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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
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences:
(a) one of / that of reading / known to / is / greatest / the / pleasures / man /
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| A | B | |
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1. This play has been translated into English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?
Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.
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(i) You may take it that
(ii) He seems to be coming round
(iii) My foot’s gone to sleep
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| Column A | Column B |
| (a) break out | (i) to try to find somebody or something |
| (b) to look for | (ii) as a rule or in general taking all relevant factors into account |
| (c) to take over | (iii) start suddenly and strongly |
| (d) to go into | (iv) to obtain or assume control of something, or gain control of something from somebody else |
| (e) on the whole | (v) to begin a job or career in a particular area of activity |
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a black eye
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call at - visit
call for - summon
call up - make a telephonic call
call off - cancel
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For example,
call out - announce
call at - visit
call for - summon
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call out - announce
call at - visit
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| dream something up | selling price |
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