A way to learn idiomatic language:
Understand the meaning and talk about it. You will study this material at home and then we will discuss the questions together in class. It also helps to look for the equivalent in your language too.
fill me In (to) /. - give me the details
I want to know what happened on your date last night. Fill me in.
When you go back to work after some time off, who can you rely on to fill you in? Do you reciprocate?
humongous adj. - enormous, gigantic, huge, immense
You’d better study hard because the final exam is going to be humongous.
If an exam is humongous in imprtance, how do you deal with the stress? Is stress good?
pin someone up against something (to) /. - push someone up against something
The hockey player pinned his opponent up against the boards.
As a coach, how would you manage a situation where the best player in your team pinned his opponent against the boards and lostthe team the match?
blabber (to) v. - talk too much, gab, yak, yap
The drunk guy I met in the bar blabbered on and on about his ex-wife.
What do you do when your friends blabber on and on about something?
stretch one’s legs (to) /. - exercise one’s legs after a period of inactivity
I really needed to stretch my legs after sitting on the bus for five hours.
After how long do you really need to stretch your legs?
run off at the mouth (to) /. - talk too much, gab, yak, yap
She was running off at the mouth about her new boyfriend for the entire evening.
What would you do if you found yourself sitting next to someone on a plane who was running at the mouth about her personal life?
booze n. - alcohol, liquor
Don’t forget we have to buy some booze for the party tonight.
What are the effects of booze on society?
pester someone (to) v. - constantly harass/bother someone
The young boy kept pestering his mother to buy him the expensive toy.
How can parents stop their kids from pestering them regularly?
bombed adj. - hammered, loaded, smashed, very drunk
She got bombed on New Year’s Eve because she drank too much champagne.
What are the harms of getting bombed at parties?
gulp down something (to) /. - drink something quickly
He gulped down the orange juice after playing tennis in the hot summer sun.
Do you like to sip your drinks or gulp them down?
B.O. n. - bad body odor (a hygiene problem)
He had terrible B.O. because he hadn't taken a shower in three days.
If a friend of yours had B.O, how would you deal with it?
appalling adj. - awful, dreadful, terrible
The appalling behavior of the teenagers shocked the older married couple.
What kind of appalling behaviour do get away with nowadays?
on the bright side /. - on the positive side
He crashed the car, but on the bright side nobody got hurt.
Should we always look on the bright side when things are not going well?
safe and sound i. - safely
We arrived home safe and sound even though we had to drive through the blizzard.
Where do you feel safe and sound? Why?
spoiled adj. - pampered, get anything one wants
That child was spoiled rotten because his parents never disciplined him.
How do the children who are spoiled rotten turn out as adults?
brat n. - terrible child
Someone should tell that brat to sit down and be quiet until the movie is finished.
How would you change the behaviour of a brat?
fling something (to) v. - throw something
The infant didn’t eat the food. She was more interested in flinging it all over the place.
Did kids fling things at each other in class? how did the teacher deal with this sort of behaviour?
settle down (to) /. - calm down
The teacher finally had to tell the noisy students to settle down.
How can teachers help excited students settle down?
burst into tears (to) I. - start to cry suddenly and loudly
She burst into tears when she found out that her husband had died in the car accident.
How do you try to comfort someone who bursts into tears in front of you?
jetiag n. - fatigue caused by air travel
/ can't stay awake in class because I still have jetiag.
How do you handle jetlag?
get over something/someone (to) /. - recover from something/someone
It took me almost two weeks to get over my cold.
What can help you get over a loss/an illness?
dive (a) n. - a terrible, old, dirty place
That bar was disgusting. I’m never going back to that dive again.
Talk about a dive of a bar you would never go back to. Why?
come across something (to) i. - find something by accident
I came across an old high school picture while I was cleaning up my room.
Have you ever come across a an old picture? What other memories do you have attached to that period?
feel at home (to) I. - feel comfortable in a new place
I 'm starting to feel at home after living here for several weeks.
What can make you feel at home when you are visiting other countries?
put something behind someone (to) /. - forget about a bad experience
I'm going to have to put that awful experience behind me.
What can help you put an awful experience behind you?
in no time /. - quickly, soon
He finished his homework in no time because he wanted to go to the movies.
Which subject´s homework did you use to finish in no time? is that subject serving you in any way right now?
