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Success and Failure
First, go to this website: http://www.better-english.com/vocabulary/success.htm
Second, complete the following sentences with these words.
high – start – strength (x 2) – own – big – colours – way – hands – field – break – swim – face – death – coffin – duck – mile – post – edge – boil
Third, give explanations in English between brackets using the following website: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com.
Finally, translate the expressions using the following website: http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/success.
1. I see that Clinton is still riding ………………………. in all the opinion polls in spite of all the scandals.
ride ……………………….. (…………………………………………………………………………………………………..) : ….....................
2. The new business has got off to a flying ______ and has exceeded all forecasts.
a flying ……………….. (…………………………………………………………………………………………………..) : ….......................
3. Our company continues to go from strength to ………………………. .
go from strength to ………………... (………………………..……………………………………………………..) : …......................
4. John speaks fluent Japanese so he really came into his …………… when we made a trade visit to Tokyo.
come into one’s ………………. (……………………..………………………………………………....…………..) : ….....................
5. He used to work in a supermarket with me before he made it ………………………. in the music business.
make it ……………….. (…………………………………………………………………………………………………..) : ….....................
6. That was a very difficult task you had to do and you came through it with flying ………………………. .
with flying ……………….. (……………………………………………………………………………………………..) : ….......................
7. We were on the brink of bankruptcy and we had to gradually claw our ………………………. back.
claw your ……………….. back from something (…………………………………………………………..) : ….......................
8. We've had a lot of success in that market. There was a lot of competition at first but we won ………………………. down.
…………... down (………………………………………………………………………………………..........……..) : ….......................
9. There's a lot of competition in the Indian market but we are leading the ….... . ('way' is possible here but I'm looking for another answer)
if you lead the …………. in an activity or business, you ………………………………..……………………………………...........
10. Now is the moment to see if it is a success or a failure. It's make or ………………………. time.
make or ………………... (…………………………………………………………………………………………………..) : ….....................
11. Either it will be a success or it will not. We have to let the project sink or ………………………. .
sink or ………………... (…………………………………………………………………………………………………..) : ….......................
12. It was a complete failure and the company fell flat on its ………………………. .
fall flat on your/its ………..…... (…………………………………………………………….......……………..) : ….....................
13. Nobody bought it so the product died a natural ………………………. .
die a natural ………………... (…………………………………………………………………………...……………..) : ….....................
14. When he failed yet again, that was the final nail in his ………………………. and he was sacked.
(another) nail in (someone or something’s) ………………... (……………………..…………………..) : ….....................
15. If this doesn't work I'm a dead ………………………. .
dead ………………... (………………………………………………………………………………………….....………..) : ….....................
16. It only narrowly failed to work but a miss is as good as a ………………………. .
a miss is as good as a ………………... (……………………………………………......………….....………..) : ….....................
17. We almost got the contract but we were pipped at the ………………………. by our Korean competitors.
be pipped at the ………………... (…………………………………………………………………………..………..) : ….....................
18. He's not as good as he used to be. He seems to have lost his ………………………. . ('way' is possible here but I'm looking for another answer)
lose one’s ………………... (………………………………………………………………………………..……………..) : ….....................
19. They used to be a great company but they became self-satisfied and went off the ………………………. .
go off the ………………... (……………………………………………………………………………………..………..) : ….....................
20. My English is improving all the time. It is going from ………………………. to strength.
go from strength to ………………... (………………………………………………………………………………..) : ….....................
(see sentence 3)
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