Consolidation 5

Question 1

a bit of a dark horse

Answer 1

person with hidden abilities

Question 2

be for the high jump

If I catch you cheating, you’ll be for the high jump.

Answer 2

be in serious trouble

Question 3

be in two minds about sth

Answer 3

not to know which of the two things to do

Question 4

be sound asleep

Answer 4

sleep heavily

Question 5

be the perfect/spitiing image of sb

She’s** the spitting image of** her mother.

Answer 5

look exactly like sb

Question 6

before one can say Jack Robinson

Answer 6

very quickly; very soon

Question 7

**break the ice **

icebreaker (n)

Answer 7

ease the tension when one first meets people

Question 8

eat one’s heart out

Look at him dance! Eat your heart out, Fred Astaire.

Answer 8

feel jealous

Question 9

flog/beat a dead horse

Answer 9

waste time

Question 10

fly off the handle

He seems to** fly off the handle** about the slightest thing these days.

Answer 10

become very angry

Question 11

get out of hand

Answer 11

get out of control

Question 12

get the hang of it

Answer 12

get in the habit of sth

Question 13

go to one’s head

Answer 13

make conceited

Question 14

grey matter

Answer 14

the brains; intelligence

Question 15

hand in glove with sb

Answer 15

be in very close contact with sb

Question 16

have a job

Answer 16

find it difficult

You’ll** have a job** convincing them that you’re right.

Question 17

have many irons in the fire

Answer 17

have a lot of plans/possibilities in progress

Question 18

have one’s heart in one’s mouth

Answer 18

be extremely anxious

Question 19

have time on one’s hands

Answer 19

have free time

Question 20

hold one’s horses

Answer 20

wait, be patient

Question 21

ill at ease

Answer 21

embarrassed; uncomfortable

Question 22

keep sth under one’s heart

Answer 22

keep sth secret

Question 23

keep up with the Joneses

Answer 23

compete with others in status/material goods

Question 24

lend sb a hand

Answer 24

give help

Question 25

like the back of one’s hand

Answer 25

know sth extremely well

Question 26

lose heart

Answer 26

become discouraged

Question 27

make head or tail of sth

I couldn’t make head nor tail of what he was saying.

Answer 27

understand

Question 28

off the cuff

I’m just speaking off the cuff, I haven’t see the results yet.

Answer 28

without preparation

Question 28

stew in one’s own juice

Answer 28

suffer the consequences of one’s own actions

Question 28

straight from the horse’s mouth

Answer 28

from the most direct source

Question 29

strike gold

He has struck gold with his latest novel.

Answer 29

come across sth useful

Question 30

take everything to heart

You shouldn’t take everything he says to heart.

Answer 30

take personally/by hurt by

Question 31

take to one’s heels

Answer 31

run away

Question 32

the ins and outs

He qyickly learned** the ins and outs** of the job

Answer 32

the details of an activity

Question 33

the tip of the iceberg

Answer 33

small evident part of a much larger, concealed situation