Level 3 idioms – Unit 10

Conversation:

Nick:  You look like you’re walking on air.  What’s up?

Sergey:  Remember Sarah?  We met her at the New Year’s Eve party last year?

Nick:  No. Her name doesn’t ring a bell.  What does she look like?

Sergey:  Tall, long dark hair, beautiful blue eyes.

Nick:  I’m still drawing a blank, but what about her?

Sergey:  Well, this morning we met by chance in the coffee shop and we both hit it off right away.  Now, I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but she could be the one for me.  There’s only one small problem.  I can’t lay my hands on her phone number.  She wrote it on a napkin, and now I can’t find it!  I’m on pins and needles.

Nick:  I can imagine.  You know if you don’t call her up within a few days, you’re going to be in hot water.  She’s going to think you don’t like her.

Sergey:  I know.  I know.  What am I going to do?

Nick:  Get a grip!  It won’t help to get upset.  If I were you, I’d go back to the coffee shop tomorrow and try to find her.

Sergey:  Hang on.  It just dawned on me that I changed by jeans when I got home.  I’ll bet her number is in one of the pockets.  I’ll go look.

Nick:  For your sake, I hope it is.  But if it’s not, it serves you right for being so careless.

Sergey:  Here’s her phone number!  It was in my jeans pocket all along.

Vocabulary:

by chance:  accidentally
the one:  the perfect person
hang on:  wait
sake:  benefit, well-being

Idioms:

walk on air                                         feel very happy
ring a bell                                           be something one remembers
draw a blank                                      not be able to remember
hit it off                                              become friendly immediately
jump to conclusions                         form an opinion without all the evidence
lay one’s hands on (something)     be able to find (something)
on pins and needles                          anxious, nervous
in hot water                                        in trouble
get a grip                                            make oneself calm
dawn on (someone)                          (someone) realizes
it serves (someone) right                 (someone) gets the punishment he/she deserves
all along                                              for the whole time

Notes:

ring a bell and draw a blank are opposites.

on pins and needles and on edge have the same meaning.

 

© 2004 Ambien Malecot

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© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

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