Positive feelings, moods and states
Jo's as happy as the day is long. [extremely content]
Mary seems to be on cloud nine these days. [extremely pleasedlhappy]
Everyone seemed to be in high spirits. [lively, enjoying things]
She seems to be keeping her chin up. [happy despite bad things]
Negative feelings, moods and states
He had a face as long as a fiddle. [looked very depressedlsad]
She certainly looked down in the dumps. [looked depressedlsad]
Gerry is in a (black) mood. la bad moodltemper]
Mark was like a bear with a sore head. [extremely irritable] (See Unit 76.)
I'm feeling all in. [exhausted]
You're looking a bit under the weather. [not very well I ill]
She looked, and felt, on top form. [in good physical condition]
I suddenly felt as if my head was going round. [dizzy]
I was almost at death's door last week! [very sick or ill]
Old Nora's as fit as a fiddle. [very fit indeed]
She frightened the life out bf him. [frightened him a lot]
We were all shaking in our shoes. [trembling with fear]
The poor lad was scared out of his wits. [very scared indeed]
I jumped out of my skin when I heard the bang. [gave a big jump]
Remember: there is an element of exaggeration in these idioms; they make comments on the situation and lighten the tone of what you are saying. So use them only informally.
Horoscopes in English language newspapers and magazines are often a good place to find idioms about moods and states, since the horoscope usually tries to tell you how you are going to feel during the coming daylweeklmonth. Look at these horoscopes and note the idioms in italics. Each one is given a literal paraphrase below the text. Collect more idioms - from horoscopes if you can.
Capritorn
(21.12-19.1)Taurus
(21.4-20.5)on't get carried owoy (1) by promises that omeone will soy something that will make won't be kept. Keep o cool heod(2) and you swell witfi pride (3) and you may feel on toke everything os it comes. On the work top of tfie world(4) for o while, but the evening (1) be fooled (2) stay calm (3) feel very proud
-
(4) very happy indeed79; 1 Here are some more idioms that can be grouped as expressing either positive or negative feelings. Try to group them using a dictionary if necessary.
to be over the moon to feellbe a bit down
to feellbe as pleased as Punch to feellbe browned off
Using the idioms from 79.1 and from A opposite, say how you would probably feel if
...
1 you were told you had just won a vast sum of money. I'd be over t h e moon!
2 your boss said you had to d o again a piece of work you'd already done three times.
3 you were told you'd got a very high mark in an exam.
4 you had a bad toothache and your neighbour was making a lot of noise late at night.
5 nothing seemed to have gone right for you that day.
6 someone you were secretly in love with told you they were in love with you.
79-3 Complete the idioms in these sentences.
1 Don't creep up behind me like that! You frightened the
...
2 I don't need a doctor, I just feel a bit under
...
3 As long as he has his car to work on, he's as happy
...
4 Last year, when I won that medal, I really was on...
5 I wasn't expecting such a loud bang; I nearly jumped
...
6 I've had nothing since lunch; I could..
.
7 I feel a bit down this week; last week I felt on top
...
Spot idioms to d o with feelings, moods and states in these horoscopes. Underline them, then check the meaning if necessary in a dictionary.
Scorpio
(23 10-22.1 1)Leo
(21.7-21.8)ou may get ltchy feet today, but be patient, this ou'll be up in orms over something someone a not a good time to travel. Events at work will close to you says rather thoughtlessly today, but keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the don't let ~t spoil things. You may be in two minds day. Altogether an anxious time for Scorpians. over on invitation, but think positively.
Now use the idioms to rewrite these sentences.
1 I can't decide about that job in Paris.
2 I've been in suspense all day. What's happened? Tell me!
3 Her son became restless to travel and went off to Uruguay.
4 Everyone protested loudly when they cancelled the outing.
Which idioms opposite include the words head, wits, swell, black and c a k e d ? Write a sentence using each one.
80 Idioms connected with problematic situations
Problems and difficulties
idiom literal phrase
to be in a fix = be in difficulty
to be in a tight corner = be in a situation that is hard to get out of to be in a muddle = be confused/mixed up
(these three go together as all having be
+
in+
a )Reacting in situations
Three pairs of more or less opposite idioms.
to take a back seat [not do anything; let others act instead]
to stir things up [dolsay things that make matters worse]
to keep one's cards close to one's chest
[hold back information]
z to take the bull by the horns [act positively to face and attack the problem]
z to pour oil on troubled waters [do/say things that calm the situation down]
z to lay one's cards on the table [be very open, state exactly what your position is]
Idioms related to situations based on get
This has to be done by next week; we must get our act together before it's too late.
[organise ourselves to respond; informal]
We need a proper investigation to get to the bottom of things. [find the true explanation for the state of affairs]
It's quite difficult to get people to sit up and take notice. [make them pay attention]
I'm trying to get a grasp of what's happening; it's not easy. [find out / understand]
Changes and stages in situations
The tide has turned for us; We can see light at the end better days are ahead. of the tunnel at last.
I'm afraid we've just come to a dead end with our plans.
I think I've reached a turning-point in my career.
Some idioms connected with easing the situation
The government and the unions have buried the hatchet for the time being. [made peace / stopped fighting each other]
All that trouble last year was just swept under the carpet in the end. [ignored 1 deliberately forgotten, without solving it]
You should say sorry. It would go a long way. [would help a lot]
When looking up idioms (or any type of words) in your dictionary, it is often a good idea to look at what is just before and just after the information you are looking for. In this way you can pick up some related words and/or expressions which you can record together.
For example, if you look up take the bull by the horns in a dictionary, you will probably also find these idioms:
(to be/act) like a bull in a china shop [be very clumsy]
(to talk) a load of bull [talk nonsense]
Look up these idioms using the words underlined as your key word and see what other idioms or useful phrases you can find around them in the dictionary.
1 let the cat out of the bag 3 to
our
oil on troubled waters 2 be in afix
4 tostir
things upChoose a suitable idiom from the opposite page to fill the gaps.
1 I think 1'11 just . . . and let everyone else get on with sorting matters out.
. . .
2 No, please, don't say anything; you'll only
. . .
3 It's been a long, hard struggle, but I think at last we can see
4 The police are trying their best to get to ...
,
but it's a real mystery at the moment.5 I'm sorry, I'm in . . . .; could you explain that again?
...
6 At last I've managed to get him to sit ; he's done nothing at all for us so far.
7 I find it difficult to get a ... .... . . this global warming business, don't you?
8 I think we should take the bull . . . and sort it out. I don't ...
think it should be just swept
Here are some more idioms connected with situations. From the context, can you paraphrase - . their meaning, as in the example?
1 It's not working; we'll have to go back to square one. go back t o t h e beginning again 2 The teachers want one thing, the students want the exact opposite. I'm sure we can find
a
happy medium.
3 We were on tenterhooks all night waiting for news from the hospital. They finally rang us at 6.30 a.m.
4 Poverty and crime in this part of town.
5 You've been in a lot of trouble lately; you'd better toe the line from now on.
What questions could be asked to get these answers?
1 Well, we've buried the hatchet for the moment, but I'm sure it's pgt for good.
2 Yes, it's been a real turning-point in my career.
3 Yes, I think it would go a long way. You know how sensitive he is, and how he appreciates little gestures.