Each example below contains an
idiom related to a kind of stationery. Can you guess the meaning
of each idiom from the context? Try to match each idiom (1-6) with
its definition (a-f).
I want to write a novel but I just don't have
time to put pen to paper.
She is a bored, frustrated
pencil pusher in a small office.
She wants to quit her job and travel around the world.
Can the United Nations make a difference, or
is it just a paper tiger?
President Bush was hopeful that the United Nations would rubber-stamp a war against Iraq.
My application for a visa to enter China was
held up by red tape.
The Prime Minister's visit has
put the seal on the free trade
agreement between the two countries.
Idiom
Definition
1. to put pen to paper
a.
to give something
(a plan or decision) the official approval
2. a pencil pusher
b.
to start writing
(something)
3. a paper tiger
c.
official rules which do not seem necessary and
make things happen very slowly
4. to rubber-stamp something
d.
a country or
organization that seems powerful but actually it is not
5. red tape
e.
someone who has a
boring job in an office
6. to put the seal on (something)
f.
to make something certain or complete
Our plan to buy a house in
Toronto was
rubber-stamped
by Hana.
More Practice:
A. Complete the
sentences with an appropriate idiom:
1. I have been planning to send her a
letter but I haven't yet managed to
.
2. She hated her old job. She was
a desk-bound
in the Housing Department.
3. I lost my passport and now I have to
go through all the
to
get a new one.
4. The Government has finally
the multi-dollar project to build a new tunnel.
5. That new political organization has
no real power. It's just a
.
6. The court was asked
to
the mayor's decision to free the prisoner.
