air body bone books bygones chest fence hairs hatchet

holes horns issue loggerheads moot olive water wavelength

Insert words from above into most appropriate sentences below

1) The UK and Brussels are at ____________ over the final divorce bill for leaving the EU.

2) I’m afraid I must take ____________ with you about the transport costs. They are clearly too high.

3) She is easy to work with and we are on the same ____________ about most things. We never seem to
disagree.

4) There you are! I have a ____________ to pick with you. Why did you tell my boss I finished early
yesterday?

5) I’m in my wife’s bad ____________ at the moment. In a moment of weakness I blew all the
housekeeping money on bingo and whisky.

6) It’s nice to see that the children have buried the ____________ and are speaking to each other again. I
hate to see them argue.

7) There are still a lot of doubts and I know some of you are not happy so, I have called this meeting to
clear the____________. You can all speak openly and frankly about the new project.

8) I felt better after I told them how I was feeling. It’s always good to get something off of your
____________.

9) They decided that they had been arguing long enough over the past and that they should let
___________ be (same word)___________. Now, they are the best of friends.

10) I think I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to lock _________ with the Town Hall about
the new traffic lights.

11) Whether the country is better off leaving the EU or not is a ____________ point. But things will
certainly be different.

12) Let’s not talk to Barry about the project just yet. He’ll just pick ____________ in it unless it’s perfect.

13) They will build that shop over my dead ____________. There isn’t anything I won’t do to stop it!

14) The government has decided to accept the ____________ branch extended by the union and both
sides have now resumed talks.

15) We need your opinion on this. Nobody can sit on the ____________ in this debate.

16) I don’t wish to split ____________ but the colour of the packaging is very important.

17) Well, the last war is _____________ under the bridge. We are all friends and partners now.

Follow up!
Now write five sentences using the expressions from above:
e.g. It’s pointless talking about the account in the meeting. Half
the team are still at odds over its implementation. etc.

iSLCollective.com
1) What is the origin of the expression “to be at loggerheads?”
a) A loggerhead was a kind of tool used in metal working but could easily be used as a weapon to defend
oneself if necessary.
b) People that couldn’t agree on something in medieval times were made to fight each other by having
their hands tied behind their backs and then being forced butt each other’s heads until one of them
couldn’t fight anymore.
c) A loggerhead was an office used in legal disputes and was where people would go to try and solve the
problem instead of going to court as it was much cheaper.

2) What is the origin of the expression “to bury the hatchet?”

a) During World War 2, sailors who could not maintain good relations on board ships were made to sit in a
room together and the door, or hatch, would be sealed shut until they had learned to get on with each
other. Once they emerged, it was said that they had “buried the hatchet” meaning that the room was no
longer needed for them to behave in a civil manner.
b) Native American tribes would bury their battle axes, or hatchets, in the ground in a ceremony when a
peace agreement was reached between two warring factions.
c) A “hatchet” also used to mean a “cutting comment” in the 18th century in England and to “bury” it
meant to not use such comments anymore.

3) What is the origin of the expression “to sit on the fence?”

a) In medieval times, if a judge was found to be taking bribes from one petitioner or plaintiff in a court
case to the detriment of the other plaintiff, the guilty judge would be tied into position straddling the
fence and left there for an entire hour as a lesson to others in impartiality.
b) The crow, a large black bird, was seen as an impartial observer of human beings in the old days. Crows
often sit on fences and walls, and if a person is being impartial, that person is compared to the crow and is
said to be sitting on the fence observing human behaviour in an impartial manner.
c) The fence separates two properties and in olden times, in cases of land disputes, an impartial judge
would sit or stand in the middle of the two properties so as not to appear to take sides while addressing
both parties.

4) What is the origin of the expression “to have a bone to pick with someone?”
a) In 16th century Britain, people would often resolve disputes over a meal. And if people were invited to
eat at somebody’s house then the food would consist of meat or chicken. While eating, as forks were not
used, the diners would instead use their hands to pick at the bones. Hence the expression.
b) This dates from the 1500s and compares two dogs fighting over a bone to people. This expression was
used to try and make people aware of the indignity of arguing aggressively.
c) An old form of execution for serious crimes in Anglo Saxon times was to literally pull the bones from
somebody’s arms or legs using red hot knives and tongs while they were still alive. To “have one’s bones
picked” was the ultimate punishment.

5) What is the origin of the expression “to split hairs?”

a) Many years ago, hair was thought to be so slender that they were impossible to divide into two and
therefore a waste of time even bothering to try. As such, the comparison was made when people argued
over small details or things that were not possible for everybody to agree on.
b) In mediaeval times, if people could not agree on something, they would take a strand of hair from a
young woman and would then both pull. The person with the longest half would win the argument.
c) In ancient Greece there was a story about a woman who would always scold her bald husband for the
slightest reason. A spirit saw what was happening and cast a magic spell so that every time she told him
off his remaining hairs would divide into twice the number. Eventually he grew a full head of hair and
started to look much younger. He then left his wife for a younger woman. The story was used as a warning
to young married couples against nagging.

Follow up!
Now write five false origins for the expressions from the other page.

iSLCollective.com
 1) The UK and Brussels are at loggerheads over the final divorce bill for leaving the EU.

2) I’m afraid I must take issue with you about the transport costs. They are clearly too high.

3) She is easy to work with and we are on the same wavelength about most things. We never seem
to disagree.

4) There you are! I have a bone to pick with you. Why did you tell my boss I finished early
yesterday?

5) I’m in my wife’s bad books at the moment. In a moment of weakness I blew all the housekeeping
money on bingo and whisky.

6) It’s nice to see that the children have buried the hatchet and are speaking to each other again. I
hate to see them argue.

7) There are still a lot of doubts and I know some of you are not happy so, I have called this meeting
to clear the air. You can all speak openly and frankly about the new project.

8) I felt better after I told them how I was feeling. It’s always good to get something off your chest.

9) They decided that they had been arguing long enough over the past and that they should let
bygones be bygones. Now, they are the best of friends.

10) I think I bit off more than I could chew when I decided to lock horns with the Town Hall about
the new traffic lights.

11) Whether the country is better off leaving the EU or not is a moot point. But things will certainly
be different.

12) Let’s not talk to Barry about the project just yet. He’ll just pick holes in it unless it’s perfect.

13) They will build that shop over my dead body. There isn’t anything I won’t do to stop it!

14) The government has decided to accept the olive branch extended by the union and both sides
have now resumed talks.

15) We need your opinion on this. Nobody can sit on the fence in this debate.

16) I don’t wish to split hairs but the colour of the packaging is very important.

17) Well, the last war is water under the bridge. We are all friends and partners now.

Solve = find a complete and successful solution to a problem

Resolve = to conclusively (although not necessarily successful) deal with a complex issue, normally between two
or more parties
For ethical questions, both can be used.

iSLCollective.com
1) What is the origin of the expression “to be at loggerheads?”
a) A loggerhead was a kind of tool used in metal working but could easily be used as a weapon to defend
oneself if necessary.
b) People that couldn’t agree on something in medieval times were made to fight each other by having
their hands tied behind their backs and then being forced butt each other’s heads until one of them
couldn’t fight anymore.
c) A loggerhead was an office used in legal disputes and was where people would go to try and solve the
problem instead of going to court as it was much cheaper.

2) What is the origin of the expression “to bury the hatchet?”

a) During World War 2, sailors who could not maintain good relations on board ships were made to sit in a
room together and the door, or hatch, would be sealed shut until they had learned to get on with each
other. Once they emerged, it was said that they had “buried the hatchet” meaning that the room was no
longer needed for them to behave in a civil manner.
b) Native American tribes would bury their battle axes, or hatchets, in the ground in a ceremony when a
peace agreement was reached between two warring factions.
c) A “hatchet” also used to mean a “cutting comment” in the 18th century in England and to “bury” it
meant to not use such comments anymore.

3) What is the origin of the expression “to sit on the fence?”

a) In medieval times, if a judge was found to be taking bribes from one petitioner or plaintiff in a court
case to the detriment of the other plaintiff, the guilty judge would be tied into position straddling the
fence and left there for an entire hour as a lesson to others in impartiality.
b) The crow, a large black bird, was seen as an impartial observer of human beings in the old days. Crows
often sit on fences and walls, and if a person is being impartial, that person is compared to the crow and is
said to be sitting on the fence observing human behaviour in an impartial manner.
c) The fence separates two properties and in olden times, in cases of land disputes, an impartial judge
would sit or stand in the middle of the two properties so as not to appear to take sides while addressing
both parties.

4) What is the origin of the expression “to have a bone to pick with someone?”
a) In 16th century Britain, people would often resolve disputes over a meal. And if people were invited to
eat at somebody’s house then the food would consist of meat or chicken. While eating, as forks were not
used, the diners would instead use their hands to pick at the bones. Hence the expression.
b) This dates from the 1500s and compares two dogs fighting over a bone to people. This expression was
used to try and make people aware of the indignity of arguing aggressively.
c) An old form of execution for serious crimes in Anglo Saxon times was to literally pull the bones from
somebody’s arms or legs using red hot knives and tongs while they were still alive. To “have one’s bones
picked” was the ultimate punishment.

5) What is the origin of the expression “to split hairs?”

a) Many years ago, hair was thought to be so slender that they were impossible to divide into two and
therefore a waste of time even bothering to try. As such, the comparison was made when people argued
over small details or things that were not possible for everybody to agree on.
b) In mediaeval times, if people could not agree on something, they would take a strand of hair from a
young woman and would then both pull. The person with the longest half would win the argument.
c) In ancient Greece there was a story about a woman who would always scold her bald husband for the
slightest reason. A spirit saw what was happening and cast a magic spell so that every time she told him
off his remaining hairs would divide into twice the number. Eventually he grew a full head of hair and
started to look much younger. He then left his wife for a younger woman. The story was used as a warning
to young married couples against nagging.

iSLCollective.com