Lesson 15: English Idioms

from the Weather

Introductory Quiz
Guess the correct meaning of each idiom from the context. It's OK if you get a lot of
answers incorrect - the important part is to do your best in trying to figure it out!

Question 1

Jane provided a lot of comfort and support for me as I was going through my divorce -
unfortunately, a lot of my other acquaintances turned out to be fair-weather friends.

A "fair-weather friend" is someone who...

A can't understand your emotions

B criticizes you for bad decisions
C is your friend only when things are good

Question 2

I'm afraid we won't be able to join you for dinner tomorrow night - we have to go to a
meeting at our kids' school. Can we take a rain check?

To "take a rain check" means...

A bring our children to your house

B delay accepting an invitation until another opportunity
C meet you earlier than planned

Question 3

While I was running the marathon, I started to get tired about halfway through. It's a
good thing I didn't get up, because I later got my second wind and was able to finish
the last couple miles easily.

If you "get your second wind," it means you get...

A a shortcut to finishing faster

B encouragement from other people
C renewed energy or strength

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Question 4

After listening to my son's band play their heavy metal music for the past three hours,
the silence is a breath of fresh air.

A "breath of fresh air" is something...

A good for your health

B new, different, and nice
C strange, out of the ordinary

Question 5

I'm debating whether or not I should go in to work today. I'm feeling a little under the
weather, but if I take a day off I'll have a ton of work to catch up on!

If you're feeling "under the weather," you're feeling a little bit...

A confused
B sick
C stressed

Question 6

My sister and I both got engaged to our boyfriends around the same time, but I waited
to announce my news to the family so that I wouldn't steal her thunder.

If you "steal someone's thunder," you...

A compete to see who is better

B do something that takes attention away from them
C manipulate their emotions

Question 7

This young pop star's music has taken the nation by storm. Her songs have
dominated the top ten lists of every radio station for weeks.

To "take by storm" means...

A be suddenly and extremely successful

B have a positive effect on society
C become rich very early in life

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Question 8

When Sarah got wind of her teenage son's plans to hold a huge party at the house
while she was traveling, she canceled her trip.

If you "get wind of" something, you...

A are surprised by it
B get very angry
C learn it indirectly

Question 9

The hard part about being a freelance writer is that it's hard to maintain a stable income.
It's a good thing I have some savings in the bank, because right now I'm going through a
dry spell.

A "dry spell" is...

A a major project that takes up all your time

B a period of time with little or no success
C a situation where your work is being evaluated

Question 10

Sorry to rain on your parade – it looks like this is a great party, but you're not allowed to
play loud music in the apartment building after 10 PM. Could you please turn it down?

If you "rain on someone's parade," it means you...

A enter their home without asking

B interrupt them
C ruin their fun

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Video Explanation
#1 - a fair-weather friend = someone who is your friend only when
things are good

"Fair" weather means nice weather - when it's sunny and

pleasant. A fair-weather friend spends time with you and
helps you when everything in your life is going well - but
when the situation is bad, this "friend" often disappears.

#2 - take a rain check

= delay accepting an invitation until another opportunity

In the 1880s, if a baseball game was canceled because of rain, the

people who had tickets for that game received a "check" that they could
use to attend another game in the future.

This idiom is now used in social situations when you can't attend an
event or accept an invitation, but you would like to delay it to another
time in the future.

#3 - get your second wind = get renewed energy or strength

In this case, the word "wind" is not referring to weather, but to your
breathing. Sometimes when you're doing exercise, you get tired and
find it hard to breathe - but then after some time, your energy comes
back and it's easy to breathe. This burst of restored energy is called
your "second wind."

The idiom "second wind" can be applied to other things, not just physical activity - for
example, if you are working on a project for many hours and you're starting to lose your
enthusiasm, but then you get your second wind (new energy) to continue working.

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#4 - a breath of fresh air = something new, different, and nice

If you're in an area with a lot of air pollution, then it feels

good to get a breath of fresh air - air that is new and
clean. The idiom "a breath of fresh air" is used for
anything that is a welcome change from your current
situation.

#5 - under the weather = sick

This is a nautical idiom. When a sailor was sick, he went to a

room under the deck (and away from exposure to the weather)
to rest and recover. Today, the expression "under the weather" is
used when you're feeling a little bit sick - like a mild headache or
a light cold. It is not used for serious illness.

#6 - steal someone's thunder

= do something that takes attention away from that person

This idiom has an interesting story behind it.

Thunder is the loud crashing or rumbling sound you hear during a

storm. In the world of theater in the 16th century, people were
trying to invent a machine that could imitate the sound of thunder
during performances.

One man, John Dennis, invented a new method of producing the sound of thunder -
however, other people later stole his idea and used his method, so he never got much
recognition for it. This is why the idiom "steal someone's thunder" means to do
something that robs attention from someone else.

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#7 - take by storm = be suddenly and extremely successful

When a storm comes, it usually dominates the entire

region. If a person or a trend "takes the world by storm,"
he or she has sudden success with great popularity, thus
"dominating" the area.

#8 - get wind of something = learn information indirectly

The wind can bring you smells - like the smell of the ocean, for
example, from some distance away. So if you "get wind of" a
piece of information, it means that you learn about it in an
indirect way, such as through other people, and not directly
from the source.

#9 - dry spell = a period of time with little or no success

"Spell" is a word for a period of time - and a literal dry spell is a

period with no rain. The idiom "dry spell" is also used for a time with
no success in your life - for example, if you are single and it has been a
long time since you went on a date, then you are in a dry spell.

#10 - rain on someone's parade = ruin their fun

A parade is a procession. Parades are a lot of fun, but if it starts

to rain, then the parade will be canceled. The idiom "rain on
someone's parade" means to do something that ruins their fun.

You’ve finished Lesson 15!

Take the practice quiz and try the writing exercises, and log in on Monday for Lesson 16.

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Practice Quiz
Question 1

I wanted to throw a surprise birthday party for my brother, but he _____________ it

several days before so it wasn't a surprise. He still enjoyed the party, though!

A took a rain check for

B got wind of
C rained on the parade

Question 2

I had a lot of boring professors in college, but Mrs. Smith was ______________ - her
classes were always creative and engaging.

A a breath of fresh air

B a fair-weather friend
C a dry spell

Question 3

Let's bring some chicken soup over to Paula, I hear she's a little ________________.

A second wind
B taken by storm
C under the weather

Question 4

I'm going to have to _______________ on the trip to the mountains this weekend - I
was called in to work on Saturday.

A be under the weather

B steal your thunder
C take a rain check

Question 5

Everyone was enjoying the barbecue until Henry started going on and on about how
eating red meat causes heart disease and cancer. I wish he had kept his opinions to
himself instead of __________________.

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 A taking us by storm
B raining on our parade
C stealing our thunder

Question 6

I never knew how many _______________ I had until I started going through
chemotherapy and only two people visited me at the hospital.

A fair-weather friends
B breaths of fresh air
C dry spells

Question 7

I stayed up until 3 AM writing this article because I had _______________ and

didn't want the inspiration to go to waste!

A gotten wind of it
B gotten my second wind
C taken a rain check

Question 8

The New York Yankees finally won a game against the Boston Red Sox, finally putting an
end to a two-week long ____________.

A dry spell
B breath of fresh air
C stolen thunder

Answers
1) B

2) A

3) C

4) C

5) B

6) A
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7) B

8) A

Speaking / Writing Exercises

1) Do you have any fair-weather friends?

2) When was the last time you had to take a rain check for an event or an invitation?

3) Describe a recent trend that has taken your country by storm.

4) Have you ever gone through a “dry spell” in some area of your life?

5) When was the last time you felt like something was “a breath of fresh air”?

If you want correction / feedback, you can either e-mail me your writing at
help@espressoenglish.net or leave me a voice mail message:
www.speakpipe.com/espressoenglish

Image Sources:

digitalart, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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David Castillo Dominici, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
foto76, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Booyabazooka
John Kerstholt
Phil Thebault, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Tomascastelazo
debspoons, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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