see eye to eye- agree. Joan and Grant see eye to
eye on spiders. They both hate them.
put one's foot in one's mouth- to say something
embarrassing and then realize it was bad. I said Frank was ugly
and then I realized he heard me. I really put my foot in my mouth.
stay on one's toes- be ready/ prepared for something.
Firefighters have to stay on their toes. They may have to
fight a fire at anytime.
keep an eye on- watch something to make sure it is okay.
Could you keep an eye on the baby while I go to the store?
lend/give someone a hand- to help with something. That
box looks heavy. Let me give you a hand.
be in over one's head- be in a situation that is very
difficult. Alan was really in over his head when he started
studying advanced chemistry. It was so hard for him.
keep one's fingers crossed- to hope that something good
will happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will get
that job.
get cold feet- get nervous, especially before marriage.
The night before the wedding Alex got cold feet. He
wondered if he should really get married.
have one's heart set on something- really want something.
My son Tommy really has his heart set on that new bicycle.
Maybe I will buy it for his birthday.
Questions and Answers
Fill in the blank with the correct
idiom. Here are your choices:
see eye to eye, putting his foot in his mouth, stay on their
toes, keep an eye on, lend me a hand, in over my head, keeping her
fingers crossed, get cold feet, had her heart set on
1. Florence some chocolate cake from Claim
Jumper Restaurant. She's been wanting it for a week.
2. Mary doesn't with her boss. He wants
her to work until 7:00, but she doesn't want to stay past 6:00.
3. I have to pay rent, buy food, fix my broken car, and pay for the
utilities. It's terrible. I don't have enough money and I am really
.
4. Tanya asked her boss for more money. She is
and hoping he will give her a raise.
5. I'm having problems with this homework. I know you understand
it. Could you ?
8. Doctors have to in the emergency
room. Anything could happen at any time.
7. Joey is always saying embarrassing things and then
. Why does he keep doing that?
8. People often before they marry.
Marriage is a serious thing to do.
9. Karen asked me to her purse while she
goes to the bathroom. She doesn't want it to be stolen.