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Question
Idioms
Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a dictionary first.)
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Our entire class is quaking in its boots. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Mr Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Mr Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him.____________________________.
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Solution
(i)Our entire class is quaking in its boots. Shaking with fear and nervousness
(ii) Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. Not to lose hope
(iii) Mr. Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much. Since a long time
(iv) Mr. Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him. He was outwitted by her
RELATED QUESTIONS
Rearrange the following words / phrases to form meaningful sentences:
(a) your destiny / it / right hand / is said / your / that / is in /
(b) problems / determines / how / our personalities / with / in life / we deal /
(c) than others / can cope / some people / better / hardships / with /
Complete the following phrases from the text. For each phrase, can you find at least one other word that would fit into the blank?
(i) tales of _______________
(ii) coastal _______________
(iii) a piece of ______________
(iv) evergreen ______________
(v) _____________ plantations
(vi) _____________bridge
(vii) wild __________________
You may add your own examples to this list.
This text is written in an old-fashioned style, for it reports an incident more than two millennia old. Look for the following words and phrases in the text, and try to rephrase them in more current language, based on how you understand them.
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give thee medicine for thy child
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Pray tell me
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Kisa repaired to the Buddha
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there was no house but someone had died in it
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kinsmen
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Mark!
Look at the italic words in the following examples.
a. We bought their biggest basket, then set off toward town.
b. One night we came upon them in the windy and deserted square.
c. He bit his lip, then in a rather put out tone he said, 'Very well.'
d. I shook my head and turned away.
Here are a few more. Match the phrases to their meanings.
| Phrases | Meanings |
| set up | to start on a journey |
| break down | to tolerate a situation or a person |
| set off | to lose control of your feelings and start crying |
| put up with | to enter |
| put off | to be faced with or opposed by |
| put on | to start/ establish a company |
| come in | to refuse/ reject |
| come across | to postpone |
| come up against | to try to get help/advice/ sympathy from someone |
| turn down | to wear |
| turn in | to meet or find by chance |
| turn to | to inform on or deliver up |
Now use the phrases given above to complete the following sentences.
1. The landlord was suspicious of the two men staying in his flat so he called the police and ……………. them …………….
2. Early in the morning we packed our bags and …………… for a hike over the mountain.
3. Janvi ……………………. some photographs of her grandfather in the old trunk.
4. My father ……………….. his own business 10 years ago.
5. The Bank …………………………….. Paul's request for a loan.
6. The Corporation's decision to reduce the leave of the employees …………………… a lot of opposition.
Complete the table by explaining the following phrases/ sentences in your own
words:
| Phrases | Meanings |
| happy memories light up a life that is nearing its close |
|
| the sounds helped him along his lonely way | |
| the cold used sleep to extend its sway over all things even as a false friend lulls his chosen victim with caressing smiles |
|
| when the evening of his life was drawing in, he left his old ways and suddenly took a new turn |
|
| the whole universe is built up through love and that the grief of separation is inescapable |
|
| the post-master, a man with a face as sad and as inexpressive as a pumpkin, would be seen sitting on his chair inside |
|
| And so the clerk, like a worshipper of Lord Vishnu, repeated his customary thousand names |
|
| The haughty temper of the official had quite left him in his sorrow and anxiety, and had laid bare his human heart |
Find out the meaning of the following phrase. Use them in your own sentence.
knock someone down
Guess the meaning of the following idioms and phrases and use them in sentences of your own. One is done for you.
One-size-fits-all – suitable for or used in all circumstances
Statement: The wrist watches have adjustable belts, so one- size- fits- all.
'One man army'
Find out expressions/phrases which denote, ‘going away’, from each stanza. One is given below. “Vanish in the throng”.
Find out the meaning of the phrase given below and use them in your own sentence.
put one’s money where one’s mouth is
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentence that follow.
The artist completes his paintings _________.
Insert the appropriate word/phrase given below, in the sentence that follow.
When the baby saw its mother it gave an ______ smile.
Use the following idiom/phrase in sentences of your own.
look backward
Fill the gap in choosing the appropriate idioms.
If you ______________ you will realise that crime ultimately leads to poverty.
Fill the gap in choosing the appropriate idioms.
The siren of the ambulance ____________ all other traffic noise.
Fill in the blank a word or a phrase given in the brackets in their appropriate form.
“I never____________ my stomach”, she said
Fill in the blank a word or a phrase given in the brackets in their appropriate form.
I was____________ when the menu was brought.
Discuss with your partner and find proverbs, idioms, or phrases of similar meaning to the one given and fill them in the stars given below:
Make a meaningful sentence by using the phrase
‘in front of’
