Figurative Language & Idioms
My mom is on the phone and I am pulling her sweater, trying to get her attention. She tells me to "hang on a minute!" I say okay and start to hang my body off of her sweater.
What did your mom mean to hang on?
A) To hold tighter to her shirt/sweater.
B) To wait for her to finish talking on the phone.
C) To talk louder/she can't understand you.
B) To wait for her to finish talking on the phone.
You start talking to your friend, Shelly, about your weekend. Shelley looks up from her work and points to her headphones. What is Shelley telling you?
A) I got new headphones this weekend.
B) I can't hear you, I'm listening to music
C) Do you have headphones?
B) I can't hear you, I'm listening to music
Tommy left his lunchbox at school for over a week. When he finally opened it, there was a rotting smell and mold growing on his sandwich.
“Mmm, that sure looks good.” Tommy's friend remarked.
What did Tommy's friend really mean?
A) That looks delicious
B) That looks disgusting
C) You are bad at cooking
B) That looks disgusting
Janet had a cold. She blew her nose every two minutes. Bobby asked the class, "Is there an elephant in here?
What is Bobby indirectly asking Janet to do?
A) Make an elephant noise.
B) Stop blowing your nose.
C) What is that?
B) Stop blowing your nose.
1) (n) A finger nail
2) (n) A metal object that holds things together
3) (V) To close up, to join together
You can’t let your kids stay up all night. You have to put your foot down and come up with a bedtime.
What does "Put your foot down" mean?
A) To let the kids sleep in as late as they want.
B) To say no and demand that the kids go to sleep at a certain time.
C) To let the kids come up with their bed time.
B) To say no and demand that the kids go to sleep at a certain time.
You are talking to your friend Michael in between classes. He is tapping his legs, looking at his watch, and frequently checks his phone. What is Michael telling you?
A) He is running late/ he has somewhere to be
B) He likes to know what time it is
C) His phone is ringing
A) He is running late/ he has somewhere to be
Janet, Bobby, Aaron, and Marco were playing four square. Marco accidently ran into Janet and she started to cry. "Well aren't you a champ!" he said.
What did Marco mean when he said "Well aren't you a champ!"
A) You're being a baby
B) You won
C) You are a champion of crying
A) You're being a baby
Ethan sat at the counter making chocolate milk. Jeffery came up and said, "Mmm that sure looks good!"
What is Jeffery indirectly asking Ethan?
A) Can I have some?
B) What is that?
C) That looks disgusting.
A) Can I have some?
Come up with 2 meanings for the word "Safe"
1) (n) a place to keep money safe
2) (adj) feeling like you would not get hurt
James and his friend, Matt, are arguing about who should be elected head of school counselor. Matt tells James, "You said you didn't even care about who won the elections".
"No, I said we shouldn't be fighting about this. Stop putting words in my mouth!" James yelled.
What does "Putting words in my mouth" mean?
A) Suggesting that somebody has said something, when they have not.
B) Suggesting that somebody said something that they forgot they said.
C) To say something mean.
A) Suggesting that somebody has said something, when they have not.
A) It's time to go
B) I'm hungry and tired
C) This is boring to listen to
C) This is boring to listen to
Jordan has a fear of crowded, small spaces. On a trip to NYC, he had to ride the subway train. When the train arrived, it was full of people. Jordan slowly walked onto the train, looked around with wide eyes, and his hand shook as he gripped the rail. He held on tight and looked at his friend, “I’ve been looking forward to this ride all day!”
What did Jordan mean by “I’ve been looking forward to this ride all day!”
A) I have been looking forward to this.
B) I actually feel okay
C) I have been worried about this all day.
C) I have been worried about this all day.
Katie was talking with her boyfriend on the phone and they were obviously fighting about something. Bobby turned to Marco and asked, "Could she BE any louder?"
What is Bobby indirectly asking?
A) For Katie to put the phone on speaker phone so they could all hear.
B) What's going on?
C) For Katie to please be quiet.
C) For Katie to please be quiet.
Come up with 2 meanings for the word "Trip"
1) (v) to fall (over something)
2) (n) a vacation or somewhere you go visit
The hotel was wonderful. It had a pool and breakfast which included the best French toast I’ve ever had. The free snacks in the room was the icing on the cake!
What does "Icing on the cake" mean?
A) Something good that is added to an already good thing so that it is even better.
B) Something good that is added to make a bad thing a little better.
C) Sweet cake that is free.
A) Something good that is added to an already good thing so that it is even better.
Danielle is talking to someone at her locker. Her hand is covering her mouth and they both start giggling.
What is happening?
A) Danielle made a joke
(b) Danielle is telling a secret
C) Danielle's breath smells so she is covering her mouth
(b) Danielle is telling a secret
Jordan and his friend are on a trip to NYC. They had had to ride the subway train to get to their hotel. When the train arrived, Jordan stepped on, looked at the empty seats and said “I hope we can find a seat somewhere!”
What did Jordan mean by “I hope we can find a seat somewhere!“
A) There are so many seats available
B) These seats are going to fill up fast
C) Quick, sit down before someone takes your seat
A) There are so many seats available
Mom carried the groceries in from the car while Bob and I played basketball. "Boy, these bags sure are heavy!" she said.
What is my mom indirectly asking?
A) Can I play basketball?
B) Why did they make these bags so heavy and full?
C) Can you help me?
C) Can you help me?
Come up with 2 meanings for the word "light"
1) (adj) something that does not weigh a lot like a feather
2) (n) something that helps you see
Even though you were really mean to me, I am going to turn the other cheek and not pick a fight.
What does "Turn the other cheek" mean?
A) Look the other way.
B) Pretend you didn't see your friend.
C) Do nothing even though they were mean and insulted you.
C) Do nothing even though they were mean and insulted you.
You and the other students are waiting in line to buy food. The person behind you smiles and reaches their hand out in front of them.
What are they telling you?
A) Do you like my nails?
B) Do you need money?
C) You go ahead.
C) You go ahead.
Walking outside, I see a construction worker fixing a pipe. He points to the door that has a sign. I read it and laugh out loud. “Your water will be shut off today and tomorrow, sorry for any inconveniences. Well, this will be fun!”
What do you mean by "This will be fun!"
A) I've never had my water shut off so this will be an excuse to go somewhere fun like a hotel.
B) I don't need water anyways
C) This will not be fun, this stinks.
C) This will not be fun, this stinks.
Bobby told his class, "My mom said I can bring one friend to Disneyland next week!" Mark said, "I don't have any plans next week!"
What is Mark indirectly asking?
A) Can I go with you?
B) What's your schedule like?
C) I don't think I can go.
A) Can I go with you?
1) (n) something you eat, vegetable
2) (v) to crush or soften