More Speak English Like an American » Lesson 20: Mark Has a Surprise Visitor

Word List
  • on the warpath
    every angry

    Example: The actress was on the warpath after a newspaper printed a false story about her love life.
    Note: The warpath was originally the "path to war" taken by Native Americans when traveling to a battle.

  • wishful thinking
    thinking hopefully, not realistically, about something

    Example: You think your two-year-old will become a genius by watching these DVDs? That's wishful thinking!

  • (to) do one's dirty work
    to do an unpleasant task for someone

    Example: The president wanted to keep his image clean, so he had others do his dirty work for him.

  • (to) have some nerve
    to behave in a bold or disrespectful way

    Example: Karen has some nerve telling me to clean up my desk. Her entire office is a mess!

  • common courtesy
    thoughtfulness; polite behavior

    Example: It's common courtesy to send a thank-you note after having a job interview.

  • Wake up and smell the coffee
    Be realistic

    Example: You think your employees don't surf the web during work hours? Wake up and smell the coffee!

  • ancient history
    the past; something that is finished

    Example: The college football team lost every game last year, but that's accient history now. With their new coach, they know they'll do better this year.

  • (to) get over it
    to deal with the reality that something is finished; to recover from an upsetting event

    Example: Tina was very upset when she lost the tennis tournament. "You'll get over it," her mother told her.

  • (to) bend over backwards
    to make a great effort for somebody

    Example: No wonder Starbucks was voted one of the best places to work. They bend over backwards to keep their employees happy.

  • This is the thanks I get
    this is how you thank me for all I've done for you

    Example: This is the thanks I get for spending six months training Rob. My company just fired me and put Rob in charge!

  • lover's spat
    an argument between a couple

    Example: When the president and his wife had a lover's spat in public, it was in all the newspapers the next morning.

  • knockout
    a beautiful woman

    Example: In Joel's experience with online dating, many women look like knockouts in their photos, but aren't so pretty in person.

  • (to) set someone up with someone
    to introduce someone to a friend or acquaintance for the purpose of dating

    Example: I set Todd up with Melanie last year, and I just found out they're getting married!

  • match made in heaven
    an ideal couple; a very good fit between two people or organizations

    Example: Kathy loves sports, and her new boyfriend is a professional athlete. They're a match made in heaven.

Practice The Idioms

Fill in the blank with the missing word or words:

  1. Wake up and smell the _____. Jim is never going to ask you to marry him.
    • a) tea
    • b) coffee
    • c) cocoa
  2. Greg is running around the office yelling. Do you know why he's on the _____?
    • a) war trail
    • b) warpath
    • c) anger path
  3. Jen is fed up with doing her boss's dirty ______ all the time.
    • a) tasks
    • b) jobs
    • c) work
  4. Tom loves to eat and his new girlfriend is a chef. They're a _____ made in heaven
    • a) match
    • b) pair
    • c) couple
  5. Did you hear Bill on the phone with his wife earlier? It sounded like they were having a lover's _____.
    • a) argument
    • b) fight
    • c) spat
  6. We bent over _____ to make our houseguests feel welcome and they left without saying thank you.
    • a) forward
    • b) sideways
    • c) backwards
  7. Tina is not interested in you anymore. Get _____ it.
    • a) by
    • b) over
    • c) into
  8. Tyler used to skip class all the time, and he never studied. But all that's _____ history. Now he's a great student.
    • a) ancient
    • b) old
    • c) past
  9. You think you're going to get a big raise this year? That may be _____ thinking.
    • a) hopeful
    • b) wishful
    • c) reasonable
  10. It's common _____ to thank the bus drive for the ride as you step off the bus.
    • a) niceness
    • b) manners
    • c) courtesy
Answer Key
Mark Has a Surprise Visitor

Mark has a surprise when he comes back to his office to find Cindy waiting for him. Mark tells her they're definitely finished and advises her to get over it. Ron sees Cindy and thinks she's beautiful. Mark agrees to introduce Ron to Cindy.

Angela: Welcome back to the office, Mark. There's a woman waiting outside your office, and she's on the warpath.

Mark: It must be Cindy Hansen. Can you please tell her to leave?

Angela: Wishful thinking! I'm not doing your dirty work.

(Mark sees Cindy)

Mark: Hi, Cindy. What can I do for you?

Cindy: You had some nerve leaving the country without telling me!

Mark: I don't need to tell you before I go away.

Cindy: It's just common courtesy to let your girlfriend know when you're going away.

Mark: You're not my girlfriend anymore. Wake up and smell the coffee! Our relationship is ancient history.

Cindy: But I still love you!

Mark: You and I are finished. Get over it.

Cindy: I bent over backwards to get you information, and this is the thanks I get!

(Cindy runs out. Ron enters)

Ron: Welcome back, Mark. I just overheard* your lover's spat. Who was that woman?

Mark: That was Cindy Hansen of Shop-Well.

Ron: She's a knockout! If you're not dating her anymore, can you set me up with her?

Mark: Sure. I think you two would be a match made in heaven.

* overhear - to hear something, usually without the speaker knowing it

Favorite Books

If you already speak some English and now would like to speak more like a native, “Speak English Like an American” will help you. One of the keys to speaking like a native is the ability to use and understand casual expressions, or idioms. American English is full of idioms. Speak English Like an American will help you understand and use idioms better. It contains over 300 of today's most common idioms.

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English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don't always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

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