backwater bedlam boondocks bumpkin bustle cardboard cat commuter

ghost horse jungle no-go nowhere red (x2) shanty slickers sticks

Insert words from above into most appropriate sentences below

1) It’s a nice house but it is cheap because it is in the _______ light district of the city. (Area of prostitution)
2) I’d like a bigger apartment. There isn’t enough room to swing a ___________ in mine. (Very small)
3) I had to work for three weeks in a one ___________ town for an engineering company. It was very boring.
(A small town with little to do or see)
4) It has been _______________ in the streets since the council introduced the new one way system in the
town. Many people are calling for it to be changed back to how it was. (Complete chaos)
5) When she found out that she had been promoted, she went out with her family and friends and painted
the town _____________. (Celebrated to excess and with extravagance)
6) John is happier living in Manchester. He prefers the hustle and _________ of city life. (Noise and activities)
7) She lives in the middle of ____________ but she enjoys the peace and quiet. (An isolated area)
8) Karen was born way out in the ____________ in the English countryside but moved to the city when she
was three and has lived there ever since. (An isolated area)
9) Hank was born way out in the ______________ somewhere in the Texas countryside but moved to the city
when he was three and has lived there since. (An isolated area)
10) They moved to the countryside when they retired but didn’t stay long. They are both city _____________
and didn’t like the peace and quiet or lack of things to do. (Urban dwellers)
11) He prefers the countryside but he is now living in a concrete _______________. (Very urbanized area)
12) It’s best to avoid that neighbourhood. Even the police consider it a _____________ area and only go
there if it is absolutely necessary. (Dangerous neighbourhood and high crime area)
13) The town’s homeless people were living in a ________________ city next to the river until the council
sent in the police and officials to clear the area. (Area where homeless people live)
14) The place where I grew up and went to school in is now a _____________ town. After they closed the
local factory many people moved away. (Empty town)
15) I was born in a small hamlet next to a river and lived there for the first 20 years of my life. I consider
myself a country _______________ at heart but I enjoy living in a city. (Rural person)
16) The town was a quiet ________________ until they built the factory. Now it is the third biggest town in
the county. (A small and isolated place)
17) He lives 100 km away from the office in a small town on the ________________ belt.
(A town within reasonable travelling distance to one’s place of work)
18) There is an enormous _____________ town on the outskirts of the town where all of the poorest citizens
live in homes they have made from waste material. (A very poor residential area of improvised housing)

Follow up!
Now write five sentences using the expressions from above:
e.g. They live downtown. etc.

iSLCollective.com
 1) What is the origin of the expression “red light district?”
a) Red candles, which represented carnal sin, were used by sex workers in mediaeval times to illuminate their doors to
indicate that sex was on sale at that address. The church allowed this as long as the prostitutes used the red candles after
they paid a small price for a priest to bless the candles.
b) In the 19th century, railway workers who frequented brothels (houses of prostitution) would leave their red lamps
outside so that other railway workers would know that this was a place to buy sex and also where these workers could be
located in case of an emergency.
c) In the Middle Ages, if a woman was found guilty of prostitution, a red light would be hung outside her door to indicate
to the rest of the town that this woman had been convicted of prostitution and should be avoided. However, the
professional prostitutes liked having the red lights as this provided free advertising for their business.
2) What is the origin of the expression “not enough room to swing a cat?”
a) During the height of the British Empire, the Royal Navy employed many people in their ships to patrol and maintain
their territories. Discipline on British ships was very hard and one of the most feared punishments was to be flogged
using a “cat o’ nine tails” which was a very unpleasant whip that was used to beat sailors that had broken rules. The
punishments were carried out on deck or were delayed until the ships returned to port because of a lack of space to use
the whip effectively anywhere on the ship.
b) Cats were very common in London after the 16th century as people would buy them to kill rats which were widely
blamed for the Great Plague of 1665. However, people were not very nice to cats and people would often swing them
around their heads for fun. Hence the expression.
c) “To swing” used to mean “to reproduce” and as such, to swing a cat meant to have enough room to raise cats which
were considered smaller and inferior to dogs. As such, a house where there wasn’t enough room to swing a cat was
considered to be very small and inferior.
3) What is the origin of the expression “a one horse town?”
a) In the early 18th century, populations were judged on how much transport was used in a municipal area. If more than
10,000 people owned a horse, the town would be given city status and the local authority would be given extra money
for infrastructure. If the area had only one horse, it would get no money for infrastructure and would be considered a
boring and basic place to live.
b) This expression is connected to horse trade in mediaeval England. Horse merchants would sell and buy horses up and
down the country at horse fairs which were very exciting events with food, drink and dancing all happening while the
horse merchants carried out their business. If a town or village didn’t have a horse fair, it was considered to be a very
boring and poor place to live.
c) The term "one-horse" originated as an agricultural phrase, meaning 'to be drawn or worked by a single horse.' This led
to the use of this phrase in a metaphorical sense as something that is small or insignificant. Charles Dickens explained in
his publication All the Year Round (1871): 'One horse' is an agricultural phrase, applied to anything small or insignificant,
or to any inconsiderable or contemptible person: as a 'one-horse town,' a 'one-horse bank,' a 'one-horse hotel,' a 'one-
horse lawyer'.
4) What is the origin of the expression “to be bedlam?”
a) Bedlam is the Old English word for sleep and this idiomatic expression is one of the oldest in the English language.
When a person sleeps, the world around them is out of their control. As the old word for sleep was bedlam, so was the
old word for chaos, until it was replaced by its Latin equivalent.
b) Bedlam is a corruption of the place-name, Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus Christ. There is a psychiatric hospital
with the name of St. Mary of Bethlehem that has been in existence for more than 600 years and is commonly referred to
as “Bedlam.” From mediaeval times onward, the name of Bedlam was associated with the confusion and chaos that is
often linked to metal illness. The hospital known as Bedlam was a place to be feared until only recently. In fact, several
horror films have been made about the institution.
c) During the 19th century, the Southern Irish town of Bedlam was persistently fraught with rebellions and problems
relating to the Irish independence movement for the British government. Attempts to quell these uprisings nearly always
failed and the town became synonymous with chaos and rebellion.
5) What is the origin of the expression “to paint the town red?”
a) During the 17th century, for a short period, Great Britain was run by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans. They closed many
pubs, bars and taverns because they considered alcohol a sin. If towns had a reputation for drunken parties, the soldiers would
come to town, close all the bars and tavern and the town’s most important buildings would be painted red, the colour of sin.
People would be told to avoid painted towns and so that local businesses would suffer. However, many people would go to
these towns to have fun if their buildings were painted red and the local economies thrived.
b) In the middle ages, if there was a major celebration in an English town, it was customary to paint parts of the town the same
colour as the cross of Saint George, the patron saint of England.
c) The expression “to paint the town red” entered the English language on account of a drunken night out when an Irish
aristocrat called Henry Beresford, the 3rd Marquees of Waterford (known as The Mad Marquis) and a group of friends attacked
a town official and a couple of police officers, stole some paint, and started painting everywhere red. The Marquees was fined a
lot of money for the night out and was made to apologise to the town.

9 iSLCollective.com
1) It’s a nice house but it is cheap because it is in the red light district of the city. (Area of prostitution)
2) I’d like a bigger apartment. There isn’t enough room to swing a cat in mine. (Very small)
3) I had to work for three weeks in a one horse town for an engineering company. It was very boring.
(A small town with little to do or see)
4) It has been bedlam in the streets since the council introduced the new one way system in the town.
Many people are calling for it to be changed back to how it was. (Complete chaos)
5) When she found out that she had been promoted, she went out with her family and friends and
painted the town red. (Celebrated to excess and with extravagance)
6) John is happier living in Manchester. He prefers the hustle and bustle of city life. (Noise and activities)
7) She lives in the middle of nowhere but she enjoys the peace and quiet. (An isolated area)
8) Karen was born way out in the sticks in the English countryside but moved to the city when she was
three and has lived there ever since. (An isolated area)
9) Hank was born way out in the boondocks somewhere in the Texas countryside but moved to the city
when he was three and has lived there since. (An isolated area)
10) They moved to the countryside when they retired but didn’t stay long. They are both city slickers and
didn’t like the peace and quiet or lack of things to do. (Urban dwellers)
11) He prefers the countryside but he is now living in a concrete jungle. (Very urbanized area)
12) It’s best to avoid that neighbourhood. Even the police consider it a no-go area and only go there if it
is absolutely necessary. (Dangerous neighbourhood and high crime area)
13) The town’s homeless people were living in a cardboard city next to the river until the council sent in
the police and officials to clear the area. (Area where homeless people live)
14) The place where I grew up and went to school in is now a ghost town. After they closed the local
factory many people moved away. (Empty town)
15) I was born in a small hamlet next to a river and lived there for the first 20 years of my life. I consider
myself a country bumpkin at heart but I enjoy living in a city. (Rural person)
16) The town was a quiet backwater until they built the factory. Now it is the third biggest town in the
county. (A small and isolated place)

17) He lives 100 km away from the office in a small town on the commuter belt.
(A town within reasonable travelling distance to one’s place of work)

18) There is an enormous shanty town on the outskirts of the town where all of the poorest citizens live
in homes they have made from waste material. (A very poor residential area of improvised housing)

iSLCollective.com
1) What is the origin of the expression “red light district?”
a) Red candles, which represented carnal sin, were used by sex workers in mediaeval times to illuminate their doors to
indicate that sex was on sale at that address. The church allowed this as long as the prostitutes used the red candles after
they paid a small price for a priest to bless the candles.
b) In the 19th century, railway workers who frequented brothels (houses of prostitution) would leave their red lamps
outside so that other railway workers would know that this was a place to buy sex and also where these workers could be
located in case of an emergency.
c) In the Middle Ages, if a woman was found guilty of prostitution, a red light would be hung outside her door to indicate
to the rest of the town that this woman had been convicted of prostitution and should be avoided. However, the
professional prostitutes liked having the red lights as this provided free advertising for their business.
2) What is the origin of the expression “not enough room to swing a cat?”
a) During the height of the British Empire, the Royal Navy employed many people in their ships to patrol and maintain
their territories. Discipline on British ships was very hard and one of the most feared punishments was to be flogged
using a “cat o’ nine tails” which was a very unpleasant whip that was used to beat sailors that had broken rules. The
punishments were carried out on deck or were delayed until the ships returned to port because of a lack of space to use
the whip effectively anywhere on the ship.
b) Cats were very common in London after the 16th century as people would buy them to kill rats which were widely
blamed for the Great Plague of 1665. However, people were not very nice to cats and people would often swing them
around their heads for fun. Hence the expression.
c) “To swing” used to mean “to reproduce” and as such, to swing a cat meant to have enough room to raise cats which
were considered smaller and inferior to dogs. As such, a house where there wasn’t enough room to swing a cat was
considered to be very small and inferior.
3) What is the origin of the expression “a one horse town?”
a) In the early 18th century, populations were judged on how much transport was used in a municipal area. If more than
10,000 people owned a horse, the town would be given city status and the local authority would be given extra money
for infrastructure. If the area had only one horse, it would get no money for infrastructure and would be considered a
boring and basic place to live.
b) This expression is connected to horse trade in mediaeval England. Horse merchants would sell and buy horses up and
down the country at horse fairs which were very exciting events with food, drink and dancing all happening while the
horse merchants carried out their business. If a town or village didn’t have a horse fair, it was considered to be a very
boring and poor place to live.
c) The term "one-horse" originated as an agricultural phrase, meaning 'to be drawn or worked by a single horse.' This led
to the use of this phrase in a metaphorical sense as something that is small or insignificant. Charles Dickens explained in
his publication All the Year Round (1871): 'One horse' is an agricultural phrase, applied to anything small or insignificant,
or to any inconsiderable or contemptible person: as a 'one-horse town,' a 'one-horse bank,' a 'one-horse hotel,' a 'one-
horse lawyer'.
4) What is the origin of the expression “to be bedlam?”
a) Bedlam is the Old English word for sleep and this idiomatic expression is one of the oldest in the English language.
When a person sleeps, the world around them is out of their control. As the old word for sleep was bedlam, so was the
old word for chaos, until it was replaced by its Latin equivalent.
b) Bedlam is a corruption of the place-name, Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus Christ. There is a psychiatric hospital
with the name of St. Mary of Bethlehem that has been in existence for more than 600 years and is commonly referred to
as “Bedlam.” From mediaeval times onward, the name of Bedlam was associated with the confusion and chaos that is
often linked to metal illness. The hospital known as Bedlam was a place to be feared until only recently. In fact, several
horror films have been made about the institution.
c) During the 19th century, the Southern Irish town of Bedlam was persistently fraught with rebellions and problems
relating to the Irish independence movement for the British government. Attempts to quell these uprisings nearly always
failed and the town became synonymous with chaos and rebellion.
5) What is the origin of the expression “to paint the town red?”
a) During the 17th century, for a short period, Great Britain was run by Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans. They closed many
pubs, bars and taverns because they considered alcohol a sin. If towns had a reputation for drunken parties, the soldiers would
come to town, close all the bars and tavern and the town’s most important buildings would be painted red, the colour of sin.
People would be told to avoid painted towns and so that local businesses would suffer. However, many people would go to
these towns to have fun if their buildings were painted red and the local economies thrived.
b) In the middle ages, if there was a major celebration in an English town, it was customary to paint parts of the town the same
colour as the cross of Saint George, the patron saint of England.
c) The expression “to paint the town red” entered the English language on account of a drunken night out when an Irish
aristocrat called Henry Beresford, the 3rd Marquees of Waterford (known as The Mad Marquis) and a group of friends attacked
a town official and a couple of police officers, stole some paint, and started painting everywhere red. The Marquees was fined a
lot of money for the night out and was made to apologise to the town.

iSLCollective.com