IDIOMS FOR IDIOTS
Raining extremely heavily:
It’s ____ since Saturday — 10, 11, up to 12 inches.
What is rain cats and dogs?
A preposition that goes with all three words / phrases:
divorce / borrow money / now on
What is from?
Being active or happening at night rather than during the day:
Most bats are ____.
What is nocturnal?
The conjugation of be that completes the following sentence:
They ____ working at Quantenna for 5 years.
What is have been?
The articles (or no article) that complete the following sentences:
To get to the train station, walk ____ south until you see the big church, turn ____ left, and walk until you see the sign. The station is on ____ right.
What is - , - , the?
An event that occurs unexpectedly, without any warning or preparation:
They seemed to be talking calmly when ____ she slapped him in the face!
What is out of the blue?
A preposition that goes with all three sentences:
My mom looked ____ me when I was young.
I'm always having to clean up ____ the children.
She asked ____ you (= how you were).
What is after?
The integration of two or more different technologies in a single device or system:
The ____ of the two high tech devices will produce a mobile phone that will change the future of communications.
What is convergence?
The conjugation of shine that completes the following sentence:
The sun ____ when the climber reached Mount Everest.
What is was shining?
The articles (or no article) that complete the following sentences:
1. We donated to a charity which provides assistance to ____ elderly and ____ poor.
2. Mr. Johnson is ____ elderly and ____ poor, so the government provides him with financial assistance.
What is (1) the, the; (2) - , - ?
Information that is passed orally from person to person in an informal manner:
Services like Yelp, Airbnb and Amazon rely on this electronic ____ to keep users coming back.
What is word of mouth?
A compound preposition that goes with all three sentences:
It is ____ us to find the answer.
She's ____ no good.
Are you ____ going to the beach?
What is up to?
The ability to understand and realize something about an event after it has happened, although you did not understand or realize it at the time:
In ____, he didn't know why he thought the rocky beach provided a more yielding place to land than concrete.
What is hindsight?
The conjugation of fish, break, leave that completes the following sentences:
While we ____ someone ____ into the house and ____ us this note.
What is were fishing, broke, left?
The articles (or no article) that complete the following sentences:
Our cruise makes stops in ____ Netherlands, ____ Belgium, ____ United Kingdom and ____ France. It's going to be amazing!
What is the, - , the, - ?
To guess the truth about a situation from what you have seen or heard:
"How did you know they were having an affair?"
"I'd seen them out together a couple of times, so I just ____"
What is put two and two together?
A preposition that goes with all three sentences:
They made her comfortable and put a blanket ____ her.
He's been ____ the moon ever since he got engaged.
I get ____ sixty emails a day.
What is over?
To feel extremely offended, ashamed, or embarrassed:
I was ____ having to face my boss after what had happened.
What is mortified?
The conjugation of not pay, not call that completes the following sentences:
I just remembered that I ____ the rent yet. I’m surprised that the landlord ____ me and reminded me.
What is have not paid, has not called?
The articles (or no article) that complete the following paragraph:
Armadillos are animals which are most active at ____ night. Sometimes, you see them during ____ day, but that's less common. Nine extinct genera and 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by ____ number of bands on their armour. All species are native to ____ Americas, where they inhabit ____ variety of different environments.
What is - , the, the, the, a?
To do something very rarely:
That company puts on a good performance only ____.
What is once in a blue moon?
A compound preposition that goes with all three sentences:
We need some sugar. We're almost completely ____ it.
We looked ____ the window and saw our classmate.
He's ____ practice. He needs to practice more.
What is out of?
A formal statement that a person makes in a court of law about what they saw someone do or what they know of a situation, after having promised to tell the truth:
Prosecutors may try to determine if Robb gave false _____ when he appeared before the grand jury.
What is testimony?
The conjugation of take, forget, put that completes the following sentence:
I put the twenty-dollar bill into one of the books; but the next day it ____ me ages to find it because I ____ which book I ____ it in.
What is took, forgot, had put?
The articles (or no article) that complete the following paragraph:
For almost two decades, ____ tech experts claimed ____ future would be mobile. With ____ estimated 2.7 billion smartphone users around ____ world, it seems that future has finally arrived. Advertisers and marketers have clearly adapted to this new reality, seeking out new ways to turn ____ traditional marketing strategies into effective mobile campaigns. Even major brands like ____ Amazon have introduced ____ customizable ad services that are gaining momentum in ____ online and ____ US retail spaces.
What is - , the, an, the, - , - , - , - , - ?