Re: 2)English idioms

MurielB Mer 3 Fév - 21:46

=>Is the pope catholic ? you could also say

obviously, of course, definitely yes, are you fucking kidding me?

gerardM Mer 3 Fév - 22:52

My Dogs Are Barking - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR SINBAD789

gerardM Jeu 4 Fév - 14:10

A "pink slip" isn't necessarily pink. I think this expression is North American.

Pink Slip - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR ADMIN2

gerardM Jeu 4 Fév - 23:14

You can also say "preaching to the converted."

Preaching to the Choir - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
Preaching to the Choir idiom, idiom Preaching to the Choir ,Preaching to the Choir definition ,Preaching to the Choir meaning
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR ADMIN2

gerardM Sam 6 Fév - 14:43

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" is one of the most common idiomatic expressions in English. It's almost a cliché, but people continue to use it. And it has nothing to do with bridges.

We'll Cross That Bridge When We Come to It - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR SINBAD789

gerardM Sam 6 Fév - 14:53

Six of One, a Half Dozen of the Other - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR ADMIN2

gerardM Sam 6 Fév - 14:58

It doesn't sound fun to be raked over the coals—and it's not.

Rake Someone Over the Coals - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR ADMIN2

gerardM Sam 6 Fév - 15:00

Cherry-Pick - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary

Cherry-Pick idiom, idiom Cherry-Pick ,Cherry-Pick definition ,Cherry-Pick meaning

IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM

gerardM Sam 6 Fév - 15:01

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire idiom, idiom Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire ,Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire definition ,Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire meaning

IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM

MurielB Sam 6 Fév - 18:59

Thanks Gérard
I knew everything except
To carry a virus
Can a USB stick carry a virus?

gerardM Sam 6 Fév - 20:17

MurielB a écrit:... Can a USB stick carry a virus?

Sure.

MurielB Dim 7 Fév - 11:26

Hi Gerard
There are a few words I never use
For me aubergine is aubergine (same word as in French) not eggplant, piment is hot Pepper and poivron is Pepper. Thanks Gérard, i have enjoyed revising that vocabulary.

gerardM Dim 7 Fév - 12:40

Hi Muriel,

MurielB a écrit:Hi Gerard
There are a few words I never use
For me aubergine is aubergine (same word as in French) not eggplant, piment is hot Pepper and poivron is Pepper. Thanks Gérard, i have enjoyed revising that vocabulary.

As always, there're differences between American and British English:
- eggplant is American
- capsicum is Am
- for the French maïs, American is corn while Bitish is maize (but FRench people are used to popcorn)

Watch the pronunciation of the "a" in spinach...

gerardM Dim 7 Fév - 14:06

"In the blink of an eye" is an idiom that must be similar in many languages.

In the Blink of an Eye - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR SINBAD789

gerardM Dim 7 Fév - 15:05

What does the idiom "jump the gun" mean? Many gun idioms are American, but this one, which refers to the gun used to start a race, is universal.

Jump thGun - English Idioms & Slang Dictionary
IDIOMSANDSLANG.COM|PAR SINBAD789

MurielB Dim 7 Fév - 21:19

Hyperbole Examples for Children
It was so cold I saw polar bears wearing jackets.
I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
I had a ton of chores to do.
If I can’t get a Smartphone, I will die.
She is as thin as a toothpick.
This car goes faster than the speed of light.
Our new house cost a bazillion dollars.
We are poor and don’t have two cents to rub together.
The car is as fast as greased lightning.
He's got tons of video games.
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Her brain is the size of a pea.
Grandpa is older than dirt.
My mom is going to kill me.
Old Mr. Smith has been teaching here since the Stone Age.
My birthday will never come.
I’m going to stay awake all night and catch Santa Claus.
He knows everything about math.
My dad is always working.
That was the easiest test in the world.
Let’s be best friends forever.
Nothing can stop our team from winning the championship.
My dress shoes are killing me.
He was skinny enough to jump through a keyhole.
Going to Disneyland is the best idea ever.
Carrie never stops talking.
I have told you a million times not to do that.
We used to walk 15 miles to school in the snow, uphill.
He is the best player of all time.
It is so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.
You are walking slower than a snail.
Football is all he cares about.
Everybody knows that.
My mom works her fingers to the bone.
His stomach is a bottomless pit.
Her smile was a mile wide.
The church was decorated with a million flowers.
I ate so much at Thanksgiving, I must weigh more than a whale.
We waited for centuries for the latest game to be released.
It will only take me two seconds to get there.
The mall is large enough to have its own zip code.
This is so boring, just kill me now!

Read more at http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-hyperbole-for-kids.html#fWGsA6RbQLFBfrgH.99

gerardM Dim 7 Fév - 22:14

Hi Muriel,

Thanks for these hyperboles.

They make me think of a common expression:

"Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey", sometimes transformed into "it's so cold that it can freeze the balls of a brass monkey".
These expressions are rather dodgy as nobody remembers why people say this.
There are in fact lots of explanations, lots of legends and rumors that can be found on the Internet.

For example, this page will give you the beginning of explanations -> https://www.truthorfiction.com/brassmonkeys/

~~

EMTs like so much puns and plays on words that there're oodles of such expressions for which nobody really knows: there are several hypotheses and several forms of the expressions... funny!

MurielB Dim 7 Fév - 22:25

Thanks Gérard for that expression I didn't understand much and I had to search on the internet for its origin

Some references say that the brass triangles that supported stacks of iron cannon-balls on sailing ships were called monkeys and that in cold weather the metal contracted, causing the balls to fall off

gerardM Dim 7 Fév - 22:45

Yes Muriel,

You could read that "brass monkey" is the word used for that stack or maybe its support.
At the same time "monkey" is also an animal.
Some practical jokers found funny to create a confusion adding the tail of the monkey to be frozen.
Of course sailors have a ruder language and they took advantage of this to add another ambiguity so they transformed the tail into balls in the expression...

MurielB Dim 7 Fév - 23:17

Thanks Gérard for your words !

gerardM Lun 8 Fév - 14:55

You're welcome Muriel!

gerardM Lun 8 Fév - 18:06

A few people asked for the meaning of these slang expressions, so here you go!
http://www.fluentland.com/…/…/slang-conversations-at-school/
ticked off—annoyed
what's up—what's happening?
get out of my face—go away
chill out—relax
what's eating you—what's bothering you
blow the final—do poorly on the final exam
bent out of shape—angry
draw a blank—not remember at all
freak out—become amazed
ace (an exam)—do very well
what's her face—what is her name? I can't remember.
kiss up to—try to win the favor or
give me a break!—that is ridiculous!
can't stand—strongly dislike
dweeb—awkard, socially inept person
cut class—not go to class
teacher's pet—teacher's favorite
get out of here!—there is no way that's true!
dead serious—totally serious
she goes—she said
gag me (with a spoon)—I am repulsed by what you have told me
gross—unpleasant

MurielB Lun 8 Fév - 21:26

Hi Gérard !
Thanks a lot for all these slang expressions. I don't know them all but i will try to remember some of them !

gerardM Mar 9 Fév - 19:47

Muriel,

No worries.
We have to remember that we don't have to learn them all.
Lets' learn the ones you absolutely need.

A key to language learning is to always keep pleasure.

We have to distinguish between being able to understand the idoms (which is easier because they are understandable as we've very similar expressions in French) and being able to use them (there are synonyms - no urgency to master them).

MurielB Mar 9 Fév - 21:52

Gérard a écrit:A key to language learning is to always keep pleasure.

ok Gérard but can we always have pleasure ?
I like idiomatic expressions very much because when you use them you sound very English all the more so since your pronunciation is right. Anyway to obtain that you have to provide a good, meaningful job which is not so easy !