Idiom List 1

Idiom List 2

Activity 1

Listening:

Directions: Click on the link below to here the passage. As you listen, fill in the idioms that you here. Check your answers when you are finished.

PART ONE:

My cousin Bill is the of the family. My aunt and uncle have yelled at him to get himself straightened out until they were , but Bill still causes trouble. I think his problem is that he always thinks that . For instance, when it comes to his brother Tom, he is . He always thinks Tom has a nicer car, a better girlfriend, and a better life, in general. However, in reality, Tom has everything that Bill has. In fact, when it comes to life experience, Tom is as as can be. But that is a .

PART TWO:

Anyway, Bill once lost all of his money gambling. He was absolutely . So he decided to to rob a convenience store to bring himself back . He must have been because there was no way he was going to get away with a crime like that. Needless to say, he was . His parents were very troubled. They bailed him out of jail and begged him to get his life together. But Bill continues to look at life as if it were . In his mind he is either a huge success or a grand failure.

Now, check your answers.

1. black sheep

2. blue in the face

3. the grass is always greener on the other side

4. green with envy

5. green

6. horse of a different color

7. in the red

8. give himself the green light

9. into the black

10. looking at the world through rose-colored glasses

11. caught red-handed

12. black and white

Meaning from Context:

Read each sentence and guess the idiom’s meaning based on the context. Check your answers by clicking on the arrows in the drop boxes after each guess.

1. Joanna thinks that everything is so black and white. She can never see that there is anything in between.

2. After divorcing his sixth wife, Richard became known as the black sheep of the family.

3. I’ve tried to explain this to you so many times but you still don’t get it. I am just blue in the face!

4. The little boy tried to sneak into the kitchen and steal some cookies from the pantry, but his mother caught him red-handed.

5. I didn’t want to start painting the room until my husband said he was ready. I was happy when he gave me the green light to go ahead.

6. You can’t think that the grass is always greener on the other side. Just be happy with what you have and understand that you have some things that others don’t.

7. When Jack hired into the company he was very green, but now he is one of the most experienced accountants they have.

8. My sister was always green with envy every time I came home with good grades and my parents praised me.

9. Well, we are talking about politics and I’d tell you all about my trip to Russia, but that is a horse of a different color.

10. The company was doing very well and was in the black for every financial period.

12. Everything is always perfect in her eyes. She looks at the world through rose-colored glasses.

Now that you have guessed the meanings to the words, match the idioms from the list above with the pictures and the situations below.

11. He called everyone to complain about the food at the holiday dinner. No one was bothered though. Everyone knows he is the one who always causes problems.

12. You may believe that everything is bad, but I am more optimistic than that. I think that the glass is always half full instead of half empty.

Now view your answers:

1. The grass is always greener on the other side

2. in the red

3. green with envy

4. caught red-handed

5. in the black

6. horse of a different color

7. green

8. black and white

9. give someone the green light

10. blue in the face

11. black sheep of the family

12. look at the world through rose-colored glasses

Heather Meloche home page | ESL 2011 Activities | Idiom List 2

Please e-mail me with questions or concerns: mailto:hsmeloch@oaklandcc.edu