Cover of the textbook Outcomes Advanced - Student's Book

The key answer of exercise 8

The key to exercise solutions in chapter 12 - A remarkable life for the textbook Outcomes Advanced - Student's Book with authors Carol Nuttall and Amanda French from National Geographic Learning

Question

Work in pairs. Answer the questions.

Answer

  1. You feel like a fish out of water when you feel strange and uncomfortable, especially in a group setting. You feel like you’re the different / unusual one. The opposite is feel at home / feel comfortable / feel OK.
  2. You might avoid someone like the plague because you don’t like them, or they’re a bore or a bully. It might be done by not going to places where you might bump into them.
  3. If you’re chalk and cheese, it means you are very different or opposite in character. It doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t get on – you may do, but, if you do, it’s notable as such different people often don’t. The opposite is something like: they are very similar, have a lot in common, are very alike, or are ‘like two peas in a pod’.
  4. Athletes who are hard as nails are tough and durable, so examples would be rugby players, long-distance athletes, boxers, or people who have overcome tough physical challenges. Gangsters, bouncers and hard men can be described in this way, but also business people, negotiators, etc.
  5. Someone might go as white as a sheet when very shocked or surprised. It could be when you’ve seen or heard something very unexpected or weird and surprising.
  6. If something is as clear as mud, it’s not clear at all. It’s not possible to understand it. The opposite is very clear, easy to understand, or ‘as clear as day’.