Expression of the Fortnight - 17

BREAK A LEG!

This expression reflects a theatrical superstition where it is seen as bad luck to wish an actor good luck before he / she goes on the stage. Although it is more commonly used in theatre, it is also used more and more outside the theatre as superstitions and customs spread.

I thought since the Cambridge exams were coming up, I would take this opportunity to tell the students who are sitting an examination this June to Break a leg!

Expression of the Fortnight - 16

to give something a shot

If you are prepared to give something a shot that means that you are willing to make an attempt to do something. If you give something your best shot it means that you are going to do your very best to achieve something.

I'm not really sure if it will work but I'm going to give it my best shot.
I've never played golf before but I'm going to give it a shot.
I'd like to give parachuting a shot.

Expression of the Fortnight - 15

TO BUTTER SOMEBODY UP

This fortnight's expression came up in class when one of my students was paying me a compliment. I wondered if my student had an ulterior motive for being so nice to me. I asked her if she was trying to butter me up! To butter somebody up is to be very kind or friendly to them or try to please them in some way so that they will do what you want them to do. Buttering somebody up is a way of manipulating them.

You'll have to butter her up a bit if you want her to agree to that!

Expression of the Fortnight - 14

To be two-faced

If someone is two-faced it means that they seem pleasant and kind when they are talking to you but then behind your back they say unpleasant things about you to other people. A two-faced person is insincere.

I don't trust her. I suspect she is a bit two-faced.

Jacky is completely two-faced. She pretends to be your friend but then she bitches about you to other people!

Expression of the Fortnight - 13

TO HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

The origin of this expression is not really known but it is a very old expression indeed -it was first found in a book from 1438. The expression is used to mean get to the precise point, the exact answer or to do / say something exactly right. The saying is very similar in Spanish 'dar en el clavo'.

I think John hit the nail on the head when he said what was missing in this company was a feeling of confidence.

Mary doesn't often contribute in meetings but when she does she usually hits the nail on the head!

Expression of the Fortnight - 12

GO DOWN LIKE A LEAD BALLOON

This fortnight's expression is used to refer to something that is not accepted in a positive way. If you say something or show something to people and they do not react as you had hoped then you can say that whatever it was went down like a lead balloon. (Lead (pronounced led) is a very heavy material). This expression is most commonly used in the past simple.

My joke about the alcoholic went down like a lead balloon!

My suggestion about increasing office hours went down like a lead balloon.

Well that went down like a lead balloon! (said by someone after delivering a presentation that wasn't well-received)

Story has it that Keith Moon of The Who, on hearing a song on the radio by Jimmy Page and his group the Yardbirds, said "That will go over like a lead zeppelin!". Obviously, he thought the song wasn't so good and that the general public wouldn't buy it. Of course, he must have been wrong because Jimmy Page and his band renamed themselves Led Zeppelin, who of course were very successful.

Expression of the Fortnight - 11

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

If you hear something straight from the horse's mouth or you know that a piece of information has come straight from the horse's mouth then you know that you can believe it because it has come from an authoritative or dependable source.

"Are you sure John is leaving the company?"
"Definitely, I heard it straight from the horse's mouth!"
(John told you himself)

"This comes straight from the horse's mouth so it has to be believed!"

Expression of the Fortnight - 10

YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

This expression is related to last fortnight's expression (beauty is only skin deep). It means that you cannot know what something or someone is really like just by looking at their appearances. It is often used in the imperative 'Don't judge a book by its cover!" when you want to remind someone that there are more important things than just the aesthetic qualities of something.

Two famous examples of judging a book by its cover can be seen in the last two seasons of Britain's Got Talent. The looks on the faces of the panel of judges when they met both Paul Potts and Susan Boyle were priceless. (Click on the names to see the video clips) And look at the shock they got! This just proves that we should not be led by what is on the outside!

Expression of the Fortnight - 9

BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP

This is a saying which means that what a person is like on the inside is much more important than their physical beauty. So, someone may be unbelievably attractive on the outside, but mean and cruel on the inside. Or on the other hand a person may be quite plain on the outside but they seem all the more attractive because of the inner beauty they possess. So next time you are talking to someone and they are going on about somebody's looks perhaps you should say to them "Remember that beauty is only skin deep!"

Expression of the Fortnight - 8

LONG TIME NO SEE

This is a saying which is used when you haven't seen somebody for a long period of time. It is what you may be thinking about this blog right now since it hasn't been updated since July 2009!

"Hey, John! Long time no see, mate! Where've you been hiding?"
"I've been working in New York for the last four months."

Expression of the Fortnight - 7

Ok - I know we haven't had one of these for a while so I thought it was about time I came up with another expression post!

POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK

When someone accuses you of being like a pot calling the kettle black they are saying that you are guilty of the same thing for which you are complaining about another person. For example, if you always arrive late and yet you are complaining about somebody for not being on time, the person who you are complaining to / or about may say 'That's the pot calling the kettle black!" To make it shorter and more sarcastic the person may just say, "Hello, Pot!" or "Hello, Pot. I'm Kettle!"

The equivalents in Spanish are "Apártate que me tiznas, dijo la sarten al cazo" or "El burro hablando de orejas".

Expression of the Fortnight - 6

TO TIGHTEN YOUR BELT

This is an expression that means to spend less money than before because you have less money, you aren't working as much or because you are feeling the effects of an economic crisis. It means to economise.

I've had to tighten my belt since I stopped working full-time.

We need to tighten our belts at the moment and stop spending so much on unnecessary items.

Have you had to tighten your belt this year?

The expression comes from the idea that when we haven't had enough to eat, perhaps because we can't afford, we lose weight and therefore have to pull our belt more around our waist to stop our trousers from falling down. Another variation of this expression is 'to tighten the purse strings' which literally means that it is harder to get money out of your purse!

Expression of the Fortnight - 5

TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF

The first Expression of the Fortnight of 2009 is related to making new year's resolutions in a way because it means to start behaving in a better way or to change your life for the better.

I'm turning over a new leaf, I've decided to quit smoking.

Our son has really turned over a new leaf, he studies more and he is doing well at school.

Although the picture above shows a leaf from a tree, I think the true meaning of the word leaf here is a page in a book. You can imagine turning the page to find a new, clean surface. A new life.

Expression of the Fortnight - 3

to make mincemeat out of somebody

A typical Christmas food in Britain are mince pies. These are pies containing something called mincemeat although in fact they do not have any meat in them at all. Mincemeat is made of dried fruits, apples and nuts. Originally in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries these pies did include a mixture of meat and fruit but modern versions omit the meat completely.

The informal expression 'to make mincemeat out of somebody' means to defeat somebody very easily in an argument, competition or fight. Sometimes it is used to mean utterly destroy.

I can imagine a defence lawyer making mincemeat of him if we ever put him up in court.

If like me you are a big Desperate Housewives fan you may remember an episode where Mrs Huber offers Susan some freshly baked mince pie. She explains to Susan about mincemeat with the intention of letting Susan know that she could make mincemeat out of her. Here is the dialogue:

Mrs. Huber: "I can't wait for you to try this. It's mincemeat."
Susan: "Actually, I just had dinner."
Mrs. Huber: "That's okay. You can save it for later." (she laughs)
Susan: "What's so funny?"
Mrs. Huber: "I was just thinking of that expression: I'll make mincemeat out of you. Mincemeat. It used to be an entree made up of mostly chopped meat, so it was like saying 'I'll chop you up into little bits.' But that was centuries ago. Today, mincemeat is mostly made up of fruit, spices, and rum. There's no meat in it. And still people say I'll make mincemeat out of you."
Susan: "I don't know that people really say that anymore."
Mrs. Huber: "I do."

Expression of the Fortnight

To get (straight) to the point

This is an expression that we use to mean talk about the important matter and not less important things although they may be related. The Spanish equivalent of this expression is 'ir al grano'.

We haven't got much time in this meeting so I will get straight to the point...

Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!

To beat about the bush is another expression related to communication. The Spanish equivalent is 'andarse por las ramas'.

Expression of the Fortnight - 2

TO HAVE A SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD

This colloquial expression refers to a dark, embarassing secret that we don't want other people to know about! If other people discovered our skeleton, it could have a negative effect on our life. The secret can be something scandalous that we have done in the past. (In American English they say a skeleton in the closet)

If you want to be a successful politician, you can't have too many skeletons in your cupboard.

Every family has got one or two skeletons in the cupboard.

It has been suggested that the origin of this expression lies with the medical profession. In the past, doctors were not allowed to work on dead bodies for research unless they were the bodies of executed criminals. Therefore, bodies for research were hard to find and so when a doctor managed to get hold of one he would keep the skeleton for further research. It was not publicly acceptable for doctors to display these skeletons for everyone to see so they had to hide them away. The most obvious place for storage was of course a cupboard or a closet and that is where this expression comes from.

Expression of the Fortnight - 1

This is going to be a bi-monthly entry called Expression of the Fortnight which I will post mid-week every two weeks. So, to start us off...

THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK

This is an idiom which originated from an Arab proverb about a camel which couldn't move because it had been overloaded with too much straw (paja). We use this idiomatic expression when a small and seemingly insignificant thing happens on top of a longer list of bad things making our whole situation too much to bear (supportar). It is more common to use the shorter version of this expression which is the last / final straw. This emphasises the fact that it is the last unpleasant occurence in a series of negative situations that makes you feel that you cannot continue! The Spanish equivalent would be 'la gota que colmó el vaso'.

The low salary and the demanding boss were bad enough, but the rude co-worker was the last straw. (Then I decided to quit the job.)

Perhaps you have an anecdote you would like to share with us which would explain the meaning of this idiom. I am sure everyone would love to read it so why don't you post it in the comments box or email me and we can post it directly onto the blog!