✅ A lot on (one’s) plate =  many responsibilities or scheduled activities.

E.g: With Ben’s promotion and the new baby he has a lot on his plate.

 

✅ Bad apple = a bad person, or someone who is a negative influence on others.

E.g: You shouldn’t hang out with Jeffrey. He’s really a bad apple.

 

✅ Butter (someone) up = be extra nice to someone (usually for selfish reasons).

E.g: We’ll have to butter my mom up before we tell her that we damaged her car.

 

✅ Cheesy = silly, corny.

E.g: My sister loves reading cheesy romance novels while she waits for the bus.

 

✅ Couch potato = a lazy person who spends their time watching television.

E.g: Since Jennifer lost her job she’s been a real couch potato.

 

✅ (Don’t) cry over spilled milk = (don’t) get upset over something that has happened and cannot be changed.

E.g: We missed our flight and there’s nothing we can do but wait for the next one.

There’s no need to cry over spilled milk.

 

✅ Eat (one’s) words = to admit that something one said was wrong.

E.g: You think I can’t get that job? You’re going to eat your words when I get it.

 

✅ Hard to swallow =  difficult to accept or believe.

E.g: The bad news yesterday was hard to swallow.

 

✅ Have (one’s) cake and eat it too = to want more than your fair share, to want two incompatible things.

E.g: Jay seemed so happy with Ana, it’s too bad that his affairs destroyed their relationship. You just can’t have your cake and eat it too.

 

✅ (Have something) handed to (someone) on a silver platter = receive something without working for it.

E.g: My boss’ son had his job handed to him on a silver platter.

 

Let’s practice!

 

Choose an idiom to replace the underlined expression.

 

1. If you only rely on one thing and don’t apply to other schools, you might not get into any university at all.

(a) spice things up (b) put all of your eggs in one basket (c) butter someone up (d) spill the beans

 

2. Do you want to hear a silly joke?

(a) bad apple (b) good egg (c) cheesy (d) couch potato

 

3. You should consider that everything that she says is not 100% accurate.

(a) take, with a grain of salt (b) butter, up (c) spice, up (d) piece, of cake

 

4. When I have time off of work I like to be a lazy person.

(a) piece of cake (b) good egg (c) couch potato (d) bad apple

 

5. My new boss is completely crazy. He has no idea what is going on.

(a) in a nutshell (b) out to lunch (c) cheesy (d) full of beans

 

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