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Click on the topics to learn the idioms then scroll down to do the tasks.
House and home idioms
a halfway house = partly this, partly that
a house of cards = weak, can be easily destroyed
bring down the house = very successful
a fox guarding the henhouse = the worst person for the task
wear the pants in the house = the boss
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. = don’t criticise others for your own bad qualities
eat someone out of house and home = eat a lot of food
build castles in the air = have impossible plans or dreams
get on like a house on fire = get on very well (!)
on the house = the house pays it
There’s no place like home. = your home is a special place
have a roof over your head = have somewhere to live
Building and construction idioms
Rome wasn’t built in a day. = it takes a long time to do an important task
to stonewall = refuse to co-operate
hit the nail on the head = be exactly correct
know the drill = have a great experience
build castles in the air = daydream
Good walls make good neighbours. = respect others’ privacy
like a ton of bricks = quickly and severely
lay the groundwork = provide the basic ideas
pick-and-shovel work = tedious, hard or meticulous work
the nuts and bolts = basic practical details
to paper over the cracks = deal with the superficial issues and not the real problems
like talking to a brick wall = makes no sense to tell him/her anything
You can’t make bricks without straw. = you need the necessary material or knowlwdge to do it
Furniture idioms
love triangle = two people in love with the same person
move in the same circles with sb. = have the same taste as the group you belong to
bring the curtain down = end sg.
bring to the table = contribute to sg.
a doormat = a person who is too weak to stand up for himself
everything but the kitchen sink = everything regardless of whether it is useful or not
fresh from the oven = very new
get out of the bed on the wrong side = start the day in a bad mood
take the chair = become a chairman
You’ve made your bed- you’ll have to lie in it. = have to live with the consequences of your deeds
darken sb’s door = come as an unwanted visitor
dead as a doornail = definitely dead
sweep under the rug = hide an uncomfortable truth
armchair critic = passive advisor