Wintry idioms

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Practise twenty winter idioms based mainly on the words: cold, ice, snow

There are two sets of ten idioms. Each set starts with a matching exercise, followed by two exercises where you first work out the idiom, and then its meaning. Each set ends with an exercise to put the idioms into practice.

Wintry idioms - Set 1

Exercise 1a

Match the beginnings and endings. Click on one of the options in grey in the bottom half, then on the appropriate box in the top half. If you change your mind, just repeat the process.

1.	Jeans and trainers! You haven’t got a snowball’s
2.	The boss gave me a really frosty
3.	He’s not quite as pure as the driven
4.	The various news stories about the lead singer has had a snowball
5.	If your colleague is not totally snowed
6.	That new waitress is a bit of a cold
7.	The amateur climber broke out in a cold
8.	You’ve got cold hands? Well, they do say cold hands
9.	She had thought him quite good-looking the night before, but in the cold
10.	The boss has been giving me the cold

a)	under with his own work, he could you give you a hand with the report.
b)	fish. She never even smiles when she takes your order.
c)	chance in hell of getting into this nightclub dressed like that.
d)	warm heart, don’t they?
e)	sweat when he saw how steep the drop in front of him was.
f)	snow as he would like everyone to think.
g)	look when he saw me turning up late for work.
h)	shoulder lately. But I don’t know what I’ve done to annoy him.
i)	effect on sales of the band's new album.
j)	light of day she was beginning to have second thoughts.

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Use the examples from Exercise 1a to work out the form of the idioms and their meanings

Exercise 1b.

Complete the idioms in the top half with words from the box Click and drop - click on a word in the box, then on a suitable gap

effect   ·   fish   ·   heart   ·   light   ·   look   ·   shoulder   ·   snow   ·   snowball   ·   snowed   ·   sweat  

1.	to have a ’s chance in hell
2.	to give somebody a frosty
3.	to be as pure as the driven
4.	to snowball, or have a snowball
5.	to be under (with something)
6.	to be a cold
7.	to break out in a cold
8.	cold hands, warm
9.	in the cold of day
10.	to give somebody the cold

Exercise 1c.

Match the definitions in the second half to the idioms in the top half. Enter the number of the question in b into the appropriate box in c

		Idiom No.
a.	you do this when you are very frightened or anxious
b.	look at somebody in an unfriendly or disapproving way
c.	somebody who is unfriendly or emotionless
d.	ignore or avoid somebody, often for no apparent reason
e.	clearly and calmly, usually the next day
f.	to be innocent, morally perfect
g.	to have very little hope of doing something
h.	when something increases rapidly in size or importance
i.	to be very busy
j.	said when somebody has cold hands

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Exercise 1d

Practice - enter one word into each gap

1.	He seems a bit of a cold at first, but he warms up when you get to know him.
2.	He's been giving me the cold all week, and I have no idea why.
3.	It seemed a wonderful idea in the pub last night, but in the cold light of it's lost some of its appeal.
4.	We're totally snowed at work at the moment, what with this huge order.
5.	He hasn't got a snowball’s in hell of getting that job.
6.	I out in a cold sweat just at the thought of what I had done.
7.	She gave him a stare when he asked where she had been.
8.	The way she talks you would think she was as pure as the snow, but that's not exactly what I've heard from other people.
9.	He's got such cold hands! - You know what they say, cold hands warm .
10.	At first starting very slowly, sales of smartphones have in the last couple of years.

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Wintry idioms - Set 2

Exercise 2a

Match the beginnings and endings. Click on one of the options in grey in the bottom half, then on the appropriate box in the top half. If you change your mind, just repeat the process.

1.	We hadn't seen much of this actress lately, but she's certainly come in
2.	That film left me totally
3.	He was definitely skating on thin
4.	Our dinner party hostess broke
5.	It's difficult to tell what he really believes. He blows hot
6.	We'll have to put that lunch date
7.	Her apologies for not writing cut
8.	Martin's beginning to get cold
9.	At meetings he feels a bit left out
10.	You can pour cold

a)	in the cold. He rarely seems to get asked for his opinion.
b)	water on it if you like, but I think it’s a really good idea.
c)	the ice by introducing the guests to each other.
d)	on ice. I’m really busy all next week
e)	cold. It said nothing to me at all.
f)	and cold so much about politics and suchlike.
g)	from the cold with her latest film.
h)	ice when he started criticising his mother-in-law's cooking.
i)	no ice with her disappointed mother.
j)	feet over the whole idea of applying for Peter's old job.

Use the examples from the Exercise 2a to work out the form of the idioms and their meanings

Exercise 2b.

Complete the idioms in the top half with words from the box Click and drop - click on a word in the box, then on a suitable gap

break   ·   come   ·   cut   ·   get   ·   leave (x2)   ·   pour   ·   put   ·   blow   ·   skate  

1.	to in from the cold
2.	to somebody cold
3.	to on thin ice
4.	to the ice
5.	to hot and cold
6.	to something on ice
7.	to no ice (with somebody)
8.	to (or have) cold feet
9.	to somebody out in the cold
10.	to cold water on something

Exercise 2c.

Match the definitions in the second half to the idioms in the top half. Enter the number of the question in b into the appropriate box in c

		Idiom No.
a.	put yourself in a risky situation
b.	be nervous about doing something you were planning to do
c.	when sth, for example a book or film, has no effect on sb
d.	when sb's actions fail to have a positive effect on sb else
e.	criticise a plan or idea, or give reasons why it won't work or is not viable
f.	set a project etc aside, possibly to be dealt with later
g.	say or do something that makes people feel more relaxed
h.	keep changing your mind about something
i.	exclude somebody from being part of a group or activity
j.	become accepted by a particular group or by society

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Exercise 2d

Practice - enter one word into each gap

1.	We haven't the resources at the moment, so we'll just have to put this project ice.
2.	She the ice by telling the audience a joke.
3.	Last night's concert me completely cold; the music seemed to have no emotion at all.
4.	Long disdained by the West because of its military dictatorship, this country is now making big efforts to come in the cold.
5.	They left us all in the cold and wouldn't give us any information.
6.	He was going to ask her to marry him, but got cold at the last moment.
7.	His lame excuses for the botch-up cut little with the boss.
8.	She always hot and cold about things; you don't know what she's going to think from one moment to the next.
9.	He's always cold water on any ideas we have.
10.	You were skating on rather ice when you told the boss he was wrong, weren't you?.

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