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Next, Listen to this lesson, and then take the second quiz below it, to check that you
can use these idioms properly!
.
Weather Idioms (part 1)
By Jane Lawson at DailyStep.com
Idiom:
1. Take a rain check
Meaning:
We use this when we want to refuse an offer in a polite way,
implying that we may accept it in the future.
Example: I’ll have to take a rain check on that dinner tomorrow. I’m afraid I have to
work late so let’s make it another time.
(note: This idiom has its origin in American baseball, where in the 1880s paying
spectators were offered a piece of paper called a “rain check”, entitling them to future
admission for a game that was postponed or finished early because it was raining.)
2. The calm before the
storm
a peaceful, quiet time that comes before a busy or difficult time.
Example: The whole family is coming to stay for a week so I am trying to relax a little in
the calm before the storm!
3. Break the ice
To do or say something to remove tension when you first meet
someone, or after an argument
Examples: 1. After the argument, there was a bad atmosphere between them, until
John broke the ice by offering her a cup of tea.
2. The new class of students felt a little uncomfortable at first, but then one of them
broke the ice by starting a conversation and making a joke.
4. A storm in a teacup
( British English)
A situation where people get very worried or angry about
something that is not really important
A tempest in a teapot
(American English)
Examples: This argument is just a storm in a teacup! It’s not important at all! (British
or Australian English)
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This argument is just a tempest in a teapot! It will be forgotten by tomorrow. (American
English)
5. A bolt from the blue
Something that is totally unexpected
Example: When he told me the news that he was emigrating, it was a bolt from the
blue, because I thought he loved living here.
(note: “A bolt from the blue” is a bolt of thunder that comes out of a blue sky. Usually,
thunder occurs only during a storm, but sometimes it can also happen when the sky is
blue - and in this case it is totally unexpected.)
Now
Now, take this quiz below and this time write your answers into the gaps to make sure
you can use these idioms properly. Then listen to the free audio summaries of all
DailyStep lessons for next week below. At the bottom of the page you can download a
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lesson.
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audio blog, please visit: https://www.dailystep.com/en/blog/weather-idioms-try-these-2-
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