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

Set (95) - It's either feast or famine!

Dialogue

Jessie: Yesterday two hundred showed up at the fair, today two dozen - it's either feast or famine!

Jane: Bear in mind that David has got lots of fans! If he was here, thousands would be around.

Jessie: Good idea! But do you David would string along with us through thick and thin?

Jane: Should I give him a ring now?

Jessie: Sure! The sooner the better!

Jane: Look who is there. That’s Mary. Isn’t she? It’s a small world?

Vocabulary

Show up: to arrive.

Either feast or famine: either too much or too little, too many or too few.

String along with: stay with or accompany a person or group.

Through thick and thin: under all circumstances, no matter how difficult.

Give someone a ring: to call someone on the telephone.

The sooner the better: it should be done as soon as possible.

It’s a small world: used to express surprise at meeting an acquaintance or discovering a personal connection in a distant place or an unexpected context.

Exercise

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases:

show up

either feast or famine

string along with

through thick and thin

give someone a ring

the sooner the better

It’s a small world!

a. Lucy is my right arm - She has stuck with me ..........

b. ........... tonight, and we'll work out the details.

c. Mike is getting more and more indifferent! I invited him for eight o'clock, but he didn't .......... until nine-thirty.

d. Freelance projects always seem to be .........., unfortunately — this line of work is very unpredictable.

e. I found a copy of my novel at a used bookstore in Paris .........., isn't it?

f. A new candidate will probably have to be found, ..........

g. Okay. I will .......... you this time, but I don't know about the future.