Question 1
I was really proud of my friend for winning an Olympic medal. "Way to _____!" I told her.
Way to go! is an informal American expression of praise, meaning Well done! or Good job! You say it when someone has achieved something, like winning a medal.
Question 2
Amber loves to cook, so she never minds lending _____ in the kitchen.
Lend a hand means to help someone, for example Can you lend me a hand with these boxes? The idiom always uses the singular a hand, not her hands.
Question 3
Vanessa is definitely not a night _____. She likes to be in bed by nine o'clock every night.
A night owl is a person who likes to stay up late at night. Vanessa goes to bed at nine o'clock, so she is not a night owl. The idiom always uses owl, not other birds.
Question 4
After Mr. Digby was elected president of the company, he thought he was a real _____ shot.
A big shot is an important or powerful person, and the phrase is often used to show that someone feels too proud of themselves. The idiom is fixed, so you can't replace big with huge or large.
Question 5
You're taking everything too seriously. You need to lighten _____.
Lighten up means to relax and stop being so serious. The clue is You're taking everything too seriously. Not down, because lighten down is not an English phrase.
Question 6
Let's go! We're already late. Let's get the show on the _____.
Get the show on the road means to start an activity or leave for somewhere, especially when you need to hurry. The clue is We're already late. The idiom always ends with road.
Question 7
When people near me whisper during a movie, it really _____ on my nerves.
Get on someone's nerves means to annoy or irritate them, for example His loud music gets on my nerves. The verb in this idiom is get, not act or scratch.
Question 8
Nicole's teacher asked her to help a new exchange student from Argentina with her English homework. Nicole was happy to help _____.
Help out means to help someone, especially by doing a job or task for them. Not help around, because we say help around the house, and around needs a place after it.
Question 9
Choose the best substitute for the phrase or sentence in bold:
You want me to drive you all the way to Toronto during this snowstorm? Nothing doing!
Nothing doing! is an informal way of refusing a request. It means Not a chance! or Absolutely not! The speaker does not want to drive all the way to Toronto in a snowstorm.
Question 10
Len and Ben, college roommates, stayed up until 3 a.m. talking and drinking beer. No wonder they didn't wake up until noon the next day!
Stay up means to not go to bed, usually until later than normal. The clue is that Len and Ben were talking until 3 a.m. and slept until noon the next day.
Question 11
Michael used to work the late shift at McDonald's — from midnight to 8 a.m. He didn't mind since he's a night owl.
A night owl is a person who likes to stay up late. That's why Michael didn't mind working from midnight to 8 a.m. Not a wise person: owls are a symbol of wisdom, but the idiom is about staying up late.
Question 12
The man behind me on the bus wouldn't stop whistling. It really got on my nerves!
Get on someone's nerves means to annoy them. The man's whistling did not stop, so it annoyed the speaker.
Question 13
Our plane leaves in just two hours. If we don't get the show on the road, we're going to miss it.
Get the show on the road means to get ready and start going. The plane leaves in two hours, so the speakers must leave soon or they will miss it. It has nothing to do with a real street.
Question 14
You want to attend Yale University? Call my friend Penny. She's a real big shot on the admissions committee.
A big shot is an important, powerful person. Penny has influence on the admissions committee, so she can help. Not a big mouth, which means a person who talks too much or can't keep secrets.
Question 15
Ted was fooling around with his friends when he should've been studying for his chemistry test.
Fool around means to waste time doing silly or unimportant things. The clue is when he should've been studying: Ted was wasting time instead of preparing for his test. Not putting time to good use, which means the opposite.
Question 16
You got a big promotion at work? Way to go!
Way to go! is an informal way of praising someone. It means Good job! A big promotion is good news, so Too bad! and Sorry to hear that! don't fit.
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Free worksheets for class or home
LESSON 18 – Everyone Bakes Cookies
EVERYONE BAKES COOKIES
Bob tells his family the cookies are selling well. He asks his kids to help bake more cookies for tomorrow. Nicole says she’s too busy to lend a hand.
Bob: The cookies are selling like hotcakes!
Ted: Way to go, Dad!
Bob: I need you kids to help out tonight with the cookies. We need another thousand by morning.
Nicole: One thousand by tomorrow morning? That’s impossible!
Ted: Amber and I will lend a hand. She’s a real night owl, so she won’t mind staying up late.
Bob: Nicole, we’ll need your help too.
Nicole: Bake cookies the night before the elections? Nothing doing!
Ted: Lighten up, big shot! You’re running for high school president, not President of the United States.
Nicole: Ted, you really get on my nerves sometimes.
Bob: Okay, kids, let’s stop fooling around. We need to get the show on the road!
IDIOMS
- big shot
→ a powerful or important person
EXAMPLE 1: Martin has become a real big shot in Hollywood. This year he produced several movies.
EXAMPLE 2: Adam is a big shot in Silicon Valley. He started a very successful software company.
NOTE: This expression can also be used in the negative sense, to mean somebody who thinks they’re very important. Example: Now that she’s been promoted to vice president, Beth thinks she’s such a big shot!
- (to) fool around
→ to waste time, or spend it in a silly way
EXAMPLE 1: If we keep fooling around here, we’ll be late to the restaurant!
EXAMPLE 2: Stop fooling around! You’ve got lots of work to do.
NOTE: This expression also can mean to have casual sexual relations. Example: Steve and Tanya were fooling around in the back seat of the car when a policeman knocked on the window.
- (to) get on one’s nerves
→ to annoy or irritate someone
EXAMPLE 1: My neighbor’s dog barks all night. It really gets on my nerves.
EXAMPLE 2: Please stop whistling. It’s getting on my nerves!
SYNONYMS: to get under someone’s skin; to bug someone [slang]
- (to) get the show on the road
→ to start working; to begin an undertaking
EXAMPLE 1: We can’t afford to waste any more time — let’s get the show on the road!
EXAMPLE 2: Kids, let’s get the show on the road. We don’t want to be late for the movie!
- (to) help out
→ to give assistance; to help
EXAMPLE 1: Amber offered to help out in the kitchen by chopping nuts.
EXAMPLE 2: I’d be happy to help out by baking cookies for the picnic.
SYNONYM: to lend a hand
- (to) lend a hand
→ to help
EXAMPLE 1: When Amber saw Susan washing the cookie sheets, she offered to lend a hand.
EXAMPLE 2: Would you mind lending a hand in the garden? We need to finish planting these flowers before it starts raining.
- (to) lighten up
→ to stop taking things so seriously
EXAMPLE 1: Lighten up! I’m sure Ted was only joking when he said your guitar playing gave him a headache.
EXAMPLE 2: Don always takes his job so seriously. He needs to lighten up.
SYNONYMS: chill out [slang]; take it easy
- night owl
→ a person who enjoys being active late at night
EXAMPLE 1: Sara goes to sleep every night at 3 a.m. She’s a real night owl.
EXAMPLE 2: I never go to bed before midnight. I’m a night owl.
- Nothing doing!
→ Not a chance!
EXAMPLE 1: You want me to buy the Golden Gate Bridge from you for a million bucks? Nothing doing!
EXAMPLE 2: You want me to write your paper on Catherine the Great? Nothing doing!
SYNONYMS: No way! Not on your life!
- (to) sell like hotcakes
→ to sell fast; to be a popular item
EXAMPLE 1: Those new Fubu blue jeans are selling like hotcakes. All the girls love them.
EXAMPLE 2: Stephen King’s new novel is selling like hotcakes.
- (to) stay up
→ not to go to bed; to stay awake
EXAMPLE 1: Ted and Amber stayed up all night talking about cookies.
EXAMPLE 2: Whenever I stay up late, I regret it the next morning.
- Way to go!
→ Good work!
EXAMPLE 1: You won $2,000 in the poetry writing contest? Way to go!
EXAMPLE 2: That was an interesting article you wrote. Way to go!