Eat One's Words | Off the Top of One's Head | More Than Meets the Eye | By the Book

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

eat (one's) words

Phrase

iːt wʌnz wɜrdz

to admit that something one said was wrong

I may eat my words, but I really don’t think you can eat the whole cake.

OK, you were right; I'll have to eat my words.

off the top of (one's) head

Phrase

ɔf ðə tɑp əv wʌnz hɛd

without careful thought or preparation

I'd say there are 100 members, off the top of my head.

Here’s an example off the top of my head.

more than meets the eye

Phrase

mɔr ðən miːts ði aɪ

something that is more complex, interesting, or important than it may seem at first

There is more to him than meets the eye. Did you know he writes poetry?

There must be more to her than meets the eye, don’t you think?

by the book

Phrase

baɪ ðə bʊk

strictly following the rules

You have to do everything by the book; otherwise, the experiment won’t succeed.

He always did everything by the book, and look where it got him.

go overboard

Phrase

goʊ ˈoʊvərˌbɔrd

to do something too much or to be too enthusiastic about something

Everything she’s wearing is pink; she went a little bit overboard, didn’t she?

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Jessica	Hey, Saya, name a country off the top of your head!
Saya	Hm, let’s see. France. Why?
Jessica	I’m just wondering where I should go this year.
Saya	You mean on holiday? You can’t possibly have enough money for a trip to Paris!
Jessica	I’ll make you eat your words, Saya. I do have enough money. In fact, I could go to Antarctica, if I wanted to!
Saya	Antarctica? Okay, now you're going overboard, Jessica. Anyway, I didn’t mean to insult you. But I don’t think you should go to a country I just randomly named.
Jessica	Why not? France seems romantic!
Saya	You – a romantic?! I guess there’s more to you than meets the eye.
Jessica	Well, I don't want to do everything by the book. I want to go somewhere unusual this year!

Exercise 3

Article

Read the passage aloud with your teacher.

Ryan was a man who used to do everything by the book. Whatever he would do, he would always follow the rules. Even when he had presentations, he would never give examples just off the top of his head. Every single thing he said had been planned ahead. People would frequently say that he was going overboard, planning everything like this.

Well, they all had to eat their words. One Monday morning, Ryan wasn’t at his office desk. There had been no call from him to inform us that he was sick. When the boss arrived from a company meeting, he said that Ryan suddenly flew to the Alps without warning anybody, not even the boss himself. That was not like Ryan. I guess there is more to him than meets the eye!

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms to complete the dialogue.

Lauren	Hey, Hannah! What are you doing this afternoon?
Hannah	Hey! I’m going to the library. Why?
Lauren	Are you studying for the test already? That’s (1)! You should relax, there's plenty of time left. Anyway, how about having lunch together?
Hannah	Sorry, Lauren, but I really need to study. And you do, too! You won’t pass unless you start studying now.
Lauren	I’ll make you (2).
Hannah	Oh, really? You say that because you haven't started studying yet. I tell you, there's more to this test (3). When you start studying, you'll see for yourself!
Lauren	Come on, Hannah! Just take this afternoon off. Name any place (4) and we’ll have lunch there. Please?
Hannah	Okay. But only this time! Let’s go to that diner down the street.
Lauren	Thank you! You know you don’t have to always go (5) and do whatever the lecturers tell you. Just relax.
Hannah	Okay, let’s go already!