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 - 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 - 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!"

True Romance

It's almost Valentine's Day again and a time for love and romance. Do you celebrate Valentine's Day by showering your loved one with gifts? Or do you think it is all a load of old codswallop? Whatever you think about this holiday of love, why not take the opportunity to learn some love related idioms in English. Here is a good web page with lots of relationship related idiomatic expressions and their definitions. Have fun learning and Happy Valentine's Day for Sunday!

Look at the idioms web page > > >

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".

Love is in the Air....

With Valentine's Day on its way I thought it would be a nice idea to look at some idioms using the word 'heart'.

One expression is 'to wear your heart on your sleeve', which means to openly show your feelings and opinions and not to hide the way you really feel about something.

John always has his heart on his sleeve so that everyone knows how he feels.

A second expression is 'to learn something (off) by heart' which is when you learn something in a way that you can say it from memory.

I can still recite off by heart the extracts of Romeo and Juliet that I learnt at school.

Tom has seen that film so many times he knows all the lines off by heart!

Another expression is 'to have a heart of stone' which is used to describe a person who is unkind and cruel. Scrooge from Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a famous example of someone with a heart of stone. This is of course the opposite to having 'a heart of gold'.

The fourth and final expression for today is 'to set your heart on something'. When you do this it means that you really, really want to get something or achieve something.

Sarah has really set her heart on having a puppy.

Of course, there are many, many more idioms and expressions using the word heart in English. Too many for this entry. Perhaps you would like to discover some more by yourself on the Online Cambridge Dictionary. If you find one you particularly like, why not post it in the comments box!

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!

National Idioms -4

Today we are looking at Greece and the Greeks and the expressions that exist in the English language relating to them.

First of all there is a fixed idiom that is used to say that something doesn't not make any sense to you. In Spanish people tend to say that something looks Chinese, but in English we say "It's all Greek to me!".

Secondly, there is a proverb which comes from Virgil's Aeneid and relates back to the time when the Greeks tricked the people of Troy with their gift horse. The actual wording in Virgil's work was “Whatever it is, I fear Greeks even when they bring gifts.” (Spoken by Laocoon, “Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.”) In English we have simplified this and say 'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts". The expression is used to remind people that they should not trust their enemies.

Finally for today we have an expression that comes from Greek mythology to talk about a small fault or weakness in somebody or something that could lead to their destruction or failure. The expression is of course 'Achilles Heel' in reference to the great Greek hero who was killed when an arrow was shot into his heel.

National Idioms - 3

Today we are going to look at expressions containing the word' turkey' (more as a reference to the homonym of turkey as a bird and not to the country.) Then we will go on to look at some compound nouns with the adjective 'Turkish'.

The first expression is 'cold turkey.' This is slang and it describes the period of extreme suffering when a person suddenly stops taking a substance to which they have become addicted, such as drugs. You can also say to 'go cold turkey' to emphasise the fact that somebody has given something up without any help such as nicotine patches or substitute drugs.

Another expression is 'to talk turkey'. This is an Ametican saying and it means to talk honestly and frankly about something. If somebody says to you "Let's talk turkey", they either want you to be honest with them, or they are warning you that they are going to be quite direct.

Now for some compound nouns. Have you ever had a Turkish bath? They are supposed to be very relaxing. Sit back and chill out in steam and let someone massage away all your troubles. After having a Turkish bath, you may feel like indulging your sweet tooth, so how about some Turkish delight? This is a typical sweet from Turkey and was so named by an unknown British man who brought some of these sweets back to the UK after a trip to Turkey.

National Idioms - 2

There is one expression which includes the word 'French' which is quite old-fashioned, although it is still commonly said today in a humourous way. When someone is talking and they use a swear word and want to pretend that they are sorry for using such bad language, they may say " Pardon / Excuse my French!"

More than idioms related to French, we have a great number of borrowings from the French language. Some common words that English has borrowed from French are;

fiance / fiancée

coup d'état

cuisine

gourmet

lingerie

avant-garde

These are just a few, of course there are many, many more.

National Idioms -1

I thought that this month we could look at some idiomatic phrases that are related to the countries or nationalities of the teams that are participating in the Euro Cup. Today we are going to look at idioms containing the word 'Dutch' which, if you remember from Saturday's entry, is the name given to the people from the Netherlands and their language.

The first expression is 'Dutch courage' Sometimes when people have to do something frightening, they like to have a strong alcoholic drink to steady their nerves and calm them down. The confidence that comes from having this drink is what is known as Dutch courage.

The second expression is 'double Dutch'. One of the Words of the Week a couple of months ago was 'gibberish' and this expression has a similar meaning. If somebody is talking nonsense and you cannot understand them, you can say that they are speaking double Dutch.

The final idiom is 'to go Dutch'. Traditionally, when a man and a woman went out for a meal together on a date, the man would usually pay for it. Nowadays, it is more common for people to share the bill equally. When you do this it is known as going Dutch.

Rhyming Slang

To lead on from the article I posted about the girl who wanted a cab and instead got a cabinet, I thought we could look at Cockney rhyming slang. If you remember, the girl phoned Directory Enquiries asking for a Joe Baxi which is slang in parts of London for a taxi.

Cockney Rhyming Slang is a specialised form of slang used in the East of London. It is a kind of anti-language where words are replaced by phrases that sound the same or rhyme.

Dog and bone = phone
Adam and Eve = believe

Sometimes, the last word is dropped, which can make it very difficult to understand unless you are used to it. An example of this is with the Cockney slang for lies. The original phrase was 'to tell pork pies', but now the second word is rarely used and the term has been shortened to 'porkies'.

Most Cockney rhyming slang would be difficult for many natives to understand but some forms are widely used. For example, if you want to say that you are alone, you can say that you are on your Jack Jones. And some men still refer to their wife as the trouble and strife!

If you would like to learn more about the history of Cockney Slang and see some more examples, you should check out this website.

Romantic Relationships

With Valentine's Day coming soon I thought we could look at some multi-word verbs and expressions for describing the different stages of a relationship.

The first stage is meeting your Mr or Miss Right. Perhaps you will notice them one night when you are out on the town. You will look across the room and see them and perhaps you will want to get their attention or let them know that you fancy them. You may even start eyeing them up. If they also look at you with interest you may go up to them and start talking to them or chatting them up. If you are lucky (and not jinxed!), you might hit it off, in which case you could ask them to go out on a date. Alternatively, you might meet your Mr or Miss Right on a blind-date set up by a friend.

Once the first date is over and you decide to continue seeing each other you can say that you are going out together. If things continue to go smoothly and you have built up a steady relationship, you might decide to move in together and share a home or perhaps you will get engaged and then married first.

Hopefully the relationship will be long and happy and you won't cheat on your partner, or be cheated on! If this does happen, it is likely that you will decide to break / split up or even worse your partner will dump you! Although, you would deserve it! However there is always the chance that you can both forgive and forget and get back together. Some people do live happily ever after (or eat partridges as the Spanish say).

Animal Similies

In English as in any language, you can invent any simile you like. However, we also have certain standard, or at least very common, similes that most native speakers will at least know, if not use. Today we'll look at some that incorporate animals. We're going to stick to the simple as ... as formula. (For more similes based on this formula, click on the simile tag at the end of the post and see previous related blog entries)

• as wise as an owl
• as strong as an ox
• as quiet as a mouse
• as slippery as an eel (someone who cannot be trusted)
• as stubborn as a mule
• as slow as a snail

Now it's your turn. Can you match these animals to their adjectives to form similes?







FREE - CUNNING - SICK - BUSY - HUNGRY - PLAYFUL - BLIND

Feel free to post your answers in the comments box.

National Pie Day

Another suggestion for the blog was to write about strange and unique national days that are celebrated in the English speaking world. To start us off, today is National Pie Day in the States. This is a day that is set aside to bake lots of pies and try out new pie recipes. It is also a day to give pies to friends, family and neighbours and spread the good pie cheer. National Pie Day was founded by the American Pie Council in 1986. To find out more about the tradition and the origins of pie you can check out their website.

While on the topic of pie, let's look at some expressions that contain the word:

Sometimes people say things that later on they are forced to admit were wrong. This is especially the case when somebody has been boasting about something that in the end turned out to be untrue. When we have to admit that we are wrong, we can say that we have been forced to eat humble pie.

After boasting that his company could outperform the industry's best, he's been forced to eat humble pie.

Another expression with pie is used when we talk, often disapprovingly, about somebody who has a lot of influence over many different activities. We say that they have a finger in every pie.

Ask John, he's bound to know, he's got a finger in every pie!

Finally, if we say that something is just pie in the sky it means that we hope it will happen but of course it is very unlikely that it will!

Their plans to set up their own business are just pie in the sky.

Are you feeling under the weather?

Under the weather is a synonym for when somebody feels ill and indisposed. In the winter months it is common for people to feel a bit poorly and many of us suffer from minor illnesses.

Today we are going to look at a list of common ailments that can affect people at this time of year.

A lot of the pains that we feel in our body are expressed in the same way in English - by saying the part of the body that is affected and then adding the word -ache.

---headache------------earache ------ backache------stomach ache







Another way of expressing pain is by saying that something is sore. This is the case when you have a pain in your throat. You say that you have a sore throat.

All of these can be symptoms of certain illnesses. The most common illnesses at wintertime are the common cold, when you sneeze a lot and have a cough, and of course the flu, when your entire body aches and you have a fever and you need to stay in bed.

I hope you are all feeling on top of the world this winter, and not under the weather! But if you are feeling ill, I hope you get better soon!

More Colour Idioms - The Colour Green

One common expression with the colour green is 'to be green with envy'. This is what we say when someone is really jealous and envious of somebody else.

Ex. When Sally saw my new car, she was green with envy.
Ex. John is going to Brazil next week and everyone at work is green with envy!

A similar expression to the one above is 'the green-eyed monster'.

Ex. Do you think his criticisms of John are justified or is it just a case of the green-eyed monster?

The colour green is not only connected to negative ideas it can also have positive connotations. For example in the expression 'to have green-fingers'. Somebody who has green fingers is someone who is good at looking after plants and helping them grow.


Ex. Jake's garden is beautiful, he really does have green-fingers.
Ex. I definitely don't have green-fingers, I have killed every plant I've owned!

Do you know any other expressions with the colour green? Or do you know the origins of the above expressions? Perhaps there are some interesting expressions in your own language regarding the colour green. If so, we would love to hear from you!