biggest.

(old)

(beautiful)

(long)

(modern)

(famous)

(new)

JOKES

Choose and fill in the blanks:

* I'll tell you when it's raining!
* an American
* what’s with that
* pick up the pieces
* very intelligent
* the fly is on vacation


Languages

A person who speaks two languages is bilingual...A person who speaks three languages is trilingual...A person who speaks four or more languages is multilingual.
What is a person who speaks one language? _______________________


Why are you complaining?

Customer: Waiter, waiter! There is a frog in my soup!!!
Waiter: Sorry, sir. ___________________________.

She can’t help it – she’s nervous?

A nervous old lady on a bus was made even more nervous by the fact that the driver periodically took his arm out of the window. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she tapped him on the shoulder and whispered on his ear: "Young man...you keep both hands on the wheel..._________________________________ "


What help!

Father: What did you do today to help your mother?
Son: I dried the dishes.
Daughter: And I helped _________________________.