Success and Failure
A. Read the idioms and their meanings:
- Nail it = To do something perfectly or succeed at something.
- Work like a charm/magic = To work perfectly or as expected without any problems.
- Screw up = To make a mistake or do something badly.
- Fall flat on its face = To fail completely or embarrassingly.
B. Find the idioms in the paragraph:
After weeks of preparation, Defne finally organized the baby shower for her friend Melissa. And she nailed it. Everything went smoothly, and the guests seemed really impressed with the food, decor, and the party games. The music app she purchased for the party turned out to work like a charm, with everything falling into place as planned. Unfortunately, her husband, Tom, who was in charge of the cake, completely screwed up the pickup time. He fell flat on its face when he brought the cake at the end of the party when there were only a few guests left. Defne was up in arms, but the party was great without the cake.
C. Let’s watch a cool video about these idioms and more:
D. Match the idioms with their meanings:
|
Idiom |
Meaning |
|
1. Nail it |
A. To perform in an unexpected way and bring positive results. |
|
2. Work like a charm/magic |
B. To achieve something effortlessly or with great skill. |
|
3. Screw up |
C. To mess something up due to lack of preparation or mistakes. |
|
4. Fall flat on its face |
D. To fail in a way that is obvious and humiliating. |
E. Fill in the blanks with the correct idiom.
1.
Nina: I can’t believe how well your presentation went!
Daniel: Thanks! I was really nervous, but I think I finally managed to ________________________.
Nina: You nailed it!
2.
Kira: I was worried about fixing my laptop, but the new software update really helped.
Jake: Sounds like it really ________________________!
Kira: Yeah, it worked perfectly.
3.
Maya: I can’t believe I forgot the meeting!
David: Don’t worry, you didn’t really _________________________.
Maya: I know, it was totally my fault.
4.
Carlos: I thought our new marketing campaign would be a hit.
Ana: Oh no, did it not work?
Carlos: It totally _________________________. Nobody even noticed.
F. Write your own sentences using these idioms.
Answers: D 1. B 2. A 3. C 4. D
E. 1. Nail it. 2. Work like a charm/magic. 3. Screw up 4. Fall flat on its face
