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Category: Idioms

  • Idioms: Feelings and Emotions (PDF)

    Idioms: Feelings and Emotions (PDF)

    Feelings and emotions idioms is the B1 figurative-language collection that gives learners precise emotional vocabulary beyond happy/sad/angry. On cloud nine (extremely happy), down in the dumps (sad), over the moon (delighted), at the end of my tether (very stressed), feel blue (sad), jump for joy (very happy), see red (suddenly very angry), butterflies in your stomach (nervous), bite someone’s head off (snap angrily). Learners build the emotional-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B1 fluency with feelings-and-emotions idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 20 emotion expressions across positive and negative
    • Emotion-sort task: classify idioms by feeling
    • Gap-fill in dialogue contexts
    • Production task: describe a recent emotional experience using three idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Emotional precision at B1 — strong emotions need strong idioms; mild emotions need mild ones. On cloud nine is intense; feel blue is mild. Cultural variation: some L1s have richer or sparser emotional idioms than English.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Speaking and Writing. Part of the Body & Emotions Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Body and Health.

  • Idioms: Colours (PDF)

    Idioms: Colours (PDF)

    Colour idioms is the B1 figurative collection built on chromatic metaphors. See red (become very angry), feel blue (feel sad), green with envy (very jealous), in the black (profitable), in the red (in debt), white lie (small harmless lie), out of the blue (unexpectedly), roll out the red carpet (welcome someone grandly), grey area (ambiguous territory), born with a silver spoon (born into wealth). Learners build the colour-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B1 fluency with colour idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 18 colour expressions organised by colour
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in contextual sentences
    • Production task: write a short paragraph using three colour idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Colour-meaning conventions vary across cultures — green = envy in English is universal-Western; in some L1s green can mean different emotions. In the black/red are financial-specific. Distinguishing colour-as-literal from colour-as-idiom: I saw red curtains (literal) vs I saw red when she said that (figurative).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Daily Life Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: General Everyday Expressions.

  • Idioms: Sports and Competition (PDF)

    Idioms: Sports and Competition (PDF)

    Sports and competition idioms is the B2 figurative collection extending sports metaphors into the competitive-life domain. Win hands down (win easily), neck and neck (very close competition), come out on top (win), be a long shot (unlikely to succeed), play hardball (negotiate aggressively), go the distance (persist to the end), be in a league of your own (unmatched), give it your best shot (try your hardest), throw your hat in the ring (enter a competition). Learners build the competition-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B2 fluency with sports-and-competition idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 18 competition expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in business and personal-competition contexts
    • Production task: describe a competitive situation using three idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Competition-context transfer at B2 — many idioms apply equally to sports, business, and personal goals. Play hardball (aggressive negotiation) vs give it your best shot (effortful attempt) carry different emotional weight. Frequency: give it your best shot (high), throw your hat in the ring (medium-formal).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Sports & Nature Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Nature and the Environment.

  • Idioms: Time Expressions (PDF)

    Idioms: Time Expressions (PDF)

    Time expressions idioms is the B1–B2 collection of fixed phrases that mark temporal relationships. In the nick of time (just in time), at the eleventh hour (very late), better late than never, time will tell (we’ll see in the future), out of the blue (unexpectedly), once in a blue moon (very rarely), for the time being (temporarily), in this day and age (currently), as time goes by (with passing time), make up for lost time (compensate for delay). Learners build the time-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with time-expression idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 18 time expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in temporal narrative contexts
    • Production task: describe a recent event using three time idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Temporal-precision at B1–B2: in the nick of time (just barely in time) vs at the eleventh hour (very late but still in time) — slightly different meanings. Once in a blue moon (very rare) vs every now and then (occasionally). Frequency: out of the blue (very high), in this day and age (medium-formal).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Time, Work & Money Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Business and Work.

  • Idioms: Money and Business (PDF)

    Idioms: Money and Business (PDF)

    Money and business idioms is the B2 financial-figurative collection. Break the bank (cost too much), pay through the nose (pay a lot), cost an arm and a leg (very expensive), on a shoestring (with little money), in the red (in debt), in the black (profitable), make ends meet (manage with limited money), splash out (spend lavishly), tighten your belt (spend less), bring home the bacon (earn a living), money doesn’t grow on trees (money is limited). Learners build the money-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B2 fluency with money-and-business idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 18 money expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in financial conversation contexts
    • Production task: write a paragraph about a financial situation using three idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Direction (gain/loss) is the central distinction — splash out (spend lavishly) vs tighten your belt (spend less). Personal vs business application: some idioms (bring home the bacon) are personal; others (in the red) work for both. Frequency: cost an arm and a leg (high), money doesn’t grow on trees (medium).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English and BEC Vantage. Part of the Time, Work & Money Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Time Expressions.

  • Idioms: Animals (PDF)

    Idioms: Animals (PDF)

    Animal idioms is the B1–B2 figurative collection built on zoological metaphors. Kill two birds with one stone (achieve two things with one action), the elephant in the room (obvious issue everyone avoids), a wild goose chase (futile pursuit), every dog has its day (everyone gets a chance eventually), let the cat out of the bag (reveal a secret), hold your horses (wait), take the lion’s share (take the biggest portion), birds of a feather flock together (similar people stick together), night owl / early bird (night vs morning person). Learners build the animal-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with animal idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 20 animal expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in narrative contexts
    • Production task: write a short story using three animal idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Animal-symbolism varies across cultures — owl (English: wise; some cultures: ominous), elephant (Western: big and obvious; Asian: memory and wisdom). Many animal idioms translate across L1s; some don’t. Frequency: the elephant in the room (high), every dog has its day (medium-formal).

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Sports & Nature Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Sports and Competition.

  • Idioms: Weather Expressions (PDF)

    Idioms: Weather Expressions (PDF)

    Weather expressions idioms is the B1 figurative collection built on atmospheric metaphors. Under the weather (unwell), on cloud nine (very happy), raining cats and dogs (raining heavily), a storm in a teacup (overreaction to a small problem), save for a rainy day (save money for emergencies), steal someone’s thunder (take credit for someone’s idea), break the ice (start a conversation), as right as rain (perfectly fine). Learners build the weather-idiom range that English uses constantly.

    This worksheet builds B1 fluency with weather idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 18 weather expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in conversational contexts
    • Production task: write a dialogue using three weather idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Weather-idiom transparency: raining cats and dogs is fully opaque; save for a rainy day is metaphor-transparent. Frequency: under the weather (high) vs steal someone’s thunder (medium). Register: weather idioms work in casual writing and speech.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Daily Life Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Colours.

  • Sports Idioms and Expressions (PDF)

    Sports Idioms and Expressions (PDF)

    Sports idioms and expressions is the B1–B2 figurative collection built on athletic metaphors. The ball is in your court (it’s your turn), step up to the plate (rise to the challenge), throw in the towel (give up), out of left field (unexpected), level the playing field (make conditions fair), be on the same team (work together), drop the ball (fail to do something), take a rain check (postpone), photo finish (very close result), jump the gun (act too soon). Learners build the sports-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with sports idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 20 sports expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in non-sports contexts (these idioms are used everywhere)
    • Production task: write a workplace scenario using three sports idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Sports-idiom origin varies — many come from baseball (step up to the plate, hit it out of the park, drop the ball) and are stronger in American English. UK sports idioms come from cricket and football. Cultural transfer: some sports idioms translate (the ball is in your court); some don’t.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Sports & Nature Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Animals.

  • Idioms: Business and Work (PDF)

    Idioms: Business and Work (PDF)

    Business and work idioms is the B2 professional-figurative-English collection. Think outside the box (creative thinking), get the ball rolling (start something), cut corners (do something cheaply or poorly), climb the corporate ladder (advance in career), hit the ground running (start strong), touch base (briefly contact), take the bull by the horns (act decisively), the ball is in your court (it’s your turn), on the same wavelength (in agreement), back to the drawing board (start over). Learners build the workplace-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B2 fluency with business-and-work idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 20 workplace expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in workplace contexts (emails, meeting transcripts)
    • Production task: rewrite a workplace memo using three business idioms appropriately
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Business-idiom over-use is the recurring stylistic risk at B2 — let’s circle back, touch base, get our ducks in a row in a single email reads as forced. Frequency: think outside the box (high), back to the drawing board (medium). Register: appropriate in spoken meetings, careful with formal writing.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study — particularly working professionals. Maps onto BEC Vantage and Cambridge B2 First (FCE). Part of the Time, Work & Money Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Time and Change.

  • Idioms: Time and Change (PDF)

    Idioms: Time and Change (PDF)

    Time and change idioms is the B2 figurative collection covering temporal and transformational meanings. Time flies (time passes quickly), time is money (don’t waste time), in the nick of time (just in time), behind the times (out of date), call it a day (stop working for the day), around the clock (continuously), a leopard can’t change its spots (people don’t fundamentally change), turn over a new leaf (start fresh), out with the old, in with the new (embrace change). Learners build the time-and-change idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B2 fluency with time-and-change idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 18 time-and-change expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in contextual sentences
    • Production task: describe a personal change using three target idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Time-vs-change distinction: some idioms describe duration (around the clock), some transformation (turn over a new leaf). Cultural variation: change-related idioms reflect cultural attitudes toward fixity vs flexibility. Register: most are conversational-to-neutral.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Time, Work & Money Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Money and Business.

  • Idioms: Body and Health (PDF)

    Idioms: Body and Health (PDF)

    Body and health idioms are the figurative-English layer where physical states map onto emotional and behavioural meanings. A pain in the neck (annoying), get cold feet (become nervous), let your hair down (relax), keep a stiff upper lip (stay calm), under the weather (slightly ill), off-colour (unwell), pull yourself together (regain composure). Learners build the receptive recognition and selectively productive use of high-frequency body-health idioms.

    This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with body-and-health idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 18 high-frequency expressions, meanings, and examples
    • Multiple-choice items testing meaning in context
    • Gap-fill: complete the sentence with the right idiom
    • Production task: write a short paragraph using three target idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Word-for-word translation rarely works at B1–B2 — get cold feet doesn’t translate. Register awareness: most body-health idioms are casual-to-neutral, fine in conversation, wrong in academic writing. Frequency intuition: which idioms are worth using productively vs which to just recognise.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Body & Emotions Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Body Parts.

  • Idioms: Body Parts (PDF)

    Idioms: Body Parts (PDF)

    Body parts idioms is the B1 figurative-language collection built on anatomical metaphors. Pull someone’s leg (joke), cost an arm and a leg (very expensive), put your foot in your mouth (say something embarrassing), give someone a hand (help), keep an eye on (watch), off the top of my head (without thinking carefully), head over heels (deeply in love), bite your tongue (stay silent). Learners build the body-idiom range that natural conversational English uses constantly.

    This worksheet builds B1 fluency with body-parts idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 20 high-frequency body-parts expressions
    • Matching task: pair idiom with meaning
    • Gap-fill in conversational contexts
    • Production task: write a dialogue using at least three body-parts idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Body-idiom transparency varies — give someone a hand (semi-transparent: hand = help) vs pull someone’s leg (fully opaque). Some have L1 equivalents that look similar but mean different things. Register: body-parts idioms are casual; using them in formal writing sounds odd.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Body & Emotions Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Feelings and Emotions.

  • Idioms: Food and Drink (PDF)

    Idioms: Food and Drink (PDF)

    Food and drink idioms is the B1–B2 figurative collection built on culinary metaphors. A piece of cake (easy), the icing on the cake (a bonus), spill the beans (reveal a secret), in a nutshell (in summary), butter someone up (flatter), bring home the bacon (earn a living), take with a pinch of salt (be sceptical), put all your eggs in one basket (depend on one option), go bananas (get very excited or angry). Learners build the food-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with food-and-drink idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 20 food-and-drink expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in conversational contexts
    • Production task: write a dialogue using three food idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Food-idiom transparency varies — a piece of cake is semi-transparent; butter someone up is opaque. Cultural variation: some food idioms (put all your eggs in one basket) translate; some (bring home the bacon) don’t. Register: food idioms are mostly casual.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Daily Life Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Weather Expressions.

  • Idioms: General Everyday Expressions (PDF)

    Idioms: General Everyday Expressions (PDF)

    General everyday expressions is the B1 foundational idiom collection — the high-frequency figurative phrases native speakers use constantly. Hit the books (study hard), call it a day (finish work), break the ice (start a conversation), piece of cake (very easy), cost an arm and a leg (very expensive), under the weather (unwell), on the same page (in agreement), go the extra mile (do more than expected). Learners build the receptive recognition of the everyday idiomatic layer of English.

    This worksheet builds B1 fluency with everyday idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 25 highest-frequency everyday expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in conversational contexts
    • Production task: write five sentences using different everyday idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Everyday-idiom frequency varies widely — piece of cake and break the ice are extremely high-frequency; learners benefit from recognising and using them. Register: these idioms work in casual professional speech; almost never in formal writing.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1, in intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET) and B2 First (FCE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Daily Life Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Food and Drink.

  • Idioms: Mixed Practice (PDF)

    Idioms: Mixed Practice (PDF)

    Idioms mixed practice is the B2 consolidation worksheet that brings together idioms from all source domains for cumulative review. The format mirrors Cambridge B2/C1 Reading-Use of English idiom-recognition tasks: idioms appear without category labels, learners must recognise them across body, food, weather, colour, sports, animals, time, money, business, and nature domains. Learners build the recognition-under-pressure skill that exam contexts require.

    This worksheet builds B2 cumulative idiom-recognition fluency.

    What’s inside:

    • 30 mixed idioms drawn from all source domains
    • Multiple-choice items in mixed context
    • Cambridge-style gap-fill with idiom-completion
    • Recognition speed drill
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes with FCE/CAE exam-prep guidance

    Common challenges: Recognition-under-pressure at B2 — idioms in isolation are easier than idioms embedded in context. Cumulative review surfaces gaps in idiom inventory. Frequency calibration: knowing which idioms are worth productive use vs which are just recognition material.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study — particularly Cambridge candidates. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Sports & Nature Idioms collection — the natural next step is Sports Idioms and Expressions.

  • Idioms: Nature and the Environment (PDF)

    Idioms: Nature and the Environment (PDF)

    Nature and the environment idioms is the B2 figurative collection built on natural-world metaphors. Go with the flow (be flexible), weather the storm (endure difficulty), in deep water (in serious trouble), make waves (cause disruption), the calm before the storm (peaceful moment before trouble), break the ice (start a conversation), down to earth (practical and grounded), out of the woods (past the difficult phase), root cause (fundamental reason), branch out (expand). Learners build the nature-idiom range.

    This worksheet builds B2 fluency with nature-and-environment idioms.

    What’s inside:

    • An idiom bank with 20 nature expressions
    • Matching task: idiom to meaning
    • Gap-fill in narrative and analytical contexts
    • Production task: describe a difficult situation using three nature idioms
    • Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes

    Common challenges: Nature-metaphor universality at B2 — most nature idioms have clear visual logic and translate across cultures. Distinguishing similar-sounding idioms: make waves (cause disruption, often negative) vs go with the flow (be flexible, positive). Register: nature idioms work in both conversational and moderately formal writing.

    For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B2, in upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Maps onto Cambridge B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE) Reading-Use of English. Part of the Sports & Nature Idioms collection — the natural next step is Idioms: Mixed Practice.