12 February 2010

"'The Cheese Slid Off Her Cracker" -- Test Yourself

Test your students (B2 and C1)

How many ways can we say ”crazy" in English?
out to l______
he has a s______ loose
not all th_______
not right in one's h_______
out of one's m_______,
L_____y-tunes
lost his mar______s
not pl_____ing with a full deck
s_____ in the head

Test your "lights are on, but nobody's home" idioms.

A taco sh______ ____ ___ combination plate
A few b____s  sh_____ ___ ______ six-pack.
24 co______  ______  ___  ___ quarter.
A few cl____s _____  _____  ____circus.
A few p____s _____ ____  ___ casserole.
A few f__________s ____ ____   __  whole duck.
A few fr___s _______ _____ __ Happy Meal.
He only has one oar in the w______r.
Doesn't have all her corn______s in one box.
The cheese slid off her cr________.
Doesn't have all his d______ on one leash.
Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top f________.
His an______a doesn't pick up all the chan_______.
Missing a few b_________ on his remote control.
Receiver is off the h_____k.
Too much yardage between the goal p_____s.
Not the sharpest k_______ in the drawer.
The wheel's spinning, but the h_______’s dead.
Not the br_______t bulb on the Christmas Tree.
The l________ are on, but ____________’s home.
About as s_____ as a marble.

Answers (and a few more)

out to lunch
he has a screw loose
not all there
not right in one's head
out of one's mind,
looney-tunes
lost his marbles
not playing with a full deck
soft in the head
not all there

A taco short of a combination plate
The lights are on, but no body’s home.
About as sharp as a marble.
A few clowns short of a circus.
Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas Tree.
A few fries short of a Happy Meal.
He only has one oar in the water.
A few beers short of a six-pack.
A few peas short of a casserole.
Doesn't have all her cornflakes in one box.
A few feathers short of a whole duck.
The cheese slid off her cracker.
Doesn't have all his dogs on one leash.
Elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor.
Her sewing machine's out of thread.
His antenna doesn't pick up all the channels.
His belt doesn't go through all the loops.
Missing a few buttons on his remote control.
No grain in the silo.
Receiver is off the hook.
Too much yardage between the goal posts.
Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
The lights are on, but nobody's home.
24 cents short of a quarter.
The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead.

Extra activity:  Get your students to invent their own idioms.
A few __________  short of a _____________.