Unit 9: Idioms describing people

Question 1

Idiom

very kind and generous

Answer 1

has a heart of gold

• She always helps people; she has a heart of gold.

Question 2

Idiom

helpful and well-behaved (often used for children)

Answer 2

as good as gold

• The kids were as good as gold during the trip.

Question 3

Idiom

showing no sympathy for others

Answer 3

as hard as nails

• She’s as hard as nails and doesn’t care about others.

Question 4

Idiom

unpleasant

Answer 4

a nasty piece of work

• Everyone avoids him; he’s a nasty piece of work.

Question 5

Idiom

a good and kind person, even if not always obvious

Answer 5

heart’s in the right place

• He seems tough, but his heart’s in the right place.

Question 6

Idiom

difficult person to deal with

Answer 6

an awkward customer

• Don’t argue with him; he’s such an awkward customer.

Question 7

Idiom

nuisance or difficult

Answer 7

a pain in the neck

• She’s always complaining; she’s a pain in the neck.

Question 8

Idiom

irritates everybody

Answer 8

gets on everyone’s nerves

• His constant interruptions get on everyone’s nerves.

Question 9

Idiom based on ‘head’

be sensible

Answer 9

have your head screwed on

• She always makes smart choices; she has her head screwed on.

Question 10

Idiom based on ‘head’

not suffer from vertigo

Answer 10

a head for heights

• He works on skyscrapers because he has a head for heights.

Question 11

Idiom based on ‘head’

have a bad memory

Answer 11

a head like a sieve

• I forgot my keys again; I’ve got a head like a sieve.

Question 12

Idiom based on ‘head’

be good at maths

Answer 12

a good head for figures

• He became an accountant because he has a good head for figures.

Question 13

Idiom based on ‘head’

be unaware of reality

Answer 13

your head in the clouds

• She never listens; she always has her head in the clouds.

Question 14

Idiom based on ‘head’

much better than someone else

Answer 14

head and shoulders above someone

• In mathematics, she’s head and shoulders above her classmates.

Question 15

Idiom based on ‘head’

refuse to face a difficult situation

Answer 15

bury your head in the sand

• You can’t just bury your head in the sand and ignore the problem.

Question 16

Idiom based on ‘head’

stay calm in a difficult situation

Answer 16

keep your head

• During the emergency, he managed to keep his head and handle everything calmly.

Question 17

Idiom

peculiar or strange

Answer 17

a bit of an odd-ball

• She never joins us for lunch; she’s a bit of an odd-ball.

Question 18

Idiom

very exaggerated in behavior

Answer 18

over the top

• He’s really over the top.

Question 19

Idiom

absolutely crazy or mad

Answer 19

(gone) round the bend

• He’s (gone) round the bend, if you ask me.

Question 20

Idiom

very normal, with no radical ideas

Answer 20

middle-of-the-road

• His views on politics are very middle-of-the-road.

Question 21

Idiom

teacher’s favorite

Answer 21

teacher’s pet

• Sam always gets special attention; he’s the teacher’s pet.

Question 22

Idiom

best student in class

Answer 22

top of the class

• Laura is always top of the class in science.

Question 23

Idiom

thinks they know everything

Answer 23

know-all

• Harry acts like a know-all and never listens to others.

Question 24

Idiom

has a high opinion of themselves

Answer 24

big-head

• Ali keeps bragging about his grades; he’s such a big-head.

Question 25

Idiom

very lazy

Answer 25

lazy-bones

• Anna never helps with group work; she’s a lazy-bones.