𝑽𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒎𝒔

1. put (one's) foot in (one's) mouth - to say something that might embarrass or offend someone; to mispeak 2. all ears - eager to hear what someone has to say 3. clam up - to become silent suddenly, usually due to embarrassment or nervousness 4. get (something) off (one's) chest - to discuss problems that one has been worrying about for a long time; to confess 5. tip of the iceberg - a small, noticeable part of something much greater (usually a problem or difficulty)

Alicia: Hey, Brent! Why do you look so sad? What's the matter? Brent: It's not that important. Alicia: Come on, don't clam up on me now! You know you can tell me anything. Brent: Well, I put my foot in my mouth and told Sarah some horrible things. Alicia: You did? What happened? Tell me! I’m all ears. Brent: Well, I had to prepare for a serious project at work. It was very stressful. And that was just the tip of the iceberg, as I had problems at home, too. Alicia: See? That's your problem! You never tell anyone about what’s bothering you. Brent: I guess you’re right. Anyway, I got mad at Sarah and all the anger just came out. Honestly, I regret it now. Alicia: I think if you apologize and tell Sarah what you have just told me now, she will forgive you. Brent: Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks, Alicia. It feels good to get this off my chest! Alicia: No problem!

Monica is a great friend, mostly because she is a good listener. A lot of her friends turn to her when they need to get something off their chest. Whenever she meets someone, she is all ears. However, Monica is not good at giving advice. Sometimes she puts her foot in her mouth and says awkward things. That's why, most of the time, she just listens to people. Yesterday, her friend Lisa told her about the problems she had at work. But it turned out that was just the tip of the iceberg. When Monica asked her about her marriage, Lisa clammed up. But eventually, Lisa shared all of her problems with Monica. She felt much better afterwards.

Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms to complete the sentences. all ears clam up get something off one’s chest tip of the iceberg put one’s foot in one’s mouth 1. So, what did Anne tell you? I’m _________________. 2. When I want to _______________ , I talk to my mother. 3. The problem we are facing now is just the____________. There are many more serious issues we'll need to deal with. 4. Why do you always __________ when I try to talk to you? Say something! 5. Whenever I talk about my brother, Susan is _________. I wonder if she likes him. 6. Phil__________ when he called his girlfriend the wrong name. 7. It’s never good to ____________ when you have a problem. The best way to solve it is to discuss it with someone. 8. Oh, God! I got drunk yesterday and ____________ ! I said so many stupid things. 9. What she told you is just the __________ ! You need to hear the whole story. 10. Thank you for listening and for giving me advice, Ana! It feels so good to finally ____________ .