Tie the knot, When pigs fly

Wild and woolly, Zero in on

 

Vocabulary

tie the knot	til the cows come home
turn a blind eye	to steal someone’s thunder
tongue-in-cheek	to make a long story short
wine and dine	variety is the spice of life
up a blind alley	wear your heart on your sleeve
when pigs fly	when it rains it pours
wild and woolly	under the weather
without a doubt	you can’t have your cake and eat it
X marks the spot	you can’t take it with you
zero in on	your guess is as good as mine

 

Tie the knot, Til the cows come home, To make a long story short, To steal someone’s thunder, Tongue-in-cheek

1. Tie the knot: to get married.
Jessica and Steve have tied the knot. When is the best time to get married? When is the best age to get married?

2. Til the cows come home: a long time.
When will your colleague loose weight…move up the career ladder…quit smoking?

3. To make a long story short: a synopsis, summary.
How did you get your current job?

4. To steal someone’s thunder: to take the credit for something someone else did.
Big companies and executives often steal others’ thunder. Do you agree? Can you give examples?

5. Tongue-in-cheek: humor, not to be taken serious or literally.
In your country, are many situations tongue-in-cheek or are people “normal”?

Turn a blind eye, Under the weather, Up a blind alley, Variety is the spice of life, Wear your heart on your sleeve

6. Turn a blind eye: ignore, disregard something wrong or unlawful.
The authorities turn a blind eye on illegal immigrants. Officials turn a blind eye on corruption. Is this correct or wrong?

7. Under the weather: feeling depressed or fatigues (due to bad weather).
People in Britain and Scandinavia are more under the weather than elsewhere. Do you agree?

8. Up a blind alley: action or situation leading to a bad outcome.
Attending university is going up a blind alley. What do you think?

9. Variety is the spice of life: different cultures, ideas, arts is a good thing.
Give examples of the expression “Variety is the spice of life” in your town or city.

10. Wear your heart on your sleeve: to express or display your thoughts, feelings.
Phil wears his heart on his sleeve. Describe him. Do people in your culture wear their hearts on their sleeve?

When it rains it pours, When pigs fly, Wild and woolly, Wine and dine, Without a doubt

11. When it rains, it pours: a rare event comes in big quantities or extremes.
When it rains, it pours. Does it seem like that in terms of rain, snow, watermelons, money?

12. When pigs fly: something impossible; it would never happen.
I might win the lottery! Give examples of when you would say, “when pigs fly.”

13. Wild and woolly: uncultured and without law and order.
What places do you think are wild and woolly? Where did you get this idea?

14. Wine and dine: feast in an expensive restaurant, on expensive foods.
Where do people wine and dine in your city? Who wines and dines?

15. Without a doubt: absolutely sure.
Germany is the best place, without a doubt. Do you agree?

X marks the spot, You can’t have your cake and eat it, You can’t take it with you, Your guess is as good as mine, Zero in on

16. X marks the spot: said when someone finds exactly what they want.
“X marks the spot!” When have you said this (apartment, house, city, club, hotel, restaurant)?

17. You can’t have your cake and eat it: can’t enjoy the benefits of two great things. Give examples of the saying, “You can’t have your cake an eat it” in term of food, place of residence, job, etc.

18. You can’t take it with you when you die: stop hoarding and enjoy what you have now.
Who would your friend say “You can’t take it with you when you die” to? Describe this person. What should he or she do?

19. Your guess is as good as mine: I have no idea.
What will it be like in 20 years (in terms of the economy, technology, society)?

20. Zero in on: to concentrate or focus on something.
What things at work should you zero in on? What subjects should students and schools zero in on? I should zero in on….
 
 

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