


Let’s touch base. 15 English idioms to use at work
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THE BLUE TREE
Everyday English

CEFR B1
Intermediate
warm up
- How often do you need to speak English at work?
- Is it easier for you to talk to native speakers or learners of English?
- What is the advantage of using idioms?
part one
key language
watch the video
Comprehension
- ⌚ 0:11 Where does Emma believe are English idioms used most often?
- ⌚ 0:21 How important is it to be able to use idiom when we communicate in English?
- ⌚ 0:33 What are some of the benefits of knowing and using idioms?
part two
key language
watch the video
Comprehension
- ⌚ 1:24 What does it mean to ‘get your foot in the door‘?
- ⌚ 1:54 What are some of the ways we can get our foot in the door of a company we really want to work for?
- ⌚ 2:26 What does it mean to ‘show someone the ropes‘?
- ⌚ 2:47 What does the idiom ‘thrown in the deep end‘ mean?
- ⌚ 3:03 How was Emma thrown in the deep end on her first teaching job?
- ⌚ 3:49 When do we use the expressions ‘a steep learning curve‘?
part three
key language
watch the video
Comprehension
- ⌚ 5:23 What does it mean to do something ‘by the book‘?
- ⌚ 5:50 How is ‘to cut corners‘ different from ‘by the book‘?
- ⌚ 6:15 What situation does the idiom ‘have one’s work cut out‘ describe?
- ⌚ 6:43 What does it mean to ‘make light/short work (of something)’?
- ⌚ 7:10 Can we use this idiom outside of the work context? How?
part four
key language
watch the video
Comprehension
- ⌚ 8:00 What happens when we ‘touch base‘ with someone?
- ⌚ 8:28 What does it mean to ‘cut to the chase‘?
- ⌚ 9:02 Why do we need to be careful when we are using this idiom?
- ⌚ 9:54 What does it mean ‘to bite your tongue‘?
part five
key language
watch the video
Comprehension
- ⌚ 10:21 What does it mean to ‘rock the boat‘?
- ⌚ 11:26 When can we use the idiom ‘to put out fires‘?
- ⌚ 12:10 What happens when someone ‘is in hot water‘?
- ⌚ 12:28 When is the right time to use the idiom ‘let’s call it a day‘?
PRACTICE
Play this Multidecker flashcard game.
lesson glossary
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COMMENTS
Write your own examples with the idioms you learnt in this lesson.