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

Set (87) - He’s getting hold of the wrong end of the stick!

Dialogue

Kathy: Oh, you can't believe a word that guy says—he's full of hot air.

Jenny: But he’s rolling in money! He thinks people believe him hook, line and sinker.

Kathy: I had his number from the start - He’s as sly as a fox! Period.

Jenny: Do you think he’s getting off on the wrong foot with that speech?

Or probably he’s getting hold of the wrong end of the stick!

Kathy: He’s doing that deliberately. I bet he’s playing the victim to win sympathy and attention.

Jenny: Aha! Now I got what he was getting at!

Vocabulary

Hot air: lies, exaggerations, or nonsense.

Rolling in money: very rich.

Hook line and sinker: without question or doubt.

Have someone's number: know what kind of person someone is.

Sly as a fox: exceptionally clever, cunning, or shrewd, especially in devious or underhanded ways.

Get off on the wrong foot: make a bad start.

Get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick: to misunderstand something.

Deliberately: purposefully; intentionally.

Play the victim: a person that always pretends to be the underdog.

Get at: to imply something; to hint.

Exercise

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases:

hot air

get at

rolling in money

hook line and sinker

have someone's number

sly as a fox

get off on the wrong foot

deliberately

play the victim

get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick

a. Oh, don't worry — I won't let him cheat me. I ..........

b. Once we get this plan underway, we'll be .......... in no time!

c. She lifted her chin in a gesture that .......... exposed the line of her throat.

d. Their relationship had .........., but the bond between Packer and Singleton grew stronger over time.

e. I think I .......... maybe she was pointing out someone else, not me.

f. There is no harm to .......... as long as your good will is there.

g. She may come off as nothing but smiles and sunshine, but trust me—she's ..........!

h. His promises turned out to be so much ..........

i. Will you get to the point? I don't know what you're ..........

j. The moment I met my wife, I fell for her ..........