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EVERYDAY IDIOMS
All languages have certain expressions, or idioms, that cannot be understood literally.
English has many thousands of idiomatic expressions. That’s why understanding
common idioms is an important part of vocabulary development.
Write a letter to match each idiom on the left with its meaning on the right.
1. _____ to breathe down a. join others in supporting
someone’s neck someone or something
2. _____ to blow the whistle on b. watch someone closely
3. _____ to let your hair c. speak frankly and
down intimately
4. _____ to climb on the d. report someone’s
bandwagon wrongdoing
IDIOMS IN CONTEXT
Circle a letter to show the meaning of each boldface idiom. Hint: Use context clues
for help.
1. A little bird told me that I could find you here.
a. your little b. learned from c. a prophet
sister said a secret source predicted
2. Sandy never lets any grass grow under her feet.
a. keeps her yard b. doesn’t stop; c. prefers a flat,
well-mowed keeps moving smooth surface
3. Even before the lay-offs, we could see the writing on the wall.
a. knew what b. read about it c. not believe
was coming in the paper what we heard
4. Bob was pulling your leg when he told you that wild story.
a. giving you a b. wanted you c. fooling around;
secret signal to follow him teasing
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