Advanced English Conversations - Robert Allans, Ahmet Mustafaoglu, Metin Emir 2019

Set (69)-None had the backbone to stand up to him

Dialogue

Charles: James was suspected for cheating but none had the backbone to stand up to him.

Mike: Well, I have every confidence that the new inspectors will get to the bottom of it in no time.

Charles: What if they proved him guilty and lowered the boom?

Mike: Then, he would get what’s coming to him. They must set him an example for other jerks. I’m a strong proponent of the rule of law, not the law of the jungle

Charles: But bear in mind that the drama queen, his mom, will raise Cain!

Vocabulary

Backbone: (noun) courage.

Stand up to someone: to be brave to confront someone.

Get to the bottom of it: to determine the cause or source of something.

Lower the boom: to punish someone or something harshly.

Get what’s coming to one: to receive what one deserves.

Set an example: show a standard of work or behavior for others to follow.

The law of the jungle: the principle that those who are strong and apply ruthless self-interest will be most successful.

Bear in mind: to remember.

Drama queen: A person (usually a woman) who is given to exaggerated, disproportionate emotional reactions to relatively minor events or situations.

Raise Cain: to cause a commotion, to create a disturbance, to make trouble.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the correct phrases;

backbone

stand up to someone

get to the bottom of

lower the boom

get what’s coming to one

set an example

the law of the jungle

bear in mind

drama queen

raise Cain

a. Well, Mom .......... and grounded me for a month because I came home after curfew again.

b. Jenny has finally .......... her as a result her dirty deals

c. Before you ask for a raise, .......... that the company isn't doing well financially right now.

d. The police daren’t go into certain parts of the city. It’s .......... in there.

e. Ah, don't be such a .........., Tom, they're not going to fire you for a simple mistake like that.

f. The customer has been .......... about the service charge we included on his bill.

g. You shouldn’t use bad language in front of your children — it .... a bad ..........

h. The new regulations give workers the confidence to .......... their employers.

i. Investigators are trying to .......... what went wrong.

j. I wonder if he has the .......... to tell them what he thinks!