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GENERAL ENGLISH · IELTS COURSE · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

EXPLORING
IDIOMS

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1 Warm up
Read the questions and discuss the meaning of the underlined phrases.

1. What time do you usually hit the sack?

2. What is something you only do once in a blue moon?
3. Do you have a sweet tooth? What is your favourite sugary food?
4. Have you felt like you were on top of the world recently? What happened?
5. When was the last time you hit the books? What were you studying for?
6. What was the last thing you bought that cost an arm and a leg? Was it worth it?
7. When was the last time you felt under the weather? What symptoms did you have?
8. Is it hard for you to bite your tongue when you are angry?

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2 Idioms 1
Match each phrase from the warm-up questions with a definition below.

1. : study in a serious way

2. : go to bed

3. : hardly ever, rarely

4. : feeling ill

5. : keep silent

6. : a love for sweet-tasting foods

7. : extremely happy

8. : extremely expensive

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Do you like learning English idioms?

2. Do you find them difficult to learn? Why, why not?
3. Do you have any favourite idioms in your own language?

3 Vocabulary
Part A: Match a word with the correct definition.

1. expressive (adj.) a. likely to change suddenly and without reason

2. imaginative (adj.) b. where something begins or comes from

3. origin (n) c. poisonous

4. unpredictable (adj.) d. a small, metal object that is fired from a gun

5. toxic (adj.) e. clever and often unusual

6. bullet (n) f. showing feelings

Part B: Fill in the gaps with the correct word.

1. There is waste being put into the ocean every day.

2. Children’s books are creative and . They take you to a different world.

3. Nowadays the weather is so . You never know what to wear.

4. He was shot in the arm by a stray .

5. The of the outbreak is still unknown.

6. It is incredible how she makes every note sound.

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4 Pronunciation
Compare the pronunciation of the underlined letters and decide if the sound is the same or different.

1. expressive / imaginative

2. toxic / origin

3. unpredictable / bullet

5 Listening for gist

Listen to the lecture and choose the most appropriate title from the list below.

1. Idioms through the years

2. Idioms and origins

3. How to learn idioms

6 Listening for detail

Are the sentences true or false according to the information in the lecture?

1. Idioms are used in all languages.

2. Translating each individual word is a useful way to understand the meaning of an idiom.

3. The idiom ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ is used to express dying animals.

4. The idiom ‘to bite the bullet’ means to do something pleasant you have always wanted to do.

5. The idiom ‘mad as a hatter’ is new.

6. The hatmakers went crazy because of the material they used to make hats.

7. The idiom ‘surf the net’ came from a written guide about using the Internet.

8. The origin and history of idioms can be found easily.

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7 Discussion

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Do you think it is interesting to find out the origin of phrases?

2. Do you know anyone who is mad as a hatter?
3. Do you like it when it is raining cats and dogs?
4. Have you ever had to bite the bullet and do something you really didn’t want to do?
5. Do you know any online tools to learn about idioms?

8 Optional extension: idioms 2

Part A: Read the idioms below about learning and choose the correct meaning.

1. figure something out

a. understand something or to find a solution

b. remember something

2. with flying colours

a. do something very successfully such as pass an exam

b. do something creative

3. draw a blank

a. lose something

b. not be able to remember something

4. learn (something) by heart

a. learn something you love

b. memorise something so you can recall it easily

5. brush up on something

a. improve your knowledge of something you have partly forgotten

b. learn something new you have always wanted to study

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Part B: Complete the sentences with the correct phrase.

1. I need to my Italian before I go on holiday to Rome.

2. He tried to remember the answer but .

3. My teacher told me I had to my speech . It took me a long time.

4. I thought I did badly on my exam but surprisingly I passed .

5. I spent hours reading the explanation and finally .

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Are you good at learning telephone numbers by heart?

2. Have you ever passed an exam or test with flying colours?
3. Which skills would you like to brush up on?
4. Are you good at figuring out instructions?
5. Do you draw a blank when it comes to remembering names?

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EXPLORING IDIOMS

Transcripts

5. Listening for gist

Speaker: Good morning. Today, I am going to explore the history behind some English idiomatic
expressions. Languages consist of wonderful expressive and imaginative phrases which
give us an insight into different cultural aspects. To convey customs, principles, humour,
and social norms, all languages make use of idioms and even though they vary around the
world, it is common to see different cultures using adaptations of the same phrase.

Speaker: Let’s first start by looking at what an idiom is. Well, it is a non-literal expression made up
of a group of words in a fixed order. It has a particular meaning that is different from the
meanings of each word individually. And because the meaning cannot be translated from
the words, idioms can be challenging to learn and use. Take the idiom it’s raining cats and
dogs. If you translate it word for word, it makes no sense. Cats and dogs are not falling
from the sky like rain but if you are familiar with the phrase, you understand it means it’s
raining heavily. Many other languages share similar expressions for heavy rain. Let me give
you a few examples. In France, they say it is raining frogs, in Norway, it’s raining female
trolls and in Wales, they say it is raining old ladies and sticks.

Speaker: So where do idioms come from? It’s possible to discover the origins of most idioms and
they make for an interesting read. Although the exact origin of raining cats and dogs is not
exactly known, it is believed that the phrase started in England in the seventeenth century.
It started as a result of the streets being very dirty and not taken care of. Many animals
died from diseases and heavy rain would carry the dead animals down the streets making
it look like it had been raining cats and dogs.

Speaker: Let’s look at a few other idioms and where they come from. If you decide to do something
difficult or unpleasant that you have been putting off, you can use the idiom to bite the
bullet. For example, ‘I need to bite the bullet and go to the doctor’ or ‘He had to bite the
bullet and face his fear of heights’. This expression first came about when soldiers were
hurt in the war and needed surgery. Before anaesthetic was available, they were given a
bullet to bite down on to help with the intense pain.

Speaker: The idiom ‘mad as a hatter’ is used to refer to someone who is crazy and has unpredictable
behaviour. This phrase dates back to the eighteenth century when hatmakers used toxic
substances to make hats. Unfortunately, exposure to the liquid caused memory loss,
paranoia, and strange behaviour resulting in people thinking the hatmakers had gone
insane.

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Speaker: As you know languages are always changing and developing so the last idiom I want to talk
about is a relatively new addition. The phrase ‘to surf the net’ originated in the nineties
when a librarian from England pushed for free Internet access in public libraries as she
thought it was a valuable learning tool even though other traditional librarians thought the
Internet was a threat to books. She wrote a guide on the topic called ‘surfing the Internet’.
She chose to use the word surfing when referring to using the Internet because she said
‘It is hard, you need skills, and you never know if there will be sharks’. The phrase soon
gained popularity and became commonly used.

Speaker: So, to conclude, even though learning idioms can be quite daunting, there are many benefits
to learning some common phrases and the history behind them. Firstly, they are fun
and fascinating. They are also an important aspect of language proficiency and help us
understand more about how people express themselves more creatively and colourfully.
Even having passive knowledge of some phrases will develop a deeper understanding of
the language and culture. And nowadays, with the advancement of technology, the history
and meanings of idioms can be found at the touch of a button.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 - 10 mins.
This stage is for students to answer some general questions featuring idiomatic language. First ask the students,
in pairs, to read the questions and discuss the meaning of each idiom from the context. Add their ideas to the
board.

2. Idioms 1

10 mins.
This stage is for students to check the meaning of the phrases and respond to the topic. Ask the students to match
each idiom from the warm-up task with a definition. Check the meaning and pronunciation during feedback. Then
students, in the same pair, ask and answer the questions.

1. hit the books 2. hit the sack

3. once in a blue moon 4. under the weather
5. bite your tongue 6. have a sweet tooth
7. top of the world 8. cost an arm and a leg

3. Vocabulary

10 mins.
This stage is for students to identify and practise keywords they will hear in the listening. First, they match up
a word and its meaning. Check the meaning and practise pronunciation. Students then complete the gap-fill
activity.
Part A

1. → f. 2. → e.
3. → b. 4. → a.
5. → c. 6. → d.
Part B

1. toxic 2. imaginative
3. unpredictable 4. bullet
5. origin 6. expressive

4. Pronunciation

5 mins.
This stage is for students to recognise individual phonemes. They read the word and focus on the underlined sound
in both words. They decide if the sound is the same or different. During feedback, practise the pronunciation and
pick up on any errors with individual sounds.

1. same /i/
2. same /6/

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3. different: unpredictable: /2/, bullet: /U/

5. Listening for gist

10 mins.
This stage is for students to get a general idea/gist of the content of the lecture. They read the titles and choose
the most appropriate one. Ensure the students have time to read the titles before listening to the audio.

2. ✓ Idioms and origins

6. Listening for detail

10 mins.
This stage is for students to get a more comprehensive understanding of the lecture. Students have to decide if
the statement is true or false. Give students time to read the questions before playing the audio again. Get the
students to discuss their answers with their partners before checking the answers.

1. True. To convey customs, principles, humour, and social norms, all languages make use of idioms.
2. False. It has a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word individually. And because
the meaning cannot be translated from the words, idioms can be challenging to learn and use.
3. False. It means to rain heavily.
4. False. If you decide to do something difficult or unpleasant that you have been putting off, you can use the
idiom ‘to bite the bullet’.
5. False. This phrase dates back to the 18th century.
6. True. Hatmakers used toxic substances to make hats. Exposure to the liquid caused memory loss, paranoia,
and strange behaviour resulting in people thinking the hatmakers had gone insane.
7. True. She wrote a guide on the topic called ‘surfing the Internet’.
8. True. The history and meanings of idioms can be found at the touch of a button.
Audio sources:
www.theguardian.com/
https://www.merriam-webster.com
https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/blog/exploring-the-origins-of-idioms
https://www.omniglot.com/language/idioms/rain.php

7. Discussion

5 mins.
This stage is for students to respond to the content of the lecture. In pairs or groups, ask the students to answer
the questions.

8. Optional extension: idioms 2

10 mins.
This stage is for students to identify and practise a set of idioms related to learning. First, they select the correct
meaning from the two options. Check the students understand the meaning before moving on. Students then
complete the gap-fill task. Remind the students that they might need to change the tense. They finish by discussing
the questions to personalise the language.
Part A

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1. a. 2. a. 3. b. 4. b. 5. a.
Part B

1. brush up on 2. drew a blank

3. learn ≀ by heart 4. with flying colours
5. figured it out

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