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WorksheetsIdioms for Everyday Use
Total questions: 78
Worksheet time: 39mins
If an invitation arrives "out of the blue", it's
unexpected
for a wedding
from another country
out of the sky
She "got the green light" from her boss means
her boss said it was okay to go ahead.
her boss told her to stop.
her boss told her to hurry
Someone who "goes bananas"
goes shopping.
goes crazy.
gets fat.
If the final exam was "a piece of cake", it was
very difficult.
very easy.
too long.
If something is "second to none", it's
the worst.
only second best.
the best.
If you take "forty winks", you
have a short sleep.
go out for lunch.
go out for about an hour.
If you see something "in black and white", it's
typed.
easy to understand.
photocopied.
If you bought "a lemon", it means you bought
a yellow fruit.
a great car.
a machine that doesn't work.
If you're "of two minds" about something, you're
very pleased.
unsure.
very sure.
If Laura's "in seventh heaven", she's
feeling very sick.
very happy.
unhappy.
If Anatoly's "green with envy", he's
new at something.
happy.
jealous.
If Yehudi's "in a pickle", he's
in trouble.
in the hospital.
in a good mood.
having a sandwich
If Norman tells you to "shake a leg", he wants you to
jump higher.
dance.
hurry.
If something "costs an arm and a leg", it's
half-price.
very expensive.
on discount this month.
"It's the real McCoy" means it's
the real thing.
a good copy.
a bad copy.
If you're "pulling someone's leg", you're
joking with them.
hurting them.
stopping them.
"A man of means" is
poor.
rich.
educated.
If you "see eye to eye" with Miguel, you
agree with him.
hate him.
miss him.
If Yoko is "chicken", she's
scared.
crazy.
poor.
Someone who "works like a dog"
sleeps a lot.
works hard.
never works.
A "wise guy"
is intelligent.
always tells the truth.
is a know-it-all.
If Leroy "talks turkey",
tells jokes.
says stupid things.
talks directly.
A "bookworm" is someone who
loves to read.
hates books.
destroys books.
Any "Tom, Dick or Harry" is
anyone whose name is Tom, Dick, or Harry.
no one special, just anybody.
the best person available for a job.
If you "put your cards on the table", you
aren't hiding anything.
have no more money.
stop working.
If something is "dirt cheap", it's
not cheap.
not good.
very cheap.
If a place is "spick-and-span", it's
old.
very clean.
dirty.
If Ntozake is "up the creek", she's
feeling great.
in trouble.
suddenly rich.
Someone who's "off base" is
wrong.
crazy.
unintelligent.
If Bernard's "over the hill", he's
still married.
out of trouble.
too old.
"By and large" means
mostly.
sometimes.
never.
If something's "out of this world", it's
terrible.
excellent.
unlucky.
If you "get a kick out of something", you
hate it.
enjoy it.
are tired of it.
We arrived "safe and sound" means we
arrived with no problems.
had many problems.
arrived late.
A "good sport"
is good at sports.
gets excited easily.
doesn't complain.
To "cough up" means
to pay.
to die.
to lie.
Someone who's "as sharp as a tack" is
nervous.
clever.
angry.
A "fly in the ointment" is
lucky.
angry.
a problem.
John "threw in the towel" means
John was angry.
John gave up.
John finished showering.
Someone who's "bushed" is
old.
happy.
exhausted.
Someone who "takes pains" to do something
leaves it unfinished.
doesn't do it well.
takes the trouble to do it.
If Belinda "beats around the bush," that means she
leaves town.
talks angrily.
doesn't give a direct answer.
If Kyle "gets burned," that means he gets
cheated.
killed.
rejected.
A "bed of roses" means
a comfortable, easy situation.
difficult problems.
a short time.
If Kostas is "a wet blanket", he's
very serious.
always happy.
always complaining.
"In a nutshell" means
with great difficulty.
in a few words.
in a letter.
If something is "a breeze", it's
cold.
difficult.
easy.
"Hot under the collar" means
sick.
angry.
happy.
"In no time" means
never.
quickly.
very late
If youi "lose your shirt", you lose
your time.
your job.
everything.
When Liza "calls it a day", you lose
stops working.
starts working.
takes a short break.
"On a shoestring" means
with almost no money.
with almost no time.
carefully.
If you do something "on the spur of the moment", you do it
too late.
after a lot of thinking.
immediately, without planning.
If Reiko "breaks the ice," it means she
begins a conversation with a stranger.
has a bad temper.
laughs a lot.
"In the nick of time" means
at midnight.
very early.
just before it's too late.
"It's raining cats and dogs" means
a short light rain
it's raining hard.
it's not raining anymore.
If you "keep your shirt on", you
don't get upset.
don't get sleepy.
don't get undressed.
If Nadia is "under the weather", she's
in a bad mood.
sick.
feeling good.
If something's "on the house", it's
free.
expensive.
out of reach.
"As fit as a fiddle" means
not healthy.
very healthy.
the right size.
John "hit the ceiling" means
John scored a point.
John became very angry.
John was very sick.
If a place is "topsy-turvy", it's
big.
neat.
disorganized.
If something is "as plain as day", it's
easy to understand.
not clear.
very boring.
Something "hush-hush" is
strange.
crunchy.
secret.
If you're "as hard as nails", it means you
are busy.
are dead.
are tough.
If you do something "under the table", you do it
quickly.
secretly.
slowly.
"As happy as a lark" means
noisy.
never happy.
very happy.
If Javier is "wishy-washy", he's
very clean.
very undecided.
very boring.
If you "drive someone up the wall", you
make them crazy.
win in an election.
throw them out.
"Humdrum" means
exciting.
funny.
routine.
"Quite a few" means
none.
a few.
many.
"Above all" means
different.
most important.
suddenly.
If you do something "on purpose", you
do it because you want to.
do it by accident.
do it for your school.
"The other day" means
yesterday.
tomorrow.
recently.
"All of a sudden" means
exactly.
suddenly.
in a few minutes.
"Sooner or later" means
eventually.
in the past.
never.
"Once in a while" means
once in the past.
usually.
not often.
When you say "in fact", you mean
in place of something.
truly.
in short.
