Directions: Determine the meaning of the bolded expression. Circle the letter c.

c. The Mountain Boys are always willing to perform at charity events.

of your answer. d. The Mountain Boys enforce a dress code at all of their shows.

6. Over the summer Brian was really excited about being placed in the advanced
1. Bobby would have been playing ball until the cows came home if it hadn’t been
math class, but after getting his syllabus on the first day and seeing the workload, he
for Suzie dragging him home for dinner.
was ready to jump ship.
a. Bobby was just about to stop playing ball. a. Brian was even more excited about the math class than he was over the summer.
b. Bobby didn’t even want to play ball to begin with. b. Brian wanted to start working on his math assignments right away.
c. Bobby prefers nature to athletics. c. Brian did not want to be in the advance math class anymore.
d. Bobby would have continued playing ball for a long time. d. Brian wanted to cause some trouble in the advanced math class.
2. Mr. Johnson was very particular about the arrangement of his classroom, so the 7. Jose had a hard time comparing the iPhone to the Samsung phone because to
thing he hated most was when his students caused a ruckus with their wild him they were apples and oranges.
horseplay.
a. Jose can hardly tell the difference between the two phones because they are so
a. Mr. Johnson hated when his students pretended to be animals. similar.
b. Mr. Johnson hated when his students played sports. b. Jose believes that the phones are so different from one another that they cannot
c. Mr. Johnson hated when his students wrestled around with each other. be compared.
d. Mr. Johnson hated when his students made animal noises. c. Jose doesn’t know anything about phones so he may as well be thinking about
fruits.
3. Eric wanted to fix his cousin’s computer, but he was already having problems d. Jose is too hungry to think about phones at this time.
setting up his Aunt’s Wi-Fi network and he didn’t want to open a whole new can of
worms. 8. When Brian felt pretty good about getting the a pair of roller-skates for his
a. Eric was sick of spending his time helping his family. birthday, until he saw his twin brother Ryan open up his GameBox X-9000, and then
b. Eric wanted to go fishing instead of working on computers. Brian felt like he got the short end of the stick.
c. Eric was having difficulties untangling the computer wires. a. Brian felt like Ryan received a better gift than he.
d. Eric was not ready to begin working on a complicated new problem. b. Brian was quite pleased with his roller skates.
c. Brian wanted a long stick that he could use to support himself on hikes.
4. Even though Candace already had a new job, she submitted her two week notice d. Brian feels bad for Ryan because Ryan wanted roller-skates.
and conducted herself in a professional way at her old job because she didn’t want to
burn bridges. 9. After Ms. Smith caught Darnisha chewing gum for the third time, Ms. Smith
scheduled a parent teacher conference with Darnisha’s mother. When Darnisha’s
a. Candace didn’t want to ruin her positive relationship with her old employer. mother came into Ms. Smith’s classroom, she was chewing gum. Ms. Smith thought
b. Candace wasn’t ready to start her new job. to herself, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
c. Candace was really going to miss her old job.
a. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha dresses like her mother.
d. Candace was waiting until her last day to rub it in everyone’s face that she was
b. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha acts a lot like her mother.
leaving.
c. Ms. Smith is surprised to see that Darnisha’s mother came.
d. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha’s mother lives very close to the school.
5. World renowned country western super group The Mountain Boys can sell out an
arena at the drop of a hat.
10. Keisha got up a started yelling at Ronnie and threatening him but Ronnie didn’t
even flinch because he knew that her bark was worse than her bite.
a. The Mountain Boys may be able to sell out an arena, but it will take a long time.
b. The Mountain Boys can sell out an arena very quickly. a. Ronnie thinks that Keisha will get in trouble for yelling.
b. Ronnie thinks that Keisha has bad breath.
c. Ronnie thinks that Keisha is loud but not dangerous.
d. Ronnie thinks that Keisha has a crush on him.
16. After promising to go to Beth's parent's cabin for the weekend, Molly got invited
11. You might think that Billy Parker is the kid who has everything, but if you saw the to the coolest party of the year and now Molly is really in a pickle.
list of chores his parents give him, I guarantee that you wouldn’t want to be in his a. This means that no matter what happens things are going to work out for Molly.
shoes. b. This means that Molly is stuck in a difficult situation.
a. You wouldn’t want your shoes to get as dirty as Billy’s when he’s doing his chores. c. This means that Molly has become really popular.
b. If you have to do as many chores as Billy, you’ll want a pair of comfortable shoes. d. This means that Molly smells like vinegar.
c. Billy shoes are so uncomfortable that doing his chores is really unpleasant.
d. Billy has so many chores to do that it is unpleasant to imagine doing them all. 17. Even though Lucas had been bullying the new kid since the beginning of the
year, Lucas shed his crocodile tears after the principal caught him and threatened
12. After Michael missed three shots in a row and passed the ball to a player on the him with suspension.
other team, the boys were only up by two and they suspected that Michael would be a. This means that Lucas genuinely feels sorry for his actions.
the Achilles' heel of the team. b. This means that Lucas display of sorrow was insincere.
a. A person who performs well under pressure c. This means that Lucas was afraid of the principal.
b. A valuable contributor to a cause shared by many d. This means that Lucas was afraid of the new kid.
c. A weakness in an otherwise strong entity
d. A person who inspires others to succeed 18. The researchers at the renowned UC Berkeley have a long history of pushing
the envelope in regards to computer science.
13. Vance knew that if he wanted to get into college, he'd have to keep his nose to a. This means that these researchers have long followed behind others in the field.
the grindstone all senior year. b. This means that these researchers have long led efforts in the field.
a. Vance would have to apply for college. c. This means that these researchers have kept up with trends in the field.
b. Vance would have to work hard for a whole year. d. This means that these researchers have long attempted to do away with paper
c. Vance would have to wait patiently for an opportunity. record keeping.
d. Vance would have to stay out of trouble for a whole year.
19. When Angelo called Devon "stinky pants" on the playground, Devon wanted to
14. Mrs. March was afraid of leaving the student teacher with her third period class call Angelo a mean name too, but Devon's mother had always taught him to turn the
because she feared that the student teacher was a bit too green to be left alone with other cheek.
such a wild bunch. a. To forgive an act of aggression
a. Mrs. March felt that the student teacher was too inexperienced. b. To return an act of aggression with greater force
b. Mrs. March felt that the student teacher was too jealous of some of the students. c. To return an act of aggression with equal force
c. Mrs. March felt that the student teacher was too nice. d. To hide from aggression in order to protect oneself
d. Mrs. March felt that the student teacher was too sick to handle the children.
20. Although I hate green peppers, I ordered them on the pizza because everybody
15. Ever since country western super group The Mountain Boys started wearing else wanted them and I didn't want to go against the grain.
stovepipe hats, those hats have been selling like hotcakes. a. To oppose or resist a strong force
a. This means that stovepipe hats have been selling quickly. b. To just go along with whatever is the easiest
b. This means that stovepipe hats have been selling slowly. c. To raise one's voice to an inappropriate level
c. This means that stovepipe hats have been selling at an average pace. d. To ignore something unpleasant
d. This means that stovepipe hats have not been selling at all.
 ______________________________________________________________
6. After playing for three straight quarters, the quarterback was running out
Directions: Read each idiom and write the meaning on the blank provided. of steam.

1. When the politician was caught stealing from the taxpayers, everyone What is the meaning of this idiom?
thought he would receive a severe punishment, but all he got was a slap on
the wrist. ______________________________________________________________

What is the meaning of this idiom? 7. Don’t get so worked up, buddy. She’s only pulling your leg.

______________________________________________________________ What is the meaning of this idiom?

2. We thought that our neighbor’s, the Jones family, were rich beyond our ______________________________________________________________
wildest dreams, but it turns out that we’re all in the same boat.

What is the meaning of this idiom? 8. Jimbo was too tired to finish the assignment, so he decided to hit the hay.

______________________________________________________________ What is the meaning of this idiom?

3. If Kim thinks that I’m going to let her copy my math homework, she’s ______________________________________________________________
barking up the wrong tree.
9. Alan was excited when he found out that he would have his own front row
What is the meaning of this idiom? parking spot at the university, but that was just the icing on the cake.

______________________________________________________________ What is the meaning of this idiom?

4. I thought Janet would be a good worker, but it turns out that she can’t cut ______________________________________________________________
the mustard.
10. Working at the Burger King was at first overwhelming to Kyle, but now he
What is the meaning of this idiom? knows the ropes.

______________________________________________________________ What is the meaning of this idiom?

5. The lawyer knew that beating around the bush would get Tom all worked
up.

What is the meaning of this idiom?

11. I tried to warn Brian that he was playing with fire, but he kept flipping off 16. I didn’t want to jump the gun, so I decided to wait until the second date to
of the trampoline and into the pool until he missed the pool one time and try and hold her hand.
broke his ankle.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
What is the meaning of this idiom?

______________________________________________________________ 17. Derek hated how much his mom nagged him about homework. He didn’t
really see why it mattered and he thought that his mom was making a
12. Lucy must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, because she mountain out of a molehill.
was muttering curses again.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
What is the meaning of this idiom?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
18. Alice was feeling a little under the weather, so she asked her mom if
13. I would have loved to call in sick everyday until the summer, but I had to she could stay home today.
face the music one day.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
What is the meaning of this idiom?
______________________________________________________________

19. Tammy wanted to yell at John for leaving the toilet seat up again, but
14. Kylie’s mother wanted her to play the piano but, as much as Kylie wanted after their last fight she decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
to make her mother happy, playing the piano was just not her cup of tea.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
What is the meaning of this idiom? ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
20. Kevin accepted the job even though he was still in school, but his mom
15. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’m the fastest kid on my block thought he might be biting off more than he could chew.
and the smartest too.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
What is the meaning of this idiom?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________