Pastime activities

Pastime activities - Idioms

Unit 2 (Upstream Advanced): Idioms

Off the beaten track means ...

• in an isolated place/in the middle of nowhere

• on a track that is not paved

To read someboy like a book is ...

• to understand what sb. is feeling/thinking

• to guess what sb. is reading

Let your hair down means ...

• Shave, please!

• Let go of inhibitions/have a good time

To bring the house down means ...

• to demolish a house

• to make the audience laugh/react enthusiastically

On a shoestring budget means ...

• to have a (very) small budget

• a budget kept for buying shoes

To face the music means ...

• to listen to loud music

• to face the consequences

On the edge of one's seat means ...

• excited, giving your full attention to sth./in suspense waiting to see what happens next

• sitting on the margin of your seat

To paint the town red means ...

• to have fun (go to bars, pubs, clubs etc. and have a good time)

• to buy some paint and paint all doors in town red

To read between the lines means ...

• to deduce hidden meanings from what is actually said or written

• to look at the blank spaces