English phrases

to wait up

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Do you know the English phrase “to wait up“? Look at the conversation. Can you guess the meaning?

Wanda: You look tired Olivia. Are you OK?

Olivia: I didn’t get much sleep last night. I waited up for my son to come home. He came back at 3am!

Wanda: You must have been very angry!

Olivia: I was. He told me not to wait up for him, but I was worried about him.

Does it mean

a) Pick someone up

b) Stay awake, without going to bed

c) Wait for someone to come home

The answer is below! ↓

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Answer: b) Stay awake, without going to bed

 

to get on (one’s) nerves

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Do you know the English phrase “to get on (one’s) nerves? Look at the conversation. Can you guess the meaning?

Emily: I wish that man would stop tapping his pen on the table!

Nelly: I do too! It is really getting on my nerves!

Does it mean

a) to annoy

b) to make nervous

c) to hurt

The answer is below! ↓

cat-with-attitude

 

Answer: a) to annoy

to keep in touch

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Do you know the English phrase keep in touch? Look at the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?

Lisa: Have you heard from Sally lately?

Abby: No, I haven’t heard from her in years. We don’t keep in touch.

Does it mean

a) have contact

b) touch each other

c) keep close together

The answer is below! ↓

telephone-receiver-silhouette

 

Answer: a) have contact

 

 

to find fault with

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Do you know the English phrase find fault with? Look at the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?

Mike: The boss told me to do the report again! I don’t think there are any problems with it.

Dave: He is always finding fault with our work. I wish he wasn’t so critical.

Does it mean

a) to make a mistake

b) to criticise 

c) to spoil

The answer is below! ↓

thumb-down-silhouette

 

 

Answer: b) to criticise

 

Go the extra mile

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Do you know the English idiom “go the extra mile“?

Look at this conversation. Can you guess the meaning?

Zita: Harry made a great presentation, didn’t he? His PowerPoint slides were really impressive. They were better than mine!

Dillon: Yes, he always goes the extra mile when he makes a presentation.

Does it mean

a) be motivated in your work

b) make a bigger effort than is expected

c) travel a long distance

d) perform your job correctly

The answer is below! ↓

 

 

Answer: b) make a bigger effort than is expected

 

You can’t judge a book by its cover

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Do you know the famous English saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover“?

Look at the conversation. Can you guess the meaning?

Nina: When I first saw Kelly, I didn’t have a good impression of her. But after talking to her, I realised she is a very nice person.

Anna: You can’t judge a book by its cover!

Does it mean…

a) the cover of a book is not important

b) you can never really know someone

c) you cannot know about a person or thing just by looking at the person or thing

d) you cannot know if someone is nice until you become friends with them

The answer is below　↓

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Answer:

c) you cannot know about a person or thing just by looking at the person or thing

Look before you…

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Can you complete this famous English saying?

Look before you…

a) leap

b) run

c) swim

d) dive

The answer is below! ↓

jumping-jack

Answer:

a) leap 

(leap = jump)

The phrase means think about the dangers or consequences of doing something before you do it!

The grass is always greener on the other side

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Do you know the phrase “the grass is always greener on the other side“?

Look at this conversation. Can you guess the meaning?

Fred: I heard that Julie is going to change jobs again! This is the 6th time she has changed jobs this year!

Louise: I heard that too. She always thinks the grass is greener on the other side!

Does it mean

a) the other side has greener grass

b) people are never satisfied with their situation. They always think another situation is better

c) people enjoy going to different places and doing different things

d) people think that changing jobs often is a good thing

The answer is below　↓

 

Answer:

b) people are never satisfied with their situation. They always think another situation is better

 

 

Right as rain

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DSC05401

It’s raining heavily today, so here is an idiom using the word “rain”.

The idiom is “right as rain”

Read the short conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?

Des: I heard you caught a cold last week. How are you feeling?

Angela: Well, I took a week off work and rested a lot, so I’m right as rain now.

 

Does it mean

a) nearly fine

b) not fine

c) completely fine

The answer is below! ↓

 

Answer: c) completely fine