Fill in the blanks.
1. I can’t get them do their homework. It is like banging my ………………… against a brick wall.
To bang your head against a brick wall is to have to keep asking somebody to do something they don’t want to do.
2. The news of her sudden demise hit me like ………………………….
When something (for example, a piece of news) hits you like a ton of bricks, you are deeply affected by it.
3. Changing jobs is fine, but one must not burn one’s ………………………..
To burn your bridges is to do something that would make it impossible for you to return to your previous position.
4. He doesn’t work hard. He only builds castles in the ……………………..
To build castles in the air is to have daydreams.
5. I was in the …………………………. when dad discovered that I had dented his car.
To be in the doghouse is to be in real trouble.
6. When my boss is away on business tours, I hold the ………………………..
To hold the fort is to take care of an office or store while the person in charge of that is away.
7. What the palmist said about my past life hit close to …………………….. He seemed to know everything about me.
When something is close to home, it affects you emotionally and personally.
8. The ceasefire agreement between the two countries was no stronger than a house of …………………………… and quickly fell apart.
A house of cards is a poorly thought out plan / action.
9. She should put her own ……………………….. in order before telling me what to do.
To put one’s own house in order is to organize one’s private affairs. If somebody asks you to put your own house in order, what they mean is that you should solve your problems before telling them what to do.
10. She brought the …………………….. down with her hilarious performance.
To bring the house down is to cause a lot of applause by delivering a splendid performance.
11. I’m tired of watching these ……………………… programs on TV.
Run-of-the-mill means something very ordinary
12. When she discovered that her son had failed his test, she went through the ……………………..
To go through the roof is to become very angry.
Answers
1. I can’t get them do their homework. It is like banging my head against a brick wall.
2. The news of her sudden demise hit me like a ton of bricks.
3. Changing jobs is fine, but one must not burn one’s bridges.
4. He doesn’t work hard. He only builds castles in the air.
5. I was in the doghouse when dad discovered that I had dented his car.
6. When my boss is away on business tours, I hold the fort.
7. What the palmist said about my past life hit close to home. He seemed to know everything about me.
8. The ceasefire agreement between the two countries was no stronger than a house of cards and quickly fell apart.
9. She should put her own house in order before telling me what to do.
10. She brought the house down with her hilarious performance.
11. I’m tired of watching these run-of-the-mill programs on TV. 12. When she discovered that her son had failed his test, she went through the roof.
