3.Complete sentences 1−10 by choosing an ending from a−j

1. I cleaned the bathroom yesterday

2. Yes, I want the job. If you see the boss,

3. Ann decided to live Russia

4. He keeps trying to get it published but I think

5. When the teacher made Peter a monitor,

6. When I suggested he was mistaken

7. "Professor Brown is playing very hard to get,"our dean said,

8. She cut her short,

9. We're a bit hard up at the moment

10. When you see her,

1. pleaseput in a good word.

2. for good and never come back.

3. saying she'd already heard the story of their breakup.

4. hegot rather hot under the collar.

5. he's flogging a dead horse.

6. hegot too big for his boots and she had to warn him.

7. so we're not thinking in terms of holidays.

8. put in a good word for the department.

9. so I'm in Mum's good books.

10. "but I know he will accept our offer and come to teachhere."

4. Match idioms with their synonyms

1. to put in a good word

2. too big for sb boots

3. to be flogging a dead horse

4. hot under the collar

5. hard up

6. for good

1	2	3	4	5	6

1. too big for your britches

2. for keeps

3. beat a dead horse

4. be broke, poor, in need;

5. angry, annoyed, irritated, mad

6. praise sb, extol, flatter

5. Look at the drawings below. Which idioms do they remind you?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Unit 11

A bighead	хвастун	This idiom comes from the adjective big−headed
A busybody	любопытный; до всего есть дело
A chatterbox	трещотка, болтушка	To chatter means to talk quickly without stopping. A chat is informal, friendly conversation.
A couch potato	лежебока, бездельник	A couch is another world of sofa.
A daredevil (n. and adj)	сорвиголова, отчаянныйчеловек	From dare (v.) + devil. The devil might refer to the person, or the sense might be "one who dares the devil.
A figurehead	подставное лицо
A gatecrasher/ to gatecrash	незваный гость/ прийти без приглашения	«get»+«crasher»= «врезаться, ворваться»
A pain in the neck	зануда	You can also say be a pain in the bum or arse but these expressions are impolite.
A skeleton staff	костяк; то, на чем все держится	Even without one member of a skeleton staff the «body» can’t move.
A whizz kid	вундеркинд, одаренныйчеловек

1

1. Jack told his brother to stop being a………………………………….. (very annoying)

2. If there was a prize for the best ……………………., my husband would win it.(a lazy, do-nothing television watcher)

3. Some interfering …………………………..had rung the police.(who is very interested in other people’s private lives)

4. Your sister's a real …………………! She is constantly talking without stopping. (an extremely talkative person)

5. Capriati was once the …………………..of American tennis.

(very intelligent or very successful)

6. The President will be little more than a …………………...

(aleader who has no actual power or influence)

7. Joan is a …………………………….., with her constant complaining(very annoying)

8. We’ll be operating with a………………until after the holidays.

(just enough workers to keep a service or office operating)

9. The party was ruined by a couple of rowdy …………………………..

(someone who gets in without an invitation)

10. The racing-car drivers are doing …………………..stunts. (recklessly bold) (adj.)

11. Some … tipped off the police. (who is very interested in other people’s private lives)

12. He's always boasting. He's such …………………!(a conceited person)

2. Match the idioms on the left with the correct definitions on the right.

1. A bighead

2. A busybody

3. A chatterbox

4. A couch potato

5. A daredevil

6. A figurehead

7. A gatecrasher

8. A pain in the neck

9. A skeleton staff

10. A whizz kid

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

1. an extremely talkative person who talks constantly about trivial matters

2. a conceited, boastful, self−important person

3. someone who gets in (to a party) without an invitation or without paying

4. a lazy, do-nothing television watcher who does not have an active style of life

5. a young person who is very intelligent or very successful; a person who acts and gets things done;

6. someone who does dangerous things for enjoyment and does not worry about the risk

7. to be very annoying.

8. just enough workers to keep a service or office operating, or the service being operated this way

9. who is very interested in other people’s private lives and activities and tries to get involved in them in a way that is annoying

10. a person given a position of nominal leadership but having no actual power or influence

3. Match idioms with their synonyms

1. A bighead

2. A busybody

3. A couch potato

4. A daredevil

5. A gatecrasher

6. A pain in the neck

1. sofa spud

2. conceited, vain, boastful

3. risk-taker

4. leader in name only

5. crasher, unwelcome guest

6. annoy, irritate

7. boy wonder, top dog, go-getter

8. gossip, nosy parker, Peeping Tom

7. A whizz kid

8. A figurehead

4. Look at the drawings below. Which idioms do they remind you?

1. 

2. 

KEYS

UNIT 6

1

1. an old hand

2. backseat driver

3. a general dogsbody

4. a wet blanket

5. a live wire

6. a big shot

7. a smart aleck

8. a rough diamond

9. a marked man

10. a dark horse

2

1. J

2. B

3. C

4. G

5. F

6. A

7. E

8. I

9. D

10. H

3.

1. Nobody likes a backseat driver!

2. She's a big shot in city politics.

3. Anna's such a dark horse - I had no idea she'd published a novel.

4. He is still free to travel the world, but he knows that he is a marked man.

5. We should be able to trust Silva to negotiate a good deal for us - he's an old hand at the game.

6. He's a big shot in advertising.

7. New teachers often have a hard time coping with the smart alecks in their classes

4.

1. A big shot

2. A backseat driver

3. A dark horse

5.

1. G

2. F

3. D

4. E

5. C

6. A

7. B

UNIT 7

1

11. a short cut

12. a vicious circle

13. a dirty look

14. A flying visit

15. Hobson’s choice

16. a fat chance

17. short cuts

18. a dead heat

19. a plum job

20. a vicious circle

21. Double Dutch

22. a dead heat

23. tall stories

24. a flying visit

25. a fat chance

26. a dead heat

27. a short cut

28. a dirty look

2

11. B

12. D

13. E

14. F

15. C

16. A

17. I

18. H

19. G

20. J

3.

1. The race ended in a dead heat.

2. Many people get caught/trapped in a vicious circle of dieting and weight gain.

3. "Perhaps they'll invite you." "Fat chance (of that)!"

4. He gave me a really dirty look.

5. It's a case of Hobson's choice, because if I don't agree to their terms, I'll lose my job.

6. The opinion polls show the three election candidates in a dead heat (with each other).

7. After dinner she told me a tall story about her pet.

4.

8. C

9. D

10. E

11. G

12. H

13. B

14. F

15. A

16. I

5.

1. Hobson’s choice

2. a dirty look

3. a short cut

4. a dead heat

5. a fat chance

6. a vicious circle

UNIT 81

1. more or less

2. bright and early

3. in black and white

4. Slowly but surely

5. alive and well

6. safe and sound

7. through thick and thin, through thick and thin

8. more or less

9. short and sweet

10. cut and dried

11. safe and sound

12. through thick and thin

13. in black and white

14. more or less

15. alive and kicking.

2

1. B

2. E

3. I

4. C

5. J

6. A

7. F

8. G

9. D

10. H

3

1. B

2. D

3. E

4. A

5. F

6. K

7. G

8. I

9. H

10. J

11. C

4.

12. I have it in black and white that I'm entitled to three weeks of vacation each year.

13. Nancy is finishing her new novel, slowly but surely

14. The last time I saw Tom, he was alive and well.

15. I'm glad to see you here safe and sound.

16. She promised to stand by him through thick and thin.

17. We came to more or less the same conclusion

18. The apartment was spick and span.

19. We’ve got her confession right here in black and white

20. It was a difficult drive but we all arrived safe and sound.

21. The brothers promised they would stick together through thick and thin.

22. I saw their words in black and white.

5

1. C

2. B

3. G

4. H

5. E

6. F

7. D

8. A

6

1. bright and early

2. through thick and thin

3. slowly but surely

UNIT 9

1.

1. are flogging a dead horse

2. in her bad books

3. are hard up

4. much too big for his boots

5. cut me dead

6. put in a good word

7. hot under the collar

8. playing hard to get

9. put in a good word

10. cut short

11. hard up

12. for good

13. put in a good word

14. flogging a dead horse

2.

1. I

2. B

3. C

4. E

5. H

6. D

7. J

8. A

9. F

10. G

3.

1. I

2. H

3. B

4. E

5. F

6. D

7. J

8. C

9. G

10. A

4.

1. F

2. A

3. C

4. E

5. D

6. B

5.

1. (to get) hot under the collar

2. to put in a good word

3. in someone's bad books

4. to be too big for sb boots

5. to be hard up

UNIT 11

1

1. pain in the neck

2. couch potato

3. busybody

4. chatterbox

5. whizzkid

6. figurehead

7. pain in the neck

8. skeleton staff

9. gatecrashers

10. daredevil

11. busybody

12. a big-head

2

1. B

2. I

3. A

4. D

5. F

6. J

7. C

8. G

9. H

10. E

3.

1. B

2. H

3. A

4. C

5. E

6. F

7. G

8. D

4.

1. A skeleton staff

2. A couch potato

3. A busybody

4. A chatterbox

Units 28-33, Bastrakova Lena

28Idioms	Translations	Etymology
Put someone to sleep	Усыплять кого-то, применять наркоз	When you kill someone or an animal, it means that he or it will sleep forever
Turn over a new leaf	Начинать новую жизнь	Leaf is a page in a book, so, you have a clean one to write on
Put someone’s back up	Злить кого-то
Put someone’s foot in it	Совершить бестактность
Pull someone’s leg	Шутить, подшучивать	Some sources suggest it originates from the idea of tripping someone up.
Pull any punches	Говорить прямо
Pull someone’s socks up	Напрягать все силы
Put the wind up somebody	Пугать кого-то	The wind is something unpredictable, unexpected.
Pull strings	Тайно использовать свое влияние и власть	It’s connected with stringed instruments
Put a spoke in someone’s wheel	Расстраивать планы	Spokes are something metallic inside a wheel
Put the cat among the pigeons	Нарушать спокойствие, вносить раздор
Pull the wool over someone’s eyes	Вводить в заблуждение	Wool and dust prevent you to see clearly
Put something on the map	Сделать известным
Put two and two together	Понять (смекнуть)	To add a mosaic
Turn a blind eye to someone	Игнорировать, не замечать

1. Fill in the missing idioms in the sentences below. To help you there is an explanation of the missing idioms after each sentence.

1. The doctor … the dog …before he began performing the operation (perhaps, he used drugs or anesthesia)

2. The boy thought that by hiding the broken dish he could … his mother's … (could deceive or delude her)

3. Hey, it’s not funny at all. You are… (make me get angry)

4. The death of his wife and the money he was going to inherit … The police were sure to…(concluded, decided)

5. Would you …if someone close had just done something horrible like murder, rape or discrimination? (you pretending that you do not know)

6. I …a new leaf: I've decided to quit smoking (I’m starting afresh)

7. I was just …Karl's …when I said Marissa wanted to go out with him, but he believed me and he called her. And now they really are going out! (played a joke by saying something that wasn't true)

8. The good food you serve here will really …this place …(it’ll be famous)

9. Say you'll take him to court if he doesn't pay up - that should …him (make feel anxious about the situation)

10. Tell them all they've got to work on Saturday. That should… (trouble and makes them angry or worried)

11. This man doesn't... I wouldn't like to get into an argument with him(doesn’t speak in an honest way without trying to be kind)

12. His father …and got him out of jail (used the influence over important people in order to to help him)

13. He'll lose his job unless he …and starts doing a lot better ( try to do better)

14. I really …when I asked her how her husband was. I forgot that he died last year(you embarrass or upset her)

15. When the students came to know what the Registrar was trying to do, they tried to…

1.put … to sleep

2.pull the wool over… eyes

3.putting my back up.

4. put two and two together

5.turn a blind eye

6.am turning over

7.pulling… leg

8.put on the map

9.put the wind up.

10.put the cat among the pigeons

11.pull any punches

12.pulled some strings

13.pulls his socks up

14.put my foot in my mouth

15. Put a spoke in his wheel

2. Translate from Russian into English.

1. Мы усыпили кошку, она была старой и больной.

2. Адам предпочел закрыть глаза на знак «рыбалка запрещена».

3. Я хочу начать все с нуля.

4. Он сопоставил факты и понял, что к чему.

5. Не злись. Я не имел в виду ничего плохого.

6. Шекспир прославил свой родной город Стратфорд-на-Эйвоне.

7. На этот раз я и в правду совершил бестактность. Я не знал, что это ее муж!

8. Что ты наделал? Пустил лису в курятник!

9. Клянусь, в прошлый выходной на рыбалке я поймал двадцатипятифунтового окуня!

Ты это взаправду или шутишь?

10. Он мешал своему сыну как только мог, вставлял палки в колеса.

11. Не говори неправды! Ты должен говорить прямо.

12. На вашем месте я бы приложил больше усилий, иначе можно не попасть в этот класс.

13. Я мог бы подключить влиятельный людей, если вам это надо.

1. We had to put the cat to sleep. It was old and ill.

2. Adam preferred to turn a blind eye to the "No Fishing" sign.

3. I want to turn over a new leaf.

4. He put two and two together.

5. Don't get your back up. I didn't mean any harm.

6. Shakespeare put his hometown of Stratford-on-Avon on the map.

7. I've really put my foot in it this time. I didn't realize that was her husband.

8. What have you done? You put the cat among the pigeons.

9. - I swear, last weekend I went fishing and caught a 25 pound bass!

- Are you for real, or are you just pulling my leg?

10. He put a spoke in his son's wheel as much as he could.

11. Don’t tell the lie! You should pull any punches.

12. If I were you, I’d pull my socks up, or you will not be able to enter this class.

13. I may be able to pull a few strings for you if you need

29

29Idioms	Translations	Etimology
Bury the hatchet	Заключить примирение	an allusion to the cessation of hostilities Weapons were to be buried or otherwise cached in time of peace.
Bark up the wrong tree	Напасть на ложный след	The phrase is an allusion to the mistake made by dogs when they believe that have chased a prey up a tree, but the game may have escaped by leaping from one tree to another.
Lead someone up the garden	Вводить в заблуждение
Go like a bomb	Разозлиться
Beating about the bush	Говорить не по существу
Miss the boat	Упустить шанс	It’s impossible to return the ship if it set sail
Pip someone at the post	Победить с минимальным перевесом
Blow one’s own trumpet	Заниматься саморекламой
Be like two peas in a pod	Как две капли воды
Throw in the towel	Сдаться	From the traditional signal from a boxer's support staff of throwing such an item into a boxing ring to indicate that the contestant cannot continue the match and is forfeiting to the opponent.
A flash in the pan	осечка	From the days of flintlock firearms, where the main charge was intended to be fired by a small charge of gunpowder in the priming pan
Skating on thin ice	Затруднительное положение
Give someone a piece of somebody’s mind	Ругать кого-то
Drove someone up the wall	Раздражать, выводить из себя	From the notion of the behavior of lunatics or caged animals

Match the idioms with the correct definitions.

1	to forget about arguments and disagreements with someone and to become friends with them again	A	Beating about the bush
2	surrender, admit defeat	B	Go like a bomb
3	someone or something that draws a lot of attention for a very brief time	C	Skating on thin ice
4	if a vehicle goes like a bomb, it can move very fast	D	Pip someone at the post
5	To misdirect one's energies or attention.	E	Throw in the towel
6	to vaunt one's own exploits, or sound one's own praises	F	Blow one’s own trumpet
7	to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong	G	Lead someone up the garden
8	to talk about things without giving a clear answer	H	Drove someone up the wall
9	to deceive someone	I	Bury the hatchet;
10	to annoy or irritate someone very much.	J	Miss the boat
11	To take a chance; risk danger	K	Give someone a piece of somebody’s mind
12	Closely similar; almost exactly alike.	L	Be like two peas in a pod
13	to beat in a competition or race by a very small amount	M	A flash in the pan
14	fail through slowness; to put something off until too late	N	Bark up the wrong tree

1-i

2-e

3-m

4-b

5-n

6-f

7-k

8-a

9-g

10-h

11-c

12-l

13-d

14-j

Translate from Russian into English.

1. Новая спортивная машина Генри ездит невероятно быстро

2. Это был очень короткий успех

3. Он нe ответил ни да ни нет, ходил вокруг да около

4. Сэлли, прекрати! Иначе я начну ругаться

5. Он выиграл в самый последний момент

6. Мы хотели купить ковер, на который раньше положили глаз, но в магазине выяснилось, что мы пришли к шапочному разбору — ковер уже купили. Поезд ушел...

7. Давайте прекратим спор и заключим перемирие

8. Теперь будь честен со мной, не вводи в заблуждения

9. Союз был вынужден сдаться и урегулировать свой спор

10. Если он думает, что может обдурить меня, то сильно ошибается

11. Дети всегда раздражают меня, если они в плохом настроении

12. Сестры-близнецы похожи как две капли воды

13. Он всегда очень хвастлив

14. Не играй с огнем!

1Henry's new sportscar goes like an absolute bomb.

2 A flash in the pan

3 He did not answer yes or no, but beat about the bush.

4 Sally, stop it, or I'll give you a piece of my mind

5 He piped at the post

6 We wanted to buy the carpet we had set our heart on but at the shop we found we had missed the boat — the carpet had already been sold.

7 Let's stop arguing and bury the hatchet.

8 Now, be honest with me. Don't lead me down the garden path.

9 The union was forced to throw in the towel and settle their dispute.

10 If he thinks he can fool me, he is barking up the wrong tree.

11 My children always drive me up a wall when they are in a bad mood.

12 The twin sisters are like two peas in a pod.

13 He's always blowing his own trumpet.

14Don't skate on thin ice!

30

31Idioms	Translations	Etymology
At a rough guess	По предварительной оценке (приблизительно)
At loggerheads	Быть в натянутых отношениях/в ссоре/	probably from English dialect, also loggerhead is a very large carnivorous sea turtles
At large	На свободе, на просторе	From Old French - au large (“at liberty and other senses”)
At short notice	Немедленно, в короткий срок
At the drop of a hat	Сразу же	From the customary starting of competitions by making a sweeping downward motion with a cap.
At a loss	Растеряться
At the eleventh hour	В последнюю минуту	From a story in the Bible of workmen hired at the eleventh hour (late in the day)
At a pinch	C трудом	at + a + pinch (“tight squeeze”)
At will	По желанию
At death’s door	При смерти
At the crack of dawn	Очень рано, на рассвете
At sixes and sevens	Быть в растерянности	it may have originated from the game of hazard and the Old French cinc (“five”) and sis (“six”), which were misheard and folk-etymologized into English as "six" and "seven".
At a standstill	Останавливаться
At someone’s wits’ end	Быть опечаленным
At a stretch	беспрерывно

Fill in the missing idioms in the sentences below.

1. It is very seldom that I can enjoy my holiday for three weeks …

2. If a criminal is…, they have not been found or caught.

3. Because of their barking dog, the Morrises lived …with their neighbors.

4. His car can take four people comfortably, five …

5. he seemed to think he could walk in and out of her life …

6. If I was alone with her, I'd feel …for words.

7. We were …for about a week after we moved in.

8. …I’d say there were about two hundred people

9. He would sign the contract…

10. The rooster crows …and wakes up everybody on the farm.

11. After a wedding and a funeral she was …

12. The question of car privileges put Sam and his parents…

13. The accident brought the work to…

14. She called the meeting on such …that we had no time to prepare.

15. Aunt Mathilda got married …,she was already 49 years old.

16. I was so ill that I was …for three days

1. at a stretch.

2. at large

3. at loggerheads

4. at a pinch

5. at will

6. at a loss

7. at sixes and sevens

8. at a rough guess

9. at the drop of a hat.

10. at the crack of dawn

11. at her wits' end

12. at loggerheads

13. a standstill

14. short notice

15. at the eleventh hour

16. at death's door

Fill in the missing idioms in the sentences below.

Anna woke up 1)... [very early]. She was 2)… [was confused and did not know what to do], because her best friend Jack was nearly 3)…[dead]. For three days 4)… [continuously ]she has thought that she was 5)… [quarreled ]with him last month.

Doctor said that he will live for three or four days 6)…[ inaccurately]. She was 7)… for words[do not know what to say]. She was nearly 8)…[was sad] . But 9)… [at the last moment] they found a donor. 10)… [immediately] Jack had surgery.

11)… [quickly] doctor called Anna and said: “He will live”. And she decided not to put off indefinitely and run to the hospital because she wanted to see Jack. She took a bus 12)…[with difficulties] because there were a lot of people. Anna knew that 13)… [if you want] she can help him as much as she can.

1. at the crack of dawn

2. at sixes and sevens

3. at death’s door

4. at a stretch

5. at loggerheads

6. at a rough guess

7. at a loss

8. at her wits’ end.

9. at the eleventh hour

10. At the drop of the hat

11. At a short notice

12. at a pitch

13. at will

32

32Idioms	Translations	Etymology
For kicks	На потеху
For good	Навсегда
By chance	Случайно
For love and money	Ни за какие деньги
For the time being	До поры до времени
For short	Для краткости
By a hair’s breadth	На волоске	very small distance
For the high jump	Суровое наказание	From high + jump.
By heart	Учить наизусть
By ear	На слух
By no means	Ни в коем случае
By mistake	По ошибке

3. Fill in the missing idioms in the sentences below. To help you there is an explanation of the missing idioms after each sentence.

1. Local kids steal cars and race them up and down the street, just… (they did it purely for fun or thrills).

2. I arrived at the concert on time but only…( A short period) .

3. We've decided to do without a car…( it will be like that for a period of time, but may change in the future).

4. He played this song… , because he hadn’t plan to play before (This comes from not using sheet music to play the music).

5. She'll be … when her mother finds out she's been smoking (will be punished or severely criticized).

6. I'm by … angry with you(absolutely not).

7. I found this book … at a book sale(without planning).

8. They tried to repair it many times before they fixed it… (forever).

9. David goes by Dave… (little time).

10. Betty had trouble learning the song… , but her teacher insisted on it(memorize very well).

11. He's hopeless and unreliable. I wouldn't give him a job… (you will not do it whatever happens).

12. I chose the wrong road… . Now we are lost (in error; accidentally).

1. for kicks

2. by a hair's breadth

3. for the time being

4. by ear

5. for the high jump

6. no means

7. by chance

8. for good

9. for short

10. by heart

11. for love and money

12. by mistake

4. Fill in the missing idioms in the sentences below

We had a trip which I’ve remembered 1)… . George and I went by car. George took this Jaguar from his father’s garage without demand. I didn’t know the way but he made me sure that he has learn the map2)… . However, we came in the wrong city3)… . By chance we’ve met Jack there. At first he said that we are in the right place,4)… .We answered that we would never believe in this 5)… . And he said that we shouldn’t have been gone to the south part of the country6)…???. That time we were 7)…the place we needed. But we couldn’t go there because we didn’t have enough time. George’s father could have already been at home. 8) …, he had been there when we arrived. I thought George would be… . And he wouldn’t drive the car 10)… .

1. for good

2. by heart

3. by mistake

4. just for kicks

5. for love and money

6. by no means

7. at a hair’s breadth

8. For short

9. for the high jump

10. for the tome being

33

33Idioms	Translations	Etymology
In the long run	Долгое время, полоса
In the dark	Держать в неведении
In succession	Подряд
In cold blood	Хладнокровно
In a nutshell	Кратко	A calque of Latin in nuce
In the red	Задолженность	From the standard accounting practice of using red ink to denote negative values, especially a net loss
In season	Сезон
Dribs and drubs	понемногу	originally a dialectal word (Kent) drab, variant of drop, dryp, drib (“to beat”) from Middle English
In mint condition	Новенький, в хорошем состоянии	Originally, the phrase comes from the way collectors described the condition of coins coming straight from the mint (coin factory).
Good shape	В хорошей форме
In a flash	В один миг
In turns	Поочередно
In common	Общее
In deep water	Быть в беде
In broad daylight	Публично, видимым образом (средь бела дня)
In a cold sweat	В холодном поту
In vain	Впустую
In the doldrums	В плохом настроении	From dulled, or dullen, "foolish, dull," ending perhaps patterned on tantrum.

5. Fill in the missing idioms in the sentences below. To help you there is an explanation of the missing idioms after each sentence.

1. It means spending a bit now, but … it'll save us a lot of money (a long time in the future).

2. Tourism is down and many hotels are operating … (spending more money than they earned).

3. The four boys grew up together and have a lot … (were equal).

4. Grandma seldom uses her car; it is already ten years old, but it is still … (Excellent; as good as new).

5. The crime was committed …(clearly visible).

6. The killer walked up and shot the woman …(without feeling).

7. He's usually … in the winter(in low spirits).

8. The company is going to cut some jobs, but they're keeping the workers … so they won't cause trouble (don’t have the information that they should have).

9. Strawberries are … here in May and June (available fresh locally).

10. He did all his lessons … (in a manner such that one thing is followed uninterruptedly by another).

11. Government agents tried …to kidnap him (without success).

12. Making a speech brought him out … (make nervous).

13. John is having trouble with back taxes. He's …(in a dangerous or vulnerable situation).

14. It happened …(quickly; immediately).

15. The whole story is being revealed …(in small portions).

16. The explanation is long and involved, but let me put it …for you (o state something very concisely).

17. This car isn't… . I'd like to have one that's in better condition (it’s not good).

18. She spoke to each of the guests …(one after the other).

1. in the long run

2. in the red

3. in common

4. in mint condition

5. in broad daylight

6. in cold blood

7. in the doldrums

8. in the dark

9. in season

10. in succession

11. in vain

12. in a cold sweet

13. in deep water

14. in a flash

15. in dribs and drabs

16. in a nutshell

17. in good shape

18. in turn.

6. Translate from Russian into English.

1. Она впустую тратила свои силы

2. Сегодня она была как всегда не в духе.

3. Боюсь, я не могу одолжить вам денег. Я и сам сильно задолжал.

4. Многие семьи сильно пострадали из-за ипотечного кризиса. Кто-то рискует потерять свои дома.

5. Присяжные должны решить, виноваты ли двое в хладнокровном убийстве родителей.

6. Компьютеру два года, но он еще в отличном состоянии.

7. Мы можем заплатить и больше, но лучше сэкономим немного денег на долгое время.

8. Она запомнила ответ мгновенно.

9. Похититель кошельков грабит женщин средь бела дня.

10. Мне приснилось, что я потерял наши билеты на самолет, и я проснулся в холодном поту.

1. in vain

2. Today she was in the doldrums as usually.

3. I'm afraid I can't lend you any money. I'm in the red myself

4. Many families are in deep water because of the mortgage crisis, and some might even lose their homes.

5. The jury must now decide if the two men are guilty of killing their parents in cold blood.

6. Computer's two years old but it's still in mint condition.

7. We might pay more now, but we'll save money in the long run.

8. She remembered the answer in a flash.

9. The purse-snatcher is striking women at the bus stop in broad daylight.

10. I dreamed I'd lost our plane tickets and woke up in a cold sweat.

Revision exercise

1. I was …for words when I heard she didn't get the job.

1. at a loss

2. at large

3. For kicks

2. I'd never visit them again, ... .

1. by no means

2. not for love or money

3. at a pinch

3. I'd like to provide a good example, but I'm feeling… .

1. in the doldrums

2. At his wits’ end

3. dribs and drubs

4. They were very lucky they didn't get themselves killed because they came … of falling down the mountain.

1. At death’s door

2. At short notice

3. within a hair's breadth

5. I was finished with the job interview … .

1. In turns

2. For short

3. in a flash

6. Stop beating… . Just tell me what's happened!

1. about the bush

2. In turns

3. Turn a blind eye to someone

7. Over-18s only allowed, Juliet. I know you’ve got lots of make-up on, but I know how old you are, so you can’t … ! Come back in three years!

1. Give a piece of my mind

2. pull the wool over my eyes

3. Pull your socks up

8. The two senators had long been … on foreign aid.

1. Skating on thin ice

2. In turns

3. at loggerheads

9. I studied piano for two years, and all I learned to play … was "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

1. by heart

2. by ear

3. At a pinch

10. The man undressed right there on the street – in… .

1. For the time being

2. broad daylight

3. a flash

1-a.

2-b

3-a

4-c

5-c

6-a

7-b

8-a

9-a

10-b

Fingers and thumbs	неуклюжий
Nook and cranny	везде	nook , which has meant "an out-of-the-way corner" since the mid-1300s, with cranny , which has meant "a crack or crevice" since about 1440. Neither noun is heard much other than in this idiom.
Life and soul of the party	Душа компании	a person regarded as the main source of merriment and liveliness
Hustle and bustle	Бешенный ритм
Skin and bone	Кожа да кости
Cock and bull	То, во что трудно поверить
Hand in glove	Рука об руку	based on the literal meaning of fit like a glove (to fit your body perfectly)
Flesh and blood	Плоть и кровь	This idiom comes from an Old English translation of the Bible
Back to front	Задом наперед
Fun and games	Веселье
Tooth and nail	Жестоко и беспощадно
Ups and downs	Взлеты и падения

Fill in the missing idioms from box in the sentences below

1. The police work ... with townspeople to catch the criminal

2. All modern magazines are full of fotos with models who are...

3. Luiza always brings to the party guitar for John who is an absolute ...

4. Jack has forgotten the wedding date and now his wife fightes with... with him

5. I’ve broken my mother’s cup. I’m all ...

6. My dad are fond of telling ... storis to make us going to bed.

7. Old Penelopy has lost her glasses and now we are helping her looking in every ...

8. Nobody will be with you all your life exept your family who is your ...

9. Building your career be ready to have ..., but don’t give out.

10. Big towns live in .... People are very tired of it and go to their villages.

11. Little children prefer ... to sitting in silence.

12. To understand difficult topics of philosophy you may need to study them ...

Answers:

1. Hand in glove

2. Skin and bone

3. Life and soul of the party

4. Tooth and nail

5. Fingers and thumbs

6. Cock and bull

7. Nook and cranny

8. Flesh and blood

9. Ups and downs

10. Hustle and bustle

11. Fun and games

12. Back to front

Join idioms in the baloons with Russian equivalent inside the circle.