'When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better' Mae West (1893-1980), Hollywood star A bad buy What is ...? 1 bad blood a. blood that oozes out of a cut b. a feeling of hatred between people 2 a bad timekeeper a. a broken clock b. someone who is always late 3 a bad buy a. something that is not worth the money you paid for it b. an unwanted present that someone has given you 4 a bad hair day a. a day when you are feeling unwell b. a day when everything goes wrong 5 a bad lot a. a person who doesn't have one good feature in his personality b. a car that you paid a lot of money for but which isn't reliable Bad phrases Choose the correct phrase to complete these pieces of dialogue 1 I don't know why she married him. I told her he was a (bad buy / bad lot). 2 There has always been (a bad timekeeper / bad blood) between me and my brother ever since we were children. 3 Oh no! I've just broken my glasses. And I left my phone on the bus this morning. I'm having a really (bad hair day / bad buy). 4 The new girl in our office is a really (bad blood / bad timekeeper). I think the boss will have a word with her before long. 5 That fancy phone was a (bad lot / bad buy). The battery dies after a few hours. More bad phrases What do these phrases mean? 1 to leave a bad taste in the mouth a. to feel distressed or disturbed after something happens b. to make you feel sick 2 to give a dog a bad name a. to be very unpleasant to someone because you are in a bad mood b. to expect the worst from someone because of what they have done in the past 3 to show someone in a bad light a. to make someone seem like a bad person b. to go out a walk with someone in the dark 4 to go through a bad patch a. to experience a lot of problems during a short period of your life b. to drive very dangerously 5 to be the best of a bad bunch a. to have a sudden mood swing from good to bad b. to be the best out of a group that are not good to begin with Complete these sentences 1 Chris ____________________ at the moment. His girlfriend dumped him last month. a. is the best of a bad bunch b. is going through a bad patch 2 That lie he told about me last year was awful. It ____________________ a. left a bad taste in my mouth. b. gave a dog a bad name. 3 The interview he gave last night ___________________ a. went through a bad patch. b. showed him in a bad light. 4 I think we'll give the temporary job to the last girl we interviewed. She ____________________ a. left a bad taste in my mouth. b. was the best of a bad bunch. 5 We should give him a chance. I don't believe in ____________________ a. giving a dog a bad name. b. going through a bad patch. Answers: A bad buy: 1. b, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a Bad phrases: 1. bad lot, 2. bad blood, 3. bad hair day, 4. bad timekeeper, 5. bad buy More bad phrases: 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b Complete these sentences: 1. b, 2. a, 3. b, 4. b, 5. a