Episode 150: More Common English Idioms to Boost your Everyday Expressions

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Paige:  You are listening to Coffee with Gringos. I’m Paige Sutherland.

Ian: I’m Ian Kennedy.

Paige: And today, we're going to talk about idioms. So, idioms, we've talked about in past shows but there are just so many that we just can't do enough episodes about them. So, we're going to do another one since we haven't in a while and this one is going to the be ones that we haven't done before. And again, idioms are just phrases, they're common phrases that we use in everyday conversation. Often, they don't always make sense until they're explained, so if you try to take them apart sometimes, they don't really make any sense. So, that's why it's good to go over them so you can be like, oh, okay, that's why we say that phrase and that's why we say that phrase. And so, we're going to go over just a few, and, of course, we'll have the guide on our website if you want to read more about the definition and please try them out and use them yourself. So, as always, if you get lost, check out that guide and transcript online at www.dynamicenglish.cl. Okay, Ian—start us off. What's a common idiom that you use around town?

Ian: Okay, number one—we're going to start it off with “hit the nail on the head.” So, when we say, “hit the nail on the head”, basically the meaning that we're using to describe this is to be absolutely or one hundred percent correct about something. So, you're super accurate. It’s usually something that you say that someone else has said something really true or something you really agree with. So, a good example could be maybe a professor asks a student to answer a question, the student gives a perfect answer and the professor says, “Wow, you hit the nail on the head. Good job. You were very successful—one hundred percent right.” So, this is a word we use for success, being super accurate, and I personally hear it quite a bit, I feel like. Others might say they don't but I think it's a really good one to know and, again, most of these are really visual and this one for me is really visual of really striking that nail with the hammer perfectly.

Paige: Exactly. And that's why, like I was saying before, some of them don't make sense because “hit the nail on the head”, you're like, “Are you building something?” So, you’re using a hammer and a nail, and then when you realize it's a metaphor. You’re like, oh okay, I see what they're saying.

Ian: Yeah, so you need that good explanation to understand these so that's why we’re doing another episode on these.

Paige: So, one that I like and use a lot, especially as a journalist when I'm interviewing people, I'm doing a lot of storytelling and so, this phrase is “cut to the chase.” And so, you can use this when you're talking to someone and they're trying to tell you something and instead of in a minute, they're doing it in ten minutes and you're like, “Okay, cut to the chase. What's your point here?” And sometimes it can be a little offensive, so I would say use it with friends, use it sparingly because it could be kind of like “shut up”, “hurry up”, “you're talking too much.” But it is generally something where someone's just going on and on and on and you're like, “Okay, cut to the chase, tell me your point in a sentence. You've done it in ten minutes.”

Ian: Yeah. Stop wasting time. Be more direct with me.

Paige: Yeah, exactly.

Ian: Yeah, that's a great one.

Paige: Hey, Ian. Did you know besides the podcast, Dynamic English offers one-on-one classes with native teachers from all over the world?

Ian: Really? But isn't it just a bunch of grammar lessons?

Paige: Nope, it's completely discussion-based and focuses on topics the student is interested in.

Ian: That's amazing. But what if I'm not living in Chile?

Paige: No problem. Dynamic does online classes. You can be living anywhere.

Ian: Great, but I'm a little intimidated to take the class alone. Can I join with a friend?

Paige: Of course. Dynamic offers group classes of up to four. Plus, for the next month, Coffee with Gringos listeners get 10% off individual or group classes. So go online to www.dynamicenglish.cl and mention that you are a listener and get your discount.

Ian: Well, I'm sold. Sign me up.

Ian: Another one that I hear a lot is “up in the air.” “Up in the air” is just another way to say basically that plans are unconfirmed or something's not decided yet. So, you could say something to me like, “What are your plans for this weekend?” I could say, “Honestly, I don't know. My plans are up in the air.” So that means I don't have anything planned yet. I'm just going to just to see what happens. Another one that's really common to “up in the air” actually though, I'll go ahead and throw in here, is “play it by ear.” So, “play it by ear “could be another very similar phrase to say I'm not quite sure yet. I'm going to just wait and see what happens—just go as it comes. So, “up in the air” or “play by ear”:  unconfirmed plans.

Paige: I think those are common so much because most of our conversations with people are making plans. So, I feel like I hear these a couple of times a day like, “Oh, what are you doing this weekend? Oh, you know, up in the air—we're playing it by ear.” So, they're very, very common phrases. Good to get to throw out there. This one that I'm going to say next is a little negative. I mean, hopefully, it's not used towards you too often, but it's “in hot water.” And this could be used in a romantic relationship or friendship; it can be used in business. Basically, what it means is that you are in a situation having some issues, usually with someone and so, “Oh, I forgot to pick the kids up at school today. I'm in hot water with my wife.” And so, it basically it means you’re in trouble, she's annoyed with you, you generally, probably, did something wrong. You could use it in a business sense where “I missed my deadline on the proposal. I'm in hot water with my boss.” So, you’re in trouble, he's upset with you. So, you don't really want to be in hot water too often.

Ian: No, definitely not. Not in this context. I think also we hear it used when maybe we're hearing about something in the news or we hear about some controversy or some public relations nightmare with somebody—a celebrity, who knows—and we hear, “X person is in hot water for their controversial comments.” Or for what they did. So, like you said, when you read “in hot water”, it's not a good thing. You don't want that association.

Paige: No, it's not positive.

Ian: Speaking of more negative idioms here on the list, another one that comes to mind is “raising red flags.” And “raising red flags” means basically is that we're seeing something that is not good. It's something that's giving us a warning or it's something that probably is going to end up being negative. So, a lot of times we're looking at something that's an indicator of something that might happen, and we say, “I don't know. It doesn't look very good. It's raising some red flags with us.” Or, “This business partner who we're considering signing a contract with, there are a few things from their past that are raising some red flags with us.” Saying, you need to be careful, maybe reconsider, a decision that you're making. So, very similar to “in hot water.” You don't want to see red flags or you don't want to “raise red flags” because it's not good for anyone.

Paige: True, and it's also a sports reference. Like, football, soccer, when the red flag comes up, it’s a penalty or you know something negative. So, it’s kind of like raising the red flag is tied to sports, like, something’s wrong here. Let's pause the game, let's consider if something's going on here. So, another sports reference. Another one that I use a lot actually when I covered politicians. So, I covered politics for many, many years and a phrase that you use a lot is called “kick the can down the road.” Basically, what it means is there's a problem and needs to be fixed and instead of fixing it, what people do is “kick the can down the road” so that someone else has to fix it. And it happens a lot in politics, especially when it's tied to funding and so, “We need a new school building built. I don't want to be the one that has to raise everyone's taxes.” And so, the politician will “kick the can down the road” so, five years from now, a different politician has to make that hard decision to raise taxes to build the schools that needed to be built five years ago. So, it's basically, you have a problem and you don't want to deal with it so you kick it to someone else.

Ian: That sounds pretty typical, right? It’s what we see in politics so I'm sure this is one that you heard all the time. This is one that every time a politician opens their mouth, I think we, most of us think of so, yeah, kicking that can down the road, that can that's just the responsibility or what they should be doing and typically don't do. So, unfortunately, this one is a really common one. Another good one that I can think of that is used a lot is “cut someone some slack.” So, when we say “cut someone some slack”, basically we're saying you should avoid treating someone too strictly or severely, maybe not criticize them so harshly, for whatever reason. It could be that someone's just being too severe on someone for something else. A lot of times we hear this in terms of an example I could use for, let's say someone is starting the first day at work, and they're just learning how to do things, they're in the orientation-learning phase, and maybe they get yelled at by someone for doing something wrong or they're not doing something quick enough. And someone might say, “Hey, relax, cut them some slack, cut her some slack. This is her first day or this is her first week.” They need more time to get accustomed. Don't be so harsh on them, don't be criticizing so hard. So basically, it's just a way to say, hey, relax a little bit. Don't be so hard on somebody. So, we can hear this in a lot of different contexts. We hear this one a lot.

Paige: You can use it a lot too in sports, say with the Olympics, that if someone doesn't do as well as they’re projected, “cut the athletes from slack.” We’re in a global pandemic, there are no fans, everything's so different, everyone's so stressed out. So, it's used a lot in these high-pressure situations, so sports are a good one. So, to finish off the episode, the last one is “call the shots.” And so, this one is a leadership phrase. So, it's kind of like, “Okay, we're going to be running the meeting. Who’s going to call the shots during the meeting today? Who's going to make all the decisions? Who's going to delegate and run the meeting?” So, you use it a lot in an office setting but it also could be used in sports or maybe you're on a trip and it's like, “Okay, who's going to call the shots? Where are we eating dinner tonight? When are we going? Who’s making the reservation?” So, it's definitely a big leadership phrase used of just making the decisions, basically. So yeah, these are just a few. Like we said, we've done previous episodes on it. We’ll probably do future episodes because there are just so many of them and they really are confusing unless you understand how to use them. You'll be like, “peel the onion? There’s no onion in the room.” So, a lot of them are very figurative and not literal. So, as always, if you get confused, check out that guide and transcript and please go out in the world and use them. People will be very impressed if you're using some of these phrases while you're practicing your English. So, as always, check out that guide at www.dynamicenglish.cl. Thanks for listening.

Ian: We’ll see you next time.

Ian: Coffee with Gringos officially has over one hundred episodes and we are among the “Top Podcasts” in Chile. And that’s thanks to you. But we’re always looking to grow our audience so make sure to rate, review, and share us.

Key Vocabulary, Phrases & Slang:

 1.     to strike (verb): to hit forcibly and deliberately.

a.     It’s important to strike the nail exactly on the head for a clean result.

2.     metaphor (noun): a word or phrase applied to an object or action that is not literal.  

a.     “You are my sunshine” is his mother’s favorite metaphor.

3.     sparingly (adverb): in small amounts or quantities.

a.     Make sure to use the hot sauce sparingly so the food isn’t too spicy.

4.     to throw (something) out there (idiom): to suggest or take into consideration.

a.     I want to throw that idiom out there since it is a very common one.

5.     indicator (noun): something that shows or measures the state or level of something.

a.     The health indicators gave the doctors a better idea of what the patient needed.

6.     funding (noun): the action or practice of providing money for a particular purpose.

a.     Politicians are always trying to get more influence through funding.

7.     harshly (adverb): cruelly; unpleasantly rough; severe.

a.     The manager spoke very harshly to the new employee.

8.     severe (adjective): strict; harsh; intense.

a.     Teachers should not be too severe with their young students.

9.     to project (verb): to estimate or forecast something.

a.     Many new plans were projected for the city this year.

10.  to delegate (verb): to entrust a task or responsibility to someone else.

a.     The director usually delegates smaller tasks to her team.

11.  figurative (adjective): metaphorical; not literal.

a.     The people spoke in very figurative language and loved using metaphors and comparisons for everything.