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Idioms Worksheet 1
Choose the correct explanation for the idiom in each section
Exercise 1
Idiom: A common expression understood figuratively, as the literal definition makes no sense.
1. After going to the zoo, the mall, and the movies, Cassie was sick of bending over backwards to
entertain her nieces.
a. Cassie was doing very little to entertain her nieces.
b. Cassie was making small efforts to entertain her nieces.
c. Cassie was trying very hard to entertain her nieces.
d. Cassie was not trying at all to entertain her nieces.
2. Bobby would have been playing ball until the cows came home if it hadn’t been for Suzie dragging
him home for dinner.
a. Bobby was just about to stop playing ball.
b. Bobby didn’t even want to play ball to begin with.
c. Bobby prefers nature to athletics.
d. Bobby would have continued playing ball for a long time.
3. You might think that Billy Parker is the kid who has everything, but if you saw the list of chores his
parents give him, I guarantee that you wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.
a. You wouldn’t want your shoes to get as dirty as Billy’s when he’s doing his chores.
b. If you have to do as many chores as Billy, you’ll want a pair of comfortable shoes.
c. Billy shoes are so uncomfortable that doing his chores is really unpleasant.
d. Billy has so many chores to do that it is unpleasant to imagine doing them all.
4. Eric wanted to fix his cousin’s computer, but he was already having problems setting up his Aunt’s
Wi-Fi network and he didn’t want to open a whole new can of worms.
a. Eric was sick of spending his time helping his family.
b. Eric wanted to go fishing instead of working on computers.
c. Eric was having difficulties untangling the computer wires.
d. Eric was not ready to begin working on a complicated new problem.
5. Even though Candace already had a new job, she submitted her two-week notice and conducted
herself in a professional way at her old job because she didn’t want to burn bridges.
a. Candace didn’t want to ruin her positive relationship with her old employer.
b. Candace wasn’t ready to start her new job.
c. Candace was really going to miss her old job.
d. Candace was waiting until her last day to rub it in everyone’s face that she was leaving.
6. World renowned country western super group The Mountain Boys can sell out an arena at the
drop of a hat.
a. The Mountain Boys may be able to sell out an arena, but it will take a long time.
b. The Mountain Boys can sell out an arena very quickly.
c. The Mountain Boys are always willing to perform at charity events.
d. The Mountain Boys enforce a dress code at all of their shows.
Adapted from: https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language/idiom-worksheets/
www.academic-englishuk.com
www.academic-englishuk.com/grammar-workshop
7. Vivian expected Craig to sob uncontrollably when she broke up with him; however, Craig kept a
stiff upper lip.
a. Craig cried even more than Vivian had expected.
b. Craig cried about as much as Vivian had expected.
c. Craig cried a little less than Vivian had expected.
d. Craig did not cry.
8. Mrs. Robinson expects Cassie and my presentation to be good, but we have been working on it
every night for the last week, so we are really going to knock her socks off.
a. Cassie and the speaker are not prepared to give a good presentation.
b. Cassie and the speaker intend on hitting Mrs. Robinson rather than presenting.
c. Cassie and the speaker’s presentation will far exceed Mrs. Robinson’s expectations.
d. Cassie and the speaker’s presentation will meet Mrs. Robison’s expectations.
9. Over the summer Brian was really excited about being placed in the advanced math class, but
after getting his syllabus on the first day and seeing the workload, he was ready to jump ship.
a. Brian was even more excited about the math class than he was over the summer.
b. Brian wanted to start working on his math assignments right away.
c. Brian did not want to be in the advance math class anymore.
d. Brian wanted to cause some trouble in the advanced math class.
10. Brad was accusing us of stealing his phone until he found it, and now he’s trying to sweep it
under the rug.
a. Brad thinks that his phone will be safer if he hides it under the rug.
b. Brad wants to do something to make up for his mistake.
c. Brad is trying to locate a signal for his phone so that he can use it.
d. Brad wants to pretend that the incident never happened.
11. When Brian felt pretty good about getting a pair of roller-skates for his birthday, until he saw his
twin brother Ryan open up his GameBox X-9000, and then Brian felt like he got the short end of the
stick.
a. Brian felt like Ryan received a better gift than he.
b. Brian was quite pleased with his roller skates.
c. Brian wanted a long stick that he could use to support himself on hikes.
d. Brian feels bad for Ryan because Ryan wanted roller-skates.
12. After Ms. Smith caught Darnisha chewing gum for the third time, Ms. Smith scheduled a parent
teacher conference with Darnisha’s mother. When Darnisha’s mother came into Ms. Smith’s
classroom, she was chewing gum. Ms. Smith thought to herself, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree.”
a. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha dresses like her mother.
b. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha acts a lot like her mother.
c. Ms. Smith is surprised to see that Darnisha’s mother came.
d. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha’s mother lives very close to the school.
Adapted from: https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language/idiom-worksheets/
www.academic-englishuk.com
www.academic-englishuk.com/grammar-workshop
Idioms Worksheet 2
Read each idiom and determine the meaning.
Idiom: A common expression understood figuratively, as the literal definition makes no sense.
1. We tried to give Tommy a surprise party for his birthday, but you let the cat out of the bag.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Kevin accepted the job even though he was still in school, but his mom thought he might be biting
off more than he could chew.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. I didn’t want to jump the gun, so I decided to wait until the second date to try and hold her hand.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. Derek hated how much his mom nagged him about homework. He didn’t really see why it
mattered and he thought that his mom was making a mountain out of a molehill.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. Alice was feeling a little under the weather, so she asked her mom if she could stay home today.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. Tammy wanted to yell at John for leaving the toilet seat up again, but after their last fight she
decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. Jude was on pins and needles waiting for the results of the test.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
8. I like Chris. He’s a cool guy.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from: https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language/idiom-worksheets/
www.academic-englishuk.com
www.academic-englishuk.com/grammar-workshop
9. Craig and I fought over a girl in the fourth grade, but that’s water under the bridge now.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. Jeffrey was a fast learner, so he knew that the history test would be a piece of cake.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
11. I told Tom to stop telling Kim all of his feelings, but he always did wear his heart on his sleeve.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
12. Every player is important on a football team, but a good quarter back is worth his weight in gold.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
13. Kylie’s mother wanted her to play the piano but, as much as Kylie wanted to make her mother
happy, playing the piano was just not her cup of tea.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
14. I don’t mean to blow my own trumpet, but I’m the fastest kid on my block and the smartest too.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
15. Look, you know that she’s never liked you, so take her criticism with a grain of salt.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from: https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language/idiom-worksheets/
www.academic-englishuk.com
www.academic-englishuk.com/grammar-workshop
Answers Worksheet 1
Choose the correct explanation for the idiom in each section
Exercise 1
Idiom: A common expression understood figuratively, as the literal definition makes no sense.
1. After going to the zoo, the mall, and the movies, Cassie was sick of bending over backwards to
entertain her nieces.
a. Cassie was doing very little to entertain her nieces.
b. Cassie was making small efforts to entertain her nieces.
c. Cassie was trying very hard to entertain her nieces.
d. Cassie was not trying at all to entertain her nieces.
2. Bobby would have been playing ball until the cows came home if it hadn’t been for Suzie dragging
him home for dinner.
a. Bobby was just about to stop playing ball.
b. Bobby didn’t even want to play ball to begin with.
c. Bobby prefers nature to athletics.
d. Bobby would have continued playing ball for a long time.
3. You might think that Billy Parker is the kid who has everything, but if you saw the list of chores his
parents give him, I guarantee that you wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.
a. You wouldn’t want your shoes to get as dirty as Billy’s when he’s doing his chores.
b. If you have to do as many chores as Billy, you’ll want a pair of comfortable shoes.
c. Billy shoes are so uncomfortable that doing his chores is really unpleasant.
d. Billy has so many chores to do that it is unpleasant to imagine doing them all.
4. Eric wanted to fix his cousin’s computer, but he was already having problems setting up his Aunt’s
Wi-Fi network and he didn’t want to open a whole new can of worms.
a. Eric was sick of spending his time helping his family.
b. Eric wanted to go fishing instead of working on computers.
c. Eric was having difficulties untangling the computer wires.
d. Eric was not ready to begin working on a complicated new problem.
5. Even though Candace already had a new job, she submitted her two-week notice and conducted
herself in a professional way at her old job because she didn’t want to burn bridges.
a. Candace didn’t want to ruin her positive relationship with her old employer.
b. Candace wasn’t ready to start her new job.
c. Candace was really going to miss her old job.
d. Candace was waiting until her last day to rub it in everyone’s face that she was leaving.
6. World renowned country western super group The Mountain Boys can sell out an arena at the
drop of a hat.
a. The Mountain Boys may be able to sell out an arena, but it will take a long time.
b. The Mountain Boys can sell out an arena very quickly.
c. The Mountain Boys are always willing to perform at charity events.
d. The Mountain Boys enforce a dress code at all of their shows.
Adapted from: https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language/idiom-worksheets/
www.academic-englishuk.com
www.academic-englishuk.com/grammar-workshop
7. Vivian expected Craig to sob uncontrollably when she broke up with him; however, Craig kept a
stiff upper lip.
a. Craig cried even more than Vivian had expected.
b. Craig cried about as much as Vivian had expected.
c. Craig cried a little less than Vivian had expected.
d. Craig did not cry.
8. Mrs. Robinson expects Cassie and my presentation to be good, but we have been working on it
every night for the last week, so we are really going to knock her socks off.
a. Cassie and the speaker are not prepared to give a good presentation.
b. Cassie and the speaker intend on hitting Mrs. Robinson rather than presenting.
c. Cassie and the speaker’s presentation will far exceed Mrs. Robinson’s expectations.
d. Cassie and the speaker’s presentation will meet Mrs. Robison’s expectations.
9. Over the summer Brian was really excited about being placed in the advanced math class, but
after getting his syllabus on the first day and seeing the workload, he was ready to jump ship.
a. Brian was even more excited about the math class than he was over the summer.
b. Brian wanted to start working on his math assignments right away.
c. Brian did not want to be in the advance math class anymore.
d. Brian wanted to cause some trouble in the advanced math class.
10. Brad was accusing us of stealing his phone until he found it, and now he’s trying to sweep it
under the rug.
a. Brad thinks that his phone will be safer if he hides it under the rug.
b. Brad wants to do something to make up for his mistake.
c. Brad is trying to locate a signal for his phone so that he can use it.
d. Brad wants to pretend that the incident never happened.
11. When Brian felt pretty good about getting a pair of roller-skates for his birthday, until he saw his
twin brother Ryan open up his GameBox X-9000, and then Brian felt like he got the short end of the
stick.
a. Brian felt like Ryan received a better gift than he.
b. Brian was quite pleased with his roller skates.
c. Brian wanted a long stick that he could use to support himself on hikes.
d. Brian feels bad for Ryan because Ryan wanted roller-skates.
12. After Ms. Smith caught Darnisha chewing gum for the third time, Ms. Smith scheduled a parent
teacher conference with Darnisha’s mother. When Darnisha’s mother came into Ms. Smith’s
classroom, she was chewing gum. Ms. Smith thought to herself, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree.”
a. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha dresses like her mother.
b. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha acts a lot like her mother.
c. Ms. Smith is surprised to see that Darnisha’s mother came.
d. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha’s mother lives very close to the school.
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www.academic-englishuk.com/grammar-workshop