Unit 1

Question 1

down in the dumps

Answer 1

depressed

Question 2

keep sb in the dark

Answer 2

keep sb unawaure of sth

Question 3

not all it’s cracked up to be

Answer 3

be not as good as people say

Question 4

catch your eye

Answer 4

get your attention

Question 5

right up your street

Answer 5

very happy/suited to a situation

Question 6

take things easy

Answer 6

relax

Question 7

come down to earth with a bump

Answer 7

stop dreaming and start thinking practically

Question 8

get away from it all

Answer 8

take a break from work and problems

Question 9

run-of-the-mill

Answer 9

ordinary and unexciting

Question 10

as brown as a berry

Answer 10

very suntanned

Question 11

get into the swing of

Answer 11

become accustomed to sth and start enjoying it

Question 12

let your hair down

Answer 12

relax and enjoy yourself

Question 13

a new lease of life

Answer 13

a return of energy or enthusiasm

Question 14

down and dirty

Answer 14

1) behaving in an unfair or aggressive way, especially because you want to win
2) rude and making you feel shocked

Question 15

down to the last, smallest, final, etc. something

Answer 15

including every small part or detail of something

Question 16

have/get something down

The teacher gave us the music to the song and we had two weeks to get it down.

Answer 16

be able to do something easily or well

Question 17

a leap in the dark

I didn’t know what the new job would be like I took a leap in the dark.

Answer 17

an action or a risk that you take without knowing anything about the activity or what the result will be

Question 18

a shot/stab in the dark

The figure he came up with was really just a shot in the dark.

Answer 18

a guess; something you do without knowing what the result will be

Question 19

before/in front of somebody’s (very) eyes

Answer 19

in somebody’s presence; in front of somebody

Question 20

be up to your eyes/ears in something

Answer 20

have a lot of something to deal with

Question 21

cock an ear/eye at something/somebody

Answer 21

look at or listen to something/somebody carefully and with a lot of attention

Question 22

something comes to/reaches somebody’s ears

Answer 22

somebody hears about something, especially when other people already know about it

Question 23

somebody’s ears are burning

Answer 23

a person thinks that other people are talking about them, especially in an unkind way

Question 24

easy on the ear/eye

Answer 24

pleasant to listen to or look at

Question 25

fall on deaf ears

Answer 25

be ignored or not noticed by other people

Question 26

go in one ear and out the other

Answer 26

be forgotten quickly

Question 27

have a word in somebody’s ear

Answer 27

speak to somebody privately about something

Question 28

keep/have your ear to the ground

Answer 28

make sure that you always find out about the most recent developments in a particular situation

Question 29

smile/grin/beam from ear to ear

Answer 29

be smiling, etc. a lot because you are very pleased about something

Question 30

shut/close your ears to something

Answer 30

refuse to listen to something

Question 31

(still) wet behind the ears

Answer 31

young and without much experience

Question 32

with half an ear

Answer 32

​without giving your full attention to what is being said, etc.

Question 33

ring in your ears/head

Answer 33

make you feel that you can still hear something

Question 34

not believe your ears

Answer 34

be very surprised at something you hear

Question 35

easy meat

Rogue traders saw elderly people as easy meat for overcharging.

Answer 35

a person who seems easy to defeat or cheat

Question 36

an/a/the easy/soft option

He decided to take the easy option and give them what they wanted.

Answer 36

a choice that is thought to be easier because it involves less effort, difficulty, etc.

Question 37

have an easy ride | give somebody an easy ride

He was not given an altogether easy ride at the interview.

Answer 37

not experience difficulties when you are doing something; to make things easy for somebody

Question 38

go to the ends of the earth

Answer 38

do everything possible, even if it is difficult, in order to get or achieve something

Question 39

move heaven and earth

Answer 39

do everything you possibly can in order to achieve something

Question 40

promise (somebody) the earth/moon/world

Answer 40

make promises that will be impossible to keep

Question 41

run somebody/something to earth/ground

Answer 41

find somebody/something after looking hard for a long time

Question 42

wipe somebody/something off the face of the earth | wipe something off the map

Answer 42

destroy or remove somebody/something completely

Question 43

your best bet

Answer 43

the most appropriate choice