Common British Idioms and Colloquialisms

A. Read the following dialogue and underline all the idioms/colloquialisms you can find in it:
Emma: Oh Hi, Sally! Haven’t seen you for a while. How are you?
Sally: Hi, Emma. Speak of the devil! Mark and I were only talking about you this morning.
How are you and Jo getting on in your new flat?
Emma: It’s great, thanks. We really like it, although we haven’t got as far as we wanted with
the decorating yet.
Sally: Have you got a lot to do?
Emma: The whole place needs doing, but I think we’ve bitten off more than we can chew
trying to get it all done ourselves. Jo has her exams coming up and she’s really burning the
midnight oil studying at the moment.
Sally: Poor thing! When does she finish her course?
Emma: This is her last lot of exams and then she’ll be fully qualified. After that she’ll need to
find a job, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. How about you – are you still
working at the hospital?
Sally: Yes, but I’ve changed jobs. I didn’t get on with my old boss and then one day she had a
go at me for something I hadn’t done. It really was the last straw, so I decided to apply for
another job. It was all done in the heat of the moment, but actually I really landed on my
feet. I’m working on a children’s ward now and I much prefer it.
Emma: That’s great news. I’ve changed jobs too – the rent on the new flat is much higher
than the last one so, you know, desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m back at
Wetherspoons again.
Sally: I thought you said you wouldn’t be seen dead going back there!
Emma: I know, but I’m much higher up the salary scale now, so financially it’s a no brainer.
Have you seen Ken and Marie recently? I heard they were splitting up – is it true?
Sally: I haven’t seen them for ages, so your guess is as good as mine. I texted Marie a few
weeks ago because I was going to visit my Mum and I thought I’d kill two birds with one
stone and call in and see her at the same time, but she never replied.
Emma: Oh, that’s a shame. Well, maybe she never got your text.
Sally: Yes, I suppose I should give her the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, I must dash. It’s
lovely to see you. How about meeting for a coffee soon – are you free next week?
Emma: What about Saturday – 2 o’clock at Bibi’s?
Sally: Sounds good – see you then!
B. Read the dialogue aloud again, replacing the idioms and colloquialisms with other words
of the same meaning.
C. Match the phrases on the left with their meaning on the right:
1. To land on your feet
2. A no-brainer
3. To have a go at someone
4. The last straw
5. To bite off more than you can chew
6. To burn the midnight oil
7. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it
8. Desperate times call for desperate
measures
9. To give someone the benefit of the
doubt
10. In the heat of the moment
11. To kill two birds with one stone
12. Speak of the devil!
13. I wouldn’t be seen dead doing…
14. Your guess is as good as mine
a) When you take on a project or task that
is beyond what you are capable of.
b) I’ll deal with the problem if and when it
becomes necessary, not before.
c) When you are very successful.
d) When you do something without thinking
it through.
e) To work late into the night.
f) To solve two problems at the same time.
g) Something you would definitely never do.
h) Something that requires little or no
mental effort.
i) To believe someone’s statement, without
proof / until proven otherwise.
j) To criticise someone.
k) Someone says this when the person you
have just been talking about arrives.
l) When you are extremely desperate you
need to take drastic action.
m) When you don’t know the answer to
someone’s question.
n) A small difficulty that comes at the end of
a series of difficulties and makes a situation
unbearable.