IDIOMATIC PAIRS

Vocabulary

IDIOMATIC PAIRS

• alive and kicking = in good health and active. I got a letter from Ronald, he's alive and kicking, working for an insurance company.
• born and bred = born and educated. Helen was born and bred in London, that's why she always carries an umbrella.
• bright and early = very early in the morning. We have to leave bright and early if we want to arrive there by 10.
• cut and dried = final, decided (plans). Our plan is cut and dried: first we are going to the cinema, and then to the restaurant.
• fair and square = in a fair way. We will pay for our part, let's make it fair and square.
• high and dry = without any help. She was left high and dry, but she managed to get on with her life.
• home and dry = sure of success. If you study a lot, you will be home and dry for the final exam.
• on and on = without stopping. I've been cleaning the house all morning, and I still have to go on and on to finish.
• rough and ready = not exact. I don't understand much about grammar but I can give you a rough and ready explanation.
• round and round = in circles. I started to feel sick, everything was going round and round in my head.
• safe and sound = unharmed. After being away for five months, we arrived home safe and sound.
• short and sweet = without unnecesary details. A long letter of complaint would be annoying, so when you write it, try to make it short and sweet.
• sick and tired = completely annoyed or tired of something/someone. I'm sick and tired of hearing about your trip to Russia.
• wine and dine = have a meal with wine at a restaurant. For our anniversary I think we could wine and dine at that new restaurant that opened last week.

We thank Fania Reyes (from Monterrey, Mexico) for her suggestion.

Exercise

Choose the right answer. 1. Please, Andrew, shut up! I'm really---------------------- of your excuses.
2. The boss promised all the employees to keep the meeting-------------------------------- .
3. Ingrid decided to get up---------------------------------- , ready to start a new day.
4. This test is only--------------------------------- a guide to the student's real knowledge.
5. She stared at the washing machine, just looking at the clothes going---------------------------- .
6. The beast was still----------------------------------  .
7. Honestly, we should admit that they won the competition-------------------------------- .
8. I don't think that this plan is as----------------------------------- as you think.

• bag and baggage = with all your possessions. Mary got tired of living with her boyfriend so she decided to move, bag and baggage.
• bits and pieces = small things. I didn't hear everything he said, just some bits and pieces.
• body and soul = physical and mental energy. Jim loves learning a new language, he puts body and soul into it.
• bread and butter = way of earning money to live. Thomas doesn't have much money, he earns his bread and butter as a teacher.
• bricks and mortar = property, buildings. If you want to invest your money, I would advise you to put it into bricks and mortar.
• give and take = compromise. We can reach an agreement with a bit of give and take from both sides.
• hustle and bustle = hurried activity. I don't like living in the city centre, it's all hustle and bustle.
• ifs and buts = excuses. No ifs and buts, just finish your homework and then you can go to play with the computer.
• odds and ends = small things. I've almost finished this work, but there are still some odds and ends I have to deal with.
• part and parcel = part. All those information programmes on TV are part and parcel of a campaign to destabilize the new government.
• rack and ruin = in bad conditions. This is a nice neighbourhood, but it's a shame that these old buildings are going rack and ruin.
• stuff and nonsense = foolish things. Oh, no, he was not fired! That's all stuff and nonsense!
• touch and go = close to success and failure at the same time. After the accident, he's in a critical situation, the doctor said it's touch and go.
• ups and downs = good and bad moments. Don't panic, in a married couple there are always ups and downs.
• wear and tear = deterioration. Go change those clothes! Those can't stand any more wear and tear!

Exercise

Choose the right answer. 1. In every relationship there's some----------------------------------  .
2. Before I leave, let me get all my---------------------------- .
3. Working irregular hours is all---------------------- of being a doctor.
4. Sheila doesn't have much on his desk, just a few--------------------------- .
5. It was whether---------------------------- the ambulance would get there on time.
6. The old house was left to go to-------------------------------- .
7. Before you leave, please check all your equipment for---------------------------------- .
8. They threw her out of the house,-------------------------------------------

• by and large = in general. I guess the team played quite well, by and large.
• chapter and verse = with a lot of details. The teacher gave them chapter and verse about where to find the information.
• far and wide = everywhere. She tried far and wide to find the keys but she couldn't. She had to take a taxi instead.
• first and foremost = most important. First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for this welcome.
• forgive and forget = forget enmity. Let's be friends again, I'm sorry for what I've done, but you have to forgive and forget.
• free and easy = relaxed, friendly. She knew that life wouldn't be so free and easy at work.
• hit and miss = random. I don't know how to operate this machine, it's just a question of hit and miss for me!
• live and learn = become wiser. You trusted her and she deceived you. You live and learn, so don't get fooled again.
• in and out = entering and leaving a place. The boss has been in and out all day, to see if the employees were working.
• loud and clear = very clearly. Even though he was 400km away, I could hear him loud and clear on the telephone line.
• now and again = occasionally. They like to go to a concert now and again.
• on and off = not all the time, at irregular intervals. It's been raining on and off all day, I hate this kind of weather.
• over and out = message used to end a radio communication. Understood. Over and out.
• sink or swim = be successful or fail. This a very difficult job, you have to be careful. It's really sink or swim.
• up and about = in good health. After the accident, he recovered very well, he's now up and about.
• wait and see = wait patiently. We don't know if this government will be able to put his plans into practice. We have to wait and see.

Exercise

Choose the right answer. 1. People came from------------------------------------  to see this concert.
2. We got your message ------------------------------------------- .
3. I guess we'll just----------------------------------- how things develop.
4. It's good to see you ------------------------------------- again!
5.------------------------------------------------------ , the new arrangements have worked well so far.
6. The guide won't help you much, you are really left to----------------------------------------- .
7. We see our in-laws------------------------------------------------ .
8. What if we stop arguing? Let's----------------------------------------- .


 

• by and by = soon, in a while from now. By and by they came to an enchanted place.
• chapter and verse = with a lot of details. The teacher gave them chapter and verse about where to find the information.
• cheap and cheerful = simple, not expensive and of reasonable quality. This is really a cheap and cheerful Greek restaurant.
• cloak-and-dagger = secret and mysterious. It was a cloak-and-dagger operation in which several spies were involved.
• down-and-out = having no money. He's a down-and-out actor now.
• free and easy = relaxed, friendly. She knew that life wouldn't be so free and easy at work.
• in dribs and drabs = in small amounts or numbers. The public arrived in dribs and drabs.
• in leaps and bounds = very quickly. My English is improving in leaps and bounds.
• prim and proper = correct and very formal. She's a very prim and proper lady.
• ranting and raving = shouting in an angry way. Please stop ranting and raving and listen to me!
• skin and bone = extremely thin. She's really skin and bone, she doesn't need to go on a diet anymore.
• spick and span = completely clean and tidy. Her room is always spick and span.
• the length and breadth of some place = all over the place. Police searched the length and breadth of the town.
• thick and fast = happening very frequently, in large amounts. Letters for the contest arrived thick and fast.
• to be at somebody's beck and call = be ready to do what somebody wants. She got tired of being at his beck and call.
• to blow hot and cold = keep changing one's attitude towards something. Now he agrees but I'm sure that later he'll disagree; he always blows hot and cold.
• to believe something hook, line and sinker = believe a lie completely. Paul explained her why he was late and she believed it hook, line and sinker.
• to risk/sacrifice life and limb = to risk/sacrifice one's life and health. She risked life and limb travelling to distant communities to help the poor.
• to search high and low = search all over the place. Police searched high and low for the burglars.

We thank Mσnica Tur Ramσn (from Balearic Islands, Spain), Esther Morales (from Madrid, Spain) and Pilar (from Madrid, Spain) for their contribution.

Exercise

Choose the right answer. 1. Can you decide yourself? You are----------------------------------- all the time.
2. Very few people were interested in the offer, so orders arrived------------------------------------ .
3. I have a headache, would you please stop------------------------------------------------- ?
4. As John didn't know where to look up, his mother gave him---------------------------------------- .
5. She's really very innocent, she will believe anything----------------------------------------------- .




Score:
    from saber ingles