What does it mean if you have butterflies in your stomach? Have you been eating insects? Why would you say a stock market report is like music to your ears?
These are idioms for emotions. Let’s look at some common ones. How many of these have you learned?
1. If Jenny’s news was “music to Katy’s ears,” then ___.
A. the news was about music
B. Jenny and Katy are musicians
C. the news made Katy happy
D. the news surprised Katy
2. Carl: How do you feel about your promotion at work?
Tracy: I’m so happy! I’m ____.
A. head over heels
B. dragging my feet
C. on cloud nine
D. keeping it in mind
3. Cheryl: I’m going on a polar bear swim.
Jake: You’re going to jump into icy water? You must ____.
A. be out of your mind
B. mind your step
C. have changed your mind
D. have ice in your brain
4. Kyle: It’s raining again. I’m so depressed.
Patricia: I know what will ____ you up. We’ll watch a movie.
A. jump
B. steer
C. change
D. cheer
5. Before the baseball game started, our coach gave us a
speech to ____ us up.
A. flip
B. psych
C. clear
D. send
6. When our professor told us class was canceled, we all
____ for joy.
A. cheered
B. psyched
C. jumped
D. stood
7. Ron: I can’t wait to try that new seafood restaurant.
May: Well, ____, I hear it’s expensive.
A. bring to mind
B. keep in mind
C. peace of mind
D. call to mind
8. Jim smiled when he heard the music. “This song ___
to mind something funny that happened when I was a student,” he said.
A. changes
B. keeps
C. brings
D. stays
9. Our professor said there would be a test tomorrow, but
fortunately he was joking. He was speaking with ___.
A. lip on lip
B. tongue in cheek
C. teeth gritted
D. smile wide
10. The car dealer says they have the lowest prices
anywhere! But car dealers exaggerate, so take it with a ___.
A. tongue in cheek
B. lip pinched
C. grain of salt
D. crossed finger
11. Fifteen years ago, investors ___ the idea that video
game companies could make lots of money. They didn’t believe it.
A. embraced
B. saw through
C. laughed at
D. cried for
12. Renee hates flying, so she was not a ____ on the long
flight to Tokyo.
A. tongue in cheek
B. happy camper
C. jump for joy
D. sound mind
13. Jenny was really down ____ after her two kids went off
to college. But her kids cheered her up with video calls.
A. to the ground
B. under
C. in the dumps
D. and around
14. Paul was ____ himself when he was named manager of his
department. He always wanted to be a manager.
A. next to
B. beside
C. in front of
D. on top of
15. A: I’m sorry, we can’t buy ice cream today. You need to
eat healthier foods.
B: Oh, you’re ____.
A. changing my mind
B. crying my eyes out
C. breaking my heart
D. laughing at me
16. If George has butterflies in his stomach, he ____.
A. has eaten insects
B. is really hungry
C. feels nervous
D. needs to see a doctor
Quiz:
Answers: 1. C 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. B 6. C 7. B 8. C 9. B 10. C 11. C 12. B 13. C 14. B 15. C 16. C
These are idioms for emotions and the mind. Since English idioms often come from things people are emotional about, we certainly get some colorful expressions for emotions.
