Vocabulary Idioms Walk of Life | Vote of Confidence | Sweep the Board | Weak at the Knees
Vocabulary
walk of life
Phrase
wɔːk əv laɪf
one's occupation or position in society
At the event, you'll get a chance to meet people from many walks of life.
The music festival attracted people from all walks of life.
vote of confidence
Phrase
voʊt əv ˈkɑːnfɪdəns
a sign of support and approval
The vote of confidence from the crowd boosted the players’ morale.
I think I will win this speech contest because of the vote of confidence that I got from the audience.
sweep the board
Phrase
swiːp ðə bɔrd
to win all the prizes in a competition; to win easily
The republicans swept the board in the local elections.
The female team swept the board in the game show.
weak at the knees
Phrase
wiːk ət ðə ni:z
overwhelmed by strong emotion(s), typically fear or desire
She felt weak at the knees when she learned about the terrible accident.
Every time I see him, I go weak at the knees.
Dialogue Practice
Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
 Hannah | Hi, Zach! Have you heard about it already? |
 Zach | Heard about what? |
 Hannah | Rick swept the board during the student election! |
 Zach | Really? Not Justin? I thought he would win. |
 Hannah | No, Rick did. Actually, students from many walks of life expressed their support for him even before the election day. That was a real vote of confidence for him. |
 Zach | He must be a very skilled leader. |
 Hannah | Definitely! He gave the perfect speech after the election. Many people would go weak at the knees if they had to deliver a speech in front of such a large audience. |
 Zach | He must be really confident then. |
 Hannah | He sure is. |
Article
Read the passage aloud with your teacher.
Rick is a student who ran in the election at his school. He swept the board and became the president of the college student committee. Before the election, he got a vote of confidence from many students who believed in him. People from many walks of life supported him. When the name of the winner was announced, he was asked to give a speech. He was very confident and didn't go weak at the knees, even though he had to deliver his speech in front of a big crowd.
Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms to complete the dialogue.
Sophie and Liam are talking about a person who won a competition. | |
 Sophie | Have you heard that Kyla (1) for the third time? |
 Liam | Wow! That’s very impressive. |
 Sophie | And she probably entered the competition without any preparation at all. |
 Liam | That sounds like her. She must have gotten a big (2) from all her supporters, too. |
 Sophie | Apparently there are people from many (3) who are actually disappointed that she won. |
 Liam | Yeah. They are probably just envious of her skills. |
 Sophie | Let’s not mind them. We’d better go now. She’s about to give a speech! |
 Liam | Oh, really? I hope she won’t go (4) . |
Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 4
Answer Pool (Questions 1-4)
- vote of confidence
- weak at the knees
- walks of life
- swept the board
Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms to complete the sentences.
1.
Do you think she will at this competition?
2.
People gave a to the government on election day.
3.
People from all are invited to attend this two-day seminar.
4.
I went when she approached me.
5.
People from all participated in the protest.
6.
The fact that his boss let him take over the project was a huge for him.
7.
The New York Yankees last season and became champions.
8.
I went when I was in court.
Sentence Building
Create sentences using the following idioms.
- sweep the board
- vote of confidence
- walk of life
- weak at the knees
