Proverbs
adapted from Malene Cedrot, Montessoriskolan Pärlan, Skene – www.lektion.se
Make a mountain out of a molehill
to make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem.
I smell a rat
to suspect that something is wrong/ to suspect dishonesty
Have a finger in the pie
to be involved
A close shave / That was close
something unpleasant or dangerous nearly happened
Snug as a bug in a rug
to feel very comfortable and warm because you are in bed or under a cover
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
You have to accept what you I just said even if you don't like it
As busy as a bee very busy
Ants in your pants
(to be) agitated or excited about something and can't keep still
Let sleeping dogs lie Avoid restarting old conflicts.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Don’t assume that you’ll get the things you want until you have them
Birds of a feather flock together
means that people who are similar to each other often spend time together.
The straw that broke the camel's back
the last thing you are willing to accept after which you will not put up with any more. Example: "You broke a lot
of rules and we tried to ignore it. But stealing money from us was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
Finding your feet
when you are learning what to do and becoming more comfortable acting in a certain type of situation
Sink or swim
is a situation where you will either fail or you will find a way to succeed
A storm in a teacup
a situation where people get very angry or worried about something that is not important
Pigs might fly
something that you say which means you think there is no chance at all of something happening
A blessing in disguise
is a good thing that you don't recognize at first as a good thing
A dime a dozen
If a thing is very common and easy to get
Pay through the nose
pay too much for something
A piece of cake
something that is very easy to do
Add fuel to the fire
do something that makes a bad situation worse
Beating a dead horse
insist on talking about something that cannot be changed
Can't cut the mustard
Aren’t good enough to participate
Hold your horses
Stop doing or saying something because they are going too fast
Head over heels
when you’re totally and uncontrollably in love.
Elbow grease
hard work, especially when you are cleaning something
Keep your nose to the grindstone
to continue to work very hard, without stopping
It’s raining cats and dogs
it is raining very heavily
Exercise:
1. Träna på de engelska ordspråken så att du vet vad de betyder och kan dem utantill. På
läxförhöret kommer det bl.a. att komma en kort text där du ska skriva ett ordspråk som passar
till den texten.
2. Välj ut minst 5 av ordspråken. Skriv en text till varje ordspråk där ordspråket passar in och
används.
Make a mountain out of a molehill
to make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem.
I smell a rat
to suspect that something is wrong/ to suspect dishonesty
Have a finger in the pie
to be involved
A close shave / That was close
something unpleasant or dangerous nearly happened
Snug as a bug in a rug
to feel very comfortable and warm because you are in bed or under a cover
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
You have to accept what you I just said even if you don't like it
As busy as a bee very busy
Ants in your pants
(to be) agitated or excited about something and can't keep still
Let sleeping dogs lie Avoid restarting old conflicts.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Don’t assume that you’ll get the things you want until you have them
Birds of a feather flock together
means that people who are similar to each other often spend time together.
The straw that broke the camel's back
the last thing you are willing to accept after which you will not put up with any more. Example: "You broke a lot
of rules and we tried to ignore it. But stealing money from us was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
Finding your feet
when you are learning what to do and becoming more comfortable acting in a certain type of situation
Sink or swim
is a situation where you will either fail or you will find a way to succeed
A storm in a teacup
a situation where people get very angry or worried about something that is not important
Pigs might fly
something that you say which means you think there is no chance at all of something happening
A blessing in disguise
is a good thing that you don't recognize at first as a good thing
A dime a dozen
If a thing is very common and easy to get
Pay through the nose
pay too much for something
A piece of cake
something that is very easy to do
Add fuel to the fire
do something that makes a bad situation worse
Beating a dead horse
insist on talking about something that cannot be changed
Can't cut the mustard
Aren’t good enough to participate
Hold your horses
Stop doing or saying something because they are going too fast
Head over heels
when you’re totally and uncontrollably in love.
Elbow grease
hard work, especially when you are cleaning something
Keep your nose to the grindstone
to continue to work very hard, without stopping
It’s raining cats and dogs
it is raining very heavily
Exercise:
1. Träna på de engelska ordspråken så att du vet vad de betyder och kan dem utantill. På
läxförhöret kommer det bl.a. att komma en kort text där du ska skriva ett ordspråk som passar
till den texten.
2. Välj ut minst 5 av ordspråken. Skriv en text till varje ordspråk där ordspråket passar in och
används.
