ESL 961, 962

Question 1

to agree to accept a challenge; to start to do something that is very difficult

Answer 1

to take on

Question 2

to underestimate one’s abilities; to believe that one cannot do something when one actually can

Answer 2

to sell (oneself) short

Question 3

to be a very bad dancer; to be unable to use one’s body gracefully or elegantly

Answer 3

to have two left feet

Question 4

not able to control the movements of one’s body in a graceful, purposeful way; not able to move one’s arms and legs as one would like to, especially not at the same time

Answer 4

uncoordinated

Question 5

one’s ability to feel the beats (regular strong points) of a song and move one’s body or play an instrument in accordance with them

Answer 5

sense of rhythm

Question 6

prepared and qualified to do something; with the qualifications or characteristics needed to do something well

Answer 6

cut out for

Question 7

to make plans or worry about what will happen in the future before one has dealt with what needs to be done right now; to focus on the future more than the present, especially when completing a task

Answer 7

to get ahead of (oneself)

Question 8

to relax and become less tense or stiff, especially in one’s muscles

Answer 8

to loosen up

Question 9

to gently and slowly move back and forth

Answer 9

to sway

Question 10

to purposefully move one’s hips (the side of one’s body above the leg and below one’s waist), usually while dancing

Answer 10

to swing (one’s) hips

Question 11

individual movements with one’s feet while dancing; how one is supposed to move one’s feet and body while dancing

Answer 11

dance step

Question 12

a memorized series of dance steps used to dance to a particular piece of music as part of a performance; choreography

Answer 12

dance routine

Question 13

later; in the future; eventually

Answer 13

down the line

Question 14

a plan or dream that is impossible and cannot be achieved

Answer 14

pipe dream

Question 15

a word used to show that one does not believe what another person has said, and that it has no meaning or logic

Answer 15

nonsense

Question 16

easy; without trying

Answer 16

effortless

Question 17

hippopotamus; a large, hairless animal with a big belly, very short legs, and a big head that spends most of its time in the water, often used to describe people who are not graceful or elegant

Answer 17

hippo

Question 18

a phrase used to describe the tendency for people to spend money very quickly and easily, especially when they’re holding cash (paper and coin money)

Answer 18

burning a hole in (one’s) pocket

Question 19

an oval-shaped path used by runners, horses, or cars for racing

Answer 19

track

Question 20

secret or privileged information that provides some advantage, especially for solving a mystery or making money

Answer 20

tip

Question 21

something that will definitely happen; something that is guaranteed to happen and does not involve any risk

Answer 21

sure thing

Question 22

an organized event where people, cars, horses, or other things compete to see which one can go the fastest and be the first to travel a certain distance, especially when observers are making bets to win

Answer 22

race

Question 23

a temporary pause or reversal of one’s progress or good luck; a challenging situation that delays or slows one’s progress, but that is not expected to last forever

Answer 23

setback

Question 24

a serious problem that lasts a long time and is difficult to resolve

Answer 24

monkey on (one’s) back

Question 25

a change in luck, especially to good luck after a period of bad luck

Answer 25

reversal of fortune

Question 26

a period of time when a team or a better has many wins and no losses; an uninterrupted series of wins

Answer 26

winning streak

Question 27

an omen; a signal; the idea that what has just happened provides insight into what will happen in the future

Answer 27

sign of things to come

Question 28

to bring bad luck to someone; to do or say something that creates problems for another person

Answer 28

to jinx (someone)

Question 29

pessimism; a tendency to think that things are bad and that more bad things will happen

Answer 29

negativity

Question 30

with full effort; trying as much as possible

Answer 30

with all you’ve got

Question 31

to spend a lot of money on something

Answer 31

to plunk down

Question 32

to return to doing something well after a period of not doing something well; to resume one’s progress or success

Answer 32

to get back in (one’s) stride