Advanced English Conversations - Robert Allans, Ahmet Mustafaoglu, Metin Emir 2019
Set (52) - It's a bit of a stretch
Dialogue
Chris: I'm not a fan of taxes, but it's a bit of a stretch to claim they are the cause of all our problems.
Diana: Yeah; that’s no brainer. But you know; people are used to taking it on the circumstances.
Chris: You’re right! It’s quite hard to cope with the fact that we’re responsible for our failures.
Diana: We should learn what is truly worth our while rather than sitting idly by.
Chris: Honestly, it’s like pulling teeth trying to lay these facts out for others.
Diana: Well, don’t beat yourself up; everyone knows their stuff!
Vocabulary
A bit of a stretch: a mild exaggeration beyond the truth or what is likely the case.
No brainer: something which requires little or no mental effort.
Take it out on: to make someone else suffer or be responsible for your own mistakes, anger, sadness, etc.
Cope with: to endure something, usually something unpleasant or undesirable.
Worth one’s while: Good enough for one to spend time, effort, or money on.
Sit idly by: to see something bad happening without trying to prevent it.
Like pulling teeth: used to convey that something is extremely difficult to do.
Lay out: to explain a plan of action or a sequence of events.
Know one’s stuff: to be good at doing something because you know a lot about it.
Exercise;
Fill in the gaps with the appropriate expressions;
a bit of a stretch
no brainer
take it out on
cope with
worth one’s while
sit idly by
like pulling teeth lay out
know one’s stuff
a. I feel so guilty for .......... while my son was going through such a difficult time in his life.
b. That last test question was a complete ..........
c. I get that you're upset, but why are you .......... that poor pillow? What did it ever do to you?
d. Diana sold all her shared? Well, that’s ..........
e. She was finding it hard to .......... her son's increasingly antisocial behavior.
f. Getting her to tell me about her childhood was ..........
g. These documents .......... the principles clearly enough.
h. I think Nicole is our best candidate for the job—she really .......... when it comes to corporate accounting.
i. Staying up late tonight won't .......... because then I'll be exhausted the whole rest of the week.