Idioms for everyday use 3: Idioms from food

 Thẩm Tâm Vy, September 13th, 2018 IDIOMS FOR EVERYDAY USE 3 IDIOMS FROM FOOD & CLOTHES 
IDIOMS FOR EVERYDAY USE 3 
IDIOMS FROM FOOD 
READING. Read the story. Then discuss the questions. 
A RED LEMON 
 The used car I bought for three hundred dollars was a lemon. My friends said I was 
nuts to believe the baloney the seller gave. The seller said that the car was like new, 
with only ten thousand miles on it. She called it reliable transportation at a very low 
price. She said she was really selling it for peanuts. 
 Starting the engine of the car was a piece of cake. I just turned the key— no problem. 
However, soon I was in a pickle: the brakes didn't work! The owner of the Cadillac I hit 
went bananas when he saw the damage to the front of his car. He started shouting at me 
and wouldn't stop. Now I have to pay him two thousand dollars to repair his car. But my 
friend Nina was a peach. She took my car to the garbage dump so that I didn't have to 
see it again. 
1. Does something that is a lemon work well? Have you ever bought a lemon? 
2. Is something that is a piece of cake easy to do or hard to do? Name some things that are a 
piece of cake for you to do. 
3. When someone goes bananas, what happens to the person? 
Meanings 
 Each example has an idiom with a food word. Read the example carefully to find the meaning 
of the idiom. Then look at the definitions that follow the examples. Write the idiom next to its 
definition. 
the apple of - The baby is the apple of her grandfather’s eye. He thinks that one’s eye 
she's wonderful. 
baloney - His speech about the importance of helping the poor is baloney. He wouldn't 
even give his best friend a dime. 
to cream someone - Our basketball team really creamed its opponent. Our team won 
by a score of 120 to 60. 
fishy - On our return home, we found the front door open, and we suspected that 
something fishy was going on. 
to go bananas - She went bananas when she heard she had won first prize in the talent 
contest. 
in a pickle - Bill was in a pickle. After filling his car with gas, he could not find the 
money to pay. 
a lemon -The new tape player I bought was a lemon, and I'm going to take it back to 
the store for a new one. 
nuts - Tony must be nuts to pay over a hundred dollars for a shirt. 
a peach - When I was sick last week, Susan visited me and bought groceries for me. 
She's a peach. 
Peanuts - Rose buys used clothes at secondhand stores, and she gets nicelooking 
clothes for peanuts. 
a piece of cake - The math test was a piece of cake for Erik. He is very good at doing 
maths problems. 
1. .................................... in trouble 
2. .................................... something that is very easy to do 
3. .................................... something that does not work, usually an 
 electrical appliance or mechanical item 
4. .................................... to totally beat someone in a game 
5. .....................................a very small amount of money 
6. .................................... nonsense 
7. .................................... suspicious, not right or honest 
8. .................................... to go crazy 
9. .................................... very crazy, very upset 
PRACTICE 
A. Answer each question with yes or no. Explain your answer. 
1. When the president gave Lou her award, they shook hands, and the audience 
applauded politely. Did the audience go bananas? 
2. Sokolovshy beat Splatski 11 to 1 in the chess championship. Did he cream Splatski? 
3. Someone on the street offered to sell me a gold watch for five dollars. Was something 
fishy happening? 
4. When dad was making breakfast, the bacon caught on fire. Was making breakfast a 
piece of cake for him? 
5. My car has only three thousand miles on it and has already been to the garage five 
times for repairs. Is it a lemon? 
6. The salesperson told me he could give a big discount, just for me. Was he probably 
talking baloney? 
7. John has a good job and today he won a million dollars in the lottery. Is he in a 
pickle? 
8. John just gave a million dollars to a stranger. Will people say that he's nuts? 
9. Maria went to a fancy store and paid full price for her furniture. Did she buy the 
furniture for peanuts? 
10. Bob Kent thinks his daughter is the best. Is she the apple of his eye? 
11. Karen promised to spend Saturday helping me cook the food for the party. Is Karen 
a peach? 
B. Each example has the correct idiom, but there is one error with each idiom. 
Find the error and correct it. 
1. Using the computer was so easy, it was piece of cake. 
2. Something fish must be happening. We're the only ones here, but I'm hearing strange 
noises. 
3. That man doesn’t know anything, but he talks as if he knows everything. Everything 
he says is the baloney. 
4. My new TV is lemon. It has a very bad picture. 
 Thẩm Tâm Vy, September 13th, 2018 IDIOMS FOR EVERYDAY USE 3 IDIOMS FROM FOOD & CLOTHES 
5. Millie was in pickle when the police officer stopped her for speeding. 
6. The dog went nut when its owner came home. 
7. In the soccer tournament, our team crammed its opponent 8 to 1. 
8. The team went banana when it won the championship. 
9. Norma is very nice. She’s peach. 
10. Jason bought a used stereo for a peanut, and it sounds really good. 
11. I'm the apple of my grandmother’s eyes. 
CONVERSATION 
Practise each conversation with a partner. 
SITUATION 1. Maria is talking to her neighbour. 
Maria: I’m in a pickle. I’m having a big party, and I don’t have enough glasses or 
dishes. 
Kate: Don’t worry. I’ll lend you some of mine. 
Maria: Thanks, Kate. You’re a peach! 
SITUATION 2. Trang is talking to his friend Ho about the basketball game. 
Tran: We won the game 110 to 58 last night. 
Hoa: You guys really creamed the other team. 
Trang: We sure did. 
SITUATION 3. Thoa and Helen have just taken a test. 
Thoa: That test was so easy! 
Helen: Yes, it was a piece of cake. I'm sure I passed. 
IDIOMS FROM CLOTHES 
READING. Read the story. Then discuss the questions. 
In the Boss’s Shoes 
 Some people get angry easily. You have to be careful and handle them with kid gloves. 
My boss is always angry. He's always hot under the collar about something. If sales are 
bad, he gets very nervous. He's afraid that he's going to lose everything. He thinks he's 
about to lose his shirt. But the business never makes very much money. We always run 
on a shoestring. In business, you have to be calm and keep your temper. You have to 
keep your shirt on. Our business might be better if my boss could stay calm. Still, I 
prefer to be me than to have my boss's job. I don't want to be in his shoes. He's under 
too much pressure. 
1. If you get hot under the collar, how do you feel? What makes you get hot under the collar? 
2. If you keep your shirt on, do you get hot under the collar? 
3. Many people would like to be in someone else’s shoes. Whose shoes would you like to be in? 
Meanings 
 Each example has an idiom with clothes. Read the example carefully to find the meaning of the 
idiom. Then look at the definitions that follow the examples. Write the idiom next to its definition. 
to be in someone else’s shoes - I wouldn't like to be in Leroy’s shoes when Dad comes 
home and sees that broken window. 
dressed to kill – Do Binh went to the party dressed to kill in his new black suit, silk 
shirt, and red tie. 
a feather in one’s cap - Passing the driver's test on the first try was a real feather in my 
cap. 
to handle someone with kid gloves - The president has a difficult personality, and she 
gets angry easily. You have to handle her with kid gloves. 
hot under the collar - Mike had an important meeting in another city. He got hot under 
the collar because the plane was late taking off. 
to keep one’s shirt on - I’ll finish using the computer in a minute. Just keep your shirt 
on, and you'll get your turn. 
to keep something under one’s hat - I'm getting married, but keep it under your hat. I 
don't want anvone to know vet. 
to lose one’s shirt - Bob invested a lot of monev in stocks and lost his shirt. 
on a shoestring - Alice started a business although she didn't have very much money. 
She's running it on a shoestring. 
a stuffed shirt - Hung is such a stuffed shirt. He always wears a tie, and he even eats 
chicken with a knife and fork. 
tied to someone’s apron strings - Bao never does anything unless his mother says it's 
okay. He's tied to her apron strings. 
1. .........................................angry 
2. .........................................with very little money 
 Thẩm Tâm Vy, September 13th, 2018 IDIOMS FOR EVERYDAY USE 3 IDIOMS FROM FOOD & CLOTHES 
3. .........................................not to get angry, to be patient 
4. .........................................to be careful not to anger someone 
5. .........................................to lose a lot of money 
6. .........................................to be in the place of someone else 
7. .........................................in one's best clothes and looking good 
8. .........................................always following a stronger person 
9. .........................................someone who lives by the rules and is very formal 
10. .......................................something to be proud of and to feel good about 
11. .......................................to keep something secret 
PRACTICE 
A. Answer each question with yes or no. Explain your answer. 
1. Is getting a speeding ticket a feather in your cap? 
2. Is it a waste of energy getting hot under the collar? 
3. If you handle someone with kid gloves, do you treat the person well? 
4. If you do something on a shoestring, do you spend a lot of money? 
5. If you want a more interesting job like one a friend of yours has, do you want to be in 
someone else's shoes? 
6. Would you call a rock singer a stuffed shirt? 
7. Is a strong person tied to someone else’s apron strings? 
8. If you go on a picnic, do you dress to kill? 
9. If you tell someone to keep his or her shirt on, are you telling the person to hurry'- 
up? 
10. You told everyone the news. Did you keep it under your hat? 
11. If you lose your shirt, are you an untidy person? 
B. Complete each example with an idiom from this unit. 
1. Clarence is no fun. He’s just a......................................... 
2. Winning the contest is a real.........................................for you. 
3. Dave......................................... gambling on the stock market. 
4. I sometimes wish I were......................................... 
5. It’s no use getting......................................... 
6. Tex is such a wimp. He’s still........................for nothing.to his mother’s.................. 
7. When I was a student, I always lived......................................... 
8. You can tell Jane my secret. You know that she’ll............................ 
9. .......................................... I’ll be ready ina minute. 
10. Gloria looks great tonight. She's......................................... 
11. Mom is angry about something. We’d better.................................... 
CONVERSATION 
Practise each conversation with a partner. 
SITUATION 1. Two workers are talking. 
Andy: Are you afraid of Mr. Parker? 
Ringo: No. Why? 
Andy: You always seem to treat him with kid gloves. That’s why. 
SITUATION 2. The conversation continues. 
Ringo: Well, Parker is a stuffed shirt. 
Andy: Yes, but that's no reason to look as if you’re tied to his apron strings. 
SITUATION 3. The conversation continues. 
Ringo: Would you like to be in my shoes? I have to do everything he asks and more. 
Andy: Keep your shirt on. I didn't ask you to take the job. 
Ringo: Okay. Let's talk about something else.