Idioms Exercises

IDIOMS EXERCISES IDIOMS EXERCISES

1 Gap-fill exercise

Complete the definitions with the words from below. drum buzz pill brownie music crunch track

1. If you “generate a ”, you create a lot of interest in a product or service by doing something that is reported by the media. 2. If you “face the ”, you have to deal with the consequences of a bad decision or action. 3. “ time” is a critical moment when you need to take action or make a decision urgently. 4. If you “fast ” something, you give it high priority, and you make it happen more quickly than usual. 5. If you “ up business”, you find new customers for your product or service. 6. If you get “ points”, you get imaginary bonus points for doing something good (such as helping someone). As a result, your boss, manager, supervisor, etc. is happy with you. 7. If you “ back your hours”, you reduce the number of hours that you work. 8. A “bitter ” is something bad or unpleasant that has happened to you and that is difficult to accept.

Answers on page 50

2 Sentence completion

Complete the definitions with the correct words. 1. Demand for our services is down for the 5th consecutive month, so I think we need to bite the and lay off certain members of staff. 2. It’s dog- -dog in the entertainment sector – one minute you’re on top, the next minute, everyone has forgotten about you! 3. You need lots of important friends if you want to climb the corporate in this organisation. 4. When preparing the annual report, it’s very important to dot your i’s and your t’s – there can’t be any errors! 5. Drinks and snacks sales in the cinema are our cash – they generate even more than movie ticket sales. 6. You can’t expect everyone else to do all the work on the project – you need to pull your too. 7. When this product first came out, it was selling at a , but now it’s sold at about 50% of its original price. 8. Comparing the food at this restaurant and the other one is like comparing apples to – one sells fast-food and the other is a 5-star establishment.