Speak Clear English - Enroll Today
Episode Thirty-Three:
Death Related Idioms
In the last few idioms lessons, we talked about emotions: happiness and love and anger. We use idioms to paint a word picture, so we don’t have to use the same word for something all the time. Life would be boring if we only said the same word for something over and over instead of changing the words we use.
Idioms are also used to make uncomfortable situations more comfortable. There are certain topics that we don’t like to talk about directly because it’s not polite, or it’s embarrassing. Death is one of those topics. It’s not usually polite to say “Bob is dead”. Instead, we use an idiom that means the same thing but isn’t as direct.
In this lesson, we’re going to look at death idioms. Some of these idioms mean to die or to be dead, but others of them aren’t about death at all, even though they have the word ‘death’ in them.
The two categories of idioms are:
- idioms that have the word “death” or “dead” in them, but don’t mean “death” or “dead”
- idioms that mean something related to death or dying
Idioms that have “death” or “dead” in them, but don’t mean “death” or “dead”
1 – Bored to death
Definition: very uninterested; very bored
Example: I was always bored to death during history class because I just didn’t see how it was relevant to my daily life.
2 – Kiss of Death
Definition: final action or event that ends a company, relationship, career, etc…
Example: A poor Black Friday performance for the mall was its kiss of death.
3 – Fight to the Death
Definition: do something without stopping, refusing, even if it costs you a lot; a difficult competition
Example: The presidential election was a fight to the death.
4 – Over my Dead Body
Definition: under no circumstances; I will not let you do that.
Example: You’re only 17! You’ll go to that party over my dead body!
5 – Death and Taxes
Definition: something that is impossible to avoid
Example: Jessie and Taylor don’t make a good couple. Their breakup is as sure as death and taxes.
Idioms that mean “dead”
6 – Kick the Bucket
Definition: to die
Example: Before I kick the bucket, I want to visit Iceland.
7 – Death’s Door
Definition: extremely ill or close to death
Example: The patient is at death’s door. It’s time to call her family in.
8 – Pushing up Daisies
Definition: Dead and buried
Example: Great books live on long after their authors are pushing up daisies.
9 – Six Feet Under
Definition: Dead and buried in the ground
Example: Even though John Lennon is six feet under, his recordings are still making money.
10 – Sleep with the Fishes
Definition: dead, often by murder
Example: Tony tried to take money from the mob for himself. Now he sleeps with the fishes.
11 – (Your) Number is Up
Definition: (you) are going to die
Example: When the soldier heard gunfire behind him, he thought his number was up.
12 – No Longer with Us
Definition: dead
Example: My grandma is no longer with us.
13 – Passed Away
Definition: dead
Example: Esther passed away after a long fight with cancer.
14 – At Peace
Definition: dead
Example: Grandpa Lou is finally at peace.
15 – Is with God
Definition: is dead
Example: My Aunt Jennie is with God now.
Until next time, Happy learning!
If you want to learn more languages, you can take my intensive conversational language course: 60 languages to better understand native English speakers at StudyWithAndrea.com/idioms
The following is a TOEFL Reading practice test to help you prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL test.
Instructions: Read the sample passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
TOEFL Reading Practice Passage
Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.
Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.
(#1) Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. (#2) A 2018 study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). (#3) Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general population. (#4)
The eastern gorilla is more darkly colored than the western gorilla, with the mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest.
A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo, a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.
Questions
1. According to the passage, gorillas can live in
a. a variety of altitudes.
b. several different countries in Africa.
c. thick forests.
d. lowland forests only.
2. All of the following is true about gorillas EXCEPT
a. they primarily eat smaller animals.
b. they live in a forest habitat.
c. their genetics are similar to humans.
d. their diet consists of vegetation.
3. Look at the word predominantly in paragraph 1. The word predominantly in this passage refers to
a. impulsively
b. unfortunately
c. mainly
d. lastly
4. Look at the word inhabits in paragraph 2. The word inhabits in this passage refers to
a. lives in
b. protects
c. goes
d. works
5. The author implies that
a. most gorillas prefer using their left hand over their right.
b. gorillas rarely walk on their knuckles.
c. gorillas regularly walk upright for long distances.
d. studies haven't solidly proven which hand gorillas prefer using.
6. Why does the writer mention that the eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla?
a. To validate the importance a broad chest in western gorillas
b. To define the meaning of "broad"
c. To highlight a physical difference between types of gorillas
d. To demonstrate that most gorillas are identical in physical build
7. Which of the following statements is true for BOTH eastern and western gorillas.
a. Both eastern and western gorrilas are brown with red foreheads.
b. Both eastern and western gorrilas have unique fingerprints.
c. Both eastern and western gorrilas have thin hair.
d. Both eastern and western gorrilas have light brown eyes.
8. In Paragraph 3, look at the four numbers (#1, #2, #3, #4) that indicate where the following sentence would be added to the passage.
Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.
Where would the sentence best fit?
(View all the correct answers below.)
Great job! If you're ready to take your TOEFL preparation to the next level, go to StudyWithAndrea.com/TOEFL.
Answers: 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. b 8. #3
Click on one of the following links to start speaking clearer English!
1) TOEFL MASTER CLASS
2) free mini-course "punctuation mistakes to avoid"
3) Clear English Pronunciation Video Course
4) English Vocabulary - Audio Files & PDF - TOEFL & IELTS
About Andrea
Andrea Giordano is the founder of StudyWithAndrea.com and has taught more than 1,000,000 students from 180 countries. Andrea holds a Master of Education (TESOL) from Shenandoah University, and is the former Executive Director of TESOL and ESL programs at Campbellsville University. Andrea is a proven leader in online English teaching and is driven by her passion to help you speak English clearly.
Previous Lessons
Audio Lessons
