Midterm Exam 2022 #2, Part 1, Idioms-Slang (Answer Key)
1. Better late than never
being tardy is better than not at all
2. A Dime a dozen
something very common
3. Cut (someone) some slack
don’t be so critical
4. (To) get out of hand
become out of control, become chaotic
5. Make a long story short
tell something briefly
6. Miss the boat
lost an opportunity; it’s too late
7. Spill the beans
reveal a secret
8. Throw caution to/in the wind
take a risk; do something dangerous
9. (To be/get) bent out of
feeling upset
shape
10. A perfect storm
the worst possible situation; a total disaster
11. Barking up the wrong tree
look for solutions in the wrong place
12. Bite off more than you can
take on a project that you can’t finish
chew
13. comparing apples to
two
items/groups
of
items
cannot
oranges
compared
14. On top of the world
feeling great; in a very happy mood
15. Give (someone) the benefit
trust what someone says
be
practically
of the doubt
16. On thin ice
if another mistake is made there will be trouble; in a
dangerous situation (with someone)
17. Hit the spot
to be exactly what was needed; to be very satisfying
(usually with food)
18. Work for peanuts
earn very little money; have a very low salary
19. In the bag
it’s a certainty; expecting success
20. I don’t buy that
it seems unbelievable
21. A turn off
an unattractive feature about someone
22. (To) have dibs; dibs!
claim something for yourself
23. Pass the buck
give away the responsibility to someone else
24. All-ears
paying complete attention
25. Make a pit stop
go to the bathroom