Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
ride herd on: watch closely and control someone
Example:
Jane is a competent adult – you don’t have to ride herd on her to make sure she finishes the project on time.
road hog, ball hog, etc.: someone who takes more than his share of the item
Example:
Nobody wants Sam on their team because he’s such a ball hog.
Across
1 the ability of particular people in children’s stories to make impossible things happen by saying special words (5)
4 a group of similar things (3)
8 a piece of clothing that you put on your head (3)
9 system of communication by written or spoken words, which is used by the people of a particular country or area (8)
10 a preposition used to indicate towards a higher place or position (2)
11 clothes that you wear next to your body under your other clothes (13)
14 something that you do regularly or usually, often without thinking about it because you have done it so many times before (5)
16 the large flat piece of wood, glass etc that you open and close when you go into or out of a building or room (4)
17 eggs mixed together and cooked in hot fat, sometimes with other foods added (6)
18 cover for a pot or jar (3)
19 opposite of left (5)
22 a word used when talking about something that might happen or be true, or might have happened (2)
23 to make something press against something else and move it around (3)
25 to become worse (10)
28 to enjoy something or think that it is nice or good (4)
30 opposite of day (5)
32 having a lot of physical power so that you can lift heavy things or do hard physical work (6)
34 conjunction used for comparing two things (2)
35 not near the coast (6)
37 a preposition used to show what a part belongs to or comes from (2)
38 a shape like a circle, but wider in one direction than the other (4)
40 the business of selling goods in large quantities at low prices to other businesses, rather than to the general public (9)
41 what a bird lays and sits on in her nest to make baby birds (3)
Down
2 one more time (5)
3 a piece of furniture for one person to sit on, which has a back, a seat, and four legs (5)
4 an activity or subject that you know a lot about (14)
5 something you think about (7)
6 the distance between the middle and top (or bottom) of a wave, like a sound wave (9)
7 another word for “car” (10)
11 knowledge about something, based on learning or experience (13)
12 the planet we live on (5)
13 a large farm animal used for producing milk and meat (3)
15 the glass part of an electric light, that the light shines from (4)
20 a male spirit or being who is believed by some religions to control the world or part of it (3)
21 drawn or stretched so as to be tense (5)
24 extremely unattractive and unpleasant to look at (4)
26 opposite of yes (2)
27 to decay by a gradual, natural process (3)
29 the final part (3)
31 one of the organs on the sides of a fish through which it breathes (4)
32 an adverb used when emphasizing the degree or amount of something by saying what the result is (2)
33 the importance or usefulness of something (5)
36 opposite of old (3)
37 the number you start counting with (3)
38 a smooth, thick liquid that is used to make machines run easily or is burned to produce heat (3)
39 a common domestic animal with fur and four legs, related to the wolf (3)
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
rat (out) on: desert or betray someone
Example:
Although the teacher threatened all the boys with punishment if they didn’t tell who pulled the prank, they stuck together and refused to rat on Mark.
rat race: rushing around, confusing way of living that does not seem to have a purpose
Example:
Someday I’m going to save enough money to retire to Montana and get away from the rat race.
Across
1 the money that you earn from your work or that you receive from investment (6)
3 the first day of the work week (6)
5 a preposition used to indicate towards a higher place or position (2)
6 the part of the body that you see with (3)
8 conjunction used for comparing two things (2)
9 a salty body of water (3)
11 above your head (8)
13 a piece of equipment for catching animals (4)
14 to jump into deep water with your head and arms going in first (4)
16 ways of sending information (14)
18 to possess something (3)
19 to regard someone or something with honor (7)
20 a wild animal like a dog that makes a sound like a laugh (5)
22 an object used for producing music, such as a piano or violin (10)
24 someone whose job is to advise people about laws, write formal agreements, or represent people in court (6)
26 a word used when speaking to a man in order to be polite or show respect (3)
27 to do something in a particular way or for a particular reason (3)
29 a line that gradually bends like part of a circle (5)
31 putting numbers together in a sum (8)
33 low in temperature, but not cold, often in a way that feels pleasant (4)
34 the small drops of water that form on outdoor surfaces during the night (3)
35 to go by using your legs and putting one foot in front of the other (4)
Down
1 a thought or suggestion (4)
2 not covered or blocked by anything that stops you from doing or seeing what you want (5)
3 the science of numbers and of shapes, including algebra, geometry, and arithmetic (11)
4 not alive anymore (4)
5 to employ for some purpose (3)
7 the ability to react to very small changes in light, heat, movement etc (11)
10 the number of years someone has lived, or something has existed (3)
11 an illegal drug made from poppy seeds (5)
12 decided or arranged without any reason or plan (9)
13 also (3)
14 when someone or something becomes impossible to see or find (13)
15 speed (8)
16 material used for making things such as clothes (5)
17 a small brown animal with a long tail, which uses its hands to climb trees (6)
21 not sleeping (5)
23 to hit something with your foot (4)
25 a color of the rainbow (3)
26 a long, thin piece of wood from a tree, which is no longer attached to the tree (5)
28 the number between one and three (3)
30 a long thin pole or bar (3)
32 a word used to ask or talk about how successful someone is at something; auxiliary verb (2)
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
put the cart before the horse: do things in the wrong order
Example:
Tom and Becky have been dating for only a month, and she’s already picked out her wedding dress? Isn’t that putting the cart before the horse?
rain cats and dogs: rain very hard
Example:
You might as well wait before you go on your walk – it’s raining cats and dogs right now.
Here is a crossword puzzle for you to work on. Find the past tense of the words in parentheses, and use them to fill in the puzzle.
(Solution next time.)
Across
1. Yesterday I (fight) with my brother.
4. She (draw) a picture of a cat.
6. The teacher (sit) down behind the desk.
7. The phone (ring) while I was reading.
8. He (lend) me a hundred dollars.
10. I (speak) with the teacher.
12. My sister (break) my bike.
13. He (tear) the page from the book.
16. The boy (throw) the ball to his friend.
18. We (build) a sandcastle yesterday.
20. I (cut) my finger on this sharp knife.
21. She (run) home after school.
22. I (understand) yesterday’s lesson.
24. We (meet) our friends last week.
25. He (hang) the picture in the living room.
27. Mother (drive) us to the swimming pool yesterday.
28. Ouch – I (bite) my tongue!
29. The sun (rise) yesterday at 5:45 a.m.
31. She (eat) an ice cream cone.
32. They (hit) the dog.
33. The wind (blow) so hard that my coat came off.
34. We (light) the candles on the birthday cake.
35. The child (take) the book from the shelf.
36. What (do) you eat for supper last night?
Down
1. He (forget) his homework again.
2. She (tell) the teacher who cheated on the test.
3. We (win) last night’s game.
5. I (be) hot from running.
6. The sun (shine) hot yesterday.
9. The teacher (teach) us about science.
11. He (fall) down the stairs.
12. I (bring) a cake to the party.
14. The show (begin) on time.
15. We (stand) up when the national anthem played.
17. I (hear) about it on the news yesterday.
18. He (become) angry when he lost the game.
19. I (think) I saw a ghost.
23. We (sleep) late yesterday.
26. He (grow) 2 inches last year.
27. She (drink) water because she was thirsty.
28. I (beat) him at chess.
30. The policeman (shoot) the robber.
32. We (hide) from the thief.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
play cat and mouse with someone: tease or fool someone
Example:
The spy movie was suspenseful because of the way the hero played cat and mouse with the double agent.
put all one’s eggs in one basket: to rely too much on a single thing
Example:
One of the cardinal rules of investing is not to put all your financial eggs in one basket.
