old shoes in old words

If you are worn out, you are completely tired since you have been working hard.

Choose your pals wisely and carefully. There’s never an old boot, but there’s the shape of a foot in it. Your character will be shaped by the influence of your bosom pals.

That ill-mannered boy is as common as an old shoe. He seems entirely low class and uncouth.

That educational system cannot be changed and improved. Like old boots, past all hope of mending.

My room is cozy and snug. I do like my room very much. Indeed, it is as comfortable as an old shoe.

Sip and See

Without a shadow of a doubt, you are already familiar with "baby shower". I want to share a new expression with you.


Do you know what do Americans call a party that new parents throw to introduce their baby to the nearest and dearest? A sip and see party/shower. The guests in a sip and see party clearly sip beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and see the baby while enjoying the baby's babbling.

my dear sibling & some idioms

I dedicate this post to my helpful and intelligent brother. Alireza is a sophomore majoring in Civil Engineering.

Alireza! Hitch your wagon to a star for your limit is the azure sky.


I want to share with you some bee and bee-related expressions. Curious to know them? Well, keep reading the whole text.

a busy bee
-someone who enjoys being busy or active

be the bee's knees
-to be very good

hive of activity
- somewhere where things are very busy

make a beeline for (someone or something)
- to go straight toward someone or something

none of (someone's) beeswax
- none of someone's business

have a bee in one's bonnet
- to have a fixed idea that stays in one's mind


I got that picture from a really cool website. Idioms By Kids is a website with over 1000 kid drawings of the literal meaning of a number of English idioms. Start learning by clicking on the pictures. Use your noddle to guess the meaning of the idioms. Then, read the idioms and write down your own sentences using those idioms.

For sure, those illustrations can help you keep in mind for a long period of time what you are trying to grasp and grab. Have fun learning and thanks for your warm comments.

All around Robin Hood's barn

I am sure you do remember Robin Hood, a man who lived as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest in central England. He is famous in stories for robbing rich and giving to the needy.

His name is used to describe a situation in which money is taken from well-off people and given to those who are badly off.

Example: A new higher-rate tax that will have a "Robin Hood effect" on income distribution.

Clearly, Robin Hood's house was the Sherwood Forest. The roof of his house was leaves and branches. He did not have a barn and in fact did not need a barn. The phrase simply means a circuitous roundabout route all over a place.

Now, you no longer need to go all around Robin Hood's barn to discover the meaning of this phrase.

Cloud cuckoo land

Cloud cuckoo land refers to an idealistically marvelous state in which every thing is immaculate and desirable. Hence, someone who lives in a cloud cuckoo land is optimistic in a disgusting way; s/he is unable to fully grasp the reality.



Example: Anyone who thinks Ben can buy that classy and pricey villa is living in a cloud cuckoo land.

Be out to lunch

Need your head examined: Say this when you think someone is crazy because they have done something that you do not approve of or agree with.

Be out to lunch/be out of your tree: Someone who is out to lunch or out of their tree behaves in a strange, confused way and does not seem to know what is happening around them.

Have a screw loose: Slightly crazy, often in an amusing way.

Be one sandwich short of a picnic/be a few clowns short of a circus: Strange and slightly crazy.

Be crackers/ be nuts: To be crazy.

Be insane/be out of your mind: You say someone is insane or out of their mind if they do something or intend to do something that is completely crazy.

As easy as ABC

Here are some expressions which I have collected over a few days. All of the are somehow related to the notion of easiness in the English language.Of course, finding these phrases was not a doddle.

---As easy as ABC
---Like a duck to water
---Like a knife through butter
---Be a pushover
---Be child's play
---Anyone can do it
---As easy as pie
---Be a breeze
---Can do something blindfolded
---Be like falling off a log
---Can do something with one's eyes shut
---It's a piece of cake

hear something on/through the grapevine

If you hear some news or information on or through the grapevine, someone else tells it to you unofficially, often in conversation.

EXAMPLES:

"Who told you I was moving house?" "Oh, I just heard it on the grapevine."

Freddie was distressed when, through the grapevine, he heard of Liza's marriage.

I heard through the grapevine that she was pregnant, but I don't know anything more.

According to the high-school grapevine, Kelly wants me to ask her out on a date.

MONEY MATTERS

The following expressions are three figurative expressions for "money":

to have deep pockets: For investors with deep pockets (= a lot of money), the Berlin property market is attractive.

to line one's own pocket: They are interested in lining their pockets first and serving the people second. You can't blame them for wanting to line their own pockets (= making money in greedy and dishonest way).

to cost a pretty penny: Mary's dress is real silk. It must have cost a pretty penny (= cost an arm and a leg = cost the earth = cost a lot of money).

Pass the Hat

Pass the hat means to attempt to collect money for some project(usually said about money that is given to help pay for something or to reward someone).

--He is always passing the hat for something.
--Ann is passing the hat to collect money to buy a gift for Luke.
--My pal and I decided to pass the hat around to collect money for the janitor but no one gave us a heed in the dorm.

To Sleep Immediately Since You are Tired

The Following three expressions all mean to go to sleep very deeply and quickly since you are very tired.

FLAKE OUT
I feel fine in the mornings, but in the afternoons I just flake out at my desk.

GO OUT LIKE A LIGHT
Anita was so tired that she went out like a light as soon as she went to bed.

AS SOON AS YOUR HEAD HITS THE PILLOW
As soon as Jack's head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

take/win/collect the wooden spoon

Have you ever heard this expression before? It is an unusual expression, isn't it? I was looking for a wooden-something word in my dictionary till I came to this term. Taking/wining/collecting the wooden spoon. The expression means coming last in a competition.

There are not enough pages on the web talking about this phrase and its origin. Perhaps, it is an old phrase. My attempt to find a page on its possible origins was not vain, though. Here is the origin.

I hope none of us win the wooden spoon in our personal and academic life.

Go Climb A Tree!

Go climb a tree is an expression which means go away and stop annoying me. This expression has several synonyms in English. Read the following expressions:

-- Take a walk!
-- Go jump in the lake!
-- Go fry an egg!
-- Go fly a kite!
-- Take a hike!
-- Go chase yourself!
-- Go to grass and eat hay!

Notice that the last expression is an old one. Thus, all of them have the same meaning and connotation: Go away, leave me alone!

Gold Expressions:

Hello. Honestly, I planned to make this post the final post on this blog. But, for a couple of reasons I changed my mind. I hope you enjoy reading this new piece after not reading anything new for nearly a long time on my blog. I am waiting to read your comments.

Today, I want to talk about expressions that have a precious word in them. That word is GOLD. Read and memorize these golden expressions. Do not forget to make your own examples with them and use them in your daily conversations and the notes that you write down in English.

Have a heart of gold: It means to be very kind and helpful.
Jack's mom has a heart of gold. She will do anything for her children.

As good as gold: Authentic; genuine.
Mary's promise is as good as gold.

Dripping with gold: To be wearing a lot of gold.
She came to my friend's party dripping with gold.

Be like gold dust: Valuable and difficult to find.
I could not buy any tickets. The tickets of this football game are like gold dust.

A gold mine of information: Someone or sth full of information.
The newly published dictionary is a gold mine of information.

Black gold: Oil.
It was not gold we were trying to find but black gold or oil.

Worth your/its weight in gold: Extremely useful or valuable.
User-friendly software is worth its weight in gold.

Gold-rimmed: Having a gold edge.
Gold-rimmed glasses.

feathers

Did you know that a small thing like "feather" is an important part of a few idioms in English? No? So read these useful idioms and do not forget to make your own sentences with them in order to learn them more effectively.

a feather in someone's cap
something very good that someone has done

be as light as a feather
if something is as light as a feather, it is very light

feather your own nest
to get money by unfair and dishonest methods

ruffle someone's feathers
it means to annoy or upset someone

birds of a feather
you use it to talk about guys who have similar interests, tastes, etc.

speak the same language

If people speak the same language, they have similar ideas, tastes, etc.

Examples:

Liz and her sister are like friends. They mostly speak the same language about everything.

Ben and his father do not speak the same language when it comes to politics.

some cat idioms

when the cat's away (the mice will play):

used to say that people will not behave well when the person who has authority over them is not there

let the cat out of the bag:

to tell someone a secret, especially without intending to

put/set the cat among the pigeons:

to do or say something that causes arguments, trouble etc

look like something the cat dragged/brought in:

to look very dirty or untidy

like a cat on a hot tin roof:

so nervous or anxious that you cannot keep still or keep your attention on one thing

like the cat that ate the canary:

very proud or pleased because of something you have achieved or got

grit your teeth

a) to use all your determination to continue in spite of difficulties:
Just grit your teeth and hang on - it'll be over soon.

b) to bite your teeth together, especially when you are in pain, angry, or under pressure:
'No, that's alright,' she said through gritted teeth.

Expressions: extremely determined to do something, even if it is wrong

go to any lengths:
to be willing to do anything, even if it is cruel, dishonest, or illegal, in order to get what you want
Example: He's prepared to go to any lengths to find the men who killed his daughter.

be hellbent on:
informal to be extremely determined to do something, especially something dangerous or something that may have a bad result.
Example: Bob's hellbent on going through with the plan, even though it's sure to end in disaster.

come hell or high water:
use this to emphasize that you are determined to do something in spite of any problems or difficulties.
Example: I'll be there in time. Don't worry. Come hell or high water.

Expressions: To suddenly forget something

it's on the tip of my tongue
Use this to say that you know a name or word, but you are having difficulty remembering it at that moment.

dry up
To forget what you were going to say or what you are supposed to say when speaking or acting, especially because you are nervous.

your mind goes blank
If your mind goes blank you are suddenly unable to remember something at a time when you need it.