GRADE 10: IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS ROLES IN THE FAMILY The breadwinner A wage slave Put food on the table Bring home the bacon Chained to the kitchen sink Starved of attention The black sheep of the family Be a good role model Set a good example Like father, like son / A chip off the old block./ The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree Nuclear family/ extended family/ one parent family Tied to his mother’s apron strings./ A mummy’s boy Henpecked Spread your wings Fly/ leave the nest Cut the apron strings A lot of mouths to feed Stand on your own two feet Blood is thicker than water EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES It’s not what you know, but who you know that matters Positive discrimination Play the gender card Is it a level playing field? The glass ceiling Live in an ivory tower Be born with a silver spoon in your mouth Work your fingers to the bone Go from rags to riches A paper tiger Some are more equal than others Have everything handed to you on a silver platter USE OF THE INTERNET Surf the net Typo Screen time Click bait Selfie technophobe A silver surfer SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT It’s the best thing since sliced bread It’s cutting edge/ state of the art It’s all singing, all dancing Blind someone with science It’s light years ahead It’s a real game changer Technology has come on in leaps and bounds SCHOOL CURRICULUM Brainwash Bored to tears The blind leading the blind To learn something parrot fashion It’s as much use as a chocolate teapot To be cut out for something A square peg in a round hole Make the grade Separate the wheat from the chaff Airy-fairy subjects./ Arty-farty subjects The world is your oyster You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink Become a well rounded individual STRESS MANAGEMENT I’m burnt out I’ve got a lot on my plate It drives me up the wall/ round the bend Blow off steam To tackle a problem head-on To bury your head in the sand Blow off steam Recharge your batteries Let your hair down Put your feet up Take a breather Take time out Take a step back Bury your head in the sand DESIGNER GOODS Complete tat He’s got more money than sense It’s a rip off They cost an arm and a leg You get what you pay for./ It’s worth every penny You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear It’s a case of the Emperor’s new clothes You have to look the part FUTURE OF THE PLANET You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone Green The future doesn’t look bright / It doesn’t bear thinking about Too little, too late / The damage is done Short term thinking COMMUNICATION Get your wires crossed I can’t make head nor tail of it Get your point across./ Get the message across Stick to the point./ Beat around the bush /Go off on a tangent./ Ramble… Spread like wildfire I heard it on the grapevine Make small talk SOCIAL ISSUES All problems stem from…… The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence Get their just desserts./ Get away scot free We don’t have two pennies to run together They would sell their own grandmother They sold us down the river Turn a blind eye Crack down on _breeds YOUTH BEHAVIOUR They think the world owes them a living The generation gap Peer pressure Fit in / Be part of the in-crowd Be too big for your boots Be a cry baby wet behind the ears born yesterday spoilt rotten rub people up the wrong way To have a face like a wet teabag, INTERNATIONAL EVENTS We can showcase our tourist resorts It attracts the tourists like bees to a honey pot It can backfire It’s more trouble than it’s worth It can more harm than good It’ll put Spain on the map Don’t bite off more than you can chew