The Complete English Language Course Improve Spoken English

We have created a Facebook group for this course.

The idea here is that this will give learners a more sheltered environment in which to ask questions and post texts or videos for feedback from the course trainers and your fellow learners.

The link is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/648462005652882/

Please apply to join, using the name you used when you registered as a student on the course. Your application will be approved as soon as we can verify you as a learner on this course.

IMPORTANT: if your application is rejected, please send Derek a message and he will sort it out for you.

This group is for you, so please use it well. Spammers are not welcome and will not be tolerated.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Time to check what we covered in this section.

This lesson looks at the following common cat idioms:

• cat got your tongue?

• raining cats and dogs

• not enough room to swing a cat

• the cat that got the cream

• when the cat's away, the mice will play

• more than one way to skin a cat

• set the cat among the pigeons

• something the cat dragged/brought in

• cat burglar

• to have kittens

This lesson looks at the following common dog idioms:

• the dog's bollocks

• in the doghouse

• tail wagging the dog

• teach an old dog new tricks

• his bark is worse than his bite

• hair of the dog

• see a man about a dog

• go to the dogs

• puppy love

• let sleeping dogs lie

This lesson looks at the following common bee idioms:

• a bee in one's bonnet

• the bee's knees

• to make a beeline

• busy as a bee

• the birds and the bees

• to buzz with excitement

• hive of activity

• buzz off!

• honeytrap

• bee-stung lips

This lesson looks at the following common sports idioms:

• to skate on thin ice

• to swim against the tide

• two can play at that game

• to take the wind out of their sails

• to back the wrong horse

• to be on the ball

• to play ball with

• the ball is in your court

• to hang up one's boots / gloves

• to play on a sticky wicket

This lesson looks at the following common food idioms:

• a bun in the oven

• don't cry over spilt milk

• wake up and smell the coffee

• a couch potato

• bad/good egg

• cool as a cucumber

• go bananas

• have your cake and eat it

• bigger fish to fry

• spill the beans

This lesson looks at the following common colour idioms:

• blue/white collar worker

• blue-eyed boy

• a red herring

• to be in the black/red

• the pot calling the kettle black

• let’s see the colour of your money

• as green as grass

• green fingers/thumbs

• to wave the white flag

• a white lie

This lesson looks at the following common clothes idioms:

• caught with your trousers (pants) down

• burn a hole in your pocket

• fit like a glove

• keep your shirt on

• roll up your sleeves

• wear the trousers ( pants)

• below the belt

• hot under the collar

• a feather in your cap

• put a sock in it

This lesson looks at the following common ears idioms:

• wet behind the ears

• bend someone's ear

• walls have ears

• grinning from ear to ear

• in one ear and out of the other

• not much / nothing between the ears

• make a pig's ear of something

• music to your ears

• dog-eared

• out on your ear

This lesson looks at the following common nose idioms:

• powder one's nose

• pay through the nose

• keep your nose out (of my business)

• rub someone's nose in it

• cut off your nose to spite your face

• thumb your nose at someone

• as plain as the nose on your face

• look down your nose

• turn nose up at something

• toffee-nosed

This lesson looks at the following common eye idioms:

• eyes bigger than belly

• beauty is in the eye of the beholder

• hard/easy on the eyes

• pull the wool over your eyes

• not a dry eye in the house

• an eye for an eye

• eyes in the back of your head

• do something with your eyes closed

• here's mud in your eye

• get some shut-eye

This lesson looks at the following common hair idioms:

• splitting hairs

• within a hair's breadth

• win by a hair

• get in / out of someone's hair

• keep your hair on

• pull your hair out

• put hairs on your chest

• not a hair out of place

• let your hair down

• in the cross hairs

This lesson looks at the following common foot idioms:

• both feet on the ground

• shoot yourself in the foot

• put one’s foot in one’s mouth

• get off on the wrong foot

• one foot in the grave

• have the shoe on the other foot

• foot the bill

• get cold feet

• tied hand and foot

• where the shoe pinches

This lesson looks at the following common money idioms:

• licence to print money

• right on the money

• rolling in the money

• funny money

• Monopoly money

• hush money

• money for old rope

• put your money where your mouth is

• throw money at something

• you pays your money, you takes your chance

Time to check what we covered in this section.