Risks and dangers
A. Read the idioms and their meanings:
- Walk a tightrope=act carefully to avoid a dangerous situation.
- Close shave=a situation where something bad nearly happened.
- Play Russian roulette=take foolish/dangerous risks
B. Find the idioms in the paragraph:
Lily always walks a tightrope; she has always been extremely careful to avoid risks. That’s why we were all very surprised when she decided to buy that old house in the countryside, especially because there the mortgage rates were so high and there were frequent layoffs at a lot of companies. We told her she was playing the Russian roulette and that wasn’t what she would normally do. When she said the house was sold to someone else, we were all very relieved. That was a close shave.
C. Let’s watch a cool video about these idioms and more:
D.Match the idioms with their meanings:
|
Expression |
Synonym |
|
1.Walk a tightrope |
a. A close call |
|
2.Close shave |
b. On a knife-edge |
|
3.Play Russian roulette |
c Push your luck |
E. Fill in the blanks with the correct idiom.
1
Emma: How’s the situation at your office?
David: It’s tough. I have to _______ every day between keeping the boss happy and supporting my team.
Emma: Sounds exhausting!
2
Lucas: You won’t believe it—I almost got hit by a car this morning.
Priya: Oh no! That sounds like a _______!
Lucas: Yeah, I was lucky to jump out of the way in time.
3
Mateo: You’re still driving with those worn-out brakes?
Sofia: I know, I should get them fixed.
Mateo: You’re basically _______ every time you get in the car!
Sofia: I’ll call the mechanic today, I promise.
F. Write your own sentences using these idioms.
Answers: D. 1. B 2. A 3. C
E. 1. walk a tightrope 2. close shave 3. playing Russian roulette
