The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

Insight into Idioms 37I NSIGHT INTO I DIOMSExpressions for ColorHave you ever felt blue? Do you have a green thumb? Would yourather be in the black or in the red? All of these questions containidioms. Idioms are commonly used phrases that have specialmeanings. These meanings differ from the meanings of the individualwords. For example, the words green thumb seem tomean a finger that is the color green. But the idiom to have agreen thumb is not about a strange medical condition. Rather,it’s a way of saying someone is skilled at growing plants. A goodgardener is often said to have a green thumb.The last page of each chapter in this book presents the meaningof some English idioms. Since the Chapter 1 passage isabout a colorful (lively and interesting) businessman, the idiomsthat follow are about colors.a. Feeling blue means feeling depressed or sad.b. Yellow-bellied means cowardly.c. People who look at the world through rose-colored glasses seethings as much better than they really are.d. A person with a green thumb has a talent for gardening.e. Green-eyed monster is an idiom that indicates jealousy.f. A firm that is in the red is losing money.g. A firm that is in the black is profitable.Practice chapter words one more time by filling in the letterof the correct idiom into the blank before each sentence:Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.1. The __________ sergeant was a hypocrite who orderedhis soldiers into battle, and then hid inside.2. It was a melancholy day for her, and she was __________.3. When your friends are more affluent than you are,you may become a victim of the __________.4. People who think of only frivolous things often look atthe world __________.5. After the adroit __________ manager took charge, thebusiness went from being to being __________.Links to lists of English idioms and their meanings can be found at the StudentCompanion Website for this book: www.cengage.com/devenglish/richek8e.