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Level 5: First Certificate/Advanced >> Vocabulary Worksheets >> Vocabulary worksheet which practises color idioms.

Color Idioms

1. We had been getting along fine for years, then __OUT OF THE BLUE__ she tells me she wants a divorce. I have never been so surprised in all my life.

2. I cannot afford to go on that holiday anymore. My bank account is __IN THE RED__ and my bank manager isn't the most flexible of people.

3. Police have found the town's infamous statue vandal. He was __CAUGHT RED HANDED___ spraying paint on the statue of the town founder, Marshall Higgins, at about 2am last night.

4. Howard is always considered the __BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY__ but he has never actually done much wrong. I think his sister is worse!

5. I, on the other hand, have always been considered the __BLUE-EYED BOY__ and my mother thinks I can't do wrong!

6. When the man continued to smoke in the restaurant which is very much non-smoking, I __SAW RED__ and said something to him. He stopped immediately!

7. If you tell your father that you got the money off a friend, it's not being very dishonest, is it? It would just be a __WHITE LIE__.

8. We got five numbers on the lottery last night and won $5000! Wayne is absolutely __TICKLED PINK__, saying we can get the new car now instead of waiting for next year.

9. We told our neighbours about it this morning and I think they were a bit jealous. Mrs. Riley, in particular, was __GREEN WITH ENVY__!

10. When we arrived at this house, it was a jungle in the garden but Peter has always __HAD GREEN FINGERS__ and had it looking like the gardens of a palace within six months.

11. The final details of the proposal have been worked out and we just need __THE GREEN LIGHT__ from the bank before we can begin.

12. It rained for the whole week and we were stuck in our cabin the whole time doing crosswords! I was really __BROWNED OFF__!

13. The reason she fails to plan for the worst case scenario is that she has always been too optimistic and never sees the possibility of the negative happening through those __ROSE COLOURED SPECTACLES__ she wears.

14. The normal price for a ticket for the championship final is about $50 but they are selling for more than $400 on the __BLACK MARKET__.