Unit 10

Question 1

come/get to grips with

Answer 1

begin to understand and deal with something difficult

Question 2

get/take a grip (on yourself)

Answer 2

improve your behaviour or control your emotions after being afraid, upset or angry

Question 3

in the grip of sth

Answer 3

experiencing something unpleasant that cannot be stopped

Question 4

lose your grip (on sth)

Answer 4

become unable to understand or control a situation

Question 5

make the grade

Answer 5

reach the necessary standard; succeed

Question 6

get into your stride|hit your stride

Answer 6

begin to do sth with confidence and at a good speed after a slow uncertain start

Question 7

out of your depth

Answer 7

be unable to understand something because it is too difficult; to be in a situation that you cannot control

Question 8

have a good head for figures

Answer 8

be good at arithmetic

Question 9

haven’t a clue

Answer 9

know nothing about something or about how to do something

Question 10

quick/slow on the uptake

Answer 10

be quick/slow to understand something

Question 11

get on top of sth

Answer 11

manage to control or deal with something

Question 12

off the top of your head

Answer 12

just guessing or using your memory, without taking time to think carefully or check the facts

Question 13

talk the hind legs off a donkey

Answer 13

talk too much, especially about things that are boring or not important

Question 14

the gift of the gab

Answer 14

the ability to speak easily and to persuade other people with your words

Question 15

be head and shoulders above the rest

Answer 15

be much better than other people or things

Question 16

bite/snap somebody’s head off

Answer 16

shout at somebody in an angry way, especially without reason

Question 17

bury/hide your head in the sand

Answer 17

refuse to admit that a problem exists or refuse to deal with it

Question 18

put/lay your head/neck on the block

Answer 18

risk losing your job, damaging your reputation, etc. by doing or saying something

Question 19

two heads are better than one

Answer 19

used to say that two people can achieve more than one person working alone

Question 20

old boys

Answer 20

a man who used to be a student at a particular school, usually a private one

Question 21

from/on the wrong side of the tracks

Answer 21

from or living in a poor area or part of town

Question 22

a thorn in somebody’s flesh/side

Answer 22

a person or thing that repeatedly annoys somebody or stops them from doing something

Question 23

laugh on the other side of your face

Answer 23

be forced to change from feeling pleased or satisfied to feeling disappointed or annoyed

Question 24

smart alec

Answer 24

a person who thinks they are very clever and likes to show people this in an annoying way

Question 25

**of the old school**

Answer 25

an old-fashioned person who likes to do things as they were done in the past

Question 26

**put somebody in their place**

Answer 26

make somebody feel stupid or embarrassed for showing too much confidence

Question 27

**scratch the surface (of sth)**

Answer 27

deal with, understand, or find out about only a small part of a subject or problem

Question 28

**scratch your head (over something)**

Answer 28

think hard in order to find an answer to something