1. The cable company has been a real .......... under my saddle. I've called them three times this month and I am sick of it.

2. "We are going to have to burn .......... to get there on time. If we drive as fast as possible, we might make it," Matt said to Brian.

3. Steve is sure burning the .......... at both ends. With all that money he has been spending on drinking late at the bar, he'll be broke and sick in no time.

4. I had to burn the .......... oil to get the paper done on time. I think I finished at four in the morning, Ben said.

5. "You really .......... your fingers this time, Matt. I bet you won't smash people's mailboxes anymore after working all summer to pay the neighbors for your pranks," his sister said.

6. "Will we get laid off? That is the .......... question," Pam said to Jim.

7. He was glad that he and his wife had finally buried the .......... concerning the cat. They had fought too long about it and he was glad to move on.

8. "You can't avoid completing your expense sheet by burying your .......... in the sand," Maggie said to Earl.

9. "My week off was a busman's .......... . My wife insisted that I finish building our patio deck," the construction worker complained to his co-worker.

10. Don't bust my .......... about the project. It's not my fault that it was late.