At a crossroads and other travel and transport

inspired idioms

1. Complete the sentences below with the correct words in the box and find
out the literal meaning of some expressions related to travelling.

bump crossroads high ride

road seat track

a) As I turned a corner, I hit a bump in the road and the next thing I remembered
was lying on the sidewalk.
b) Alright, so now you’re in the driver’s seat, I’ll take a nap in the back. Just get
us home safely!
c) Take the dirt track leading from the main road to reach the old farm.
d) Birds' ability to fly high in the sky made people believe they were messengers
of the gods.
e) After a few hours we came to a crossroads and decided to turn right.
f) We thought it would be fun to take a ride in a hot-air balloon.
g) There's a coffee shop on the other side of the road.

2. Look at the picture and try to guess what the idiomatic meaning of the given
phrase is. Then, think of an example of being at a crossroads.

to be at a crossroads

3. Read the sentences below and decide whether they are True (T) or False (F).
If false, explain what the expressions in bold actually mean.
a) If you start with a new programme and there are some bumps in the road,
there are some problems. T
b) If you found out that you’d been taken for a ride by someone you really
trusted, you were tricked. T
c) If your company is flying high, it is going bankrupt. F
d) If you find yourself in the driving seat because your boss has gone on
holiday, you are in charge of the company. T

Copyrights by ESL Brains

 At a crossroads and other travel and transport
inspired idioms

e) If the figures show that your project is on the right track, you need to change
your strategy. F
f) If your relationship has reached the end of the road, you’re planning to get
married. F

4. Work in pairs and tell your partner:

• about the last time you were at a crossroads
• what you did when you hit a bump in the road when trying to achieve
something
• what can be done when a project is not on the right track
• about a situation when somebody you know was taken for a ride
• what you would do if you were in the driving seat of your department

5. Complete the idioms below with different means of transport such as train,
boat, car, etc.
IDIOM MEANING

make something start to happen

put/set something in train

be in the same difficult situation as

be in the same boat
a sinking ship
miss the boat/bus
be on the gravy train
throw someone under the bus
someone else
a company or other organization that is
failing
lose an opportunity to do something by not
taking action quickly enough
do a type of work or activity that provides a
lot of money without much effort
do something harmful to someone else in
order to gain an advantage for yourself

Copyrights by ESL Brains

 At a crossroads and other travel and transport
inspired idioms

6. Finish the dialogues below. Use the idioms above and your own ideas.
EXAMPLE: A: We should have sold that house many years ago.
B: I know, but we missed the boat by not taking
advantage of the good times. And now in the middle
of an economic crisis, it doesn’t make sense.
a) A: You need to find another job as soon as possible.
B: ………………
b) A: You’re always complaining that you don't have enough money, but you
know my situation isn’t much different.
B: ………………
c) A: Our priority should be to plan our strategy and get started.
B: ………………
d) A: I know she’s your friend, but you do realize you could earn a lot of
money if you revealed where one of the most famous pop stars lives
right now.
B: ………………
e) A: Everyone knows that getting a government contract is often looked
upon as a way to make money with little or no effort.
B: ………………

7. Work in pairs. Choose a card from a stack of cards. Each card has one word
on it. You have to improvise a short dialogue using any idiom you can
remember with this word.
EXAMPLE: You picked the word HIGH so you choose the expression:
be flying high.
STUDENT A: Our company has been flying high for
months now.
STUDENT B: Yeah, and all that thanks to our new
product! I hope we’ll come up with another great idea soon
and keep the momentum going.

Copyrights by ESL Brains

 At a crossroads and other travel and transport
inspired idioms

HIGH BOAT

TRAIN SHIP

ROAD TRACK

RIDE SEAT

CROSSROADS BUS

Copyrights by ESL Brains