The icing on the cake
Context #1 Dear Diary, I just started at my new school and I’m very excited! All of my teachers are excellent, the school is in a wonderful location, my schedule is great, AND one of my classmates is really cute. The classes are pretty small, too, so I know I’ll be partnering with him on […]
Crocodile tears
Meaning: A display of an emotion that is not real; or showing an emotion but not feeling that emotion. If a person is not sad but wants to look sad, he or she will shed crocodile tears, meaning that person is acting sad rather than feeling sad. People often use the verbs “cry,” “shed,” or […]
To hit the nail on the head
Idiom: To hit the nail on the head – get it right, get it, guess correctly, speak (the) truth Context #1 – Students are in English class Teacher: OK. Can anyone tell me what the word “affluent” means? Student 1: To be sick? Teacher: No, that’s not what it means. Good try, though. Anyone else? Student 2: To have […]
Cream of the crop
Context #1: Joe: Have you decided who you’re going to hire for the open position in the accounting department? Sam: Well, I interviewed about 8 people and now I’m down to the cream of the crop. There are 2 people I am still considering, and need to make my final decision by Friday. Context #2: Christa: […]
Actions speak louder than words
Context #1 Amy: Hey Brian, what time will you pick me for tomorrow’s carpool to school? Brian: I’ll be there at 9 am sharp. Amy: Are you sure? Because the last 3 times you were late and we almost missed our first class. I would almost prefer to walk than wait for you again if […]
A penny for your thoughts
Context #1 Friends making a decision about where to take a trip Natalie: I was thinking about the restaurants we should visit while in San Francisco. I have so many I want to go to. What about you? Robert: I don’t know what to say. Whatever is fine. Natalie: Hey, we’re doing this together right? A penny for […]
Bootleg
Bootleg; used as an adjective, noun or verb Context #1: Maria: Do you want to watch the new Star Wars movie? Henry: Yeah, but it’s not out yet. Christmas seems so far away Maria: I have a bootleg copy. Henry: How did you get that? Maria: I downloaded it. Come over tonight and we’ll watch. […]
Technicolor Yawn
Context: Jackson and I were having a wonderful time at the LA County fair a couple of weeks ago. It’s such a fun place to experience many different things about American culture. One of the most famous parts of the fair is the food. They have deep-fried everything! Deep-fried Oreo cookies, deep-fried butter, deep-fried nachos, […]
Street Smart
Idiom: street smart(s); used as an adjective or noun Context #1: Lenny: So Mayra got a new place. Bruce: Really? Where is it? Lenny: Over on 4th, kind of near the freeway. Bruce: Isn’t that kind of a bad neighborhood? Lenny: Yeah, but she’s street smart. She grew up in an area like that, so she […]
Shoot the Breeze!!
Context #1: Mark: Hey Rob! How was your date last night with Mary? Rob: Hi Mark. It was OK. I’m not sure we’re a good match. Mark: Why not? Rob: Well, we met for coffee and only spent about 30 minutes together before she left. We were pretty uncomfortable, just shooting the breeze. She didn’t really […]
