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Posted by admin on September 3rd, 2007test
Standard Podcast [0:16m]: Announcement.
Posted by admin on September 25th, 2006This will be the last posting of English Idioms and Slang. Thank you for your support over the last two years.
I will continue doing Idiom and Slang lessons, but they will now be part of my other English study podcast, the Bob and Rob Show. This will save me a lot of time.
Thanks again for listening, and best of luck with your studies.
Bob
Know one’s place.
Posted by admin on August 29th, 2006
Children should know their place in the classroom and not order their teachers do to things. Know their place. My uncle is very sexist. When my aunt asked him to stop drinking so much, he accused her of not knowing her place in the home. Not knowing her place in the home. What does it mean?
“Knowing your place” means to behave in a way that’s suitable to your rank, position or status. Another variation of this idiom is “put in one’s place”, which means to humble a person by reminded them that they have a lower rank or status. For example: “If my little brother doesn’t shut up, I’m going to smack him upside the head and put him in his place.”
Review questions:
1. If you confess something fully, what do you do with your breast?
Answer: You make a clean breast of something.
2. You want to get something to eat. What do you grab?
Answer: You grab a bit to eat.
Join the club.
Posted by admin on August 22nd, 2006
You hate getting up in the morning? Join the club. Maybe you should start going to bed earlier. Join the club. So, you weren’t very happy with the recent presidential elections, huh? Well, join the club! Join the club. What does it mean?
“Join the club” is a phrase used to expresses sympathy for a common, unpleasant experience. You want to let another person know that they are not alone in their dissatisfaction.
Review questions
1. If something disappears completely, where does it vanish to?
Answer: It vanishes into thin air.
2. Someone likes to live on the edge. Do they live cautiously or dangerously?
Answer: They live dangerously.
Into thin air.
Posted by admin on August 18th, 2006
How strange! I haven’t been able to find the TV remote control for months. It just seems to have vanished into thin air. Vanished into thin air. The Bermuda Triangle is said to be cursed, because several ships and airplanes have disappeared into thin air. Disappeared into thin air. What does it mean?
“Into thin air” means to completely disappear. This idiom is often preceded by the verb “vanish”. The opposite meaning of this idiom is “out of thin air”. For example. the magician made a rabbit appear “out of thin air”.
Review questions
1. This idiom uses two body parts and means something is greatly superior.
Answer: Head and shoulders above.
2. What’s another way to say a rough approximation?
Answer: A ballpark figure.
Heads and shoulders above…
Posted by admin on August 6th, 2006
When it comes to math, Bill is really heads and shoulders above the rest of his classmates. He always scores perfectly on the tests. Heads and shoulders above. This year’s new computers are heads and shoulders above last year’s models. Heads and shoulders above. What does it mean?
“Heads and shoulders above” means to be greatly superior to something else. This idiom uses the idea of height, or a tall person, to symbolize a higher status.
Review questions:
1. What’s another word for a coward?
Answer: A chicken.
2. You suddenly get nervous and decide to cancel your wedding? What body part got cold?
Answer: You got cold feet.
Make a clean breast of
Posted by admin on July 30th, 2006After Larry’s wife found the woman’s underwear in their bedroom, Larry decided to make a clean breast of it and tell his wife about the affair. Make a clean breast of it. A judge might be more are more lenient towards a criminal who make a clean breast of their crime. Makes a clean breast of their crime. What does it mean?
To “make a clean breast” of something means to confess a secret fully. In this case, “clean breast” means to “bare one’s heart”. People once considered the breast to be the place where private feelings and secrets reside.
Review questions
1. If someone responds to your complains by saying “join the club”, do they also share your disatisfaction?
Answer: Yes. You say “Join the club” to express shared sympathy for another’s discomfort.
2. You let someone down. Are they likely to trust you again?
Answer: No. “To let down” means to disappoint a person by not supporting them when they need help.
Get cold feet.
Posted by admin on July 24th, 2006
I was planning on asking the new girl out on a date, but I got cold feet at the last moment and decided not to. Got cold feet. We’re a bit disappointed with Jim, because he seemed excited about starting a business with us and then suddenly he got cold feet. Got cold feet. What does it mean?
To “get cold feet” means to lose your desire or nerve to do something. Often people “get cold feet” because they get nervous. For example, sometimes the bride or groom might not show up to their wedding because they’ve gotten cold feet.
Review questions:
1. What’s another way you must accept or confront a situation?
Answer: You must face it.
2. What idiom describes an additional benefit to something that is already good?
Answer: The icing on the cake.
Face it.
Posted by admin on July 18th, 2006
Hey, Mike, just face it - you were wrong to yell at her and you should apologize at once. Face it. I think my friend needs to face up to the possibility that he might be fired from his job. Face up to the possibility. What does it mean?
To “face it”, or “face up” to something, means to confront or accept an unpleasant or diffiuclt situation. Another variation of this idiom is “face the music”. My son needs to face the music - he’s being charged with robbery and he faces a long jail sentence.
Review questions:
1. What’s a way to tell someone that they are overdoing it?
Answer: Enough is enough.
2. Your business is in debt. What color is it in?
Answer: It’s in the red.
Enough is enough.
Posted by admin on July 7th, 2006
My teenage son didn’t come home again last night. Enough is enough - it’s time for him to move out of the house. Enough is enough. I know you like sweets, but enough is enough. If you eat the entire box of candy there won’t be anything left for other people. Enough is enough. What does it mean?
“Enough is enough” means a person has done something excessively, usually past the point of being satisfied. You say “enough is enough” when you think the person should stop. It’s often used when someone can no longer tolerate another person’s behavior. “Tommy, enough is enough! If you don’t stop hitting your sister I’m going to send you to your room without dinner!”
Review questions:
1. If something dawns on you, does it mean you’ve forgotten?
Answer: No, it means you’ve realized or understood something you didn’t notice before.
2. What’s another way to tell an angry person to relax?
Answer: Cool down.
