"Behind the eight ball", IDIOMS

"Behind the eight ball" IDIOMS (level A2)

Today I suggest to learn an idiom 🎱"Behind the eight ball". Guess what does it mean?

📌 Five years ago she was really behind the eight ball. Her husband left her with three children.

The sentences below may help you to understand the meaning of the idiom, BUT you need to complete them with MISSING WORDS: 😊💡

1. The first time she lose her job she was ____________.
2. He hasn't studied all term, and now he's ____________.
3. After his unkind remarks were repeated to the boss, Gary really ended up ____________.
4. His check bounced, leaving Jim ____________ with his landlord.
5. If we don't leave early tomorrow, we'll be ____________, and I doubt we'll reach the cabin by dusk.
6. Because I got the flu, I'm ____________ with my Christmas shopping.
7. I'm ____________ again and can't see how to relieve my dilemma.
8. John is ____________ because he started writing his term paper far too late.
9. Sorry, I'm really ____________ this month. I can't make a contribution.
10. I was ____________ again and couldn't make my car payment.
11. If a child doesn't get the basics in primary school, they are way ____________.
12. Basically, I made mistakes and put us right ____________.
13. I'm really ____________ at work. I have too much work to do but we can't afford to hire anyone to help out.
14. Having accepted two different invitations to dinner Saturday night, Clare found herself ____________.
15. I've been ____________ ever since she left.
16. They put us ____________ when they drafted that kid from Pacoima in the first round!
17. That new guy who was a math wiz left today: now we're really ____________.
18. I don’t want to get into the old days and then realize we’re ____________ and we have to redesign all this stuff.
19. The detective was ____________ and had a lot of work to do to solve the case.
20. We're ____________ on this latest house flip. We just found cracks in the foundation and tons of mold to remediate.

📝 NEW WORDS:
✅ check bounced (чек не приняли к оплате ввиду недостатка средств на счете)
✅ reach the cabin by dusk (добраться до котеджа к заходу солнца)
✅ term paper (курсовая работа, семестровая работа)
✅ make a contribution (вносить взнос)
✅ drafted that kid (призвали в военную службу того ребенка)
✅ a math wiz (виртуоз математики, талантливый человек в математике)
✅ mold to remediate (устранять / очищать плесень)

👉 Use one of the dictionary to help you find the meaning of new words.

🖌 As you can see from the sentences above that there are a few versions of this idiom, like:
📌 be behind the eight ball
📌 get behind the eight ball
📌 have someone behind the eight ball
📌 put someone behind the eight ball
📌 end up behind the eight ball
📌 leave someone behind the eight ball
📌 find someone behind the eight ball

📝So "Behind the eight ball" means :

• A difficult position from which it is unlikely one can escape.
• to be in a challenging and difficult situation; with many risks and at a disadvantage.
• to be in a difficult or / and uncomfortable situation
• to be in a losing or endangered position
• to be in trouble or an awkward position, out of luck

Here is a video that helps to understand the meaning of this idiom more.

😊💡Let's learn examples again:

1. The first time she lose her job she was behind the eight ball.
2. He hasn't studied all term, and now he's behind the eight ball.
3. After his unkind remarks were repeated to the boss, Gary really ended up behind the eight ball.
4. His check bounced, leaving Jim behind the eight ball with his landlord.
5. If we don't leave early tomorrow, we'll be behind the eight ball, and I doubt we'll reach the cabin by dusk.
6. Because I got the flu, I'm behind the eight ball with my Christmas shopping.
7. I'm behind the eight ball again and can't see how to relieve my dilemma.
8. John is behind the eight ball because he started writing his term paper far too late.
9. Sorry, I'm really behind the eight ball this month. I can't make a contribution.
10. I was behind the eight ball again and couldn't make my car payment.
11. If a child doesn't get the basics in primary school, they are way behind the eight ball.
12. Basically, I made mistakes and put us right behind the eight ball.
13. I'm really behind the eight ball at work. I have too much work to do but we can't afford to hire anyone to help out.
14. Having accepted two different invitations to dinner Saturday night, Clare found herself behind the eight ball.
15. I've been behind the eight ball ever since she left.
16. They put us behind the eight ball when they drafted that kid from Pacoima in the first round!
17. That new guy who was a math wiz left today: now we're really behind the eight ball.
18. I don’t want to get into the old days and then realize we’re behind the eight ball and we have to redesign all this stuff.
19. The detective was behind the eight ball and had a lot of work to do to solve the case.
20. We're really behind the eight ball on this latest house flip. We just found cracks in the foundation and tons of mold to remediate.

🗣Let's talk❗️:

• How do you feel when you are in a difficult position? How do you deal with it?
• Do you often put yourself in a challenging situation with many risks?
• When have you been in an uncomfortable situation the last time?
• When have you been in a losing situation the last time?
• How do you behave when you are in an awkward position?

🍀🕸🕷🌿🕸🕷💎🕸🕷🍀🕸🕷🌿🕸🕷💎🕸🕷🍀🕸🕷🌿🕸🕷💎🕸🕷🍀🕸🕷🌿🕸🕷💎

I hope you will find this information helpful 🙌.
✍ Please, comment and upvote 🙌.

❀ ❀ ❀ Follow me on Steemit @irina.olsen and Upvote 🙋. ❀ ❀ ❀
Created by @irina.olsen

✿ Materials used: ✿
➪ The idea and an picture is taken from here.
➪ The second picture, definitions and sentences are taken from here.
➪ Definitions and some sentences are taken from these resources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

✿ My other posts: ✿
#introvert-thoughts
Previous ➪ Criticism when you've had a bad childhood
Previous ➪ Кто такие эмпаты? - Вступление
Previous ➪ Кто такие эмпаты? - Часть 1: Что такое эмпатия?
#english-lessons
Previous ➪ Idiom A2 "Don't cry over spilt milk."
Previous ➪ Grammar Lesson B1 => Comparative and superlative adjectives