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  • Hi Bill!
    I've just read this comment,&I found it extremely useful.Although it is long,I didn't loose interest,because of the way you had explained everything clearly.
    By the way,it occured to me,that the expression:to have egg on your face-could be explained by the fact as eggs are thrown on you.
    In our culture pe.:when a politician makes a speech and it is found to be a lie by the public,or they don't like it,people throw eggs on them.(The better are the spoiled ones!-bad eggs)
    That's why I thought,that it is said,when you do sometinhg little shameful,isn't it?
    Please correct my letter,my grammar is not that good,unfortunately.
    I really enjoyed this topic,thank you for it.
    See you,
    Monika

    Bill the English Teacher said:
    Idioms are interesting but frustrating to learn. We learn many idioms in our languages but can't explain the origin. We just use them. One idiom in English is to have egg on your face. It is used to say that a person has put themself in an embarrassing situation. For example: You are walking down the hallway in school and you tell a friend in a loud voice that you think your English teacher is boring and doesn't know English very well. Suddenly you look behind yourself and you see your English teacher looking at you with an angry expression. At that moment you have egg on your face. It comes from the fact that in our culture, it is considered embarrassing to have food on your face when you eat.
    Here is a section from the site http://www.schandlbooks.com/AmericanSlangAbout.html
    to lend a hand= to help

    The Smiths' neighbors lent a hand when they were building their new fence (The neighbors helped them build the new fence).

    in hot water = in trouble

    Bob didn't do his homework, so he's going to be/get in hot water! (from the teacher)

    Put your money where your mouth is!= If you believe that what you are saying is
    true/right, let's bet on it (use money to prove it)!

    Like mother, like daughter or Like father, like son
    (this refers to having the same personality as aparent)

    That takes the cake!= That's unbelievable/incredible/ridiculous!

    Not playing with a full deck= crazy

    That guy always talks and shouts to himself. He's not playing with a full deck!

    Put a lid on it!= Be quiet!!!

    Two heads are better than one!= Two people who work together will have more
    ideas than just one person!

    TO LOSE YOUR SHIRT= to lose all of or most of your money
    I lost my shirt at the casino!He lost his shirt betting on the horses

    TO LOSE TOUCH= to fail to keep in contact/communication with someone

    After I graduated from university, I lost
    touch with most of my classmates

    PAINT THE TOWN (RED)

    After the exam, let's go out and paint the town!= Let's go out and enjoy the exciting
    entertainment of the city!


    A picture is worth a thousand words!

    = A picture explains things better than words can
    explain things

    Let's get the ball rolling!

    = Let's start now!
    (usually said about an important project)

    I HEAR YOU!

    = I agree with what you are saying!


    YOU BET!

    = Yes, sure, of course!


    ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

    = Once in a while, occasionally

    I go swimming outside once in a blue moon.


    IT'S A DEAL!

    = Okay, I agree, it will be done!


    TO BET ON THE WRONG HORSE

    = To make an incorrect guess about the future

    If you think the Queen plans to retire, you're
    betting on the wrong horse!

    TO BE FULL OF HOT AIR!

    = When someone talks a lot about something
    he/she can or will do but in reality, there is no
    truth in any of what he/she is saying - just hot
    air!

    He went on the job interview because the company said they would be able to offer him a good position, but during the interview, he realized it was too small, with no opportunities. The manager was just full of hot air!


    WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE
    TOUGH GET GOING!

    = When there are problems, strong people
    take action to solve the problems!

    When the going gets tough =
    When life becomes difficult
    the tough get going =
    strong people take action and do something


    MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO!

    =When one person does something, everyone
    follows and does the same thing!


    TO BLOW ONE'S OWN HORN

    = when a person boasts about how great
    he/she is ...!

    Don always blows his own horn. In staff
    meetings, he tells everyone how great HIS
    ideas are!


    BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER!

    = People who have something in common feel
    comfortable together.

    HIT THE BOOKS
    = to study, prepare for class

    Tonight I'm going to hit the books!


    I can have my cake and eat it too!
    = I can have EVERYTHING I want in life!

    a poker face
    = a face with no expression

    This idiom originates from the card game of poker
    because no gambling poker player should have an
    expression that is easy to read! (that way, the other
    players in the game won't be able to guess how
    good/bad his/her cards are)

    George has a poker face so you never know
    what he's thinking!


    to look like a million dollars
    = to look great, to be very well dressed!

    Julia Roberts looked like a million dollars at
    the Oscars!

    a dime a dozen
    = very common, easy to find
    (countable nouns in plural form)

    In North America, shopping malls are
    a dime a dozen!


    You have a one track mind!

    = You always think about the same (one) thing!
    (we can also say he/she/we/they "has/have a one
    track mind")

    To have the inside track

    = To have an advantage because you know
    certain people or you have special information

    Bob knows what the president is going to
    announce in his televised speech this evening
    because he has the inside track!

    I would write an article about Julia Roberts'
    life if I could get the inside track!
    get = obtain

    ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS

    = in a bad/poor/undesirable neighborhood

    Sam grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.


    Curiosity killed the cat!

    = It's not good to be too curious!

    The cat's out of the bag!

    =The secret is not a secret anymore!

    It's raining cats and dogs!

    = It's raining hard (a lot)!


    There's no time like the present!

    = It is best to do it now!

    Time heals all wounds

    = With time, sadness will pass

    Time out!

    = Stop, calm down! (usually said in the middle
    of a discussion or argument)
    = Let's take a break now!


    A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS!

    = A friendly way to say "What are you
    thinking about?"

    What goes around comes around!

    = if you treat people badly, something bad
    will happen to you and if you treat people
    well, something good will happen to you.
    This common idiom proves that Americans
    are superstitious!

    All that glitters isn't gold!

    = Not everything is as wonderful
    as it seems (this can refer to material
    things and also situations)

    You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours!

    = If you do a favor for me, I will do
    a favor for you!

    ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY!

    = it might take a long time to achieve
    something great

    Money talks

    = Money has power/influence!
  • Idioms are interesting but frustrating to learn. We learn many idioms in our languages but can't explain the origin. We just use them. One idiom in English is to have egg on your face. It is used to say that a person has put themself in an embarrassing situation. For example: You are walking down the hallway in school and you tell a friend in a loud voice that you think your English teacher is boring and doesn't know English very well. Suddenly you look behind yourself and you see your English teacher looking at you with an angry expression. At that moment you have egg on your face. It comes from the fact that in our culture, it is considered embarrassing to have food on your face when you eat.

    Here is a section from the site http://www.schandlbooks.com/AmericanSlangAbout.html

    to lend a hand= to help

    The Smiths' neighbors lent a hand when they were building their new fence (The neighbors helped them build the new fence).

    in hot water = in trouble

    Bob didn't do his homework, so he's going to be/get in hot water! (from the teacher)

    Put your money where your mouth is!= If you believe that what you are saying is
    true/right, let's bet on it (use money to prove it)!

    Like mother, like daughter or Like father, like son
    (this refers to having the same personality as aparent)

    That takes the cake!= That's unbelievable/incredible/ridiculous!

    Not playing with a full deck= crazy

    That guy always talks and shouts to himself. He's not playing with a full deck!

    Put a lid on it!= Be quiet!!!

    Two heads are better than one!= Two people who work together will have more
    ideas than just one person!

    TO LOSE YOUR SHIRT= to lose all of or most of your money
    I lost my shirt at the casino!He lost his shirt betting on the horses

    TO LOSE TOUCH= to fail to keep in contact/communication with someone

    After I graduated from university, I lost
    touch with most of my classmates

    PAINT THE TOWN (RED)

    After the exam, let's go out and paint the town!= Let's go out and enjoy the exciting
    entertainment of the city!


    A picture is worth a thousand words!

    = A picture explains things better than words can
    explain things

    Let's get the ball rolling!

    = Let's start now!
    (usually said about an important project)

    I HEAR YOU!

    = I agree with what you are saying!


    YOU BET!

    = Yes, sure, of course!


    ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

    = Once in a while, occasionally

    I go swimming outside once in a blue moon.


    IT'S A DEAL!

    = Okay, I agree, it will be done!


    TO BET ON THE WRONG HORSE

    = To make an incorrect guess about the future

    If you think the Queen plans to retire, you're
    betting on the wrong horse!

    TO BE FULL OF HOT AIR!

    = When someone talks a lot about something
    he/she can or will do but in reality, there is no
    truth in any of what he/she is saying - just hot
    air!

    He went on the job interview because the company said they would be able to offer him a good position, but during the interview, he realized it was too small, with no opportunities. The manager was just full of hot air!


    WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE
    TOUGH GET GOING!

    = When there are problems, strong people
    take action to solve the problems!

    When the going gets tough =
    When life becomes difficult
    the tough get going =
    strong people take action and do something


    MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO!

    =When one person does something, everyone
    follows and does the same thing!


    TO BLOW ONE'S OWN HORN

    = when a person boasts about how great
    he/she is ...!

    Don always blows his own horn. In staff
    meetings, he tells everyone how great HIS
    ideas are!


    BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER!

    = People who have something in common feel
    comfortable together.

    HIT THE BOOKS
    = to study, prepare for class

    Tonight I'm going to hit the books!


    I can have my cake and eat it too!
    = I can have EVERYTHING I want in life!

    a poker face
    = a face with no expression

    This idiom originates from the card game of poker
    because no gambling poker player should have an
    expression that is easy to read! (that way, the other
    players in the game won't be able to guess how
    good/bad his/her cards are)

    George has a poker face so you never know
    what he's thinking!


    to look like a million dollars
    = to look great, to be very well dressed!

    Julia Roberts looked like a million dollars at
    the Oscars!

    a dime a dozen
    = very common, easy to find
    (countable nouns in plural form)

    In North America, shopping malls are
    a dime a dozen!


    You have a one track mind!

    = You always think about the same (one) thing!
    (we can also say he/she/we/they "has/have a one
    track mind")

    To have the inside track

    = To have an advantage because you know
    certain people or you have special information

    Bob knows what the president is going to
    announce in his televised speech this evening
    because he has the inside track!

    I would write an article about Julia Roberts'
    life if I could get the inside track!
    get = obtain

    ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS

    = in a bad/poor/undesirable neighborhood

    Sam grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.


    Curiosity killed the cat!

    = It's not good to be too curious!

    The cat's out of the bag!

    =The secret is not a secret anymore!

    It's raining cats and dogs!

    = It's raining hard (a lot)!


    There's no time like the present!

    = It is best to do it now!

    Time heals all wounds

    = With time, sadness will pass

    Time out!

    = Stop, calm down! (usually said in the middle
    of a discussion or argument)
    = Let's take a break now!


    A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS!

    = A friendly way to say "What are you
    thinking about?"

    What goes around comes around!

    = if you treat people badly, something bad
    will happen to you and if you treat people
    well, something good will happen to you.
    This common idiom proves that Americans
    are superstitious!

    All that glitters isn't gold!

    = Not everything is as wonderful
    as it seems (this can refer to material
    things and also situations)

    You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours!

    = If you do a favor for me, I will do
    a favor for you!

    ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY!

    = it might take a long time to achieve
    something great

    Money talks

    = Money has power/influence!
    AmericanSlangAbout
  • Hi Fernando,
    That is a good expression. It also means it is better to do something late than to never do it. For example, I always wanted to learn Spanish. I didn't learn it until I was in my fifties. So I can say, better late than never.
    Also your idea of the person who gets up earlier than another person. We have an expression, "The early bird catches the worm". It means a person who wakes up early has more change to take advantage of the day. The late bird will find less worms available. Personally I do like eating worms but many expressions we take symbolically and not literally.

    Fernando N. Magalang said:
    hi Joseph,
    Is it like the "It's better late than never". It means you must be present even you are late. You're presence is very important in some manner. But it must have also said "Early wake up than the other have more done the later wake up. Keep it up and God Bless
  • Dear Sweet Dreem (SD). First discussion I 'm waiting for more another reply. so I can't answer my question. You told me to reply my second discussion ? But I can't. Because I'm looking for advance English partner. If you want to help me ? Just reply and send me and E-mail. It is not a discussion,.
    Anyway, thanks for suggesting me... !!!!
    Ps: Why did you answer "ME TOO" on my second discussion. So I think I'm looking for some advance English partner, and YOU are looking for advance English partner TOO !!!.
  • i need help !!!
This reply was deleted.