Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Idioms in real conversation - The English we speak



1. To twig


2. To mooch


3. The flip side


4. To throw your toys out of the pram


5. On the fly


6. That's on you


7. Makes my skin crawl


8. An uphill task


9. Turn over a new leaf


10. Find your groove


11. Second nature


The phrase:

The meaning of the phrase:

Register: formal / informal / neutral

Part of speech: noun / verb / adjective / adverb 

Synonyms:

Situations used:

Examples of usage:

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Write an example of your own:

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Conversation

1. Have you ever had one of those moments when it suddenly 'twigs' for you, and everything makes sense? What was it about?

2. Have you mooched around anywhere recently? Where? What did you find?

3. What's the good side of being from your country? What's the flip side?

4. Do you sometimes throw your toys out of the pram? What makes you get that angry?

5. What kinds of things do you like to do 'on the fly' instead of planning them?

6. Have you ever been in a situation where someone said, 'That's on you'? We're they right?

7. What’s something that always makes your skin crawl, no matter how many times you see it?

8. What’s been the most challenging 'uphill task' you've ever faced, and how did you manage to get through it?

9. Have you ever had a moment where you felt the need to 'turn over a new leaf'? What motivated that change?

10. At what point did you 'find your groove' in New Zealand? Are you still trying to?

11. What’s something that you can do without thinking about it, because it’s become second nature to you?


1. To tw___

2. To m___ch

3. The _____ side

4. To _____ your toys out of the _____

5. ____ the fly

6. T_____ on you

7. Makes my _____ crawl

8. An ______ task

9. Turn ____ a new ____

10. _____ your groove

11. ________ nature


Some more!


12. Take the plunge


13. Peaks and troughs


14. Heavy lifting


15. Stomping ground


16. To clutch at straws


17. Off the cuff


18. Do the trick


19. In on it


20. A million to one


 

1. What’s the biggest plunge you’ve ever taken that ended up being totally worth it?

2. How do you handle those peaks and troughs in life, especially when things feel like they’re at their lowest?

3. Have you ever been part of a project or job where it was you who had to do most of the “heavy lifting”?

4. Do you have a particular place or area that always feels like your stomping ground, where you’re just so comfortable?

5. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you were clutching at straws, trying anything to make things work?

6. Do you prefer to make decisions on the spot, or do you like to plan things out ahead of time?

7. What’s a quick fix or solution that you’ve found always does the trick when you’re feeling unfocused.

8. Is there ever a time when you felt left out of something, like you weren’t "in on it" with the group?

9. Have you ever experienced something that seemed like a million to one chance but actually happened? What was that like?

 


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