Colours Blue 1. Once in a blue moon: Extremely rare, once in a life-time. It s a pity but we only ever go out once in a blue moon. 2. To appear out of the blue: To arrive unexpectedly usually after a long period. So I was relaxing at home last night when out of the blue an old flame from university contacted me on my Facebook! I was left totally surprised by it all. 3. To look/ feel blue: To feel depressed and unhappy, down on your luck. Back in the rain of England after two weeks in scorching Italy I m feeling a bit blue. 4. To shout/ scream blue murder: To protest violently at an injustice. If you take away your employees coffee break somebody is going to scream blue murder at you. 5. To talk/complain until you are blue in the face: To make great effort in vain to convince somebody. You can talk to him until you are blue in the face: he isn t going to change his mind. And: Holiday blues; winter blues; to have baby blues (a mother s post-natal depression); a blue-collar worker: a factory or manual worker; blue-blood: to be royalty or of aristocratic descent; blueprint: a detailed drawing or text of a proposal. 1. Change the italic part of the sentence using the new vocabulary from above. A. Listen, I know you are worried but it s perfectly natural after giving birth: she s feeling depressed. B. He protested like mad when I told him he wasn t going out on Saturday night. I mean, after the way he behaved the other night he is lucky I didn t ground him longer. C. You re lucky we only go to the cinema on rare occasions; you see, Dave prefers to watch the movies at home. D. All this rain and fog and it s only just November! No wonder I m feeling a bit down. E. I spoke to him for ages but it was no use: he refuses to agree to the new proposal.
Red 1. As red as a tomato: Describes the colour of someone s face when they are embarrassed. 2. To catch someone red-handed: To catch someone in the act of committing a crime. 3. To paint the town red: To go out and celebrate perhaps going over the top in the process. 4. To see red: To act with uncontrollable rage/anger. 5. Red tape: Bureaucracy that causes delay and makes completing any task almost impossible. 6. Red-light district: An area of a town where prostitutes can be found. 7. To be in the red: To have an overdraft. 2. Complete the sentences A. First they said we didn t have one form then that we had to go to another office to get another piece of paper. This is the third time we ve been here - there s just too much B. Look the house is lovely but do you really want to be living so close to the... Wait a minute, don t answer that! C. Well, when the boss told him he hadn t been chosen to lead the project, Jeremy. 10 minutes later he had been sacked D. Well, Steve has passed his driving test and it s our anniversary as well so it is safe to say that tonight we are going to E. Well, this time there was no doubt: the supermarket security guard... him - he had his hand in the till and 200 pounds in his pocket. 3. Replace the words in brackets with a suitable idiom 1. Look it has been a [district where prostitutes reside] for years and there is a lot of [bureaucracy] in your way if you want to change that. 2. Well, when he saw Jim talking to his wife again [he went berserk!] His face went [all red!]
Green 1. To be green with envy: To feel extremely envious. 2. To have green fingers: To be good at gardening. 3. To give the green light to something: To give the go ahead to something. 4. The grass is always greener (on the other side of the fence): Some people are never satisfied. 5. To go green: To adopt a lifestyle that helps the environment. 6. Greenbelt: undeveloped, protected land around towns and cities. 4. Fill in the gaps. A. So John and Mary are suddenly really into environmental issues. B. Yes, it is safe to say they ve (1) A. Well, it helps that Mary is good at gardening. B. Yes, she certainly has (2).. A. Well, John was telling me how they are infuriated by the new building development on the (3) When the local council gave (4). Mary said they both decided to radically change their lifestyles. B. Yes, John told me that environmental issues are respected more in Scandinavian countries than here. A. Well, you know what they say: (5) White 1. Whiter than white: too good and honest to be true. 2. A white lie: A harmless, little lie. 3. As white as a sheet: To be very pale. 4. A white elephant: An expensive but useless possession that will cause suffering. 5. White-collar worker: Professional worker.
5. Replace the words in brackets with a suitable idiom 1. The government has got a [useless contract there!] Those military planes are already out of date before they arrive on the runway. 2. You are [so pale] this morning! I can see you stayed out late last night. 3. Oh come on, it was only a [little lie] no harm done! 6. Complete the sentences A. Look you better go to the doctor s a.s.a.p. you are.. and you are sweating. B. She wanted to hear that Father Christmas was true so I said he was. Look, she s only seven so it s a. worth telling. C. Why did you buy that camper? I mean, you ve only used it once although it cost you a small fortune! Talk about a.. Black 1. Black sheep: the bad member of the family. 2. To be in the black: The opposite of to be in the red' (see above). 3. The black market: illegal trading. 4. To blackmail someone: to get money out of someone through extortion. 7. Replace the words in brackets with a suitable idiom A. He has tried to [get money out of] her by threatening to tell all to her family. B. Well for the first time I can remember in a long time we [have some money in the bank!] This calls for a celebration! Complete the sentences A. One of the biggest problems with the Italian economy is the B. Sometimes with children you end up them just to get them to do something.
Colour 1. To be colour blind: Unable to distinguish colours properly. 2. Colourful language: Used to describe someone s use of bad language. 3. To be off colour: When you are not at your best; having an off day. 4. To see someone in their true colours: To see someone for who they really are and not what they want you to believe. 5. To pass with flying colours: To pass an exam with top marks, easily. 8. Replace the words in brackets with a suitable idiom A. She feels [a little ill, definitely not here usual self] this week. B. She passed the test with [no problems!] 9. Complete the sentences A. You should have heard that kid in the playground this morning I ve never heard such. language! B. Well he not only passed he passed..! C. It doesn t take long to a new politician.. D. He is having a bad game today making too many mistakes; he really is looking Try these! 10. Choose the correct expression for each sentence (only one is a correct idiom) A. Blue B. Red C. White 1. The tape is ridiculous! We can t even sneeze without first getting permission! A. Blue B. White C. Black 2. He s never got on with his family. I suppose you can say he is the.. sheep. A. White B. Green C. Red 3. I m afraid I can t help you with the garden I m not known for having fingers. A. Reds B. Whites C. Colours 4. I wouldn t worry about the exam if I were you. You are going to pass with flying
A. White B. Blue C. Green 5. Oh come on I only told him that mum was coming home sooner rather than later. It s called a lie. Answers 1 A. she s got baby blues B. He screamed blue murder C. once in a blue moon D. I m feeling a bit blue E. until I was blue in the face 2. A. red-tape B. red-light district C. Saw red D. paint the town red E. caught him red-handed 3. 1. red-light district 2. he saw red; as red as a tomato 4. 1. gone green 2. green fingers 3. green belt 4. the green light 5. the grass is always greener 5. 1. white elephant 2. as white as a sheet 3. white lie 6. A. as white as a sheet B. white lie C. white elephant 7. A. blackmail B. are in the black 8. A. off colour B. with flying colours 9. A. colourful B. with flying colours C. to see a politician in their true colours D. off colour 10. 1. red 2. black 3. green 4. colours 5. white lie