Mini-Lesson 7.1

Look like – resemble

Look out (for) – be careful

Look over – examine, read

Look up – 1) find information (esp. in a reference book); 2) try to locate smb in the area, find and visit

Look up to – admire, respect

Make a fool of oneself – act embarrassingly

Make a point of (doing smth) – make a special effort

Make ends meet – balance a budget

Make sense (of) – be logical and clear, understand

Make up – create, invent

Make up one’s mind – decide

Make way for – allow space for, provide a path for

Mean to – intend to

Mini-Lesson 7.2

Mixed up – confused

Music to one’s ears – smth that sounds pleasant

A nervous wreck – smb who is very nervous

Next to nothing – very little (money, for example), cheap

No doubt about it – certainly, definitely

No harm done – there was no damage done

Not at all – not in any way, not to any degree

Not believe one’s ears (or eyes) – be unable to believe what one hears (or sees)

Not think much of – not like, have a low opinion of

Odds and ends – small, miscellaneous items

An old hand (at) – an experienced person

On edge – nervous

On end – consecutively, without a break (days on end, for example)

Mini-Lesson 7.3

On hand – easily available

On needles and pins – nervous, anxious

On one’s own – independent

On second thought – after reconsidering

On the go – always busy, always moving

On the tip of one’s tongue – almost able to remember

On the whole – in general

Out of (smth) – not having smth

Out of one’s mind – insane, illogical, irrational

Out of order – broken, not functioning properly

Out of the question – definitely not, impossible

Over and over – again and again, repeatedly

Over one’s head – not understanding (a joke, for example), obscure

Exercise: Fill in the blanks in the sentences or dialogues with idioms from the list above. There will be one word per blank. It may be necessary to change the verb forms in order for the sentences to be grammatically correct.

1. “Have you ____________ ____________ this contract yet?” “Not yet. I’ll try to read it this weekend.”

2. “I think I’ll have some mushroom soup, waiter.” “All right, sir.” “Wait, no - ___________ __________ _________, I think I’ll have the chicken.”

3. Is this story true, or did you just ______________ it ______________?

4. You can’t get a soda from that machine. There’s a sign on it that says “________________ ______________ ______________.”

5. Sherry _______________ _______________ ____________ her father because of all the help and good advice he’s given her.

6. I don’t have much cash __________ ___________, but I can get some from an ATM.

7. What a confusing movie! I couldn’t __________ ________ ________it.

8. “You did a fine job on this research paper, especially on the bibliography.” “Thanks. I __________ ___________ ___________ _________ getting the bibliography exactly right. I did it ____________ ____________ ___________ until it was perfect.”

9. “What’s Fritz’s cousin’s name?” “It’s ____________ ___________ __________ __________ my ___________, but I can’t quite remember.”

10. “Hello. I’d like to reserve a room for this weekend.” “I’m afraid that’s ____________ __________ ___________ _____________. The hotel is fully booked this weekend.”

11. “Do you have any fresh peaches?” “Sorry, I’m _____________ _____________ them. I just sold the last crate of peaches.”

12. “Listen to the roar of the engines.” “Yeah, it’s ___________ ________ my ______________. I just love going to these car races.”

13. The plane was delayed for hours ______________ __________. I thought we’d never get off the ground.

14. “Have you finished moving into your new apartment?” “Almost. There are still a few ___________ ___________ ___________ in my old apartment that I need to move today.”

15. “Brad sure is busy, isn’t he?” “Yeah, he’s involved in so many activities that he’s always ___________ _________ ___________.”

16. There are so many interesting dishes on the menu that it’s hard for me to __________ ____________ my _____________ which one to order.

17. If you go into the swamp, _________ __________ ________ alligators.

18. “When will you be informed on the test results?” “Not until Monday, so I’ll be ___________ __________ __________ __________ all weekend.”

19. “Do you know what the capital of South Dakota is?” “I’m not sure. Let’s _______________ it _____________ in this atlas.”

20. They’re going to tear down those old warehouses to ____________ __________ ___________ a big new hotel.

21. “I like that painting you bought. Did it cost much?” “No, the artist sold it to me for ______________ ____________ ______________.”

22. “How was your final exam, Laurie?” “A couple of questions were tricky, but __________ ___________ ___________ it was pretty easy.”

23. “I’m sorry I knocked that vase over. I didn’t mean to.” “____________ ____________ ____________. It wasn’t damaged.”

24. I must have been _____________ ______________ my ____________ when I signed the lease on this apartment. I can’t afford this much rent.

25. He didn’t ___________ _________ break the plate; it was an accident.

26. “I didn’t know you could play horseshoes so well.” “Oh, I’m ________ ____________ ______________ ___________ horseshoes. I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”

27. You must be ______ ______. This isn’t River Street; it’s Laurel Avenue.

28. “How long have you been living alone?” “I’ve been ___________ my ______________ since I graduated from high school.”

29. “Did you find that lecture boring?” “___________ ______________ ___________. In fact, I thought it was fascinating.”

30. “Christine is so funny, she should be a stand-up comic.” “I suppose, but a lot of her jokes go right ___________ my _____. I just don’t get them.”