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Unit ,83 Work 1 1: Literal Meanings Use these words to complete the following:

nish canales lose Jit thumbs burn 1. We've got eight ftogers and two 2 . 1 need a new pa i r of trousers. H iese are too . r o u n d the waist . 3. Don' t t o u c h tha t l It 's ve iy hot . YouH yourself . 4. My cr's only sma l l b u t y o u can j u s t . five people i n i t . 5. Sorry, I haven't got t ime to ta lk . I 'm i n a . . . 6. I n B r l t a i n , i t 's t rad i t l ona l to p u t on b i r thday calces - one for each year.

2: Up to my eyes Put the following nouns i n the id iomatic eicpressions below:

pate end finger candle hands thumbs feet eyes

a. l l f t a e. a t a lose b . have your f u l l f. twiddle y o u r c. b u r n the a t b o t h ends g. u p to m y d . o n m y h . enough o n m y

Now use the expressions in these s ituations: 1. You're late. D i d you miss the t ra in?

> Yes, I d idn ' t leave the office t i l l six. I 'm i n wo rk at the moient.

2. How was your first day at work? > Really bor ing. I h a d no th ing to do. I Just sat at m y desk

3. B i l l wan ts to k n o w t f y o u can spend some t ime t r a l n i n g the new secretaiy. > I 'm afraid I haven't got a m i n u t e - 1 can't . I've already got

4. You look t i red. Are you OK? > Yes, I Just need to get to bed earer. I've been recently - late n ights and early starts.

5. Come i n . Si t down, make yourse l f a t home. > Thanks . I need a rest. I've been a l l day.

6. So, I ' m going to spend the whole weekend pa in t ing the outside of the house. > Do y o u w a n t some help? M y boyfriend's away so I ' m th i s weekend.

7. Do y o u and Paul share the cooldng and cleanlng? > You m u s t be Jokrng. He never !

8. My sister's three ch l ldren are comtng to stay w l t h me th i s weekend. > You' l i Rather y o u t h a n me!

Note: I f you have too m u c h to do, you c a n be either up to your eyes or up to your^ars, I f you want to describe a job as low-statiis and badly-paid, you can say: If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. T h i s express i on i s completely fixed.

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3: One thing after another! Complete these dialogues using the following idiomatic expressions:

a. It's been dead all day. b. I ' m tied up till after lunch. c . I've been on the go all day. d. I can fit you in on Thursday. e. It's been one thing after another. f. We've been rushed off ourfeet!

1. Eveiything 's gone w r o n g today, hasn ' t i t? > Yes

2. Shal l we go for a d i i n k after work? > No t hanks . Tm t i r ed

3. So, is Wednesday a good day for you? > No, b u t

4. Have y o u h a d m a n y customers today? > No

5. You've h a d a lo t of customers i n t h i s m o m i n g , haven't you? > Yes

6. Can 1 t a l k to y o u about a prob lem that ' s j u s t come up? > S o n y

4: Been Five of the idioms i n th i s unit are commonly used w i th been. T r y to c o m p l e t e them wi th the key word, then look b a c k to check.

1. I've been (cande) 2. I've been Cfeet) 3. It 's been (tiing) 4. I've been (rushedj 5. It 's been (dead)

5: Revisin Put the miss ing words i n the id ioms below:

1. I 'm . . . . to m y ears i n work . 2. It 's been one t h i n g . . . . another. 3. I've been . . . . m y feet a l l day. 4. Are y o u . . . . a lose end th is evening? 5. I 'm t i ed u p . . . . after l u n c h . 6. I've been . . . . the go a l l day. 7. We've been rushed . . . . our feet. 8. I've already got enough . . . . m y pate. 9. I've been b u m i n g the candle . . . . b o th ends.

10.1 c a n fit y ou . . . . on Monday.

Have you got a lot on your pate a t the moment?

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