IDIOM CONNECTION

lesson 11

Restaurant Idioms

Introduction

When was the last time that you went to a restaurant?

Reading

I was hungry so I decided to go to my favorite restaurant to grab something to eat. I have recently acquired a taste for the food at that restaurant and I go there often. When I arrived at the restaurant, the customers were packed in like sardines. It is always crowded. The smell of the food coming from the kitchen made my mouth water as I waited for the waitress to clear the table. There are many kinds of food at that restaurant and the menu contains everything from soup to nuts. However, I had my heart set on eating the same thing that I always order when I go there. When the food arrived, everything on my plate was cooked to perfection. I quickly remembered why I like that restaurant so much

Reading Questions

Answer the following questions. The answers can easily be found in the reading above.

1. Where did this person decide to go to grab something to eat?

2. What did he recently acquire a taste for?

3. Who were packed in like sardines?

4. What made his mouth water?

5. Who cleared the table?

6. What had everything from soup to nuts in it?

7. What did he have his heart set on?

8. What was cooked to perfection?

Making Connections and Idiom Meanings

Some of the idioms have another meaning or are connected to another meaning. Use this information to help you choose the correct meaning for each of the underlined idioms:

1. To grab something means to take or grasp it quickly. What does to grab something to eat mean in the following sentence?

We stopped at the restaurant to grab something to eat.
a)   to have a coffee
b)   to eat something quickly
c)   to take out something to eat

2. My friend recently acquired a taste for fast cars.
a)   began to like
b)   began to hate
c)   does not care about

3. If small sardines are packed in a can, they are packed in very tightly. What does to be packed in like sardines mean in the following sentence?

The restaurant was very crowded. We were packed in like sardines.
a)   were having a good time
b)   had much room
c)   were packed in very tightly

4. The smell of the bread in the bakery made my mouth water.
a)   destroyed my appetite
b)   made me hungry
c)   made me happy

5. We cleared the table after we ate dinner.
a)   removed the dishes from the table
b)   moved the table
c)   washed some dishes

6. Sometimes a meal begins with soup and ends with nuts. Therefore, a meal that includes everything from soup to nuts means that the meal includes everything. What does the expression everything from soup to nuts mean in the following sentence?

There was everything from soup to nuts in the store.
a)   a large variety of soup
b)   a large number of things
c)   only a few things

7. I have my heart set on buying a new computer.
a)   am not interested in
b)   am very interested in
c)   have never thought about

8. My aunt cooked the meal to perfection.
a)   cooked the meal for a long time
b)   cooked the meal yesterday
c)   cooked the meal perfectly

Your score is: ___  out of 8


Yes/No Questions

Answer the following questions with a yes or no answer and explain your answer:

1. The man grabbed a bite to eat at the restaurant. Did he probably want to eat something quickly?
a)   Yes
b)   No

2. The girl has acquired a taste for nice clothes. Does she like clothes?
a)   Yes
b)   No

3. The people in the restaurant were packed in like sardines. Was the restaurant almost empty?
a)   Yes
b)   No

4. The smell from the kitchen made my mouth water. Was it an unpleasant smell?
a)   Yes
b)   No

5. The woman cleared the table quickly. Were there dishes on the table after she finished?
a)   Yes
b)   No

6. The store has everything from soup to nuts in it. Are there many things in the store?
a)   Yes
b)   No

7. The man has his heart set on buying a new car. Does he want a new car?
a)  Yes
b)  No

8. The food was cooked to perfection. Was the food cooked badly?
a)  Yes
b)  No

Your score is: ___  out of 8


Grammar Focus

Choose the word or expression that makes each of the following sentences correct:

1. I went home to ________________________ before my lesson.
a)   grab something eat
b)   grab something for eat
c)   grab something to eat

2. I could never __________________ the strange food.
a)   acquire tasting for
b)   acquire taste for
c)   acquire a taste for

3. The children were _____________________ in the small room.
a)   packed in with the sardines
b)   packed in like sardines
c)   packed in the sardines

4. The smell that was coming from the restaurant __________________ .
a)   made my mouths watering
b)   made my mouths water
c)   made my mouth water

5. We ate dinner, _______________ and then washed the dishes.
a)   cleared the table,
b)   clearing the table,
c)   clear the table,

6. My favorite department store has ______________________.
a)   everything from soup and nuts
b)   everything from soup to nuts
c)   everything from soup with nuts

7. My friend _____________________ going to a movie tonight.
a)  has his heart set on
b)  has his heart set up on
c)  has his heart set up for

8. My aunt's food is always _____________________.
a)  cooked for perfection
b)  cooked in perfection
c)  cooked to perfection

Your score is: ___  out of 8




Discussion Questions

Answer the following questions using the idioms from this section:

1. Where do you usually go to grab something to eat after school or work?

2. Do you often grab a bite to eat in a restaurant when you are in a hurry?

3. What kind of food have you recently acquired a taste for?

4. Do you know anyone who has recently acquired a taste for expensive clothes?

5. Have you ever been packed in like sardines in a train or a bus?

6. Do you know any restaurant where people are packed in like sardines everyday?

7. What kind of food usually makes your mouth water?

8. Has any food made your mouth water recently?

9. Do you usually sit down before they clear your table in a restaurant?

10. Do you like to clear the table immediately after you eat?

11. Do you know any store that sells everything from soup to nuts?

12. Does your favorite store sell everything from soup to nuts?

13. Do you have your heart set on buying anything at the moment?

14. Did you have your heart set on anything when you were a child?

15. Do you always cook your meals to perfection?

16. Do you know a restaurant where the food is cooked to perfection?

Role Play

Student A: You are shopping with your friend and you want to grab something to eat. You have your heart set on one restaurant but your friend does not want to eat there.

Student B: You also want to eat something but you cannot agree with your friend about what kind of restaurant to go to. Your ideas about everything are totally different.

lesson 11