More Speak English Like an American Lesson 23 Idioms and Expressions MCQ Test
Lesson 23: Mark Pops the Question
MARK POPS THE QUESTION
Back in Beijing, Mark and Sara discuss their plans to approach Madame Chu in the morning. They worry that they’ll both be fired if she declines their offer. Over dinner, Mask asks Sara to marry him.
Mark: Let’s get up early tomorrow to go see Madame Chu.
Sara: I’ve got butterflies in my stomach! What if we can’t cut a deal?
Mark: That’ll be the kiss of death for us.
Sara: Right. Ron will hit the roof and fire both of us!
Mark: Let’s go get something to eat while we’re still on the company’s dime.
Sara: Dumplings?
Mark: No, let’s go somewhere nice.
(at the restaurant)
Mark: I’m glad we’re back together.
Sara: Me too.
Mark: So you’ve completely forgiven me?
Sara: Yes, I don’t like to dwell on the past.
Mark: Me neither. I know I played the field in the past, but those days are over.
Sara: We should let bygones be bygones.
Mark: Fortune cookie?
(Sara breaks the cookie in half and reads the scrap of paper inside)
Mark: Read your fortune aloud.
Sara: Let’s see. It says: “Will you marry me?”.
Mark: Well?
Sara: What a way to pop the question!
Mark: Is that a “yes”?
Sara: Yes.
IDIOMS
- (to) have butterflies in one’s stomach
→ to feel nervous
Example: Before the job interview, Marianna had butterflies in her stomach.
- (to) cut a deal
→ to make an agreement (especially in business or politics)
Example: AOL cut a deal with Hewlett-Packard to have its name on the welcome screen of all new Hewlett-Packard computers.
- kiss of death
→ an action that causes failure or ruin
Example: When the job candidate asked about the salary during her first interview, it was the kiss of death.
- (to) hit the roof
→ to get very angry; to lose one’s temper
Example: When Jack found out that one of his employees was stealing from the company, he hit the roof.
- on the company’s dime
→ when the company is paying
Example: Please tell Mona to stop making personal phone calls on the company’s dime.
- (to) dwell on the past
→ to focus too much on the past
Example: Doug never talks about his first marriage. He doesn’t like to dwell on the past.
- (to) play the field
→ to date many people, usually while one is single
Example: “I saw Tina with a cute guy last night. Does she have a new boyfriend?” – “Nothing serious. She’s just playing the field.”
- those days are over
→ that’s the past; things are different now
Example: When Tim was single, he hung out at bars on the weekends. Now that he’s married, those days are over.
- (to) let bygones be bygones
→ to forgive and forget what happened in the past
Example: I’m no longer angry at you for forgetting to show up for dinner last weekend. We can let bygones be bygones.
Note: A “bygone” is an event that has already happened, or gone by.
- (to) pop the question
→ to propose marriage
Example: Do you think Dan will pop the question when he and Stephanie are on vacation in the Caribbean?
