MEETING WITH SAM

11th January

I have to start the diary on the 11th as nothing even remotely interesting happened in the first ten
days of the year. But today a new era was ushered in with a handshake.

Today I shook hands with Samuel Blacksmith, the coolest guy in the class. He is well-known, he is in
the spotlight for his results in sports, much talked about by everyone; his name is on everyone's lips
after that magnificent performance at last year's athletics championship. He is also well-renowned
for his footballing skills. I'm sure he will become a celebrated, and even legendary figure in the near
future. These days, after the end of the rugby season he is at the height of his fame, and since he has
achieved fame as a great sportsman, he simply can't afford to fail in physics.

Although he is second to none when it comes to sports and he has made quite a name for himself as
the goalkeeper of our football team, having to learn is a major stumbling block in his future career.
He has his ups and downs - so to say -, he is often at a loss before school tests and now he is in an
awkward situation. The better he wants to be at sports, the more he has to train; the more he trains,
the less time he has to study etc. This is a vicious circle, a real catch-22, a no-win situation. He has
succeeded in passing three exams already but he still has a lot on his plate . He is in a tight spot as
the physics test is just around the corner. That's where I come into the picture. Physics poses
considerable problems for me, too, it makes my life difficult, and gives me a hard time but I am by far
the best at writing crib sheets. I'm really thrilled and excited about Sam's visit today and I can't help
seeing myself as the saviour of the football team.

EXERCISES

1. Fill in the sentences with one word or expression from the box. in the spotlight; second to none;
stumbling block; causing inconvenience;

name is on everyone's lips; vicious circle; ups and downs; fraught with problems; isn't out of the
woods; in a tight spot

1. I would say our business is generally smooth-running but every now and then we have our
……………….. just like everybody else.

2. Julie is rather overweight, which makes her depressed and downcast. Unfortunately, whenever
she is feeling down in the dumps, she tends to eat more, which makes her even less attractive. This is
a real ……………… .
3. My first year in school was ………………….. but now I think I can hit it off well with most of the
students.

4. Since Mary got that little role in that soap opera she has been …………… All the newspapers are full
of her pictures.

5. He had only one week to pay back the moneyto the bank. If I hadn't lent him some, I would have
put him …………. .

6. I know you have mixed feelings about his academic performance, but you have to agree that as a
musician he is ……………. .

7. He is a real troublemaker. I think there is nothing he enjoys more than ………………… to others.

8. He might have passed the maths exam but he should know he …………………. . There are still five
tests for him to pass in the next two weeks.

9. She has become famous after the Olympics and her .……………… .

10. The wedding won't be easy to organise - one ………………… may be the bridegroom's religious
convictions.

2. Connect the idioms with their definitions.

a. If something is uncertain and undecided yet,

b. If you are faced up with a difficult situation,

c. If you give a short summary of a story,

d. If you are downcast and depressed,

e. If you do someone a favour,

f. If you are having a whale of a time at a party,

1. you tell it in a nutshell.

2. you are in a fix.

3. you feel in the dumps.

4. you are in your element.

5. you are in their good books.

6. it is up in the air
3. Complete the following sentences using the correct form of one of the idioms in exercise 2.

1. The future of the project is still …………… . The board of directors will decide on it at tomorrow's
meeting.

2.Little Johnny was …………….… yesterday at the fun-fair. He was running around like hell and he
wanted to try everything.

3.He has bought me a car and a flat and he has offered me a job at his firm. He is definitely
…………….. .

4. Actually, I have to visit my grandmother, we will have to take our dog to the vet and my son is
having four tests next week. …………, we won't be able to see you on Sunday.

5. He was …………………. after his girlfriend married somebody else and didn't even leave his flat for
weeks.

6. After my law firm went bankrupt I was ……………… as I had to pay back all my debts in a short while.

4. Please pair the idioms in the two columns below. Can you find which two pairs have a very similar
meaning?

a. dilemma

b. much talked about

c. be in a tight spot

d. a stumbling block

e. put somebody to a lot of trouble

f. not be out of the woods

1. have a lot on one's plate

2. be at the height of one's fame

3. a setback

4. give somebody a hard time

5. be in a mess

6. a no-win situation

5. Kindly rewrite the following sentences using the word given. You must not change the words given
in any way!

1. Paul has no idea at all what to do with his dog while he is on holiday. LOSS

2. Jill is generally a kind person but when people try to borrow money from her, she turns into a
monster. COMES

3. He is famous for his achievement as an actor. WELL-RENOWNED

4. I shouldn't think that we will have any trouble crossing the border at night. POSE

5. He was very wise to end his career just after he had won the Olympics. HEIGHT

6. Our new neighbours make life difficult for everybody. HARD

7. The future of the company is rather uncertain at the moment. AIR

8. I have done all my homework for good old Mr Dowson, so I think he quite likes me now. BOOKS

9. His leaving the company slowed down all our projects. SETBACK
KEY: UNIT 1

Exercise 1

1. ups and downs

2. vicious circle

3. fraught with problems

4. in the spotlight

5. in a tight spot

6. second to none

7. causing inconvenience

8. isn't out of the woods

9. name is n everyone's lips

10. stumbling block

Exercise 2

A6

B2

C1

D3

E5

F4

Exercise 3

1. up in the air

2. in his element

3. in my good books
4. in a nutshell

5. feeling in the dumps

6. in a fix

Exercise 4

A6

B2

C5

D3

E4

F1

Exercise 5

1. Paul is at a loss about what to do with his dog while he is on holiday.

2. Jill is generally a kind person but when it comes to lending money she turns into a monster.

3. He is (highly) renowned for being a good actor.

4. I shouldn't think that crossing the border at night will pose any problems.

5. He was very wise to end his career at the height of his fame.

6. Our new neighbours give us a hard time.

7. Our plan to visit our friends in Iran this year is still up in the air. We don't know whether we will be
able to get a visa in time.

8. I've done all my homework for good old Mr Dowson, so I think I'm in his good books now.

9. His leaving the company was a setback to all our projects.