Tag Archives: idioms
Idioms with numbers in English – Part 2 Posted by carol on Mar 31, 2018
What’s up, guys? How have you been doing? Last month we covered some idioms in English related to numbers. So how about we go to the second share of our lesson. It takes two to tango, so join me and let’s go! to put two and two together – to join the pieces, to correctly…
Feeling Groovy! Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 28, 2017
When people politely ask me how I am, I frequently answer, “I’m groovy!” The most common response is, “I haven’t heard that word in a while.” It also brings a smile to their lips. Which, of course, is why I say it. People know what I mean, even if the word has essentially gone out…
What is a Collocation? Posted by Gary Locke on Feb 17, 2017
Back in the 1950s and ‘60s there was a group of performers who seemed to always be together. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford – They called themselves The Rat Pack. They performed together, made movies together, partied together, and each made the other better. In many ways, they were the physical…
Jive Talking – The Language of Jazz Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 23, 2016
“Jazz is known all over the world as an American musical art form and that’s it. No America, no jazz.” Arthur (Art) Blakey, aka Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, American jazz drummer and bandleader. Many would argue that jazz is the most quintessential American musical form. Born out of the African American communities in the late 19th…
Why Would You Want to Break a Leg? Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 1, 2016
I am a thespian, which means that I am an actor. The word derives from the name of the ancient Greek, Thespis, who is said (by Aristotle) to have been the first actor to play a character on stage other than himself. I should add that I am also a stage director, and I have…
Ape-related expressions in English Posted by Gabriele on May 10, 2016
Apes are our closest animal relatives, so it should come as no surprise to you that expressions with references to apes (i.e. monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans) are frequent in English. These expressions are particularly common when talking about human behaviors. Below is a list of common ape-related English expressions, with examples of how they are…
5 of my favorite idioms in English Posted by Gabriele on Oct 20, 2015
I recently read a fun and interesting post on a blog that I’ve shared with my readers before, the TED Blog. This post was about idioms from around the world that can’t be translated literally (or exactly). It is a great read. You might want to see if your native language was represented in the…