Word Family Worksheets

✔ a little bird(y) told me - told by a secret informant.

- Wow! How did you find out I'd be here?

- A little bird told me you were coming.

✔ an armchair critic - one who speaks critically on topics one actually knows little to nothing about.

- My uncle is such an armchair critic about the classes I'm taking—the fact that he never went to college doesn't stop him from weighing in!

✔ like talking to a brick wall - being ignored. 

- Talking to you when the TV is on is like talking to a brick wall. Hello, can you hear me?

✔ “spit it out!” - a saying used to urge someone to get to the point/confess something quickly.

- Just spit it out already—do you want to go to the dance with me or not?

✔ the gift of gab - the gift of being able to speak with eloquence. 

- Alexis really has the gift of gab, so she should be the one to address the potential investors.

✔ to be all mouth - to talk boastfully about something in order to try and impress someone without intending on acting on your words.

- He talks a big game, but when it actually comes to asking out a woman, he's all mouth.

✔ to beat around the bush - to avoid addressing the most important matter. 

- Don't beat around the bush—just tell me the truth. What's happened?

✔ to cut to the chase - to directly address the most important matter. 

- Come on, cut to the chase already—what exactly are you trying to ask me?

✔ to chew the fat/rag - to chat/catch up in an unhurried manner. 

- My sister and I haven't seen each other in nearly five years, so we stayed up half the night chewing the rag.

✔ to dish it out - to be critical.

- You were all over your sister about her eating habits, but you start pouting when I point out that you had a cupcake for dinner last night! Pfff, you can only dish it out!

✔ to run off at the mouth - to talk a lot and in an indiscreet manner. 

- We would have gotten away with our plan if your dumb cousin hadn't started running off at the mouth all over town.

✔ to shoot the breeze - to chat in an unhurried manner. 

- We spent the entire afternoon just shooting the breeze. It was great!

✔ to speak out of turn - to say something inappropriate/tactless. 

- Excuse me if I'm speaking out of turn, but what you are proposing is quite wrong. Bob didn't mean anything negative.

✔ to speak the same language - to understand someone based on sharing their opinions and values.

- Bill and my dad are getting along very well together. They're both obsessed with hockey, so they speak the same language.