Idioms & common expressions
Read the idioms
and explanation in the chart and then try the exercise that follows.
To be a dead end/ be at a
dead end: To be in a situation in which no progress can be made.
A means to an end: Something that
one is not interested in but do because it will help get something else
To be at the end of
the/one’s rope: To be at the limits of one's capacity, tolerance
or endurance.
To burn the candle at both
ends: Work or study very hard during
the day and stay up very late at night.
Can't see beyond the end of
nose: To think about oneself and
what affects ones situation so much that one does not see what is important.
End of Story: A phrase
meaning that you will say no more.
To get the short end of the
stick: To suffer the bad effects of a situation
To end in tears: A phrase
meaning that something will end badly.
 Light at the end of the
tunnel: Something that makes you think that a difficult or unpleasant
situation will end
Loose ends/ Tie loose ends: The final
details for something to be complete
To make ends meet: To earn and
spend equal amounts of money. To have little money after one pays basic expenses.
Never hear the end of it: A phrase you
can say meaning that another person will continue talking about something,
which is annoying.
Not the end of the world: Not the worst
thing that could happen.
Odds and ends: Miscellaneous
things.
The end justifies the means: Phrase meaning
that you can use bad or immoral methods as long as you get something good by
using them.
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Exercise: Fill in the blank spaces with
a suitable idiom.
- We had lots of ..................................... we didn’t want to keep so we orgnized a garage sale.
- The party decorations are nearly done. I'm just tying up one or two ................................... at the moment.
- I'm ............................................ today my boss is driving me out of my mind.
- Sarah lost her job after the company downsized. She got ................................................. this time.
- There is no solution for our store. Unfortunately we are ...................................
- This movie star is so busy thinking about himself that he can't .................................................
- Sean is so self-centered that if he wins, you know we'll ...................................................
- For me at this moment working as a waitress is only ......................................... while I finish my studies.
- The candidate believed that ................................................ In order to get elected, he used all kinds of lies and tricks.
- We're almost finished cleaning the apartment, finally we can see ...............................................
- Getting married after only two months of meeting can only .................................................
- I didn’t say anything about my trip because I didn’t want people to know. .................................................!
- I need to get another job soon to .......................................
- If I don't get the job, it won't be ........................................
- You’ll get ill if you keep on burning ............................................. You need to rest too.
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