TEFL Success Stories – Part 3

Egypt – Jenny

Jenny Cleaver taught in the UK for 7 years until 2011 when she made the move to El Gouna, Egypt to teach in the El Gouna International School.

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“I fancied a change, something that was a new experience and a challenge” she says.

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Jenny very quickly discovered that the learning environment was very different from her previous schools in her home country; one that has proved to be very rewarding. “Since working here, I have gained a lot of confidence,” Jenny explains.

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“Teaching a smaller class, with less stress reminds you why you got into education in the first place. It allows you to focus on teaching, without so much behavioural management and paperwork!”

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TEFL Success Stories – Part 2

Teaching in South Korea – Jeffrey

After spending two years as an ESL teacher of Grades 3-6 (ages 10 to 13 in Korea, compared to 8 to 12 in Canada), Jeffrey is back home for a short time, he is planning to go back to Korea next term.

What do you do as an ESL teacher?

Jeffrey: According to my contract, my duties are to assist the reigning Korean teachers. Just what “assist” means is not written in stone. I’ve taught alongside a number of teachers during my time here, and just how active of a role I take in a given lesson has varied with each one (although “pretty active” is generally the norm). I teach at a public school, so we have a curriculum to follow, but it’s a little flexible itself.

As far as planning goes, I usually prepare some sort of interactive PowerPoint presentation as well as a fun game that helps the students practice speaking, reading, or writing the lesson material. This probably isn’t indicative of every public school, though.

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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

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What does an average day for you consist of?

Jeffrey: Four or five hours of teaching in the morning and early afternoon. Classes are 40 minutes each followed by a break. I always have a Korean co-teacher by my side – sometimes it’s necessary to explain things such as game instructions and grammar rules in Korean.

How did you get used to teaching without having major experience before you left?

Jeffrey: At a public school, they generally won’t just throw you into the deep end and tell you to start swimming. I observed for a few days, and was afterward able to ease into the role. Having a co-teacher is pivotal at that stage.

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Before you left, you cited culture shock, homesickness and the language barrier being major obstacles you would have to overcome.   How did you tackle them?

Jeffrey: Having an open mind is essential for overcoming culture shock. I’ve just kind of taken everything in stride. There are quite a few foreigners here, so you’re never going it alone, either. As for homesickness, there’s always Skype.

The language barrier isn’t a problem as often as you think it is. Even if mastering the spoken language is a different story, the written alphabet is very easy to learn, which makes things such as reading menus much easier. English signs are everywhere, especially when you take public transport. And even if you only learn the Korean equivalents of “hello,” “thank you” and “how much,” you’ll be OK in most situations.

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What skills have you developed through your teaching experience?

Jeffrey: OK, you got me. The language barrier is a bit more pronounced when you’re teaching eight-year-olds.  Overcoming it has been a big challenge, but I feel very comfortable teaching them these days. I’ve gotten to know what kinds of language I can use to get points across, both oral and visual.

You’ve also been able to do some travelling within and outside Korea.  Has this been a perk of working abroad?

Jeffrey: Yes, yes, 100% yes. Asia is beautiful. Go there.

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TEFL Success Stories – Part 1

Teaching in Taiwan

By Derick Lourens

The island of Formosa grabbed my attention 11 years ago when I came here for a holiday, visiting friends for ten days. I immediately fell in love with the country and its people.

So I went back to South Africa, quit my job at a law firm, and came to teach English in Taiwan. I have always wanted to be an English teacher. To date, I have been living here for 10+ years, and do not intend to ever leave, except for holidays.

What is so special about Taiwan that prompted such drastic changes in my life?

Much can be written about life here, and a lot can be learned about Taiwan and its culture, people, food, scenery, etc. just by watching the Discovery Channel on television, as well as the National Geographic and the Travel and Living Channel. Taiwan is famous baby!

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What grabbed my attention the most is the lack of crime here, the availability of jobs for EFL/ESL teachers, and the friendly people. There are also lots of societies and sports clubs run by foreigners, which makes it easier to settle in once you get here for the first time. Foreigners come from all the English speaking countries in the world, and if you are looking for assistance and help, just join a club.

Things have changed since I first came here, and the process for applying for a work permit and “green card” is more streamlined and transparent than a few years ago. You also get National Health Insurance and Labour and Pension Insurance, although you do not have to take the latter.

Taipei City runs 24/7. If you want to eat at 3am, no problem! The infrastructure is also super. You have a choice of travelling to work by train, bullet train, subway, taxi, bus, scooter, bicycle, or on foot. The cost of living here is affordable, and when you compare it to your income, it is even better. Big apartments are available to rent for cheap outside the city, where you can escape the sounds of traffic and breathe in fresh mountain air. You can travel to your school within 20 minutes. The technology and internet speed is amazing here. The price of a 24/7 fiber optics high speed internet connection is about US$ 33 per month!

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The variety of jobs available is endless. Depending on your qualifications, you can teach any level from Beginners through to Senior High school and University. Most foreigners opt for the private franchise schools. The reason is that they will hire you without a teaching degree, as long as you have any other degree and a TESOL or TEFL diploma or certificate. Most schools offer a ready-made package of lesson plans and a syllabus.

Of course there are things in Taiwan that are not so good, but I have forgotten what they are, because they tend to pale in comparison when looking at the myriad of positive things on offer here. Coming here has been amazing, and I have made numerous friends, travelled Asia while earning money, and also found a safe place to raise my children.

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You can also learn to speak Chinese here, for free. Many universities offer free tuition to foreigners who want to study here. My friend completed his MBA degree in Taiwan, and worked part-time as well. The people of Taiwan are friendly and very helpful. Strangers will help you with anything, and they get things done in a flash. 

So come on over and see for yourself. It’s an adventure!

Idioms – Part 15

Idioms: The Elements

There’s no smoke without fire means that if something bad is being said about someone, then there is probably a good reason for it. The person in question might decide to fight fire with fire, however, and criticize the people who are criticizing him or her. If you find yourself in the line of fire, you are liable to be criticized for something, and if something draws fire, it attracts severe criticism, as in ‘The proposed merger is drawing fire from all sides’. If someone holds fire, they wait before taking action, as in ‘The banks have decided to hold fire and not raise interest rates for the time being’.

If something is in the air, people all have a similar feeling, especially a feeling that something new or exciting is happening, as in ‘There was a feeling in the air that it was time for a change’ or ‘Spring is in the air‘. If your plans are up in the air, on the other hand, you have not yet decided what to do. If something disappears in a sudden or mysterious way, we can say that it has vanished into thin air and, similarly, something can appear out of thin air, as in ‘It just happened, out of thin air‘. If you are lucky enough to find yourself walking or floating on air, you are extremely happy for some reason.

In that situation, you simply have to hope that no-one pours cold water on your plans (does or says something to spoil them). If you are a strong and confident person, any criticism may simply be water off a duck’s back to you (you are completely unaffected by it) and any bad things that happened in the past will now just be water under the bridge (gone and forgotten).

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Idioms: The Senses

If something leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you continue to feel unhappy or disappointed about it for a considerable amount of time afterwards. You might take your revenge on the person responsible for it by giving them a taste of their own medicine (treating them in the same way they treated you) but you might find that sort of behaviour an acquired taste (something you must try or have many times before you start to enjoy it).

If you like the sound of something, you are pleased by something you have heard or read, as in ‘A holiday in Greece? I like the sound of that’. The expressions by the sound of it/things or from the sound of it/things are used to say that you are basing your ideas or opinions on what you have heard or read, as in ‘From the sound of things, they’ll probably have to move before next year’.

If you have your sights set on something, you intend to achieve it, as in ‘She clearly has her sights set on a top job’, but if you lose sight of something, you forget something important or forget how important it is, as in ‘We had lost sight of the value of true friendship’. In British English, something strange or unpleasant to look at can be described as a sight for sore eyes, however, the same expression in American English would be used to describe someone or something that you are very pleased to see. Out of sight, out of mind is used for saying that when you don’t see or hear about something, you don’t think about it.

A person described as a soft touch is someone who can be persuaded very easily to do something, for example, to give you money, while a person who has the magic touch has a talent for solving difficult problems or resolving tricky situations.

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Idioms: Throw

‘After months of campaigning, his opponent has finally decided to throw in the towel‘. This idiom, which has its origins in boxing, means to give up doing something because you know you cannot win or succeed.

People who throw their weight around use their authority to tell other people what to do in a rude and unpleasant way.

If you throw the book at someone, you punish them very severely, as in ‘The local authorities have warned people in the area that they will throw the book at anyone caught vandalizing war memorials’.

To throw money at something means to try to improve it by spending a lot of money on it, as in ‘Providing better education is not simply a matter of throwing money at it’. Throwing good money after bad is continuing to spend money on a business or project that is going to fail. In that situation, you are probably throwing your money down the drain (wasting it by spending it on something useless).

Perhaps it’s time to throw yourself into a new activity, meaning to start giving all your energy or attention to it, as in ‘After his girlfriend left him, he threw himself into his work’.

Make sure you don’t throw caution to the wind, however, as this would mean you have stopped being careful and are doing things you know are risky.

Whatever you do, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. If you do so, you unintentionally get rid of all the positive and useful aspects of something while trying to get rid of its negative aspects.

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Idioms: Tongue

If something is easy to pronounce, it can be said to trip off the tongue. If, on the other hand, something is difficult to pronounce, it is difficult to get your tongue round it, as in ‘I had trouble getting my tongue round some of their names’.

You may need to bite your tongue to stop yourself from saying something you would like to say because you will upset someone or make them angry.

Alcohol can loosen someone’s tongue if the person drinking it discloses some information that they would not have spoken about had they not had a drink, as in ‘Three-quarters of a bottle of wine had loosened her tongue so she told us all about her arguments with Pete’.

If tongues wag, people gossip about another person, usually saying unkind things about them, as in ‘Leaving his car parked outside her house was bound to set tongues wagging‘.

If you say or write something with your tongue in your cheek, you intend it to be humorous and do not mean it seriously, as in ‘He had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he described the rioters as enterprising’.

A slip of the tongue is used to describe a situation where you say something that you do not mean to say, an in ‘He apologized for calling his opponent an idiot, explaining that it was just a slip of the tongue‘.

If a word, a name or a fact is on the tip of your tongue, you know it but you cannot remember it at the time of speaking. Similarly, if you are tongue-tied, you are unable to speak because you are nervous or embarrassed.

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Idioms – Part 14

Idioms: Roof

‘When the final whistle blew, the home fans raised the roof‘. This means they made a lot of noise, cheering and applauding. If, on the other hand, someone hits the roof, they become very angry quite suddenly and start shouting, as in ‘When the manager found out what had happened, he hit the roof‘. The expression go through the roof can be used in a similar way, as in ‘My sister went through the roof when she saw what I’d done to her car’. Go through the roof can also be used to indicate a rapid increase to a very high level, as in ‘Petrol prices have gone through the roof over the last few months’.

A roof over your head means somewhere to live, as in ‘Some people are struggling to keep a roof over their head these days’. If you find yourself under someone’s roof, you are in their house, usually on a relatively long-term basis, as in ‘As long as you are living under my roof, you’ll do as I say’. If you are under the same roof, you are living in the same home as someone else, as in ‘Things got so bad between them that they could no longer bear to live under the same roof‘.

The roof of the world is used to describe the highest mountains in Asia, particularly the Himalayas and the surrounding regions, as in ‘China’s new 1,200-mile railway crosses some of the world’s harshest terrain on its way to the roof of the world‘.

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Idioms: Sailing and the Sea

It is no surprise that the language of an island nation with a rich maritime history should have a number of idioms related to the sea and sailing.

An example of a widely used expression which originated on the sea is to know the ropes or show someone the ropes (to know how to do something or to teach someone to do something, particularly a job), as in ‘It’s a bit difficult at first but you’ll soon get to know the ropes‘.

If you do something at a rate of knots, you do it very quickly, as in ‘He set off at a rate of knots but he soon became tired and slowed down’. If you clear the decks, you do work that you need to do before you can do other things.

By sailing close to the wind, you are taking unnecessary risks and could easily get into trouble, and if you are in the doldrums, you are in a situation in which there is a lack of success, activity or improvement, as in ‘After years in the doldrums, the market is finally picking up’.

If something is described as plain sailing, it is easy to do or achieve, as in ‘The French won the match, but it wasn’t all plain sailing‘.

To give someone or something a wide berth means to avoid them at all costs, as in ‘Dog walkers have been advised to give cattle a wide berth after a woman was seriously injured last week’.

The word sea itself provides us with the idiom all at sea, meaning confused and unsure what to do, as in ‘United were all at sea as they struggled to come to terms with the bumpy pitch’.

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Idioms: Sport

Let’s get the ball rolling (make something start happening). Sport plays such a prominent role in the lives of so many people that it is unsurprising that there are a large number of idioms with a sporting connection. Many involve a central term in the world of sport, the word ball. If you are on the ball, for example, you are well-informed and quick to understand what is happening and what must be done. If, on the other hand, you have several balls in the air, you are trying to do a number of different things at the same time.

If the ball is in your court, it is now your responsibility or turn to take action or make a decision rather than somebody else’s and you will no doubt have to do things off your own bat (do them on your own initiative). In that situation, it is rather unlikely that you will be having a ball (really enjoying yourself) or punching the air (celebrating), although it is by no means impossible. It is more likely that you will find yourself on a sticky wicket (in a difficult or embarrassing situation). Whatever happens, don’t pull any punches (express your opinions or criticism clearly) and don’t score any own goals (do something that accidentally harms you when you intended to harm someone else). The most important thing is to know the score (know the truth about something, especially when it is unpleasant) and remember that when things go wrong it is all part of the game (a normal part of a particular activity).

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Idioms: Sweep

If a team sweeps the board, it wins everything, as in ‘Last year, Durham swept the board, winning all four domestic competitions’. This achievement can also be described as a clean sweep.

If an individual or a political party sweeps to power, they win an election by a very large number of votes, as in ‘After 18 years of Conservative rule, it was no surprise when Labour swept to power in 1997′. Conversely, if a political party is swept from power, it loses an election by a very large number of votes.

To sweep to victory means to easily win a competition or an election, as in ‘City swept to victory with a powerful first-half performance that saw them score four times in the first twenty-five minutes’.

The expression to sweep someone off their feet has two meanings. If a strong wind sweeps you off your feet, it lifts you up in the air, as in ‘The wind was gusting at up to 80 miles an hour and, at one point, a particularly strong gust nearly swept us off our feet‘. It can also mean to have a strong effect on someone so that they quickly become attracted to you in a romantic way, as in ‘Donald was hoping to sweep Helenoff her feet but she just laughed at him when he asked her to dance’.

If you sweep something under the carpet, you try to avoid dealing with a problem by pretending it does not exist, as in ‘The government was accused of sweeping a whole string of sensitive issues under the carpet’.

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Idioms – Part 13

Idioms: Money

Money talks‘ as the old saying goes, meaning that money brings you power and influence. There are a number of idioms that describe people who have a lot of money or waste a lot of money on things they don’t really need. They spend money like water or throw their money around. They have money to burn and have more money than sense.

For such people, money is no object (they have a lot of money and can buy what they want). Perhaps the money they have is dirty money (money earned through crime) or they may be in the money (suddenly rich through money they have won or been given). Maybe they are in the fortunate position of earning money for old rope (earning money very easily without much work or effort).

If, on the other hand, you do not have much money and someone asks you to buy something expensive, you might say ‘Hold on – I’m not made of money, you know’. If you are a bit short of money (you don’t have enough), you probably want to make sure you get your money’s worth (feel that what you have got is worth the amount you paid for it), as in ‘Get there early to make sure you get your money’s worth‘.

If you are completely sure that something will happen, you can put your money on it, as in ‘She’ll be late. You can put money on it‘. And if you want someone to actually do something to show that they mean what they say instead of just talking about it, say ‘Put your money where your mouth is‘.

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Idioms: Music

If someone says something that you are very pleased to hear, you can say that it is music to your ears, as in ‘Their offer of help was music to my ears‘.

It would be quite a different matter however, should you be required to face the music, as this would mean that you have to accept punishment or criticism for something you have done wrong. If that happens, it’s probably better not to make a song and dance about it (complain a lot about something in an annoying and unnecessary way).

Sometimes it’s difficult to strike the right note (create a particular mood by the way you speak or behave) but, if you do so, you might touch or strike a chord with someone (produce a particular emotion in them), as in ‘Her tale of woe struck a chord with Edward’.

If you change your tune, you change your opinion or attitude, as in ‘Is that your dog? You’ve changed your tune. You always used to hate dogs!’

If you dance to someone’s tune, you do what they tell you to do and, in that situation, it’s that person who calls the tune (is in control), as in ‘At the moment the money markets are not sure who is in charge and who is calling the tune‘.

The expression to the tune of is used to emphasize how large a sum of money is, as in ‘The company is in debt to the tune of £1.2 billion’, and if something goes for a song, it is sold at a very cheap price, as in ‘Video recorders are going for a song these days’.

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Idioms: Nail

If you fight tooth and nail over something, you fight or argue with great energy and determination, as in ‘Ministers have been fighting tooth and nail over the issue of budget cuts’.

A person who is described as being as hard as nails is very tough and is not usual affected by emotions such as sadness or sympathy, as in ‘You’d have to be as hard as nails not to shed a tear at the end of this movie’.

A nail in the coffin is one of a series of events or actions that seriously harm someone or something, as in ‘The closure of the factory is another nail in the coffin for industry in this area’.

If you hit the nail on the head, you say something that is exactly right or very true, as in ‘Peter hit the nail on the head when he said that what this company lacks is ambition’.

If you nail your colours to the mast, you say clearly and publicly who you support or what you think about something, as in ‘In backing the spending cuts, the prime minister has nailed his colours firmly to the mast‘.

If you nail a rumour or a lie, you show that it is not true, as in ‘I think it’s time to nail these rumours about a secret deal once and for all’.

A nail-biting situation is one that makes you very worried, as in ‘When we were leading 3-0 at half-time, we didn’t expect such a nail-biting end to the match’. The match in question could also be described as a nail-biter, e.g. ‘It was a real nail-biter‘.

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Idioms: Popping your clogs

Euphemisms are a rich source of idioms as people try desperately to avoid calling a spade a spade or, worse still, causing offence. One of the great taboo subjects in Western culture is, of course, death, and various linguistic strategies are used to get around actually saying that someone has died. One of the most common is to say that someone is ‘no longer with us’, as in ‘I’m sorry to say Uncle Peter is no longer with us’. This can, of course, lead to misunderstandings; in a business context it can mean that he no longer works for us, and it may also prompt the inappropriate (and potentially insensitive) response ‘Why? Where is he?’ It may be better to say that poor Uncle Peter has ‘passed away’ or ‘passed on’ or ‘gone to a better place’.

More colloquial non-euphemistic ways of saying die include kick the bucket (‘You’ll kick the bucket before long if you don’t stop smoking’), pop your clogs (‘When I pop my clogs you’ll get all my money’) and snuff it(‘If I snuff it before you do, remember to put flowers on my grave, won’t you’).

Back in the world of euphemisms, you can break the news to a child that his/her favourite dog has died by saying ‘Blackie’s gone to the great kennel in the sky’. Depending on the previous interests of the dead person (or animal) concerned, the word kennel can be substituted by an almost limitless list of other locations (e.g. stadium, theatre, classroom, library or even pub).

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Idioms – Part 12

Idioms: Hell

In a recent series of incidents in the UK, a 75 year-old woman described how teenage vandals had made her life a living hell (a nightmare). She said that she had been to hell and back (suffered a lot) as a result of their actions and that her street had become hell on earth (extremely unpleasant and dangerous). She described one family as the neighbours from hell (extremely unpleasant people) and said that some of the vandals broke windows and damaged cars just for the hell of it (for fun and no other reason).

Another resident added that some families in the street had already got the hell out of there (left as quickly as possible), while another remarked cynically that there wasn’t a cat in hell’s chance (there was absolutely no chance at all) that the police would deal adequately with the perpetrators and that hell would freeze over before any serious action was taken.

He said the vandals raised hell (caused trouble) on a daily basis and described a recent incident where all hell broke loose (everyone started fighting and arguing). He added that some residents were so fed up that they had decided to fight back and give the vandals hell (punish them severely). There would be hell to pay(they would be in a lot of trouble) if they showed their faces in the street again and if there was any repetition of the vandalism. He said they were determined to rid the street of the problem come hell or high water (despite all the problems or difficulties that might arise).

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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: Knife

‘After a relatively poor performance at the Olympics by the swimming team, the knives are out for the head coach’, meaning that he is being subjected to hostile criticism, the aim of which is to remove him from his position.

In several of the Olympic cycling race finals, the result was on a knife edge until the very last moment, meaning that the chances of success or failure were more or less equal for both riders and the final result was extremely uncertain.

If you put the knife in, you criticize someone very strongly, as in ‘He has made a number of serious errors of judgement over the past few weeks and several of his colleagues are planning to put the knife in in the coming days’.

If you then twist the knife, you make a bad situation even worse, as in ‘First they removed him from his position of responsibility and then they twisted the knife by offering him a cut in salary’.

When a particular situation is very tense or embarrassing for the people involved, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife, as in ‘Relations between the two ex-business partners had been deteriorating for months and when she walked into the room you could cut the atmosphere with a knife‘.

Like a knife through butter means to move or spread very quickly or easily, as in ‘The virus is particularly dangerous and at certain times of the year can spread like a knife through butter‘.

Finally, if you are unfortunate enough to require a surgical operation, you will have to go under the knife, as in ‘Bartlett is going under the knife tomorrow in an attempt to rid him of a persistent knee problem’.

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Idioms: Light

At the beginning of 2012, there seems no end to the financial problems besetting many of the world’s major economies but some economists are now saying they can see light at the end of the tunnel or light on the horizon, meaning there will be an improvement but it is still some way off. Perhaps if economists saw things in a different light (in a different way), in a more positive or favourable light and not always in a negative light, things might take a turn for the better.

The expression in the light of means ‘as a result of a particular fact’, as in ‘In the light of new forensic evidence, police have decided to re-open the case’, and if facts are brought to light or come to light, people find out about them, as in ‘New evidence in this case has recently come to light‘.

If you see the light, you either suddenly realize, understand or appreciate something, as in ‘I used to hate camping but now I’ve seen the light‘ or you suddenly start to have strong religious beliefs, as in ‘Peter has seen the light‘.

If something such as an idea or a plan sees the light of day, it comes into existence, as in ‘The project first saw the light of day back in 1998′.

If, when referring to someone, you say that the lights are on but there’s no-one at home, you either mean that they are stupid or that they are not listening.

Finally, if you see something in the cold light of day, you think about it calmly and clearly without the emotion that was present when it happened.

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Idioms: Mark

‘Years of conflict have left their mark on Mogadishu’. If you leave your mark on something, you have a very strong and noticeable effect, usually a bad effect that lasts a long time. If you make your mark, you change it or do something significant so that people notice and remember you, as in ‘He’s only been with the company for two weeks but he’s already made his mark‘.

You can either be quick off the mark or slow off the mark, meaning either that you react quickly and gain an advantage or that you react slowly and lose an advantage, as in ‘Companies need to be quick off the mark to gain a foothold in this market’.

If your performance is not up to the mark, it is not good enough, as in ‘Health authorities have complained that many newly-trained nurses are simply not up to the mark‘.

A guess, estimate or theory that is wide of the mark is incorrect, as in ‘The organizers’ claim that there were 25,000 people at the rally turned out to be wide of the mark‘. Estimates that are close to the mark or near to the mark are almost correct.

If you overstep the mark, you do or say something that breaks a rule and makes people angry, as in ‘The interviewer overstepped the mark when he started asking questions about her private life’.

If you step up to the mark, you do what is rightly expected of you, as in ‘It’s high time retailers stepped up to the mark and paid farmers a realistic price for their milk’.

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Idioms – Part 11

Idioms: Family

The death was announced recently of the former president of Sony, Norio Ohga, who was credited with developing the compact disc and was known as ‘the father of the CD’. If you are the father of something, you are the person who started something or first did it successfully, as in ‘He is often seen as the father of British television comedy’. 

Used in a similar way, the expression the mother of is not normally used with people but rather with institutions to denote the first institution of its type, as in ‘The British parliament is sometimes known as the mother of all parliaments’. Unfortunately, although the expression is commonly used, it does not coincide with the facts as the Icelandic parliament is a much older institution. Usually in American English, the word granddaddy(with two double d‘s in American spelling) can be used in a similar way to denote the oldest or most famous example of something, as in ‘The Dow Jones, the granddaddy of Wall Street indexes’.

The expression the mother of can also be used to emphasise that something is very big, serious or exciting, as in ‘That was a mother of a storm!’ or ‘The mother of all battles took place here in 1683′.

If someone is described as ‘like a brother to me’, it means that a person is such a good friend that they are almost a family member. Again in American English, the word brother can be used as an interjection to show that you are surprised or annoyed, as in ‘Oh brother, what a mess!’

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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: Food

As food plays such a central role in human existence it is not surprising that there are a large number of idioms and expressions based on items of food. The word food itself provides us with the expression food for thought, meaning something that makes you think a lot about a particular subject, as in ‘Thanks for your comments – they have given us plenty of food for thought‘.

Most people dream of finding a plum job (a very well-paid job) and might be accused of sour grapes(criticism of something because you are annoyed that you cannot have it) when they don’t get it. Even if a particular job is not your cup of tea (not something you enjoy), at least it will enable you to bring home the bacon (earn money to support your family) but you should always be careful not to put all your eggs in one basket (depend on only one thing) because if you do, you might end up with egg on your face(embarrassed because something you did has gone wrong).

You might think that something is a piece of cake (very easy) or meat and drink to you (something you enjoy because you can do it very easily), but things could go pear-shaped (go badly wrong) and your boss (the big cheese) might go bananas (get very angry) because what you did takes the biscuit (is the most silly, stupid or annoying thing in a series of things). If this happens, don’t rub salt into the wound (make matters worse) by saying something you might regret later and remember which side your bread is buttered(who to be nice to in order to gain advantages for yourself).

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Idioms: Furniture

‘Manchester City’s dramatic victory brought down the curtain on an amazing season.’ Another expression used to indicate the end of something, or even death, is the final curtain, as in ‘It seems that his death did not spell the final curtain for the King of Pop as millions of his records are still being sold’. The expression be curtains for can be used to say that someone or something will die, end or be in serious trouble, as in ‘One more mistake and it’ll be curtains for him’.

If you roll out the red carpet for a guest, you give them very special treatment, but if you sweep something under the carpet, you try to avoid dealing with a problem, as in ‘You can’t just sweep important issues like these under the carpet‘.

If the cupboard is bare, there is no money left, as in ‘I’d love to lend you some money but I’m afraid the cupboard is bare at the moment’. If someone has a skeleton in the cupboard, they have an embarrassing secret about their past that they do not want anyone to know about.

To turn the tables on someone means to succeed in gaining an advantage over someone who until now had an advantage over you, as in ‘Ten years ago the developed world dominated the world economy but now the tables are turning‘.

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Idioms: Heart

The British and Irish Lions rugby team is currently touring in South Africa and, despite the fact that they have lost their two international matches against the world champions, South Africa, their coach insists that the players can take heart from their performances (feel encouraged by them). The players should not lose heart (feel disappointed and try less hard) before the final match because, if they play as if their hearts are not in it (they do not really care), they will lose heavily.

To many people, it seemed that the players played their hearts out in both matches (put a terrific amount of effort into them) and you would have to have had a heart of stone (be extremely unsympathetic) not to feel sorry for them.

In the weeks before the tour, they had set their hearts on winning the series (decided they wanted to do it very much). In the second match in particular, Lions fans had their hearts in their mouths (were feeling extremely apprehensive and worried) when their team held a narrow lead just before the final whistle and their hearts sank (they felt very disappointed) when South Africa scored in the last minute. But in the end, even the most ardent Lions supporter would have to admit in their heart of hearts (admit their secret feelings) that their opponents were excellent.

It was regrettable, however, that one or two members of the winning side resorted to foul play in the match and one has since been banned from playing for eight weeks. My heart bleeds (taken at face value, this expression means that you feel sympathy for someone, but it is usually used to indicate the opposite – that you do not feel any sympathy for them whatsoever).

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Idioms – Part 10

Idioms: Blood

The disgraced American financier Bernard Madoff, who was recently sentenced to 150 years in prison for fraud, was accused of having blood on his hands when a former soldier killed himself after losing his life savings in one of Madoff’s schemes. The person making the statement was suggesting that Madoff was directly responsible for the soldier’s death.

A lot of people who lost money through Madoff’s activities are after his blood or out for blood (seeking revenge). However, getting any of their money back will probably be like getting blood out of a stone(extremely difficult). People like that can really make your blood boil (make you feel very angry), especially if you have personally lost all the money you earned through blood, sweat and tears (a lot of effort and hard work). Investors in Madoff’s schemes probably felt their blood run cold (suddenly felt very worried or frightened) when they heard the news of his arrest for fraud.

Unusually, Madoff was reported to the authorities by his own sons. This seems to go against the traditional saying that blood is thicker than water, meaning that family relationships are usually stronger and more important than other types of relationships. Madoff’s sons were also involved in the investment banking sector at various times, so clearly banking was in their blood (a natural thing for them to do because other family members had done it in the past). Since their father’s arrest and conviction, however, there has probably been bad blood between them (a strong feeling of dislike because of something that happened in the past).

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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: Clothes

If you take your hat off to someone, you show your admiration or respect for them, because of something impressive they have done, as in ‘As an Arsenal fan, I have to take my hat off to Chelsea for the way they played in the second half’. Keeping something under your hat, on the other hand, means to keep it secret, as in ‘Keep it under your hat but Debbie and John are thinking of getting married’. If you throw your hat into the ring, you announce publicly that you will take part in something such as a competition or an election.

 

If someone is beginning to get angry and you want them to calm down and not get annoyed you can say ‘Keep your shirt on‘, while if you put your shirt on an investment or a bet, you risk a lot of money on it.

 

People who work very hard often work their socks off, whereas someone who is not working hard enough and could do better can be told to pull their socks up. If you want someone who is talking too much to shut up, you can ask them to put a sock in it, especially if they are boring the pants off you (making you feel very, very bored).

 

If you catch someone with their pants down, you see them doing something they feel embarrassed about. If you then criticize or attack someone like that who is already in a bad position, you are putting the boot in, as in ‘That’s typical of him to put the boot in when I’m down’.

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Idioms: Day

Apparently, the big day (the wedding day) was a glorious success. Some people decided to make a day of it (spend the whole day and not just part of it doing something enjoyable) and hold a street party. Others were content to watch the event on television, saying that it’s not every day that you get the chance to watch a royal wedding (it’s unusual and special) and it was good to see the bride, in particular, enjoying herday in the sun (the time when someone is young, successful or famous). For many people it made their dayto be able to witness such a display of pageantry (made them very happy).

There were those, of course, who had been against the whole thing from day one (from the very beginning) and who were less charitable in their assessment of the event. Some complained that they were sick and tired of reading about the royal couple day in, day out and day after day (every day for a long time), while others argued that there was no place for royalty in this day and age (in the modern age) and that the monarchy had had its day (was no longer relevant) or even that its days are numbered (it is only a matter of time before it ceases to exist).

All in all though, the day passed off well (was a success), although some of us were grateful that we wereon days (working during the day) on that particular day and not on nights.

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Idioms: Edge

It is hard to imagine that cooking is a particularly exciting or risky profession but, according to a recent news article, ‘Chefs tend to be very dramatic personalities, who like living dangerously and living on the edge‘. If you are on edge, on the other hand, you are nervous and unable to relax because you are worried about something, and if you are on the edge or close to the edge, you are so unhappy or confused that you are close to doing something stupid or losing your mind.

 

If you have an edge over someone, you have an advantage over them and if something gives you the edge, it gives you that advantage, as in ‘The use of various stimulants has given some professional cyclists the edge over their rivals’.

If you find yourself on the edge of something, you are nearly in a particular state or condition, as in ‘He seemed to be poised on the edge of Hollywood success’, while if you are on the edge of your seat, you are very excited and interested in something because you want to know what happens next, as in ‘It was a really exciting film and I was on the edge of my seat most of the time’.

If something takes the edge off a particular feeling, taste or sensation, it makes it less strong or intense, as in ‘Aspirin will usually take the edge off the pain’ or ‘I’ll have a splash of lemonade in that whisky to take the edge off‘.

The word edge itself can be used to describe a strange quality that something such as a piece of music or a book has that makes it interesting or exciting, as in ‘there’s an edge to his new album that wasn’t there in the last one’.

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Idioms – Part 9

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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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: 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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