Useful idioms – part 25
Be a sign of the times = something that shows that society now is worse than it was in the past. ( a typical thing about the time we live in) These riots are a sign of the times. The fact that he had been dead for a week in his apartment before anybody found him is a sign of the times. It’s a sign of the times that you cannot speak to a real human being when you telephone a bank. All you get…
Useful idioms – part 22
Come/spring to mind = (of a thought) occur to someone. The idea of global warming comes to mind when we see what is happening. A : Have you any suggestion? B: Nothing springs to mind, I am afraid. A: Just say whatever comes to mind, it doesn’t matter. Say the word “Australia” and a vision of beaches and blue seas immediately springs to mind. A train of thought = someone’s pattern of thinking or sequence of ideas; what one was just thinking about. When the…
Useful Idioms – part 29
Blow hot and cold = react in different , unpredictable ways , so people are confused about how you really feel. He has been blowing hot and cold about the trip to Brazil. He keeps blowing hot and cold on the question of moving to the country. He blows hot and cold about this. I wish he would make up his mind. Get wind of something = hear about something secret. I don’t want my colleagues to get wind of the fact that I’m leaving.…
Useful Idioms – part 30
The salt of the earth = a very good and honest person. You will be fine working for someone like him. He’s the salt of the earth. Don’t worry ,even with all his success Robin is still the salt of the earth. He donates most of salary to charity and volunteers weekly at the hospital. Frank’s mother is the salt of the earth. She has five children of her own and yet fosters three others. Go to the ends of the earth = do anything…
Useful Idioms – part 31
Go/run like clockwork = it happens exactly as planned and without problems. The party went like clockwork. Everyday he comes here for a cup of coffee at 3.00 p.m like clockwork. He soon had the household running like clockwork. The journey to the tourist destination went like clockwork. Start from scratch = go right back to the beginning and start again. He built his own computer company from scratch. My template got deleted so now I have to write the whole report from scratch. Building…
Useful Idioms – part 21
Off-the-cuff =without preparation. I hadn’t prepared a speech so I just said a few words off-the-cuff. It was just an off-the-cuff remark. I am not very good at making speeches off-the-cuff. Small talk = polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters ,especially as engaged in on social occasions. It was just small talk really. I don’t enjoy parties where I have to make small talk with complete strangers. In the same breath = more or less at the same time, or at once. You say…
Useful Idioms – part 20
In a word = briefly ; ( said when you are about to give your opinion in a short ,direct way). In a word, she’s lying. A: Shouldn’t he be given the leading role? B: In a word – No. Small/fine print = the rules , restrictions and conditions which are often written in very small letters and they are usually printed smaller than the rest of the text. Don’t sign anything until you have read the small print. Read the small print in your…
Useful Idioms – part 19
Lingua franca = a language used for day-to-day public communication, which is not the speakers’ own language. English is a lingua franca in a lot of countries nowadays. English is the lingua franca of the literate in India. Jog someone’s memory = cause someone to remember something suddenly. I tried jogging mom’s memory , but she couldn’t remember Joe’s phone number either. I tried to jog Bill’s memory about our childhood antics. Maybe this photograph will jog your memory. In/within living memory = within or…
Grammatical intricacies
I haven’t seen him this morning vs. I didn’t see him this morning. How would you differentiate the above two sentences grammatically. The first one is constructed in the Present Perfect Tense and the second one in the Past Simple. At the very outset let me make it clear that both the sentences are correct if used in appropriate situations. . I haven’t seen him this morning. ( This sentence is correct if the speaker is saying this while he/she is still in the morning…
Useful Idioms – part 28
Reach/be at fever pitch = be at a state of extreme excitement. The football crowd was at fever pitch. Excitement at the stadium had reached/ was at fever pitch. Campaigning is reaching fever pitch for elections in November. Get/go beyond a joke = it has stopped being funny and is now a serious matter/ annoying or worrying. I don’t mind helping her out occasionally, but this is getting beyond a joke. He is very patient and can tolerate anything, but this is getting beyond a…