Re: English Idioms2

gerardM Dim 7 Juin - 20:58

GET THE RUNAROUND: be sent from one place to another in trying to get information; be treated evasively. Coconuts Bali: <<According to Swarsa, the village has had problem after problem with Sky Garden, from security issues to chaos to internal conflicts, and he says the club’s management does not seem capable of getting things resolved completely.
But when Denpost tried to gather more information from relevant authorities, the newspaper seemed to get the runaround. When contacting Cokorda Raka Darmawan, head of the Badung Tourism Service for a response on the possible closure of SkyGarden, Cokorda referred Denpost to the “relevant government agency,” the Manpower Department and the Coordinating Agency for Permits and Licenses (BPPT). However, when Denpost got in touch with BPPT, the agency said to talk to Cokorda’s office. Mm-hm. >>

gerardM Lun 15 Juin - 14:51

GET THE PICTURE: understand a situation. Most often North American, although there are a few British examples. You can use this to ask "do you understand what's happening?"—"get the picture?" Business Insider: <<Chart 6 contains Department of Census actual and projected 10-year compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of the U.S. 16- to 64-year old population from 1970 through 2060. In 1980, the 10-year CAGR of the U.S. working-age population was 1.8%, in 2000, it was 1.3% and in 2020, it is projected to be 0.4%. You get the picture – growth in the U.S. working-age population is projected to slow significantly in the decades ahead.>>

MurielB Lun 15 Juin - 22:38

Gérard, I have read it can be translated by " get the message "

gerardM Mar 16 Juin - 17:02

Such as in French Muriel. Thanks :-)

MurielB Mar 16 Juin - 17:10

Yes Gérard and il like to add "across"=>To get the message across !

gerardM Mar 16 Juin - 21:33

NICE CHUNK OF CHANGE: a lot of money. This is quite informal and seems to be exclusively American. New York Post: <<Her pay was $100 a week, a nice chunk of change back then, especially for a high-schooler. Besides, the club had a kitchen — “where the food was delicious, and I was so skinny, they kept trying to feed me!”>>

gerardM Dim 21 Juin - 16:03

10 Most Common Workplace Abbreviations & 80 Business Acronyms You Should Know | English Passio
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gerardM Mer 24 Juin - 19:48

LAY LOW: try to remain inconspicuous, avoid attracting attention. Jakarta Post: <<Go-Jek drivers lay low after threats, assaults
Motorcycle taxi drivers (ojek) employed by mobile application company Go-Jek have been forced to stay undercover to avoid threats and assaults from traditional ojek drivers.

Hasanah, 28, a Go-Jek driver, said that sometimes she avoided wearing her company jacket while on duty for safety reasons.>>

gerardM Jeu 25 Juin - 11:46

Top 10 Common English Expressions to Order a Coffee | English Passio
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gerardM Sam 27 Juin - 19:14

Two (or really three) for one to close out the week! I'd say this is rather difficult—if you get it all, GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK (congratulate yourself). To MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH is to make very strong efforts, to do everything you can. And GOOD COP/BAD COP refers to a situation in which one person is trying to be helpful in a negotiation with a third party, while another makes threats. The origin is a police interrogation technique in which one police officer acts sympathetic toward the suspect, while the other yells and threatens. I always thought this expression was American, but here it is in one of England's leading newspapers. The Guardian (London): <<Berlin has lately been awash with rumours of a rift between the chancellor and her finance minister. According to this narrative Merkel would move heaven and earth to keep Greece in the euro as a means of stabilising both the eurozone and the wider EU. Schäuble, the guardian of German savers, would be sanguine about a Greek exit, since he is not interested in geopolitics.
But this is bogus. ... Schäuble was a convinced European long before East Germans like Merkel began to discover “Europe” as an idea. Of course, he too wants Greece to stay in the eurozone. But he has to exercise rhetorical pressure. How else can Germany convince Greek politicians to reform their chaotic finance and tax system?
According to insiders, Merkel and Schäuble are not happy with media coverage of their alleged disagreement. At the same time, portrayals of the pair as good cop/bad cop are useful in the negotiations with Athens.>>

gerardM Dim 28 Juin - 16:15

GAME OF CHICKEN: a confrontation in which each side does increasingly brave or foolish things to make the other side back down. The British also say "play chicken" as a verb. Slate.com: <<Tsipras, whose leftist Syriza party came to power in January by promising to end painful austerity measures and keep the country on the euro without savaging public spending, now appears to be playing a game of chicken with Greece's creditors.>>

gerardM Lun 29 Juin - 16:22

How to Use the Passive Voice with Different Tenses ...

How to Use the Passive Voice with Different Tenses | EnglishPassio.com
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gerardM Lun 29 Juin - 16:45

ELEVATOR PITCH: a very concise description of an enterprise (i.e., one that could be delivered during an elevator ride). Fairly new, of North American origin; seems to be rare in British English although it's used in other countries. National Public Radio (U.S.): <<The Villalobos Brothers have played at the Latin Grammys and Carnegie Hall, and they're widely known for their energy and upbeat sound. (Their five-word elevator pitch, Ernesto says, is "contemporary, high-octane Mexican fiddling.") >>

gerardM Lun 29 Juin - 17:13

15 Most Common Business Idioms You Should Know | EnglishPassio.com
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gerardM Mar 30 Juin - 21:47

NO RHYME OR REASON: without any explanation of pattern. Seems to be less common in British English. HillNow.com (Washington, DC, USA): <<Assaults, robberies and other crime in Hill East during the past few months aren’t the work of gangs, just “ignorant” people, the neighborhood’s top law enforcement official said last night.
Speaking at a Hill East community meeting, Metropolitan Police Department First District Commander Jeff Brown said the crime has “no rhyme or reason” to it.
Suspects arrested for recent assaults and robberies have told police that they set out to commit crimes for “no reason,” other than to rob or punch someone, he said.
“As far as trying to make sense of it, don’t try,” Brown said. “You can’t.”>>

gerardM Mar 30 Juin - 22:01

There are at least 3 ways to give a personal opinion...

How to give your opinion in English | EnglishPassio.com
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MurielB Mar 30 Juin - 22:17

yes Gérard it is so important to infuse your life with action. Make your life, make your love and make your dreams come true !

MurielB Mer 8 Juil - 21:59

He was at his last gasp !

It means : he was dying but also he was hard-pressed !=> Il était aux abois.

gerardM Jeu 9 Juil - 14:22

CALL SOMEONE'S BLUFF: force the other party in a dispute to back up his or her words with actions. This idiom comes from poker—a "bluff" is a large bet that is not based on an actual strong hand of cards, and if you call a player's bluff you match the bet and force the player to show his or her cards. This idiom has been used frequently in coverage of the Greek financial crisis, with stories suggesting that both Greece and the European Union may be "bluffing," or acting strong while secretly being worried about the prospect of Greece leaving the EU, and that the other side may call their bluff. Irish Independent headline: <<Greece crisis: Are the Germans about to call the Greeks' bluff?>>

gerardM Dim 12 Juil - 19:05

WAR PAINT: cosmetics. Not a super common idiom, but it's colorful, and I like it. Sport24 (South Africa): <<London - Wimbledon's famously strict dress code, which requires competitors to appear head-to-toe in white playing gear, has come under renewed fire for being "ridiculous" and "excessive".

Even Roger Federer, the seven-time champion and a lifelong admirer of the All England Club's traditions, has ramped up his criticism of the rule which demands predominantly white outfits. ...

Flamboyant American player Bethanie Mattek-Sands said she supported Federer's complaints.

"I didn't even get married in white," she said.

Mattek-Sands once appeared on Wimbledon Centre Court wearing a coat made of tennis balls and has also taken to a court with war paint beneath her eyes.>>

gerardM Dim 12 Juil - 19:27

40 Common American Words not Widely Used in the United Kingdom

40 American Words not Commonly Used in the United Kingdom | English Passio
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gerardM Dim 12 Juil - 20:55

Idiom #83: Ring a Bell [Top 100 Famous Idioms]

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gerardM Lun 13 Juil - 15:24

TO HAVE EGG ON YOUR FACE: to be embarrassed after making a mistake or failing. The Independent (London): <<Gwyneth Paltrow has egg on her face after failing to finish food challenge
Hollywood actress and self-acclaimed healthy living guru Gwyneth Paltrow is used to being derided, whether it’s for describing her split from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as ‘conscious uncoupling’ or the advice she gives out via her website Goop.
But now she has hit back at the avalanche of criticism which came her way after she bailed out of a seven-day challenge to live on a food budget of just £19 a week after only four days.>>

gerardM Lun 13 Juil - 15:25

Irregular Verbs - List of Irregular Verbs in English | English Passio
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MurielB Lun 13 Juil - 22:40

gerardM a écrit:
WAR PAINT: cosmetics. Not a super common idiom, but it's colorful, and I like it. Sport24 (South Africa): <<London - Wimbledon's famously strict dress code, which requires competitors to appear head-to-toe in white playing gear, has come under renewed fire for being "ridiculous" and "excessive".

Even Roger Federer, the seven-time champion and a lifelong admirer of the All England Club's traditions, has ramped up his criticism of the rule which demands predominantly white outfits. ...

Flamboyant American player Bethanie Mattek-Sands said she supported Federer's complaints.

"I didn't even get married in white," she said.

Mattek-Sands once appeared on Wimbledon Centre Court wearing a coat made of tennis balls and has also taken to a court with war paint beneath her eyes.>>

I also have heard "peinture de guerre' in French !