Vocabulary Idioms and phrases

• I can talk about making new friends.

How to break the ice and make new friends

Can you work out the meaning of the title?

1 In pairs, answer the questions.

Do you find it easy or difficult to break the ice with people you don’t know? Say why.

• making a favourable impression
• strike up a conversation
• have a laugh
• create a bond
• pay them a compliment
• make small talk
• hit it off
• take to you
• come across as

What is an idiom? Complete the phrases

جرّب الآن: أكمل الجملة الثانية بالعبارة المظلّلة في المقال.

He started talking to the new neighbour. STRUCK He ___ with the new neighbour.

She gave the impression of being very self-confident. ACROSS She ___ being very self-confident.

Abeer commented on how nice her shoes were. PAID Abeer ___ about her shoes.

I immediately liked him. TOOK I ___ immediately.

We found it really funny. LAUGH We really ___ about it.

I didn’t really like her friends when I met them. OFF I didn’t really ___ with her friends when I met them.

Six idioms for how people talk

• jump down somebody’s throat = to react angrily to something
• put somebody on the spot = to embarrass someone by forcing them to answer a difficult question
• fire questions at someone = to ask someone a lot of questions quickly
• refuse to let something drop = to not stop talking about something
• insist on having the last word = to have to make the final point
• not get a word in edgeways = to be unable to say anything because someone else is talking all the time

Match idioms 1–6 with definitions a–f.

1 □jump down somebody’s throat

2 □put somebody on the spot

3 □fire questions at someone

4 □refuse to let something drop

5 □insist on having the last word

6 □not get a word in edgeways

3 1.3 Listen to someone talking about breaking the ice. What behaviour does she find annoying when meeting new people?