Idioms

"can of worms"  The investigators knew that examining the company's books might open a can of worms. They suspected there'd be a. a huge number of worms b. nothing seriously wrong c. evidence of serious crimes

"to pull someone's leg" A) to make someone uncomfortable or anxious / B) to fool or joke someone / C) to make someone happy about something

"break a leg!" A) well done! / B) have fun! / C) good luck!

"to give the green light" A) to allow something / B) to prohibit something / C) to like something

To pick holes (A) to criticize someone (B) to cut some part of an item (C) to destroy something (D) to find some reason to fight

"a wolf in sheep's clothing"  We realised the teacher was a wolf in sheep's clothing when he a. was seen smoking a cigarette in a bar b. was given the "Teacher of the Year" award c. was arrested for abusing one of his students

"to put your feet up" A) to be tired / B) to relax / C) to be clumsy

"water off a duck's back"  Many people claim that insults or negative comments are like water off a duck's back, but in reality, many of them are a. pleased by such things b. upset by such things c. unaffected by such things

"to speak of the devil" A) to have an uncomfortable conversation / B) the person who you were talking about unexpectedly arrives / C) to talk about a person you don't like

To keep one’s temper (A) to be aloof from (B) to preserve one’s energy (C) to become angry (D) to be in a good mood

"to cost an arm and a leg" A) something cheap / B) something expensive / C) something of low quality

"to bite the bullet" A) to do something that makes you nervous / B) to do something that makes someone else uncomfortable / C) to make yourself do something difficult or unpleasant

"drink like a fish"  Even though uncle Barry drinks like a fish, he a. never drinks alcohol b. never looks drunk c. never drinks much

"a whale of a time"  Ollie said he had a whale of a time at the jazz festival and he a. wishes he hadn't gone b. wants to go again next year c. probably won't bother going agai

"to be left out in the cold" A) to be alone / B) to be excluded / C) to be freezing

"to ring a bell" A) something sounds familiar / B) to get attention / C) something that makes a lot of noise

"to skate on thin ice" A) to be in a risky situation / B) to do something challenging / C) to not like something you have to do

"to get cold feet" A) suddenly change your emotion eg: happy to sad / B) to suddenly change your mind about something because you are nervous / C) to be anxious about something.

"a night owl"  Cassandra is a night owl, so she doesn't usually get up until about a. 11 a.m. b. 11 p.m. c. 7 a.m.

"to beat around the bush" A) to avoid talking about something / B) to take a long time do something / C) to show disagreement about something

"once in a blue moon" A) usually / B) never / C) rarely

Play it safe (A) Play for pleasure (B) Avoid risks (C) Play light games (D) Play a game peacefully

"to take the plunge" A) to commit to a decision (often one that makes you nervous) / B) to fall down (from a very high place) / C) to make a choice (especially between two similar options)

"as clear as mud" A) something brown / B) something confusing / C) something obvious

"to be on the ball" A) to be alert / B) to be on the top / C) to be funny