Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1After years of litigation, the two founders finally agreed to bury the ............... over dinner.
Wrong!
The idiom is "hatchet": to bury the hatchet means to end a quarrel and make peace.
2Pressed to endorse either proposal, the minister chose to sit ............... the fence until the audit was released.
Wrong!
The idiom is "on": if you sit on the fence, you avoid choosing a side.
3If the board waits for absolute certainty, it may ............... the boat on battery technology altogether.
Wrong!
The idiom is "miss": to miss the boat is to lose an opportunity by acting too late.
4The leaked emails were only the tip of the ...............; the internal report described a far wider cover-up.
Wrong!
The idiom is "iceberg": the tip of the iceberg is the small visible part of a much larger hidden problem.
5The inspection found that the contractor had cut ............... on fireproofing to keep the project within budget.
Wrong!
The idiom is "corners": to cut corners means to save time or money by doing something less carefully than it should be done.
6She criticised the merger sharply but avoided naming individuals, because she did not want to ............... bridges before the negotiations resumed.
Wrong!
The idiom is "burn": to burn bridges is to damage relationships or options so that return becomes difficult.
7The emergency grant was welcome, but against a deficit of that size it was a drop in the ...............
Wrong!
The idiom is "ocean": a drop in the ocean is an amount too small to make a significant difference.
8During the takeover talks, the chief executive continued to ............... her cards close to her chest.
Wrong!
The idiom is "hold": to hold (or keep/play) your cards close to your chest means to keep your plans or information secret.
9Since the director's angry outburst, everyone in the department has had to walk on ............... around him.
Wrong!
The idiom is "eggshells": to walk on eggshells means to behave very carefully to avoid upsetting someone.
10Losing the patent case was a ............... pill to swallow for a company that had built its reputation on innovation.
Wrong!
The idiom is "bitter": a bitter pill to swallow is an unpleasant fact or situation that must be accepted.
11After three failed prototypes and no further funding, the research team was ready to ............... in the towel.
Wrong!
The idiom is "throw": to throw in the towel means to admit defeat or give up.
12The delayed salary payments were frustrating, but the sudden cancellation of health insurance was the last ...............
Wrong!
The idiom is "straw": the last straw is the final problem that makes a bad situation intolerable.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- After years of litigation, the two founders finally agreed to bury the hatchet over dinner.
- Pressed to endorse either proposal, the minister chose to sit on the fence until the audit was released.
- If the board waits for absolute certainty, it may miss the boat on battery technology altogether.
- The leaked emails were only the tip of the iceberg; the internal report described a far wider cover-up.
- The inspection found that the contractor had cut corners on fireproofing to keep the project within budget.
- She criticised the merger sharply but avoided naming individuals, because she did not want to burn bridges before the negotiations resumed.
- The emergency grant was welcome, but against a deficit of that size it was a drop in the ocean.
- During the takeover talks, the chief executive continued to hold her cards close to her chest.
- Since the director’s angry outburst, everyone in the department has had to walk on eggshells around him.
- Losing the patent case was a bitter pill to swallow for a company that had built its reputation on innovation.
- After three failed prototypes and no further funding, the research team was ready to throw in the towel.
- The delayed salary payments were frustrating, but the sudden cancellation of health insurance was the last straw.