bumpy cold crunch delicate flaky hard rough prickly rugged scratched

slack slippery smooth soft sticky thick tight warped wet wrinkly

Insert words from above into most appropriate sentences below

1) Her boss is way too strict with the staff. He should cut people some __________ every now and again.
(To be more flexible)

2) If it comes to the ___________, I think they should be allowed a second vote.

(A difficult and decisive moment)

3) She is very enthusiastic but perhaps she is a little __________ behind the ears to be put in charge of this project.
(Inexperienced)

4) It was a ____________ situation but we managed to keep our heads and everything turned out well in the end.
(Very problematic moment)

5) He was going to do a parachute jump but in the end he got __________ feet.
(Got nervous about it and changed his mind)

6) He was chosen to play the next James Bond because of his acting ability but mostly because of his ___________ good
looks. (Handsome appearance)

7) My mother was a duchess and my father a plumber. The family used to joke that mum married dad because he was a
bit of _____________, but she loved him dearly. (Attractive but uncultured)

8) Don’t send Paul to do the negotiations. We need somebody who is less of a ____________ touch.
(Too trusting or too easily convinced)

9) Don’t send Tracy to do the negotiations. We need somebody with more of a ______________ touch.
(Diplomatic, with tact)

10) With a recession being predicted and political instability in the EU, I would say that we are in for a ______________
ride this year. (Difficult times)

11) Genetics is a complicated and painstaking scientific discipline. We have made some serious advances in recent years
but in reality, we have only ______________ the surface. (Have a superficial understanding)

12) Don’t be offended. She is a nice person at heart but she does have a very ____________ sense of humour.
(Offbeat and unconventional. A little offensive to some people)

13) You shouldn’t drink before lunchtime. You’ll be on a __________ slope if you carry on that way. (A dangerous habit)

14) Don’t use that computer. It’s a bit ____________ and we need to get a technician to look at it. (A little defective)

15) Don’t worry about your wife. She is as ____________ as nails and I’m sure she will be fine. (Robust and of a strong
nature.)

16) I know you are angry at your husband at the moment but things will get better. In marriage, you have to take the
rough with the ___________. (Accept that there are bad moments as well as good ones)

17) Let’s not talk about my birthday. I feel like an old ___________ right now (A senior citizen)

18) He’s a lovely guy but I’m afraid he is as ___________ as two short planks.
(Not very intelligent)

19) He doesn’t like spending money at all. He really is incredibly ___________. (Frugal with cash)

20) She is as ___________ as a cactus first thing in the morning. She’s lovely once she has had her coffee though.
(Irascible, cranky, irritable)

Follow up!
Now write five sentences using the expressions from above:
e.g. Be careful of Tania. She is a smooth-talker etc.
iSLCollective.com
1) What is the origin of the expression “to cut some slack?”
a) This expression is a nautical metaphor and is to do with tightening or loosening ropes. When a rope is loose it is
slack. If you give or “cut some slack,” you are loosening the rope from the mooring bollard so that the boat can move
away. If the ropes are taut, the boat or ship is firmly tied to a mooring bollard. Too much slack means that the boat is
perhaps too far from the quay and moves around in the water too much.
b) This expression is to do with looking after horses. A good owner will keep their horse on a long piece of rope so
that it can run around the field. If the rope is too short, it won’t be slack enough to allow the horse to move freely.
c) This expression is to do with old prisons. Before the 19th century, most prisoners in British prisons were kept on
chains. Short, taut chains inhibited the movements of the prisoners. If the prisoners or one of their friends of family
paid the guards enough money, they would be given longer, slacker chains so that they good move around easier.
2) What is the origin of the expression “to come to the crunch?”
a) This expression is a nautical metaphor. If a ship was sailing in shallow water and the crew heard a crunch, they
would have to change course rapidly or even abandon ship, because this meant that the ship had run aground.
b) This expression comes from the middle ages and refers to construction methods from that time. When a site was
chosen for the construction of a large building, samples had already been taken of the area’s topography and the
geological subsurface. However, in those days, preparations for this kind of work were very rudimentary. Once the
foundations were being built, if somebody hit rock or material that crunched, a decision would have to be taken as to
whether to stay at that location or relocate to another area where the subsurface would be easier to excavate.
c) Winston Churchill wasn’t just a politician. He was also a journalist and prolific writer. He would use this expression
time and time again in his articles and letters. He used it so much that other people started to copy him and it is still
used to this day. Nobody ever really knew where he got the expression from, though.
3) What is the origin of the expression “to be wet behind the ears?”
a) This expression refers to new-born babies. After a baby is born, one of the first things that people do is dry it off
with a towel. Quite often the towel doesn’t dry behind the ears. The baby is so young that it is still wet behind the
ears.
b) From the 17th century until the early 20th it used to be customary for English sailors to be thrown into the sea on
their first voyage. If a sailor was “wet behind the ears” it was obvious that he didn’t have much experience.
c) This expression is to do with mining and started at some point during the 18th century. Miners were very fit young
men and would do a very physically demanding job. People who had done the job for a long time didn’t even sweat
anymore. The novice miners would be wet from sweating when they first started the job, hence the expression.
4) What is the origin of the expression “a sticky situation?”
a) This is an old expression and comes from a 17th century children’s poem about a man who God has turned into a fly
as a punishment. While in the form of a fly, he is then caught in a spider’s web. The poem ends with the line “ … and
once the Lord heard his pitiful lamentation, He graciously released him from his sticky situation.”
b) This refers to ancient explorers and marshy land. If explorers got stuck in the sticky soil and mud in the marshes,
this could prove fatal. Many explorers have disappeared when going over marshland and some suspect that they met
a “sticky end.” In other words, they fell victim to bogs or quicksand.
c) Originally this expression referred to the English game of cricket. The object of the bowler in a game of cricket is to
knock a stick called a bail off of a set of three sticks known as wickets. The area where a set of wickets is set up is also
called a wicket. If there has been a lot of rain and the wicket is sticky, the ball may not bounce very well and will be
difficult to play with.
5) What is the origin of the expression “to get cold feet?”
a) In mediaeval times, a mild form of torture was used by the local aristocrats to get their workers to agree to do
things for them in winter which they didn’t want to do. They would often be tied to posts with their feet placed in
cold rivers or streams and then left there until they changed their minds. When they changed their minds, it was said
that they finally got cold feet.
b) Nobody can say for sure how long this phrase has been in use but it is suspected to date from at least as far back as
the late 18th century when bathing in the sea first became fashionable among the aristocracy in England. However, as
fashionable as it was, the English weather often means the water at English beaches is pretty cold. Watch how people
walk down to the water’s edge on an English beach and you will see that many of them change their minds once they
have put their feet into the sea. They have literally got cold feet.
c) This is a 14th century expression that refers to sin and escaping the torments of hell. It was said that coldness of a
pure and pious life was preferable to the fires of hell. If a person changed their bad ways, they were set on a path
away from the inferno of hell. Therefore, their feet would get cold as they walked away from hell.

Follow up!
Now write five false origins for the expressions from the other page.
iSLCollective.com
1) Her boss is way too strict with the staff. He should cut people some slack every now and again.
(To be more flexible)

2) If it comes to the crunch, I think they should be allowed a second vote.

(A difficult and decisive moment)

3) She is very enthusiastic but perhaps she is a little wet behind the ears to be put in charge of this project.
(Inexperienced)

4) It was a sticky situation but we managed to keep our heads and everything turned out well in the end.
(Very problematic moment)

5) He was going to do a parachute jump but in the end he got cold feet.
(Got nervous about it and changed his mind)

6) He was chosen to play the next James Bond because of his acting ability but mostly because of his rugged good looks.
(Handsome appearance)

7) My mother was a duchess and my father a plumber. The family used to joke that mum married dad because he was a
bit of rough, but she loved him dearly. (Attractive but uncultured)

8) Don’t send Paul to do the negotiations. We need somebody who is less of a soft touch.
(Too trusting or too easily convinced)

9) Don’t send Tracy to do the negotiations. We need somebody with more of a delicate touch.
(Diplomatic, with tact)

10) With a recession being predicted and political instability in the EU, I would say that we are in for a bumpy ride this
year. (Difficult times)

11) Genetics is a complicated and painstaking scientific discipline. We have made some serious advances in recent years
but in reality, we have only scratched the surface. (Have a superficial understanding)

12) Don’t be offended. She is a nice person at heart but she does have a very warped sense of humour.
(Offbeat and unconventional. A little offensive to some people)

13) You shouldn’t drink before lunchtime. You’ll be on a slippery slope if you carry on that way. (A dangerous habit)

14) Don’t use that computer. It’s a bit flaky and we need to get a technician to look at it. (A little defective)

15) Don’t worry about your wife. She is as hard as nails and I’m sure she will be fine. (Robust and of a strong nature.)

16) I know you are angry at your husband at the moment but things will get better. In marriage, you have to take the
rough with the smooth. (Accept that there are bad moments as well as good ones)

17) Let’s not talk about my birthday. I feel like an old wrinkly right now (A senior citizen)

18) He’s a lovely guy but I’m afraid he is as thick as two short planks.
(Not very intelligent)

19) He doesn’t like spending money at all. He really is incredibly tight. (Frugal with cash)

20) She is as prickly as a cactus first thing in the morning. She’s lovely once she has had her coffee though.
(Irascible)

iSLCollective.com
1) What is the origin of the expression “to cut some slack?”
a) This expression is a nautical metaphor and is to do with tightening or loosening ropes. When a rope is loose it is
slack. If you give or “cut some slack,” you are loosening the rope from the mooring bollard so that the boat can move
away. If the ropes are taut, the boat or ship is firmly tied to a mooring bollard. Too much slack means that the boat is
perhaps too far from the quay and moves around in the water too much.
b) This expression is to do with looking after horses. A good owner will keep their horse on a long piece of rope so
that it can run around the field. If the rope is too short, it won’t be slack enough to allow the horse to move freely.
c) This expression is to do with old prisons. Before the 19th century, most prisoners in British prisons were kept on
chains. Short, taut chains inhibited the movements of the prisoners. If the prisoners or one of their friends of family
paid the guards enough money, they would be given longer, slacker chains so that they good move around easier.
2) What is the origin of the expression “to come to the crunch?”
a) This expression is a nautical metaphor. If a ship was sailing in shallow water and the crew heard a crunch, they
would have to change course rapidly or even abandon ship, because this meant that the ship had run aground.
b) This expression comes from the middle ages and refers to construction methods from that time. When a site was
chosen for the construction of a large building, samples had already been taken of the area’s topography and the
geological subsurface. However, in those days, preparations for this kind of work were very rudimentary. Once the
foundations were being built, if somebody hit rock or material that crunched, a decision would have to be taken as to
whether to stay at that location or relocate to another area where the subsurface would be easier to excavate.
c) Winston Churchill wasn’t just a politician. He was also a journalist and prolific writer. He would use this expression
time and time again in his articles and letters. He used it so much that other people started to copy him and it is still
used to this day. Nobody ever really knew where he got the expression from, though.
3) What is the origin of the expression “to be wet behind the ears?”
a) This expression refers to new-born babies. After a baby is born, one of the first things that people do is dry it off
with a towel. Quite often the towel doesn’t dry behind the ears. The baby is so young that it is still wet behind the
ears.
b) From the 17th century until the early 20th it used to be customary for English sailors to be thrown into the sea on
their first voyage. If a sailor was “wet behind the ears” it was obvious that he didn’t have much experience.
c) This expression is to do with mining and started at some point during the 18th century. Miners were very fit young
men and would do a very physically demanding job. People who had done the job for a long time didn’t even sweat
anymore. The novice miners would be wet from sweating when they first started the job, hence the expression.
4) What is the origin of the expression “a sticky situation?”
a) This is an old expression and comes from a 17th century children’s poem about a man who God has turned into a fly
as a punishment. While in the form of a fly, he is then caught in a spider’s web. The poem ends with the line “ … and
once the Lord heard his pitiful lamentation, He graciously released him from his sticky situation.”
b) This refers to ancient explorers and marshy land. If explorers got stuck in the sticky soil and mud in the marshes,
this could prove fatal. Many explorers have disappeared when going over marshland and some suspect that they met
a “sticky end.” In other words, they fell victim to bogs or quicksand.
c) Originally this expression referred to the English game of cricket. The object of the bowler in a game of cricket is to
knock a stick called a bail off of a set of three sticks known as wickets. The area where a set of wickets is set up is also
called a wicket. If there has been a lot of rain and the wicket is sticky, the ball may not bounce very well and will be
difficult to play with.
5) What is the origin of the expression “to get cold feet?”
a) In mediaeval times, a mild form of torture was used by the local aristocrats to get their workers to agree to do
things for them in winter which they didn’t want to do. They would often be tied to posts with their feet placed in
cold rivers or streams and then left there until they changed their minds. When they changed their minds, it was said
that they finally got cold feet.
b) Nobody can say for sure how long this phrase has been in use but it is suspected to date from at least as far back as
the late 18th century when bathing in the sea first became fashionable among the aristocracy in England. However, as
fashionable as it was, the English weather often means the water at English beaches is pretty cold. Watch how people
walk down to the water’s edge on an English beach and you will see that many of them change their minds once they
have put their feet into the sea. They have literally got cold feet.
c) This is a 14th century expression that refers to sin and escaping the torments of hell. It was said that coldness of a
pure and pious life was preferable to the fires of hell. If a person changed their bad ways, they were set on a path
away from the inferno of hell. Therefore, their feet would get cold as they walked away from hell.

iSLCollective.com