Words and Idioms – Body parts

(Answers from last time: a) green; b) blue; c) red; d) browned; e) blue; f) white; g) red;

h) green; i) blue; j) red)

Hello,

Today we are going to find out the meaning of some useful body idioms. First you’ll do the following exercise and then we’ll check the answers together.

Complete the following sentences using words from the box below. Any word may be used more than once.

1. It seems a good offer on the ……………………. of it, but I need to look into it a bit more carefully.
2. I’m sorry I’m late, but the traffic was ……………………. to tail all the way into town.
3. I doubt if she’ll be able to help. She’s up to her ……………………. in work at the moment.
4. Setting up in business was difficult, but he managed to keep his ……………………. above water.
5. I made the suggestion ……………………. in cheek, but unfortunately they took me seriously.
6. I haven’t had time to prepare for the interview, so I’ll just have to play it by ……………………. .
7. It may be common practice, but it’s still an offence in the ……………………. of the law.
8. There was no formal announcement, but the news spread rapidly by word of ……………………. .
9. It’s so annoying! His name is on the tip of my ……………………. . I’ll think of it in a minute.
10.  He’s never seen ……………………. to ……………………. with his boss about policy.

(Source: Focus on IELTS, Sue O’Connell, Longman)

Now let’s see if your answers are correct.

1. If your answer is ’face’, you are right, as we use the idiom on the face of it to describe how a situation seems on the surface. It means when first considered, from the way it looks.

2. The correct answer is ’nose’, because when cars are very close to each other, one behind the other, we can say that they are nose to tail.

3. The expression to be up to your ears in sth means to be very busy or to have more of something, like work, than you can manage. We can also say to be up to your eyes/ neck in sth. So the correct answer may be ’ears’, ’eyes’ or ’neck’.

4. If you have filled in the fourth gap using the word ’head’, then you are right, because when you have enough money to survive, especially financially, you keep your head above water.

5. The correct answer is ’tongue’, because when you speak tongue in cheek, you’re joking, but you may appear to be serious.

6. Play it by ear means to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than acting according to plans made earlier.

7. The correct answer is ’eyes’, as the idiom in the eyes of the law means legally. We can also say in the eyes of somebody, meaning in another person’s opinion.

8. If your answer is ’mouth’, you are right, because if you hear information by word of mouth, you hear it from other people and not from the radio or from reading newspapers.

9. When something that you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you are sure you know it but have difficulty finding it. We say be on the tip of your tongue or have something on the tip of your tongue.

10. The correct phrase is to see eye to eye, which means to agree with someone.

Till next time, I hope this article will be useful to you!

Sursa foto aici.

Autor:

Cecilia Stănia – Trainer intern A_BEST Limba Engleză

Cecilia Stănia este absolventă a Facultăţii de Limbi şi Literaturi Străine Dimitrie Cantemir, specializarea Studii Limba şi literatura Engleză– Limba şi Literatura Germană, promoţia 2010.

Cecilia a fost mereu interesată să-şi îmbunătăţească cunoştinţele de limba engleză, de aceea ea a urmat modulul Psihopedagogic Nivelul I.

În calitate de trainer A_BEST, Cecilia predă engleza – limbaj general şi business – în mediul corporate.