Telephoning idioms

Transcript: Telephoning idioms

In this exercise, we’d like you to form some idioms. First, you’ll hear a description of a situation and then two suggestions, a) and b). In the pause, choose the correct suggestion to form the idiom from the world of telephoning. Then, you’ll hear the correct answer. OK? Let’s start with the first one.

1. If you want to call someone, do you…
a) give that person a bell?
b) give that person a knock?

a) is right. In British English, if you “give somebody a bell”, you call them.. Next one.

2. If you get one phone call after another the whole day, is your telephone…
a) calling off the hook?
b) ringing off the hook?

b) is right. If your telephone is “ringing off the hook”, it means that as soon as you’ve finished one call, your telephone rings again. Next one.

3. If something reminds you of another thing you already know, does it…
a) ring a memory?
b) ring a bell?

b) is right. When something “rings a bell”, this means that it reminds you of something familiar. Next one.

4. If you are in an unpleasant situation as a result of your own fault, and want get out of it, do you try to…
a) get off the hook?
b) get off the line?

a) is right. “To get off the hook” means that you get out of a rather unpleasant situation. And the last one.

5. If you tell somebody something franklyoffenfrankly and directly, do you
a) lay it on the loop?
b) lay it on the line?

b) is right. Saying directly what you think to somebody is to “lay it on the line”.

Well, did you get all those idioms right? If you found this exercise difficult, try it again.