LET'S HIT THE BOOKS!

It doesn´t mean what you are thinking!!!  It means to study with concentrated effort, very hard.

                                      Idiomatic expressions or idioms

How frustrating it can be having a conversation with a native speaker when this person uses some  expressions  without a meaning or sense for us. It is not that we don´t understand the words on their own, but they are fixed in a particular order  with a different meaning. These idioms have become accepted in common use and can be very difficult to learn. So, let´s see some of them in every day conversational English.

“A penny for your thoughts”---It´s a way of asking what someone is thinking.

“A piece of cake”----An activity that is very easy or simple.

“Break a leg”---It means “good luck” (actors before they go on stage).

“Once in a blue moon”---It happens very rarely.

“Speak of the devil”---The person you are just talking about suddenly turns up.

“You can´t judge a book by its cover”---You can´t judge someone or something just on appearance.

“Take with a grain of salt”---It means not to take what someone says too seriously.

“To add insult to injury”---To make a situation worse.

“Hit the nail on the head”---When someone does or says something exactly right.

“Let the cat out of the bag”---When you reveal a secret.

“Don´t count your chickens before the eggs have hatched”---You shouldn´t make plans for something that might not happen.

“To cost an arm and a leg”---Something is very expensive.

“Let sleeping dogs lie”---Don´t change or disturb a situation as it is, it could be worse.

“To hear something straight from the horse´s mouth”---To hear something straight from the source.

“Every cloud has a silver lining”---Difficult times will lead to better days.

“To cut corners”---When somebody does something badly or cheaply.

Let´s see if you can match the following idioms with their meaning:

1-“Dig in your heels/stick to your guns”.  _____                a-You are great.

2-“Leave no stone unturned”. _____                                  b-Be someone worth marrying.

3-“Pull yourself together”. _____                                         c-You only just succeed, nearly fail.

4-“By the skin of your teeth”.  _____                                  d- To refuse to compromise or change your mind

5-“Shoot from the hip”. _____                                             e-To exaggerate.

6-“Go the extra mile”. _____                                                f-To calm down and behave normally.

7-“Blow smoke”. _____                                                         g-To speak directly.

8-“Be a catch”. ______                                                          h-To make a special effort.

9-“Feeling under the weather”. ____                                 i-To do everything you can to achieve your goal.

10-“Bite off more than you can chew”.  _____                j-To be ill or unable to do regular activities.

11-“You rock”. _____                                                            k- To take on something that is too much for you to handle.