Idioms: Work

A quick look at a list of expressions containing the word work reveals that in a large number of them work is seen as something arduous, even unpleasant. If you have a difficult job to do or a complicated task to perform, you will have your work cut out. You may even work your fingers to the bone if the job is particularly hard.

In British English hard work might mean that you work your socks off, while in American English you wouldn’t work your socks off, you would work your butt off. Monotonous, physical work can be described as donkey work and you might have to work like a dog to do it. If you over-complicate a task or take longer than necessary to do it, you can say that you are making hard work of it. If, on the other hand, you manage to do it easily, you can say that you made short or quick work of it.

All this effort might mean that you work up a sweat and you would probably work up an appetite too. Remember though that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so don’t be a workaholic – don’t work too hard and take regular breaks because taking a break can work wonders. Some of your ideas might work a treat (be very successful), but if they don’t work out, you can always look at the example of those professional footballers who get paid £100,000 a week for kicking a ball around – Nice work if you can get it!

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Idioms: Worse

‘India’s economic performance has taken a turn for the worse in recent months’. Meaning to deteriorate, the same expression can also be used in a medical context for people, as in ‘After taking a turn for the worse last week, grandad now seems to be making a recovery from his lung infection’.

If a person is described as the worse for wear, this normally means that he or she is drunk, as in ‘I don’t know if you saw Paul yesterday evening but he was definitely the worse for wear at about seven o’clock’.

If you are none the worse after a bad experience, you have come out of it largely unscathed, as in ‘We lost our cat a couple of weeks ago but she came back last night and seems none the worse for her adventure’.

If a situation could be worse, it is better than it might have been, although it is still bad, as in ‘It could be worse. At least they didn’t steal your credit cards too’.

The expression you could do worse is used to say that you think something is fairly good, as in ‘If you are looking for a job that pays well, you could do worse than become a lawyer’.

For better or (for) worse is used to show that you do not know whether an action, situation or change will have good or bad results, as in ‘For better or worse, we are stuck with this manager until the end of the season. Let’s see how results turn out in the end’.

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Idioms: Air

In the midst of the chaos caused by the Icelandic volcano, one newspaper led with the headline ‘Travel plans are up in the air for at least a week’. In this sense, up in the air means that the travel plans were undecided or unresolved, although, in a literal sense, of course, the actual planes were clearly not in the air.

If something is simply in the air, it means that people all have a similar feeling, especially a feeling that something exciting or new is happening or about to happen, as in ‘There was a feeling in the air that it was time for a change’ or ‘Spring is in the air’.

Things can appear out of thin air or disappear into thin air, meaning that they have appeared or disappeared in a sudden and mysterious way, as in ‘When I looked around, he seemed to have vanished into thin air‘.

If you are feeling extremely happy or pleased with yourself for some reason, you might be walking on air or even floating on air.

If you clear the air, you discuss a problem or a difficult situation with someone in order to make things improve, as in ‘I think it’s time we cleared the air, don’t you?’

Hot air is something most often associated with politicians who are prone to making statements that sound impressive but are in reality neither sincere nor sensible.

A breath of fresh air is something or someone new, interesting and exciting, as in ‘Wind farms could be abreath of fresh air for the power industry’ or ‘Brown has been a breath of fresh air in a team that had seemed to have lost its way’.

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Idioms: Animals

The important contribution that animals have always made to human society is reflected in the number of idiomatic expressions containing references to animals. Many of them have negative connotations: a dog’s life (a life full of misery and troubles), make a pig of yourself (eat far too much food at one time), the black sheep (the odd one out in a family or a group who is disapproved of by the others). Others have more positive associations: to keep the wolf from the door (to earn enough money to buy food and other essentials), to take the bull by the horns (to deal with a problem in a direct and confident way, even though there is some risk in doing this), to break your duck (to be successful after a series of failures).

As the credit crunch dominates the headlines, animal idioms have been much in evidence in the press. Reckless bankers who have made huge personal fortunes out of activities that have hurt millions have been described as fat cats, and the results of their activities as the chickens coming home to roost (the negative results of the actions becoming clear). Many people, however, seem to regard an economic slump as the elephant in the room (something which is obvious but most people choose to ignore) and, indeed, some people don’t give a monkey’s (don’t care) about economics and high finance and say the whole thing is a clear case of the tail wagging the dog (a bad situation brought about when something important is controlled by someone or something less important).

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Idioms: Wall

‘Germany had been unbeaten in the group stages and easily beat the Greeks in the quarter-final but they finally hit the wall in the semi-final when they came up against an inspired Italian side’. In this sense, the team reached the point where they were physically or mentally unable to make further progress. Marathon runners often hit the wall after 35 or so kilometres of the 42-kilometre race.

If you come up against a brick wall or run into a brick wall, you reach a point in a process where you encounter problems that seem impossible to solve, as in ‘We’ve been trying to find a way round the planning regulations but I’m afraid we’ve come up against a brick wall‘.

If a business goes to the wall, it fails or goes bankrupt, as in ‘No-one was surprised when the company finally went to the wall‘, but if you go up the wall, you get very angry, as in ‘He went up the wall when he heard how much he would have to pay for the damage to his neighbour’s car’. If something drives you up the wall, it annoys you intensely, as in ‘Can you turn that music down? It’s driving me up the wall!’

If someone does not listen or react when you say something to them, you can say that it is like talking to a brick wall, as in ‘I’ve tried to discuss it with him but it’s like talking to a brick wall‘.

The expression these four walls is used to talk about the room that you are in, as in ‘This is strictly confidential. It mustn’t go beyond these four walls‘.

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Idioms: Way

‘They went out of their way to make us welcome’. If you go out of your way to do something, you make an extra effort, even though it is not easy or convenient to do so. If things have come a long way, they have made a lot of progress or improved greatly over a period of time, as in ‘Aircraft safety has come a long way since the 1950s’. This expression is normally only used in the perfect tenses.

If you have a way with someone or something, you have a special connection or relationship, as in ‘Ruperthas a way with words. I always enjoy listening to his talks’ or ‘She has a way with animals. They always seem to like her’. When people do something in a big way, they do it a lot or think it is important, as in ‘Paul was into sailing in a big way. He spent every weekend out on the water’.

The expression in no way, shape or form is used to emphasize that something is not true or possible, as in ‘This government is in no way, shape or form responsible for the mess that we find ourselves in’.

To emphasize that something is definitely true, the expression no two ways about it can be used, as in ‘Let’s face it. The government is responsible, no two ways about it‘. The expression it’s always the way can be used to say that something always happens in a way that is annoying, as in ‘It’s always the way, isn’t it? You forget your umbrella and it starts raining’.

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Idioms: Weight

‘We are very fortunate at this football club to have a manager who is worth his weight in gold‘. This means that the person in question is extremely useful or valuable. The same idiom can be applied to inanimate objects too, as in ‘To a translator, a good dictionary can be worth its weight in gold‘.

If you pull your weight, you do your fair share of work or your fair share of a particular task. The expression is more commonly used in the negative, as in ‘He simply wasn’t pulling his weight, so he had to go’. If something carries weight, it has a lot of influence, as in ‘Her opinions carry considerable weight with the president’, and if you throw your weight behind something, you use your reputation or influence to support a person or ideas, as in ‘The prime minister is throwing his full weight behind the proposals’.

If you throw your weight around, however, you use your authority or influence in an unreasonable or unpleasant way, as in ‘As soon as he took over the department, he started throwing his weight around‘ or ‘I wish you’d stop throwing your weight around all the time’.

 A weight off your mind is something that you no longer have to worry about, as in ‘After several weeks of worry, the verdict is a huge weight off my mind‘. If you take the weight off your feet, you sit down and have a rest, as in ‘Come on in and take the weight off your feet. I’ll make you a cup of coffee’.

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Idioms: Wits

The plural noun wits is defined as ‘your ability to think quickly and make sensible decisions’. If you are at your wits end, you are so worried and tired because of your problems that you cannot think of any more ways of solving them, as in ‘Supporters of the badger cull say farmers are already at their wits end as more and more cattle are diagnosed with bovine tuberculosis’.

If you keep your wits about you, you remain alert to any dangers that might befall you, as in ‘Remember tokeep your wits about you at all times in a city as dangerous as this one’. If you scare or frighten the wits out of someone or scare or frighten someone out of their wits, you make them extremely frightened, as in ‘We were stuck down in the cellar and then all the lights went out. I was scared out of my wits‘.

If you pit your wits against someone, you use all of your intelligence to try to defeat that person, as in ‘Last week’s champion is going to pit her wits against a new challenger in the latest edition of the quiz programme’. A battle of wits is a contest in which a superior strategy and superior mental strength will decide the outcome, as in ‘The race for the title has turned into a battle of wits between two equally determined contestants’.

If you live off or by your wits, you are very poor but you manage to get all the things you need by being very clever, as in ‘A lot of kids are thrown onto the streets where they have to live off their wits‘.

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Idioms: Thing

‘Terry has a thing about spiders. If there’s one in the bath, he won’t go in the bathroom’. If you have a thing about something, you have strong feelings about it, especially feelings that are unusual or unreasonable. The expression can also be used in a more positive sense to mean to have a craving for something, as in ‘Martin has a thing about strawberry ice-cream. He just can’t get enough of it’. It can also refer to people. If you have a thing about someone, you are obsessed with them in some way, as in ‘I know it sounds crazy but she has a thing about George Michael. She’s got all his albums’.

If something is quite the thing, it is very popular or fashionable, as in ‘Baggy jeans were once quite the thing among teenage boys’. If you know a thing or two about something, you are actually quite an expert, as in ‘Old Tom knows a thing or two about badgers’.

When you are explaining something, the expression for one thing is used for saying that the reason, detail or example you are giving is not the only one, as in ‘I refuse to have a cat in the house. For one thing, I’m allergic to the bloody creatures’.

If you are explaining why something did or did not happen, you can use the expression what with one thing and another to refer to many different events in a way that is not specific, as in ‘What with one thing and another, we didn’t get back to London until four o’clock in the morning’.

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Idioms: Time

Make or do? It’s a frequently asked question. In terms of time, if you make time, you keep some of your time available for a particular purpose, as in ‘I’ll try and make time to deal with it next week’. If you aredoing time, however, you are in prison. Presumably, you pass the time in your prison cell (prevent yourself from becoming bored) by reading or watching TV.

On the outside again, you are more likely to find yourself in the situation of needing to kill time (make it pass more quickly by doing something instead of just waiting), as in ‘Our flight was delayed by five hours so we killed time by having a nice meal’.

Sometimes, however, you may need more time to prepare for something or decide about something. In that situation you might play for time (cause a delay) and if you are the sort of person who reacts negatively to being nagged to do things more quickly by other people, you might say ‘I’ll do it in my own good time‘ (in other words, when it is convenient for you and not before).

But, naturally, time waits for no one (used when telling someone to do something soon) and sometimes things happen more quickly than you expect, as in ‘We got a taxi from the airport and were in the city centre in next to no time‘.

If you see something unusual, shocking or outrageous, instead of screaming or bursting out laughing, you might react with typical British sang-froid and say ‘Well, there’s a first time for everything‘.

Finally, if you like or admire someone a lot, you might say ‘I’ve got a lot of time for her’ but, if the opposite is true, you would say ‘I don’t have much time for her, I’m afraid’.

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Idioms: Trick

‘He’s the type of football manager who will use every trick in the book to unsettle his rivals’. This means that the person in question will try every possible method in order to achieve his objectives.

A person who is up to their old tricks or up to their usual tricks is doing the same annoying or bad things they usually do, as in ‘I see Perkins is up to his old tricks again, phoning in sick on a Monday morning after partying all weekend’.

The oldest trick in the book is a dishonest method of doing something that people know about because it has been used many times before, as in ‘Phoning in sick when the weather is nice is the oldest trick in the book‘.

A person who never misses a trick never fails to exploit an opportunity when one arises, as in ‘This is a company that never misses a trick when a gap appears in the market’.

If you have a trick up your sleeve, you have a plan that you can use if you need to, as in ‘With just five minutes to go, Johnston had one more trick up his sleeve and brought on the last of his three substitutes. Itdid the trick and within two minutes City had scored the equalizer’. Here the phrase do the trick means to do what is needed in order to achieve something.

It can also be used in much the same as hit the spot to describe something that does exactly what you need it to do, as in ‘That cup of coffee really did the trick. I feel wide awake now’.

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Idioms: Turn

‘We tried to get the plan accepted but we ran into problems at every turn‘, meaning that problems were encountered every time they tried to do something. If you speak (or talk) out of turn, you say something that you should not say because you have no right to say it or because it upsets someone. The expression is often used when people want to say something that others might find controversial, as in ‘I hope I’m notspeaking out of turn but I think you’re all missing the point’.

If you do someone a good turn, you help them in some way, as in ‘You could do me a good turn by taking all that stuff that’s piled up in the garden to the rubbish dump’, and the expression one good turn deserves another is used for saying that you should be kind to someone who has been kind to you.

A turn of phrase is a way of saying something, as in ‘That’s a rather unfortunate turn of phrase, if I may say so’. It can also mean a particular way of expressing yourself, particularly in writing, as in ‘As a letter writer she has a neat turn of phrase‘. The expression turn of speed, meaning the ability to go very fast, can be applied both to people and to vehicles, as in ‘In the last 400 metres, he produced a sudden turn of speed, which left his rivals standing’ or ‘The latest model has an amazing turn of speed, going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in seven seconds’.

In cooking, if something is done to a turn, it is cooked for exactly the right amount of time.

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Idioms: Sleep

It is said that humans spend a third of their lives asleep. The fact that sleep occupies such a large part of our existence might explain why there are so many idioms and expressions containing the word sleep.

If you are able to enjoy a good night’s sleep, you might say the next morning that you slept like a log. If, on the other hand, you spent an uncomfortable night tossing and turning, you might complain the next day that you didn’t sleep a wink. If there is a problem or decision that you wish to put off till later, you can say you will sleep on it, and if there is a problem or situation that others might regard as important, but which you regard as trivial, you could say that you won’t lose any sleep over it. If, on the other hand, there isn’t a problem with a particular aspect of your life or job, it’s probably better to let sleeping dogs lie, rather than resurrect an old problem or create one where there wasn’t one. Some things are so easy that you can do them in your sleep, while others are so difficult that they can give you sleepless nights.

If you want to remain healthy and attractive you should make sure you get your beauty sleep every night (in other words, enough sleep). If, on the other hand, you overindulge at a party and drink too much, you might have to go to bed to sleep it off (get over the effects). Make sure though that when you talk about sleep you don’t translate directly from some other languages and say you slept like a baby. We don’t normally say this in English as babies do things in their sleep which adults probably shouldn’t.

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Idioms: Stuff

‘You ought to listen to Pete. He really knows his stuff‘, means that he knows a lot about a particular subject and is able to use that knowledge. If you do your stuff, you do what you have prepared to do, as in ‘Now get out on that stage and do your stuff!’

If something is described as hot stuff, it is particularly good or popular at the moment, as in ‘Have you heard this new band? They’re really hot stuff‘. The hard stuff, on the other hand, is strong alcohol such as whisky or vodka, as in ‘I’ll have the odd beer from time to time but I never touch the hard stuff‘.

The expression the stuff of dreams can be used to refer to the type of things usually found in dreams, as in ‘Sixteen-year-old Johnson came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal with his first touch. It was the stuff of dreams for the young man’. The expressions the stuff of legends and the stuff of nightmares can be used in much the same way, as in ‘The pictures of the massacre were the stuff of nightmares‘.

If you stuff yourself or stuff your face, you fill yourself with food until you are no longer hungry or you fill ill, as in ‘He just sat there stuffing his face with pizza’.

Finally, if you tell someone to stuff it, you let them know that you are angry and that you are not interested in them or their suggestions, as in ‘When she told me what the job involved, I told her to stuff it‘.

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Idioms: Teeth

The recent decision to award the contract to build new British trains to a foreign company has been described as a kick in the teeth for workers in the city of Derby (a huge disappointment at a time when they were trying hard to achieve success). The decision was made in the teeth of (in spite of) fierce opposition.

One member of the workforce said that the company that won the contract had only done so by the skin of their teeth (succeeded but only narrowly). Another warned that it was time for trade unionists to show their teeth (show that they have power and that they intend to use it) because they were fed up to the back teeth (extremely annoyed) with politicians who failed to keep their promises. In the current situation, however, his colleagues would now simply have to grit their teeth (show determination in a difficult situation) and move on.

In various industries and professions, people cut their teeth (gain their first experience) in a particular job or activity, as in ‘Many famous actors cut their teeth in regional theatre before moving on to television or film’.

If you put a lot of time and energy into something that is interesting because it requires a lot of effort and skill, you can be said to get your teeth into it, as in ‘I’d like a project that I can really get my teeth into‘.

If a sound sets your teeth on edge, it is very unpleasant or annoying, as in ‘That whining voice of his always sets my teeth on edge‘.

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Idioms: The moon and the stars

Opponents of the recent austerity measures introduced by the British government were described by one politician as ‘living on a different planet‘, meaning that they were either out of touch with reality or had ideas that were neither reasonable nor practical. Perhaps such people were asking for the moon (wanting something that is impossible to get or achieve) or living in cloud-cuckoo land (believing naively that there was no problem).

Of course, the sky is the limit for some people (meaning that there is no limit to what they can do or achieve), although others may simply have stars in their eyes (be hopeful and enthusiastic about what may happen to them in the future, even though this is not a practical or sensible way to behave).

If they do succeed in achieving their aims they will probably be over the moon about it (extremely happy). Their fate may be written in the stars, in other words certain to happen, as in ‘It was written in the stars that we would never see each other again’.

One thing that is certain is that sooner or later they will depart for that great … in the sky, an adaptable euphemism as the chosen noun can reflect a particular idiosyncratic aspect of the life of the person you are talking about, as in ‘I’m afraid Patrick has gone to that great pub in the sky‘. He’s dead, of course, but he obviously enjoyed a drink or two while he was alive.

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Idioms: Music and Song

If you say that something is music to your ears, you are very pleased to hear it, as in ‘Their offer of help was music to my ears‘. On the other hand, if you have to face the music, you accept punishment or criticism for something you have done wrong, as in ‘Many MPs will have to face the music over their expenses claims’.

If you make a song and dance about something, you complain a lot about it in an annoying and unnecessary way, as in ‘It’s only a minor operation and a very simple procedure but she’s making a real song and dance about it.’ When you dance to someone’s tune, you do what they tell you to do because they call the tune (they are in control).

People who change their opinions or attitudes can be said to have changed their tune, as in ‘He always used to be pro-smoking but now he’s changed his tune‘. If you understand the feelings, opinions, or needs of a group of people, you can be said to be in tune with them. A failure to understand such feelings, however, would mean that you were out of tune with them, as in ‘The government is often accused of being out of tune with the aspirations of young people’.

In many situations, it’s important to strike the right note (create an appropriate mood by the way you speak or behave), as in ‘He struck the right note by praising their work’, and if you strike a chord with someone, you produce an emotional reaction in them, as in ‘Her tale of woe struck a chord with Edward’.

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Idioms: Names

‘At the moment, the provisional government exists in name only‘. Something that exists in name only has an official name but nothing else. Conversely, if something exists in all but name, the only thing it lacks is an official title, as in ‘He was leader of the opposition to the official government in all but name‘.

If someone’s name is mud, they are extremely unpopular because of something they have done, as in ‘I wouldn’t tell anyone you know him. His name is mud around here’.

If something has someone’s name on it, it is destined for them although they haven’t yet got it, as in ‘After all the luck they’ve had this season, Chelsea’s name is clearly on the Champions League title’.

If you name and shame a person or organization, you publish embarrassing facts about them, especially in order to persuade them to change their behaviour or policies, as in ‘We intend to name and shame companies which use child labour’, and if you name names, you state publicly the names of people involved in something dishonest or illegal, as in ‘The police are expected to name names at this afternoon’s press conference’.

If you make a name for yourself¸ you gain a reputation for doing something, usually something positive, as in ‘He first made a name for himself as an actor in the late 1970s’. A household name is someone who is known by everyone, as in ‘After years of performing before a handful of people, he has now become a household name and his concerts sell out within minutes.

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Idioms: Raining cats and dogs

Most learners of English will be familiar with the idiom It’s raining cats and dogs. Indeed, many people remember it because it’s such an odd expression and one which can conjure up quite entertaining images. There is, however, one small problem attached to this idiom: native speakers of English rarely use it and, if they do, it sounds rather old-fashioned. So, what do they say? Well, as with so many things, it depends on the context and who you are addressing your remarks to. In a polite, formal situation one might simply say It’s pouring, with the optional addition of the slightly superfluous words with rain: It’s pouring with rain or It’s pouring down. Less formal alternatives are It’s chucking it down or It’s bucketing down, neither of which would be considered impolite in any way. If the rain is particularly heavy, the verb lash down can be used, as in ‘It’s been lashing down for an hour now’. In British English one of the most common expressions is It’s pissing down, although caution should be exercised when using this expression as some people may consider it impolite or even offensive. To be on the safe side it might be better to stick to It’s pouring down or the entertaining expression It’s pouring with rain out there, which suggests that it sometimes rains in here.

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Idioms: Run

A recent survey in the UK showed that traffic peaks during the morning rush hour are greatly exacerbated by the school run (the journey by car to school each morning). Some school run journeys are as short as 200 metres. One wonders whether the drivers shorten their journeys even more by using a rat run (a small road drivers use at busy times to avoid traffic on main roads).

In the normal run of things (as things usually happen) such journeys are probably not a dry run (something you do as a practice before the real event) and it is unlikely that the gas-guzzling drivers will have a clear run (be in a situation where nothing stops their progress). In the long run (not immediately but at some point in the future), such journeys will be counter-productive as it will clearly be quicker to walk than sit in a traffic jam.

In a different context, a run on something is when a lot of people want to buy a particular product at the same time, as in ‘There’s always a run on sunglasses at this time of year’, or a situation when a lot of people take their money out of a bank at the same time, as in ‘Nervousness from investors has led to a run on some banks’. There can also be a run on a particular currency if large institutions or governments start selling it in large quantities, as in ‘Fears that Greece may default on its debts have led to a run on the euro’.

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Idioms: Laugh

In a recent report on the UK fishing quotas, it was claimed that if proposed changes were implemented, foreign-based multi-nationals would be laughing all the way to the bank, in other words making a lot of money very easily.

To be laughing means to be in a very good situation, especially as a result of something you have received, as in ‘If this deal goes through, we’ll be laughing‘. On the other hand, if you don’t know whether to laugh or cry, you feel confused and uncertain about what to do when something bad has just happened, and when other people fail to treat something seriously enough, you can tell them that it is no laughing matter.

If a person is always good for a laugh, they are fun to be with, and if something is a good laugh, it is an activity, situation or experience that is fun. However, if you say that someone is not exactly a laugh a minute, you mean that you think that the person is not funny or enjoyable at all and may be very serious or boring, as in ‘I’m not looking forward to spending six hours on the train with him. He’s not exactly a laugh a minute, is he?’

If you have the last laugh, you end up being more successful than someone who did something bad to you, especially if they laughed when you failed before, as in ‘United thought they’d got the three points but Cityhad the last laugh with two goals in injury time’.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people’s lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our What is TEFL? page

Idioms: Love

A scientific study carried out in 2004 claimed to prove that love at first sight is a true phenomenon and that many people decide what kind of relationship they want within minutes of meeting someone. Apparently, in some cases, it can only take a few seconds for a person to decide that someone is going to be the love of their life.

One wonders whether this feeling will last, whether love will blossom (continue to grow) and whether people who meet in these circumstances will remain madly in love or head over heels in love for long periods of time. Perhaps they have a love nest where they can conduct a love affair, although this will clearly mean that they are not married, at least to each other. Sometimes such affairs are conducted in public and it can be embarrassing for other people to watch lovebirds who are all lovey-dovey (excessively and demonstrably affectionate) in public.

Occasionally a third person may be involved and a love triangle may develop, which may end in tears for all concerned. Years later there may be no love lost between the former lovers (they can’t stand each other). Of course there are many people who would not contemplate an illicit relationship for love nor money (not under any circumstances) and even if they have a love-hate relationship with their partner, they remain together. Shakespeare observed that “the course of true love never did run smooth” and it seems to be the case that people can fall out of love just as quickly as they can fall in love with someone.

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Idioms: Mind

As the human mind is so central to our existence, it is hardly surprising that the word mind is used in a wide range of idioms. You often need to make up your mind (make a decision) and having done so you might change your mind (change your decision). Sometimes you may find it necessary to speak your mind(say exactly what you think even though it might upset someone) or give someone a piece of your mind(tell them exactly what you think, especially when you are angry with them).

Remembering and forgetting are clearly associated with the mind, so we have bear in mind and keep in mind (as in, ‘Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind‘ and ‘Keep that in mind when you come to make your decision’) and slip one’s mind (as in, ‘I meant to invite him but it completely slipped my mind‘).

Sometimes you might have a lot on your mind (be worried about something). In such cases, you might need something to take your mind off it (make you stop thinking or worrying about it). If you stop worrying, you can say that something is a load off your mind, as in ‘Knowing that you’ll be here to help is a load off my mind‘. If you are in two minds about something, you are not sure what to think about it or not sure what decision to make, but if you set your mind on doing something, you are determined to do it. The last thing on your mind is something that is not important enough to worry about, especially when you have more serious problems, as in ‘Cleaning the house is the last thing on my mind at the moment’.

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Idioms: Mountain

After their 3-0 defeat in the first leg, they will have a mountain to climb in the second’. If you have amountain to climb, you have a very hard, if not impossible, task to fulfil. If you have a mountain of work to do, this also suggests an arduous task, as in ‘He was buried under a mountain of paperwork’.

To move mountains means to do something so difficult that it seems almost impossible or to make strenuous efforts to achieve something difficult, as in ‘They called on the international community to move mountains to help the flood victims’. If you make a mountain out of a molehill, you treat a minor problem as if it were a really serious problem, as in ‘Some people believe that the so-called swine flu epidemic was a fuss about nothing and that the authorities were making a mountain out of a molehill‘.

If you are on the slippery slope, you are in a situation that is getting worse and will become extremely bad unless it is stopped, as in ‘There is a widespread belief that these policies will put us on the slippery slopeto government control of the internet’.

To be over the hill means to be no longer young and therefore no longer able to do the things you could do in the past, as in ‘At 35, he is regarded by some people as over the hill but he is still capable of doing a good job for the team’. By contrast, if you are at the peak of your powers, you are at the time when you are your most successful, as in ‘Beethoven was 19 and at the peak of his powers when Napoleon’s army occupied Vienna’.

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don’t wait, make your reservation today!

Idioms: Foot

The word literally is often misused both in speech and writing. If we say that something happened literally, then we mean that it actually did happen and that our statement is not exaggerated in any way. So, if there were literally thousands of people at the meeting, the statement means just that and not simply that there were a lot of people there. An often quoted example of the misuse of literally is ‘Every time he opens his mouth he literally puts his foot in it‘. Well, no he doesn’t – unless he happens to be a contortionist that is. The use of literally here removes the idiomatic meaning from the idiom to put one’s foot in it (to accidentally say something that is embarrassing or that upsets or annoys someone). It is difficult to imagine a situation in which you were so busy that you were literally rushed off your feet (very busy) and likewise literally having one foot in the grave (being very ill and likely to die soon) would present quite a graphic image. If you have cold feet about something (feel nervous about something you have planned or agreed to do), your nervousness would probably manifest itself in other ways than in the temperature of your feet, and if your children are under your feet (in the way and annoying you), they are unlikely to be literally under your feet. But if you put your feet up (sit down and relax), this might conceivably be with your feet raised off the ground. Similarly, if you are back on your feet (well again) after an illness, this could mean that you are once again able to stand up. Most of the time, however, it is advisable to avoid the use of literally, especially with idioms. Otherwise, you might repeat the error of the English football manager who famously said of a player ‘He literally has two left feet’.

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Study a TEFL course with TEFL Zorritos in Peru, South America and travel the world, live abroad and enrich people’s lives by teaching them English. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate is an internationally accredited and accepted qualification to teach English to people from non-English speaking countries. More questions? Head to our What is TEFL? page

Idioms: Hand

This week sees the emergency economic summit meeting of the G20 countries in London. Numerous organizations and groups have said they will be protesting on the streets of London and it is very likely that the police will have their hands full (be extremely busy with a difficult job). Several thousand police will be on duty at the event and reinforcements will be on hand (available to help if needed) should the need arise. The police are confident that they have the situation in hand (under control) and say that they are working hand in glove (cooperating very closely) with the local authorities to make sure the event passes off peacefully.

Many of the protesters are angry that governments have been spending money hand over fist (spending a lot of money) on bailing out the banks and other financial institutions. Some politicians, on the other hand, insist that the whole situation is out of their hands (beyond their control), is caused by global factors they cannot influence and that their hands are tied by legislation (they cannot take the action they want to take because laws or rules prevent them from doing so). They argue that anyone protesting in London on a weekday has too much time on their hands (more time available than they need) and they are hoping that things don’t get out of hand (become uncontrollable). The growing numbers of unemployed are hoping that the summit produces results because economic growth and job creation go hand in hand (happen or exist together).

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Idioms: Heaven

A US government spokesperson recently remarked that President Obama would ‘move heaven and earth to avoid sending American troops to another foreign country’, meaning that he would do everything possible to prevent this happening.

A marriage or relationship made in heaven is very happy and successful, as in ‘The merger of the two companies wasn’t exactly a match made in heaven‘.

If you enjoyed something very much, you can say I thought I’d died and gone to heaven, as in ‘A two-week all expenses paid holiday in Mauritius! I thought I’d died and gone to heaven‘.

If the heavens open, it starts raining very heavily, as in ‘We were just walking home from the pub when the heavens opened and we got absolutely soaked to the skin’.

The expression heaven help us (or them, him, etc.) can be used in two ways. It can be used for saying that you hope something will not happen, as in ‘There’s no fire escape in the building. Heaven help us if there’s a fire’. It can also be used for saying that if something bad happens, the result will be very bad for the person or persons mentioned, as in ‘They are armed and dangerous. Heaven help anyone who tries to stop them’.

The expression heaven only knows is used for saying that you do not know something or you cannot imagine it, as in ‘They’ve not only stolen the car, they’ve taken our credit cards and money too. Heaven only knows how we’re going to get home’.

Finally, if something stinks to high heaven, it smells very, very bad.

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Idioms: In sickness and in health

How are you feeling today? Perhaps you’re feeling a bit under the weather (not feeling well) or maybe you’re not quite yourself today (not in your normal mental or physical state). You might be coming down with something (about to get a less serious illness like a cold or flu), especially if there’s something going round(an illness like flu or a stomach upset that a lot of people are catching and giving to each other). In any event, you’re going to have to call in sick (phone someone at your workplace to tell them you are too ill to come to work).

If you are genuinely ill (or have a hangover), you might feel a bit rough (not very well), or, in more serious cases, you might feel like death warmed up (feel absolutely awful). If a hangover was the cause of your troubles, the hair of the dog (an alcoholic drink taken in the morning) could be one solution. It might make matters worse but it could be just what the doctor ordered (exactly what you need or want).

Whatever has happened, you will simply have to take your medicine (accept the situation without complaining). Within a short period you will probably be on the road to recovery (starting to feel better) and in no time at all you might be feeling as right as rain (healthy again after an illness) and feel as fit as a fiddle (in very good shape).

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TEFL Zorritos: What could be better?  Study in a beautiful Peruvian beach town, free surfing lessons, great accommodations available, including delicious local food.  Fully accredited 160 Hour TEFL course with a practical approach that provides you with 5 advanced certifications at absolutely no extra cost!  And a guaranteed job waiting for you when you complete the course.

Class sizes are limited, so don’t wait, make your reservation today!