III. Suggest a beginning matching up the end. Use the idioms studied

1. … that it never occurred to him that anybody could find fault with him. 2. … when these street-boys called out after me. 3. … but I was wrong. 4. … I’ve taken a fancy to this book at once. 5. … all I could say. 6. … she had forgotten his address. 7. … now my brother is an inveterate antismoker. 8. … this actress’ acting struck me most. 9. …if I were you I shouldn’t trust him. 10. … my friend was in a predicament.

IV. Answer the following questions using the idioms studied

1. What do you do if your close friend has offended you occasionally?

2. You are sitting in front of the TVset. What programme do you choose?

3. Could you name the English alphabit by heart?

4. Are you fond of going in for sports?

5. What can you say of a person who is too selfconfident?

6. What do you prefer to win a modern automobile or a romantic trip with your friend?

7. What would you do if your cousin didn’t want to go on a hike?

8. Describe your feelings when you are out of touch in your group.

9. The old man told you the story of his unhappy love. In what way do you support him?

10. What can you say of a person who has his own secrets?

Lesson 6

to drive at ( to get at)-to mean; to intend

1. But look here, you can see what I’m driving at, can’t you? It would surely be quite easy for you to get me in on your visits to the docks. (J.Wain)

2. “I could never bear the thought of any child of mine going to the Coloured Mission School”-“What are you getting at? Anthony’s in a white school, isn’t it?” (G. Gordon)

3. “What did Gladstone say in eighteen ninety about the surest way to advance a man’s career?”- “I don’t know what you’re driving at”. (A. Cronin)

to put down to- to say that something is the cause of; to attribute

1. Lames gave him a sharp look, but the architect appeared unconscious, and he put the answer down to mishearing. (J.Galsworthy)

2. When lunch time came and he realized with a shock that he had not succeeded for five minutes together in banishing the image of that small dark head, he had put it down to temporary derangement. (J. Wain)

3. With no trace of the smell to guide them, and no suspicion of foul play, death would be put down to some natural cause by the doctors. (A. Cronin)

to take oneself in hand (to pull oneself together)- to contain oneself

1. Quickly I took myself in hand and, with the glance at the weather, decided on a short walk. (A. Cronin)

2. For the moment Jan could not remember where she was. Then she pulled herself together and smiled. (D. Cusack)

3. In the effort to take himself in hand, he created loopholes of distraction. (A. Cronin)

to let one (friend) down- to fail a person in time to need

To leave smb in the lurch- to leave a person in difficulties; in a helpless; embarrassing, difficult situation; to desert, abandon one in a dangerous situation

1. “I was almost afraid …”, she broke off, but I finished the sentence for her: “That I would let you down”. (A. Cronin)

2. You obviously can’t let that poor girl down, so I’ll have to run you up in the car. We probably won’t be able to beat the train, but we’ll do our best. (D. Cusack)

3. Be a pal. Come on now, don’t leave me in the lurch. All I want is a little help now and again. (J. Wain)

to bring oneself to do something- to get oneself to do something; to make oneself to do something

1. I could not bring myself to tell him that I had not see Jean for past four days. (A. Cronin)

2. With a considerable effort, he brought himself to look the suede shoe man straight in the eyes. (J. Wain)

3. Then she lay back for a long time before she could bring herself to eat. (D. Cusack)

catch one doing- do not expect somebody to do it

1. “Catch me riding on a bus!” Sammy let out his roar. “Not likely!” he said. (I. Murdoch)

2. Please forget about that man for a few minutes, anyway. No man’s worth getting that worked up about. Catch me doing it! (D.Parker)

3. And, mind you, it’s me that makes it pay so well. Catch him going down to collect his own rents! Not likely! (B. Shaw)

to be at one’s wits’ end- not to know what to do or say; quite at loss; at the point of having exhausted one’s last idea or mental resource

1. But in that flash was seen the other Carrie- poor, hungry, drifling at her wits’ end … (Th. Dreiser)

2. Mrs. Forgarty was at her wits’ end where to put all the men and a few women, who demanded the best her rough and ready accomadation could afford. (K. Prichard)

3. Mrs. Howels was at her wits’ end. (A. Cronin)

to be up to – dependent upon; depending upon the decision of

1. I suspected that it ought to be up to me whether we fought or not. (I.Murdoch)

2. They accepted him without much curiosity and with complete friendliness. He was Rosa’s business, and it was up to her to make something of him. (J. Wain)

3. He didn’t anticipate any more surprise visits, but he felt that it was up to him to be on his guard. (A. Christie)

to leave a person to his own devices, to leave a person on his own- to leave him alone to do what he wishes, giving him no help or advice

To be on one’s one, to work (live, do something, etc.) on one’s own- to be independent, not directed or controlled by others, or simply just to be by oneself.

1. … he flang a blasing scrap of paper into the middle of the floor. Charles stepped over and trod it out. He felt almost guilty at leaving the idiot to his own devices. (J. Wain)

2. “We think”, said Craddock, “that he was working quite on his own”. (A. Christie)

to get(to take) anywhere(nowhere, somewhere)- to obtain any (no, some) result; make any (no, some) progress

1. “We seem to be really getting somewhere at last”, Bart agreed. “All those tests and examinations in the first few days. Phew! Just think what that would be costing outside!” (D. Cusack)

2. “Don’t know how they gave me the job”, he agreed. “It must be another case of mistaken identity”- “No”, said Andrew rather stolidly, it’s your M.S., Philip. A first-class degree like that will get anywhere”. (A. Cronin)

3. Oh, it’s always the same, Motive. Who benefits by the death of Prinee Michael? We’ve got to answer that before we can get anywhere. (A. Christie)