IDIOMATIC ‘PAIRS’

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR PHRASAL VERBS AND IDIOMS

IDIOMATIC ‘PAIRS’

Complete the first gap in each sentence with a word from the left-hand box, and the second gap in each sentence with a word from the right-hand box, to make idiom 'pairs'.

alive        bits       black       by       cheap       down     fair      hard      heaven      high        ins         length     pros       safe       sick       song       spick      up         ups       we

about       breadth        cheerful       cons        dance     downs        earth        fast        kicking          mighty         large        out          outs          pieces     sound         span         square        tear        tired    white

1	I walked the _____ and _____ of the Woodstock Road looking for a chemist.
2	Tidy your room. I want it _____ and _____ by the time your father gets home.
3	I went shopping, but I didn't buy very much; just a few _____ and _____.
4	What are the _____ and _____ of working for a large company?
5	I hope you enjoy your holiday, but I won't be happy until you're _____ and _____ at home again.
6	A few years ago he was a millionaire, but he lost all his money and is now _____ and _____, living on the streets of London.
7	Your new job probably seems a bit strange at the moment, but you'll soon get to know the _____ and _____ of the company.
8	You're always complaining. I'm _____ and _____ of it!
9	I've been ill in bed for a while, but I'm _____ and _____ again.
10	I've had my computer for a couple of years, and it's beginning to show signs of _____ and _____.
11	Our new teacher is a bit bad-tempered, but _____ and _____ he's OK.
12	The company phoned me today to offer me the job, but I won't be happy until I see the offer in _____ and _____.
13	I know that the service in this restaurant is slow, but there's no point making a _____ and _____ about it: it won't achieve anything.
14	My boyfriend and I have our _____ and _____, but we usually get on very well together.
15	I would move _____ and _____ to get some tickets for tonight's concert.
16	Our new sales manager is a bit _____ and _____: she thinks she's much better than the rest of us.
17	What shall we drink with dinner? How about a bottle of something _____ and _____?
18	Susie lost the game, but admitted that she had been defeated _____ and _____.
19	Some people say that the British film industry is dead, but most people would agree that it's still _____ and _____.
20	The company I work for doesn't have any _____ and _____ rules about what we should wear to the office, but they like us to look smart.

ANSWER KEY

1. length and breadth. If you walk / drive / travel the length and breadth of a place, you go in or through every part of it, usually looking for something. We can also say that we search, look or hunt high and low when we are trying to find something that is not easy to find: "I've hunted high and low for the car keys, but I can't find them anywhere". 2. spick and span. A place that is spick and span is very clean and tidy. 3. bits and pieces: small things that don't cost much money. This expression can be applied to other areas apart from shopping: "I've been sorting through a few bits and pieces that I found in my bedroom cupboard". We can also say odds and ends. 4. pros and cons: advantages and disadvantages / good points and bad points. 5. safe and sound: in a situation or place where there is no danger. 6. down and out. A person who is down and out has no money and no home, and lives rough, sleeping on the street. 7. ins and outs: the rules and the way something works or is organised. 8. sick and tired. If you are sick and tired of something, you are angry because it happens all the time. We can also say that you are sick to the back teeth of something. 9. up and about: out of bed and feeling better after an illness. 10. wear and tear. Something that is showing signs of wear and tear is not in a very good condition because it has been used a lot. 11. by and large: generally, for most of the time. We can also say on the whole or for the most part. 12. black and white: written on paper, in the form of a letter, document, etc. Black and white can also be used as an adjective to talk about one idea that is clearly right and another that is clearly wrong: "Immigration is not a simple black-and-white issue". 13. song and dance. If you make a song and dance about something, you complain about it in an annoying and unnecessary way. 14. ups and downs. If you have your ups and downs, you experience a variety of situations that are sometimes good and sometimes bad. 15. heaven and earth. A person who is prepared to move heaven and earth for something is very determined to get what they want, and will therefore do anything to get it. 16. high and mighty. A person who is high and mighty thinks that they are more important than other people, and this attitude is reflected in their behaviour and attitude. 17. cheap and cheerful. Something that is cheap and cheerful is not expensive and of reasonable quality. It is often used to describe wine and restaurants: "Let's go somewhere cheap and cheerful for dinner". 18. fair and square: in a way that is clear and fair, so that no one can complain or disagree. 19. alive and kicking: still existing and not gone or forgotten, especially when this is surprising, or living and healthy or active, especially when this is surprising. We can also say alive and well. 20. hard and fast. Hard and fast rules are rules that people must obey. Other idiom 'pairs' include: Life and limb (if you risk or sacrifice life and limb, you are put or put yourself in physical danger: "The journalist risked life and limb to get his story"); cut and dried (something that is cut and dried is already clearly decided or settled: "This matter us cut and dried, so we don't need to discuss it any more"); neck and neck (in a race, two people, etc, who are neck and neck are both in the same position: "Jones and Allinson are both neck and neck as they approach the finish line"); prim and proper (someone who is prim and proper is very careful about their behaviour and appearance, and is easily shocked by what other people say or do: "For heavens sake, Moira, don't be so prim and proper all the time!"); cloak and dagger (something that is cloak and dagger involves mystery or secrets: "My father works for a very cloak-and-dagger department in the government"); now and again (sometimes, occasionally: "I speak to her on the phone every week, and now and again we meet for lunch"); cock and bull (a cock and bull story is a story that people don't think is true: "He was late and made up some cock-andbull story about losing his car keys"); free and easy (relaxed and pleasant: "There was a very free and easy atmosphere at the meeting"); skin and bone (someone or something who is all or just skin and bone is very thin: "Have you been eating properly? You're all skin and bone!"); so-and-so (we sometimes use this expression when we are describing someone we don't approve of and don't want to use a rude word: "Her children are right so-and-so's!") Three expressions (up and down, to and fro, back and forth) have a similar meaning: to repeatedly move in one direction and then in another: "While he waited for the news, he paced back and forth anxiously".