cry wolf cut to the chase
Cry Wolf
Cross Your Fingers
Vocabulary
| chow down | a chip on his shoulder |
| crack me up | come hell or high water |
| dark horse | keep your fingers crossed |
| cry wolf | curiosity killed the cat |
| cut to the chase | cross your fingers |
| devil’s advocate | dog days of summer |
Chip on his shoulder
32. Chip on his shoulder (moody, short tempered, quarrelsome)
Avoid Mr. Roe. Don’t talk to him; he’s got a chip on his shoulder. What would happen if you spoke to Mr. Roe?
33. To chow down
All the lumber jacks chowed down. Why did they chow down? What were they doing? What time was it?
34. Come hell or high water (no matter what happens)
I’m determined to start and succeed with my ice-cream stand, come hell or high water.
35. Crack me up (makes me roar with laughter)
Oh, that Seinfeld! He really cracks me up! Who cracks you up? Does someone on TV crack you up?
36. Cross your fingers
I’m going to the job interview tomorrow. Cross your fingers. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Cry Wolf
37. Cry wolf (a false alarm)
People cried wolf about 31 December, 1999 and 21 December, 2012. Do you remember those dates? What were some predictions?
38. Curiosity killed the cat
Don’t ask too many questions: curiosity killed the cat.
Who would say this? Where and when would someone say this?
39. Cut to the chase (get to the point, don’t waffle)
The students come here to study at the university because they couldn’t be admitted in their local university. Plus it’s cheaper here, and — let’s cut to the chase: they want to marry local women, right?
40. Dark horse (someone who was previously unknown and unexpectedly won a sporting event or political office). Some presidents, such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, were dark horses. Have there been dark horse leaders and athletes in your country?
41. Devil’s advocate (make an opposing argument)
Let me be the devil’s advocate: The government should provide free university education only for professional degrees like engineering, medicine, architecture, law, and education. It would save everyone time and money.
42. Dog days of summer (hottest days of summer)
I can’t stand the dog days of summer. I prefer a white Christmas. Yes or no?
