Idiomatic Expressions 5 (for B2/C1 level students)

Dear fellow English teachers,
Our students may feel comfortable with the meaning of “annoy or irritate someone”, but what about the idiomatic “ruffle some feathers”, which they are very likely to come across in colloquial everyday dialogues? Here´s IDIOMS – Episode 5, with practical exercises. In this post we are focusing on the following 10 idiomatic expressions:

THERE´S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH – RUFFLE SOME FEATHERS – MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – SKATE ON THIN ICE – ALIVE AND KICKING – CATCH SOMEONE RED-HANDED – BE THE SPITTING IMAGE OF – DRY RUN – A NERVOUS WRECK – OUT OF LINE

I – MEANING/EXPLANATION OF THE IDIOMS + EXAMPLE SENTENCES

1. There´s no such thing as a free lunch: it´s not possible to get something for free; everything cost something

Ex.: Fred: “That store I told you about has a great sale this week. Some items are 30% off.”

Sam: “Really? Well, I wouldn´t be so gullible. You know, there´s no such thing as a free lunch!”

2. Ruffle some feathers: annoy or irritate someone

Ex.: “It seems Michael ruffled some feathers with his inappropriate comment during the meeting.”, said Jennifer to a coworker.

3. Much ado about nothing: a big fuss over something that is not important

Ex.: “I think calling a meeting to discuss such an unimportant issue is much ado about nothing. We´re all busy as it is.”, said Charlie to a coworker.

4. Skate on thin ice: be in a risky or delicate situation

Ex.: “I think Bob is skating on thin ice by driving around without a license.”, said Gary to a friend.

5. Alive and kicking: full of energy; active

Ex.: “I can´t believe how healthy Mr. Robinson is. Even though he´s pushing ninety he´s still alive and kicking!”, Rick told a friend.

6. Catch someone red-handed: catch someone doing something wrong

Ex.: “Can you believe Mrs. Sullivan was caught red-handed shoplifting in a department store downtown?”, Harry asked Linda.

7. Be the spitting image of someone: look exactly like someone

Ex.: Priscilla looks so much like her mother. Everybody says she´s the spitting image of her.

8. Dry run: a practice or rehearsal of an activity or performance

Ex.: “I think we need another dry run before we go on stage tonight.”, said Jim to the other musicians in his band.

9. A nervous wreck: extremely nervous

Ex.: Diane could hardly think straight after the car crash. She was actually a nervous wreck.

10. Out of line: inappropriate; improper

Ex.: “I think Jeff´s behavior at the party was way out of line. I mean, how could he make such crude comments?”, Kate told Sarah.

II – EXERCISE 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE ACTIVITY

If someone is a nervous wreck, they…
a. are not nervous at all.
b. get angry easily.
c. are extremely nervous.
d. are very touchy.
“Bart´s comment was really out of line.”, Bart´s comment was…
a. unimportant
b. inappropriate
c. unbelievable
d. unbearable
“I think you might ruffle some feathers if you bring up that subject.”, Claire told Tom.
a. Claire thinks Tom might annoy some people.
b. Claire thinks Tom might praise some people.
c. Claire thinks Tom might underestimate someone.
d. Claire thinks Tom might make a fool of himself.
If someone is caught red-handed, they are…
a. caught with their pants down.
b. caught by surprise.
c. caught doing something good.
d. caught in the act.
“If you really want to know my opinion, I think that´s much ado about nothing.”, Boris told Nancy.
a. Boris thinks the situation deserves some serious thinking
b. Boris thinks someone is making a big fuss over something that´s not important.
c. Boris couldn´t care less about what´s going on.
d. Boris considers the subject extremely important.