Politics – Idioms and Discussion
Match the idioms to their definitions:
1. A two/three/four-horse
race
4. Toe the party line
7. Press the flesh
10. Bent/crooked
a. Be corrupt
b. When there’s no clear
winner in an election
c. Empty words
d. To speak passionately
about something you
believe in
e. A problem that doesn’t
get solved because of
political reasons
2. A political football 3. Hot air
5. A political hot potato 6. A hung parliament
8. Get on/off your 9. Throw in the towel
soapbox
11. Live/be in an ivory 12. Have the common
tower touch
f. To give up j. To be detached from
g. A competition/election reality
only a few people can k. A potentially
win controversial topic
h. To shake hands with l. Conform to and express
the public the same views as the
i. To be able to relate to leaders of your party.
the public
Put the expressions in the sentences:

1. After the speeches the politicians went into the crowd to __________________ with
members of the public.
2. What the chancellor said about trickle-down economics is a load of ________________, I
don’t believe it for a second.
3. The problem with most politicians is that they __________________________ and have no
idea how their policies affect people.
4. I reckon half the politicians in this country are _____________________, you just have to
follow the money.
5. The opposition have decided to __________________________ and accept that they lost
the election.
6. Normally, if a cabinet minister doesn’t ________________________ they’ll soon be out of a
job.
7. Early polls suggest the result will be a _____________________ with no clear winner.
8. It looks like the election will be a ___________________ between Labour and the
Conservatives.
9. Prison reform has been a ______________________ for years because prisoners don’t vote!
10. The subject of MPs’ expenses is a ______________________, nobody wants to touch it but
I’m sure it’s going to blow up soon.
11. The new leader of the Liberals _______________________, you can see it in the way he
talks to his constituents.
12. ______________________ Tony, you’re always banging on about conspiracy theories but
we’ve heard it all before.

Discussion

1. How much of a politician’s time should they spend on local issues relevant to their
constituency?
2. How much of a politician’s time should they spend on national issues?
3. Should all politicians have to toe the party line? When should they be allowed to speak out
against their leader/policy in their party?
4. If a politician doesn’t toe the party line, what should the leader do?
5. Which politicians are always spouting hot air? Can you trust anything a politician says? Are
there any politicians in your country that you believe in?
6. Who should get the first opportunity to form a government in a hung parliament, the party
that got the most votes? Or the party most likely to be able to form a stable coalition?
7. What have been the biggest political hot potatoes in your country in the last few years?
8. Are there any issues that are treated like political footballs in your country?
9. What do you think when you see a politician pressing the flesh? Why do you think they do
it? Have you ever pressed the flesh with a politician?
10. What do you get on your soap box about?
11. Which politicians in your country have the common touch? And which don’t?
12. Are elections in your country normally a two-horse race?
13. If you could change one thing about the political system in your country, what would it be?
14. How much do politicians earn in your country? Is it enough? Why do people get into politics?
Key
Definition match

1. G
2. E
3. C
4. L (l)
5. K
6. B
7. H
8. D
9. F
10. A
11. J
12. I (i)

Sentence match

1. Press the flesh

2. Hot air
3. Live/are in an ivory tower
4. Crooked/bent
5. Throw in the towel
6. Toe the party line
7. Hung parliament
8. Two-horse race
9. Political football
10. Political hot potato
11. Has the common touch
12. Get off your soap box – used to tell someone to stop talking about something