Lesson 6: Idioms with Colors

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

1) My daughter passed her driving test with flying colors! The instructor
didn't have a single negative comment about her skills.

If you pass a test "with flying colors," it means it was...

A accomplished after lots of work

B a complete success
C very fast

2) After I hit my head on the staircase, I felt like I was going to black out.

If you "black out," you...

A become unconscious
B have a black mark around your eye
C lose your memory

3) I don't know if acquiring this business is a good idea. Although the owners
say it has a lot of earning potential, the fact that it hasn't turned a profit for the
past 5 years raises a red flag.

A "red flag" is...

A a financial loss
B a stop in the process
C a warning signal

4) The economy is still so bad that many professionals are moving abroad in
search of greener pastures.

“Greener pastures” means…

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 A a better situation
B a more beautiful location
C a richer country

5) My father argued with the travel agent until he was blue in the face, but
she still wouldn't give him a refund for the flight he had missed.

If you do something "until you're blue in the face," you...

A do it with a lot of effort, unsuccessfully

B start crying because it's unfair
C yell and scream

6) This book is worth its weight in gold - the things I've learned from it have
completely transformed my life!

Something that is "worth its weight in gold" is...

A expensive but beneficial

B extremely useful or valuable
C something that changes your future

7) The teacher was fired after he made a number of off-color jokes in the
classroom.

An "off-color" joke is...

A not funny
B old
C vulgar

8) My mother-in-law is a terrible cook, but whenever she asks if I enjoyed

dinner, I tell a little white lie and say it was delicious.

A "white lie" is...

A a compliment
B a small, usually harmless lie
C a statement that has two meanings

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9) The company decided to shut down the telemarketing department and give
all the employees pink slips.

If you get a "pink slip," you...

A are transferred to another location

B get a bonus
C lose your job

10) My son said he wasn't stealing money from me, but I caught him red-
handed taking $20 out of my purse.

If you catch someone "red-handed"...

A they are embarrassed about their mistake

B you are extremely angry with the person
C you catch them in the act of doing wrong

11) My co-workers are all green with envy because my company is sending
me on an all-expenses-paid trip to Bali for a conference.

If you are "green with envy," you...

A dislike another person

B don't have enough qualifications for something
C want what someone else has

12) The first few months of a romantic relationship always seem perfect, but
with time each person's true colors start to show.

If you "show your true colors," you...

A disappoint someone
B reveal what you are really like
C show your creative side

13) A friend of mine from high school, who I haven't spoken to in ten years,
contacted me out of the blue and invited me to her wedding.

If something happens "out of the blue," it is...

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 A disrespectful
B unexpected
C wonderful

14) All of my relatives are doctors, lawyers, or engineers, except for my sister,
who dropped out of college to become an artist. She's considered the black
sheep of the family.

Someone who is the "black sheep of the family" is...

A very different
B not as rich
C more popular

15) During the hurricane, a tree fell on our house and completely destroyed
the kitchen. The silver lining is that now I'll get the chance to remodel it!

A "silver lining" is...

A a good side to a bad situation

B something that will be expensive
C the worst part of a tragedy

16) When I was alone in a foreign country during the holidays, Tom invited
me to spend Christmas with his family. He really has a heart of gold.

If a person has a "heart of gold," they are...

A always seeking money

B generous and sincere
C sensitive to intercultural situations

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Explanation

#1 - with flying colors = (B) – with complete success

After a battle, the victorious ships returned to the harbor with colorful flags
flying.

This idiom is usually used for tests and evaluations: we say the person
"passed with flying colors" if they had complete success.

#2 - black out = (A) – become unconscious

Another expression for losing consciousness is "pass out."

The word "blackout" as one word also refers to a loss of electrical power, for
example, "There was a blackout in the city after the storm."

#3 - red flag = (C) – a warning signal

Red flags have often been used to warn people of danger.

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#4 - greener pastures = (A) – a better situation

The place where animals like cows eat grass is called a pasture. If the grass is
greener, it's a better situation for the animals.

This idiom is often used with the words:

• He's seeking / looking for greener pastures.

(if he is currently looking for a better situation)
• He has moved on to greener pastures.
(if he already changed to a better situation in the past)

#5 - until you're blue in the face = (A) – with a lot of effort,

unsuccessfully

It's often used with talking: when you're trying to argue with or convince
someone. If you talk a lot, you don't have time to breathe and your face turns
blue from lack of oxygen.

#6 - worth its weight in gold = (B) – extremely useful / valuable

This idiom refers not to value in the sense of money, but in the sense of results
or other types of value. For example, if you're applying for a job and you have
a letter of recommendation from the president of your country, that would be
worth its weight in gold - it would be very valuable in helping you get the job!

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#7 - off-color = (C) – vulgar

When someone is feeling sick or nauseous, their face often turns a different
color. "Off-color" comments or jokes are vulgar or disgusting.

We also have the expression "colorful language" to describe swearing (bad

words) or using explicit language about sex / bodily functions.

#8 - white lie = (B) – a small, usually harmless lie

This expression comes from the ancient idea of white representing good and
black representing evil. A white lie is a lie without evil intent; you tell a white
lie to preserve social harmony and avoid conflict or hurting someone's
feelings.

#9 - get the pink slip = (C) – lose your job

A small piece of paper can be called a "slip" It's possible that in the past,
notices of termination of employment were printed on pink slips of paper.

#10 - catch someone red-handed = (C) – catch the person in the

act of doing something wrong

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If the police catch a murderer with the victim's (red) blood on his hands, then
it's obvious he committed the crime.

#11 - green with envy = (C) – you really want what someone
else has

We also have the expression "the green-eyed monster," which means jealousy.
Why is the color green associated with envy and jealousy? Maybe because you
want the thing so much that you look sick!

#12 - show your true colors = (B) – reveal your true beliefs /
personality

Like "flying colors," the idiom "show your true colors" also has a nautical
origin. Pirate ships sometimes displayed different-colored flags to make them
seem like a friendly ship... When they got close enough to attack, the pirate
ships "showed their true colors." They revealed that they were really pirates.

#13 - out of the blue = (B) – unexpected

This idiom comes from an older expression, "out of the clear blue sky." It
would be very unexpected for lightning to strike from a sky that was
completely clear and blue (with no clouds). So if something happens “out of
the blue,” it is unexpected and surprising.

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#14 - the black sheep of the family = (A) – someone who is very
different from the other members of the family

This idiom usually implies that the other family members disapprove of the
lifestyle of the black sheep.

Sometimes it means the "black sheep" is doing bad / illegal things, but not
necessarily. The "black sheep" could simply have a different career, beliefs, or
religion from the family.

#15 - silver lining = (A) – a good side to a bad situation

This idiom comes from a 17th-century poem, where dark clouds are described
as having a "silver lining" - a bit of light in the darkness.

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#16 - have a heart of gold = (B) – be a generous and sincere
person

Gold is considered pure and good, so a person with a heart of gold is truly and
genuinely good.

Now try the practice quiz and the short-answer exercises!

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Practice Quiz
1) That movie's not appropriate for young children; it has a lot of ____________
humor.

A red flag
B green monster
C off-color

2) When I saw that there was zero opportunity for career advancement in the
company, I decided to look for _______________.

A greener pastures
B true colors
C a silver lining

3) My aunt _____________ - she spends hours volunteering at the local animal

shelter, taking care of injured cats and dogs.

A is the black sheep of the family

B has a heart of gold
C passed with flying colors

4) You can talk _____________, but you're not going to get me to change my mind.

A until your true colors start to show

B until you're green with envy
C until you're blue in the face

5) After drinking an entire bottle of tequila, Alan __________ in the kitchen. We

had to carry him to his bed.

A blacked out
B came out of the blue
C was caught red-handed

6) Everything was going well during the negotiations and we were about to
sign a contract, but then the client called us ____________ and said the deal was
off.
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 A from greener pastures
B out of the blue
C off-color

7) I do all my work online - so for me, a reliable internet connection is

_____________.

A blue in the face

B a silver lining
C worth its weight in gold

8) I'm the only vegetarian in a family of big meat-eaters - that means I'm
______________.

A caught red-handed
B green with envy
C the black sheep of the family

9) She ignored all the ___________ and ended up marrying a verbally abusive
man.

A blackouts
B red flags
C greener pastures

10) My parents gave my sister a new car for her 16th birthday. It made me
______________.

A green with envy

B the black sheep
C blue in the face

Answers are at the end of this lesson.

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Short-Answer Exercises
1) Have you ever seen “red flags” in a situation?
2) When was the last time you told a little white lie?
3) Have you ever been caught red-handed doing something wrong?
4) What is something that you believe is worth its weight in gold?
5) Have you ever found a silver lining in a bad situation?
If you want correction / feedback, you can e-mail me your writing at
homework@espressoenglish.net

Practice Quiz Answers:

1) C

2) A

3) B

4) C

5) A

6) B

7) C

8) C

9) B

10) A

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