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Idioms and phrases with numbers Posted by on Sep 19, 2013 in English Language, English Vocabulary

Today I am going to present to you a group of idioms and phrases to look at; one thing that all of these phrases have in common is there are numbers in them. To make learning these new idioms/phrases more fun, why don’t you try and guess what numbers go into the idioms/phrases below.

Here is a hint: The numbers go in order from smallest to largest, starting from the top of the list going down.

Give it a try!

A. all in ______ piece
B. to kill _____ birds with ____ stone
C. to have _____ left feet
D. to give a high ______
E. _____ times out of ______
F. to divide ______
G. to feel like a ______ dollars

 

Alright, here is another hint, here are the numbers: 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 50-50, 1,000,000 – two number are used more than once.

 

Where do you think these numbers go in the phrases above?

 

Ready for the answers?

 

Okay, take a look at these idioms/phrases and their definitions below, with examples.

on the one hand – something that is said when speaking about two different facts or two opposite ways of thinking or ideas.
For example: On the one hand, I’d like to save my money for a long vacation, but on the other hand, I really want to go out with my friends each weekend.  I don’t know what to do.

all in one piece – to be safe; to arrive safe or without damage
For example: After the long flight home, we finally arrived, tired, but all in one piece.

to kill two birds with one stone – to solve two problems at one time, with a single action
For example: If we go to the grocery store and the bank on our trip out we will kill two bird with one stone and be done with our weekly errands.

nine times out of ten – usually; happening almost always
For example: Nine times out of ten I do my homework; the one time I didn’t the teacher called on me and I didn’t know the answer.

to give (a) high five – to slap somebody else’s hand above your hand; the number in this phrase comes from the fact that you have five fingers
For example: The players were giving high-fives all around after the game. or  I gave my brother a high five after he graduated.

to divide fifty-fifty – to divide in two even halves
For example: There was only one piece of cake left, so we divided it fifty-fifty and each ate half.

two left feet – an inability to dance or to be clumsy in general
For example: My boyfriend never dances with me at parties because he says he has two left feet.

to feel like a million dollars – to feel great or amazing
For example: When I heard I got the promotion I had been waiting for, I felt like a million dollars.

Last question of the post, which of these idioms do you think is represented by the picture at the beginning of this post?

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About the Author: Gabriele

Hi there! I am one of Transparent Language's ESL bloggers. I am a 32-year-old native English speaker who was born and raised in the United States. I am living in Washington, DC now, but I have lived all over the US and also spent many years living and working abroad. I started teaching English as a second language in 2005 after completing a Master's in Applied Linguists and a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults' (CELTA). Since that time I have taught ESL in the United States at the community college and university level. I have also gone on to pursue my doctorate in psychology and now I also teach courses in psychology. I like to stay connected to ESL learners around the world through Transparent Languages ESL Blog. Please ask questions and leave comments on the blog and I will be sure to answer them.


Comments:

  1. Spoken English Classes in Deccan:

    The Answer To The Last question Are :
    to kill two birds with one stone,two left feet,To give (a) high five,to divide fifty-fifty.
    am i Right???

  2. Alina:

    Hi Gabrielle, I am writing a thesis on idioms containing numbers, maybe you have some info on this.

    Thanks very much in advance,
    Alina Budeanov

    • Gabriele:

      @Alina Alina,
      Best of luck with your thesis! This post is the only post I’ve written on idioms containing numbers, but I’m sure you can find more resources on the subject by searching these terms “idioms” + “numbers” here online or at your school library.
      All the best,
      Gabriele