Seminar 8

1. Comment on the type of the idiom and translate the following sentences into
Russian:
1. Talking to famous celebrities is all in a day's work for some Hollywood
reporters.
2. People from all walks of life voted for him, but he still lost the presidential
election.
3. Sarah was the apple of Tom's eye for quite a long time. He was very much
in love with her.
4. She got up on her hind legs and told them all to go to blazes.
5. I know I'm out of my depth with teenagers.
6. I don't have my wits about me at this time of the morning.
7. I never want to retire - I'd rather die with my boots on.
8. Having a baby can be kill or cure for a troubled marriage.
9. I knew she was finally cooking with gas when she answered all the
questions correctly.
[Link] estimate of the budget deficit was off by a mile.
[Link] on the gas, will you, we have to be there in five minutes!
[Link] could be married with ten children for all I know! We haven't spoken
for years.
[Link] the oil in existence will not last the world for another century.
[Link] just got here and hasn't figured out where she belongs in the scheme of
things.
[Link] a shotgun wedding at 20, she had 3 children before divorcing from
her husband.
[Link] borrow money to pay your bills? That's just robbing Peter to pay
Paul.
[Link] a woman whose criminal-law practice is only 11 months old, she sure
can talk the talk.
[Link] wasn't much of a speech - just a laundry list of accusations against the
government.
[Link]'s no good putting on airs and graces with me.
[Link] huge increase in the number of people working freelance represents a
sea change in patterns of employment over the last 10 years.
[Link] years ago the country was an economic basket case.
[Link]: People who go around correcting other people were found to be very
annoying in a recent survey. Bill: Says you!
[Link] nine years this isolated community lived under the heel of China.
[Link] ordered the surf and turf, but Alice ordered only a tiny salad.
25.I know I can walk tall because I'm innocent.
26.I didn't sleep well last night and I'm not really on the ball today.
2. Complete these idioms using the following prepositions: in, under, on, out, in
from, at. Use a dictionary when necessary.
1. We were talking……….cross purposes. I was talking about exams, and you
thought I meant the course as a whole.
2. I was a bit………the weather last week, but I feel much better now.
3. I’m a afraid we’ll have to start…….. scratch again. This system just isn’t
working.
4. We were kept……….the dark for weeks before anyone told us the truth.
5. Where we live now, we have great shops and everything we need………our
doorstep.
6. They were killed……….cold blood by rebel soldiers.
7. One day,…………of the blue, he left his job and emigrated to Australia.
3. Rewrite each of these sentences using one of the idioms in the previous
exercise:
1. I hate being uninformed about things at work.
2. The terrorists had no mercy and killed all the hostages.
3. The mountains and ski slopes are just a few miles away; we are so lucky.
4. Without any warning she received a letter from her long-lost brother.
5. I often find Jane and I have misunderstandings.
6. It looks as if they’ll have to start all over again.
7. Keith’s not looking too well these days, is he?

4. Make combinations using a word from column A and a word from column B
to complete the sentences. Use a dictionary when necessary:
A B
Make nitty half long saving Hearted winded grace believe gritty

1. I feel we are not really getting to the…………………….of the issue.

2. The……………………………of the whole situation is that we will no
longer have to spend money on a project that was doomed to fail anyway.
3. He lives in a…………………….world which is very different from reality.
4. It was a………………………lecture which said very little.
5. She joined us in a rather……………………. Way; you could see she really
didn’t want to be with us.

5. Translate the following sentences into Russian:

1. The sugar began to break down soon after it was swallowed.
2. We ended up going to a restaurant after the movie last night.
3. This matter falls outside my bailiwick.
4. I know Jim would stand up to absolutely anyone, even his boss, if he
believed he was right about something.
5. We were just tripping along, not having any notion of what was about to
happen.
6. John is always goofing off.
7. I put Gerry ahead of Betty as far as strength is concerned.
8. I tried to pin him down on a time and place, but he was very evasive.
9. Please pull around to the back and deliver the furniture there.
[Link] I saw how sick he looked, I pulled back from him in shock.
11.I almost did not live through the operation. I know I can't live through
another attack.
[Link] took two pills from the bottle and snapped the lid on.
[Link] diamond shot bright shafts of light out when the sun fell on it.
[Link], the weather looks awful. I hope it doesn't rain the picnic out.
[Link] dropped out of school for some unknown reason. But why did she
drop out?
[Link] screwed me out of what was due me.
[Link] was a demonstration on the streets of London yesterday to stand up
for animal rights.
[Link]'t try to string me along. I know you're only after my money.
[Link] can say whatever you want, but I doubt that you will be able to talk her
round.
20.I know I should forget about her, but I'm finding it really difficult to move
on.
[Link]'s not quite cut out for the job as a teacher. She knows her stuff but
cannot keep control of the class.
[Link] young people like to hang out with their friends in the local park.
23.I had to hang around for 2 hours until her meeting was over.
[Link] managers wanted to give the workers a 3% rise in salary, but the union
was holding out for 5%.
[Link] time does the meeting kick off?
[Link] days young people are more likely to look up to sports stars than their
parents or teachers.
[Link] work has picked up a lot in the last few weeks.
28. If you are sensible you will starting putting part of your salary by while
you are young.
[Link] time did you roll up this morning?
[Link] won't be popular if you keep running people down like that.
31.I feel terrible. I think I'm going to throw up.
32. Am I stupid! I spent 3 hours doing my homework and then I forgot to turn
it in!
7. Replace the words in bold by phrasal verbs, used in the previous exercise:
1. I'm saving some money each month for a new car.
2. Interest in reading among young people has risen since the arrival of the
Harry Potter books.
3. I have to give my report to the boss by Friday.
4. He showed resistance to the bigger boys who tried to bully him
5. Why are you always humiliating him? He doesn't deserve it.
6. If you don't want to defend me, who will?
7. He had been loafing the whole term
8. He came half an hour late, and then the first thing he did was make himself
a cup of coffee.
9. Nick drove up his wagon and collected discarded aluminum cans.
10.I really admire my grandfather. He's had a very difficult life, but he's always
cheerful.
[Link] party didn't really start until well after midnight.
[Link] was swindled out of all his money
[Link] failed to persuade me.
14.I'm not going to wait for you any more.
[Link] anyone is destined to be a leader, it's him!
[Link] game was cancelled because of rain.
[Link] what these things do (use one of the following: creak, rustle, bang,
screech, thud, tick, sizzle, purr, jingle, whistle):
1. sack of potatoes falling from a great height
2. bacon frying in the pan
3. a loose floorboard or door that needs oiling
4. leaves in the breeze
5. a clock
6. keys in a pocket
7. a bomb
8. wind through the trees
9. a well-tuned Rolls-Royce engine
10. tyres when one breaks suddenly

(plop grate hum splash pop jangle click tinkle rattle hiss)
1. kettle boiling
2. wine glasses or little bells
3. knives being scraped together
4. a sugar lump dropped into the tea
5. something heavy dropping into the sea
6. something’s loose under the car bonnet
7. the quiet, background sound of a fridge
8. the old jailer’s keys
9. champaigne corks coming out
10.a light being switched on

(crackle squeak swish squeal crash whine roar crack drip patter)
1. the high-pitched sound of a factory machine
2. rain on the roof
3. wood burning on the fire
4. a tap that can’t be turned right off
5. a whip or a bone breaking
6. curtains in a draught
7. little pigs or again tyres after sudden breaking
8. lions or a powerful engine
9. mice or a chair leg moving on the floor
10. a car going into a wall.