Food metaphors

Inviting Joe and his ex-wives to the same party was a recipe for disaster. [situation sure to lead to]

The film has all the ingredients of a box office hit.[all the necessary characteristics

Lets invite lots of friends to our wedding to dilute the relatives a bit.[make less dominant]

I’m not going to call him. I’m going to let him stew for another few days at least.[worry of suffer especially about something you think is his fault]

The police grilled the suspect for hours, but eventually let him go. [asked a lot of questions]

I’m sure this is going to be another of his half-baked schemes that never comes to anything.[unrealistic or not thought properly]

Let’s hire a karaoke machine – that’ll spice up the office party. [make more lively]

Rick has started hanging around with some unsavoury characters [unpleasant, morally offensive]

They started their business with high hopes but thing soon turned sour.[went wrong]

Let’s go for a coffee and you can tell me all the juicy gossip.[exciting and interesting]

Ex.6 Rewrite these sentences using the metaphors.

1. My mother asked me a lot of very searching questions about where I had been last night.

2. Let’s make the evening more interesting by organizing some party games.

3. What’s been happening while I was on holiday? You must fill me in on all the interesting gossip.

4. Don’t tell her that her briefcase has been found. Let her suffer for a bit longer – perhaps she’ll be more careful it in future.

5. It might be a good idea to make these investments a bit less dominant in your portfolio by exchanging some of them for others in a different line of business.

6. They lived together happily for many years, but things changed for the worse when his mother came to live with them.

7. Patience combined with interest in your pupils is bound to lead to success for a teacher.

8. Lance’s ideas are never thought through properly.

Ex.7 Write a story using as many metaphors as you can.

Ex 8. Put each of the following colloquial words or phrases in its correct place in the sentences below.

1) Oh, I’ve dropped it! I am….

2) I said I’d pay him today, but my money’s in the bank and it’s just closed. Now I’m …

3) That’s a high salary for an easy job. It’s…

4) He never wants to do anything interesting. He just sits around all day. He is a bit of …

5) To me $ 1000 is a lot of money, but to a million it’s...

6) That firm only employs the very best graduates. They only take …

7) I think people who help the old, sick and homeless are...

8) He’s a bit tired and lifeless now, but after a nap he’ll be...

9) She now says she didn’t really want the job that she failed to get, but I think it’s just …

10) That’s a crazy idea of hers. She must be …

11) She likes literature and classical music. Discotheques are not her …

12) The exam was very easy. It was …

Ex.9 Complete the colloquial similes below with the correct items from the following list.

1. She was very embarrassed. She went as red as a …

2. He never panics in a difficult situation. He stays as cool as …

3. No, we aren’t cold. Your flat’s very warm. We’re as warm as...

4. There are no hills or slopes for miles around. It’s as flat as a …

5. Some students are not very interested in the subject. Others are as keen as …

6. John and his brother are as different as …

7. That singer’s new record is in a great demand. It’s selling like...

8. In the rush-hour buses, people are packed like …

9. I was terrified. I was shaking like a …

10. She’s very extravagant. She spends money like …

Ex.10. Make sure you know what all the words mean on these invitation cards.

___________________________________________________________

! Aaron and Sally!

! Invite you to come along and toast the launch of their new CD!

! at Frontiers Music store!

! 88, Fleece Street!

! 6 November at 5.30pm!

! aperitifs!

! admission by invitation only!

_____________________________________________

Mr W. and Mrs B. Ogilvy

Cordially invite you to a ball to celebrate

The wedding of their daughter