Exercise 1

Match items from column A and B to make idioms.

1. bring the house down (c)
2. read somebody like a book (h)
3. face the music (f)
4. let one's hair down (i)
5. off the beaten track(d)
6. on a shoestring budget (e)
7. on the house (g)
8. on the edge of one's seat (a)
9. paint the town red (j)
10. read between the lines

Then use them, in their correct form, to complete the sentences.

1. Travelers differ from tourists in that they prefer getting off the beaten track to holidaying at popular holiday spots.
2. The most amazing thing about this year’s Oscar winning film is that it was made on a shoestring budget.
3. Don’t believe everything you see in travel brochures; read between the lines before you make your financial decision.
4. To make up for the poor service the restaurant owner told us our drinks were on the house.
5. I can’t believe i got the promotion. Let’s go out and let one's hair down.
6. I know she doesn’t really want to come out dancing with us. I can read somebody like a book.

Exercise 2

Replace the underlined words and expressions with one of the fixed phrases below.

1. at least
2. at present
3. at odds with
4. at times
5. at last
6. at a glance
7. at large
8. at a standstill
9. at a loose end
10. at a loss

1. The trip wasn’t all bad. The good thing was that we got to visit plenty of interesting ruins.

2. I’m very busy at work right now, but when things relax a bit I’m going to go on a cruise.

3. Dave is quarrelling with John over what CDS to bring to the graduation party.

4. Although I love getting lost in a good novel, now and then I just like to sit and listen to classical music.

5. In the end, I found my passport tucked away in the zipped compartment of my suitcase.

6. From the sly look on the taxi driver’s face I knew immediately that he couldn’t be trusted.

7. The news reported that the escaped prisoner was still on the loose.

8. Due to the bazaar in the city centre, traffic was stopped for two hours.

9. I’m really not sure what to do with myself now that the Christmas holidays are here.

10. Steven invited some friends over and was totally confused as to what to offer them to eat.