List of Contents Introduction

600 IDIOMS A-Z

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I

J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R

S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

On Using this eBook

Teacher’s Notes

Reference Books

Recommended Links

About the Author

Introduction THIS EBOOK IS BEST VIEWED IN SINGLE-PAGE DISPLAY.

After each quiz, turn page for answer.

What are idioms?

An idiom is a group of words with a special meaning. Native English speakers learn idioms naturally from a young age, but learners of English have to study them. You might already know the meaning of every word in an idiom, but this doesn't mean you'll know what the idiom means. For example, if you haven't learned the idiom call it a day, you won't know what someone you work with means if they say "Let's call it a day". Even if you know what the words let's, call and day mean, you won't know what they're saying. But if you've learned the idiom, you'll know that they're saying it's time everyone finished work for the day.

Is learning idioms important?

Yes. Idioms are very common in both spoken and written English, so learning them is very

above board Meaning: If something is above board, it's been done in a legal and honest way.

Example sentences

• I'm sure the deal was above board. I know James well and he'd never do anything dishonest.

• Were corrupt officials bribed by the company that got the contract, or was it all above board?

Quick Quiz

The president's facing an inquiry, but if everything he did was above board he has a) a lot to worry about b) nothing to worry about c) something to worry about

Answer

b) nothing to worry about

above the law Meaning: You can say someone is above the law if they aren't subject to the law because of their high position, or if they can use their power and wealth to avoid punishment when they break the law.

Example sentences

• In a democracy, no-one is above the law - not even a president or a prime minister.

• He's the son of a powerful politician, so Hector thinks he's above the law and the police won't arrest him.

Quick Quiz

Hector thought he was above the law, so he was shocked when a) he failed his law exam b) he was released from jail c) he was arrested for selling drugs

Answer

c) he was arrested for selling drugs

across the board Meaning: You can say something is done across the board if it affects everyone or every part of a situation.

Example sentences

• The company has increased salaries across the board, so everyone will get a pay rise.

• The tax increases only apply to high-income families, so they won't be across the board.

Quick Quiz

If staff cuts are across the board, staff will be cut from a) every department b) some departments c) only one department

Answer

a) every department

add fuel to the fire Meaning: If you add fuel to the fire, you do something to make a bad situation even worse.

Example sentences

• People are already unhappy, so if the government raises taxes it'll add fuel to the fire.

• If Billy's angry, don't say anything. You'll just be adding fuel to the fire.

Quick Quiz

Our workers are already upset, and you'll add fuel to the fire if you a) give them a bonus b) pay for their medical care c) cut their wages

Answer

c) cut their wages

add insult to injury Meaning: Someone adds insult to injury if they say or do something to upset you a second time, after you've already been upset.

Example sentences

• He said my clothes didn't suit me, and to add insult to injury he said I needed to lose weight!

• The bank repossessed my car, and then added insult to injury by cancelling my credit cards!

Quick Quiz

After saying her English was poor, Bob added insult to injury by saying a) her English would improve b) her work was excellent c) she worked too slowly

Answer

c) she worked too slowly

zebra crossing British and Australian

Meaning: A pedestrian crossing that's marked on the road with painted black and white stripes.

Example sentences

• Visitors to Britain can be confused when they're told there's a zebra crossing up ahead. They expect to see a zebra crossing the road.

• If you step onto a zebra crossing, cars should stop and wait for you to cross the road.

Quick Quiz

A zebra crossing is a place for a) zebras to cross the road b) people to cross the road c) cars to run people over

Answer

b) people to cross the road

zero in on Meaning: If you zero in on something, you focus your attention on it.

Example sentences

• Reporters are zeroing in on the conflicts between the president and his wife.

• I like the way our lecturer quickly zeroes in on the central point of the issue.

Quick Quiz

We don't have much time, so we'll have to zero in on a) all the unimportant details b) every single aspect c) the main issue

Answer

c) the main issue

zero tolerance Meaning: A system in which mistakes and offences are not tolerated and a person who makes one mistake or commits one offence is punished as seriously as someone who makes many mistakes or commits many offences.

Example sentences

• Because of the school's zero-tolerance policy, our son was expelled for smoking a single cigarette.

• How can Christians believe in zero tolerance when their religion teaches forgiveness and love?

Quick Quiz

If there's a policy of zero tolerance, punishments can be a) far too heavy b) far too light c) far too short

Answer

a) far too heavy

On Using this eBook How can I use this ebook to learn idioms?

You can learn the idioms one after another in alphabetical order, or you can go to the list of contents and look for idioms you don't already know. You can also use this ebook as a reference in order to find the meaning of idioms you come across while reading, watching movies, listening to conversations, etc.

How should I learn each new idiom?

To learn one of the idioms, read the meaning and then read the example sentences. The example sentences make the meaning clearer and help you to understand how the idiom is used. After you've got the meaning, check your understanding by doing the quiz question. Carefully read the question and then choose the answer you think is correct. The correct answer is always given on the next page.

Keep a record of the idioms you learn each day and review them over the following few days. To review an idiom, read the meaning and example sentences again and then do the quiz again. If

Teacher's Notes How can I use this ebook to teach idioms?

If you're teaching in a classroom you can use this ebook in a number of ways. If you teach in a room with a visual display unit or an external-monitor TV screen, you can show pages from the ebook while teaching the idioms. To teach a particular idiom, display its page on the screen and ask a student to read the meaning and example sentences. Then discuss the idiom with your students to make its use and meaning clear before asking them to do the quiz. Ask them to write their answer, and then give them the correct answer. If some of your students get the answer wrong, ask other students to explain why it's wrong or explain this yourself.

If you'll be regularly teaching idioms in a class, list all the idioms you'll be teaching and divide them into groups. Each group should include the number of idioms you can teach in one lesson. You can group the idioms alphabetically or according to their level of difficulty. You can also group the idioms according to the situations in which they're used. These could include groups of idioms that are used in an office, at school or

About the Author Born in Melbourne, Australia, Matt studied at Monash and LaTrobe Universities before moving to Thailand to work as an ESL instructor. In 1992 he created the award-winning ESL board game WORD UP. Since then he has divided his time between teaching English, marketing WORD UP and creating more ESL materials, including his ebook 1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context. Matt regularly contributes games, quizzes and vocabulary pages to EnglishClub. His other interests include music, reading and watching almost any kind of sport.