Not-so-easy Idioms 12 |
Part
A speak up :- speak in a louder voice speak up for :- support spell out :- make something very clear take off :- become popular or successful very quickly take over :- assume control of take part in :- participate in take the plunge :- finally take action, do something possibly risky take (time) off :- take a vacation or break from work or school take up :- begin to study some subject or start doing some activity talk down to :- patronize, speak to someone as if they were a child talk into :- persuade, convince talk out of :- dissuade, convince not to talk over :- discuss tear oneself away from something :- stop doing something really interesting tear up :- rip into small pieces tell apart :- distinguish, notice a difference things are looking up :- the situation is improving think over :- consider throw away :- get rid of, discard throw the book at :- give a very severe punishment to throw cold water on :- discourage, force someone to cancel a plan |
Part
B 1) I'll _______ it _______ for you - if you don't do your homework, you'll fail the course. 2) The twins are so identical it's totally impossible to _______ them _______. 3) Let's _______ this_______ and see if we can't come up with a solution. 4) Over twenty thousand people _______ _______ _______ the anti-war demo. 5) In the 60's, the craze for long hair _______ _______ after the Beatles became popular. 6) Office shredding machines save office staff the trouble of _______ _______ sensitive documents before they are disposed of. 7) He was _______ _______ investing his money in orange juice futures by a banker friend. 8) The admiral _______ _______ _______ _______ the captain who had run his warship aground. 9) 'How's business, Alan?' '_______ _______ _______ _______ . We just got a two million dollar order from the Moroccan government.' 10) At the trial, three people came as character witnesses and _______ _______ _______ the defendant. 11) At the age of 78, my grandfather surprised everyone when he _______ _______ skiiing. 12) My wife _______ one year _______ work when she was expecting our first child. 13) Margaret Thatcher used to enrage many people by the way she seemed to _______ _______ _______ them. 14) After prevaricating for months, he finally _______ _______ _______ and joined the religious cult. 15) You should carefully _______ _______ what it is you wish to study at university. 16) In the 1920's, Stalin _______ _______ the security apparatus of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 17) ‘You look depressed, Peter. What's the matter?’ ‘It's my boss, he _______ _______ _______ _______ all the ideas I come up with.' 18) It was such an exciting TV program, I just couldn't _______ _______ _______ _______ it. 19) ‘What happened to your old chest of drawers?’ ‘Oh, I _______ that_______ years ago.’ 20) 'What is the answer to number twenty.' 'I can't hear you. Could you _______ _______ . |