Idiomic Pairs #4

•   by and by = soon, in a while from now.
By and by they came to an enchanted place.

•   chapter and verse = with a lot of details.
The teacher gave them chapter and verse about where to find the information.

•   cheap and cheerful = simple, not expensive and of reasonable quality.
This is really a cheap and cheerful Greek restaurant.

•   cloak-and-dagger = secret and mysterious.
It was a cloak-and-dagger operation in which several spies were involved.

•   down-and-out = having no money.
He's a down-and-out actor now.

•   free and easy = relaxed, friendly.
She knew that life wouldn't be so free and easy at work.

•   in dribs and drabs = in small amounts or numbers.
The public arrived in dribs and drabs.

•   in leaps and bounds = very quickly.
My English is improving in leaps and bounds
.

•   prim and proper = correct and very formal.
She's a very prim and proper lady.

•   ranting and raving = shouting in an angry way.
Please stop ranting and raving and listen to me!

•   skin and bone = extremely thin.
She's really skin and bone, she doesn't need to go on a diet anymore.

•   spick and span = completely clean and tidy.
Her room is always spick and span.

•   the length and breadth of some place = all over the place.
Police searched the length and breadth of the town.

•   thick and fast = happening very frequently, in large amounts.
Letters for the contest arrived thick and fast.

•   to be at somebody's beck and call = be ready to do what somebody wants.
She got tired of being at his beck and call.

•   to blow hot and cold = keep changing one's attitude towards something.
Now he agrees but I'm sure that later he'll disagree; he always blows hot and cold.

•   to believe something hook, line and sinker = believe a lie completely.
Paul explained her why he was late and she believed it hook, line and sinker.

•   to risk/sacrifice life and limb = to risk/sacrifice one's life and health.
She risked life and limb travelling to distant communities to help the poor.

•   to search high and low = search all over the place.
Police searched high and low for the burglars.

•   over and out = message used to end a radio communication.
Understood. Over and out.

Exercises: Idiomic Pairs #4

1. Can you decide yourself? You are----------------------------------- all the time.

2. Very few people were interested in the offer, so orders arrived------------------------------- .

3. I have a headache, would you please stop----------------------------------------------- ?

4. As John didn't know where to look up, his mother gave him------------------------------- .

5. She's really very innocent, she will believe anything------------------------------------------- .