Grammar and usage Look at some idioms and change idioms to plain English in each sentence.Jack did not achieve good grades in school, but his sister was a real egghead.(a very clever person)We are leaving for London tomorrow, rain or shine. (no matter what difficulties we face)Sherry really enjoyed chemistry, so writing an essay about it was a childs play.(Anything that is easy to do.)IdiomsIdioms are fixed expressions with meanings that are not obvious. The meaning of an idiom is usually different from the meaning of the individual words. Idioms are usually used in informal language.1. Many idioms use noun phrases.e.g. I thought the exam would be a piece of cake, but it was much harder than expected.(something very easy)2. Some idioms use prepositional phrases.e.g. This allows you to prepare good answers and means you wont have to answer questions off the top of your head during the interview.This idiom means answer something quickly without having time to think about it.3. Idioms can also be verb phrases.A good interviewer is able to tell if youve done your homework about the company.Do ones homework means to find out as much as possible about something.4. Some idioms use the asas pattern.e.g. If you follow my advice, landing a job should be as easy as pie.This idiom means that something is very easy to do.1. Dont worry about having butterflies in 2. your stomach before the interview.nervous feelingblow ones top become extremely angry2. A: “Was your father upset when you came home at 3 AM?” B: “He was more than upset. He blew his top!”3. “Can you help me with this problem? Ive been beating my brains out with it, but I just cant solve it.” beat ones brains out try very hard to understand or do something4. A: “I dont believe what Bob said. Why is he bad-mouthing me?” B: “Hes probably jealous of your success.”bad-mouth say unkind, unflattering, embarrassing (and probably untrue) things about someone5. A: “Is something wrong?” B: “Not really, but I feel kind of down in the dumps.” down in the dumpsdepressed; blue.Part A 1. If you are as cool as a cucumber, you are _. A. very calm B. panicked2. If its raining cats and dogs, you would _. A. call a vet B. take an umbrellaAB3. If its not your cup of tea, you _. A. like it B. do not like it 4. If something costs an arm and a leg, it means _. A. you have to go to hospital. B. it is expensiveBB5. If someone says, “I have butterflies in my stomach”, they are_. A. nervous B. having a good mealA6. If you say that someone is holding firm, you are saying that they_. A. are holding a hard object. B. believe in something strongly.BPart B Wang Chunlan is telling her cousin about how she got her first job. Read her story and fill in the blanks using the idioms from part A. You may need to make changes in some cases.Answers:(1) my cup of tea(2) held firm(3) raining cats and dogs(4) an arm and a leg(5) had butterflies in my stomach(6) as cool as a cucumber