#idioms
▪️ordinary; so-so; not especially good or important.
🔘Examples :
1. Tom’s parents wanted to know how he liked the
school. Tom said the school was all right, but it was
nothing to write home about.
2. When we asked them about their trip, they said they
couldn’t complain about it but the hotel was nothing
to write home about.
▪️The expression originates from the idea that if one were
writing a letter to one’s family, the person or thing or event
in question is so ordinary or insignificant that one wouldn’t
even mention it in the letter.
⚫️NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT
▪️ordinary; so-so; not especially good or important.
🔘Examples :
1. Tom’s parents wanted to know how he liked the
school. Tom said the school was all right, but it was
nothing to write home about.
2. When we asked them about their trip, they said they
couldn’t complain about it but the hotel was nothing
to write home about.
▪️Antonyms: something to crow about; a feather in one’s cap.
▪️The expression originates from the idea that if one were
writing a letter to one’s family, the person or thing or event
in question is so ordinary or insignificant that one wouldn’t
even mention it in the letter.
#idioms
▪️to decrease the amount of energy spent on some
activity; to delay or postpone action on some
activity.
🔘Examples :
1. The boss isn’t sure he wants to pursue that new project right now. I think it’s on the back burner until the current project is finished.
2. Because of the country’s debt problems, the government has had to put its plans to expand the national medical program on the back burner.
▪️The expression on the back burner comes from cooking on a standard stove, which has four burners, two in front and two in back. The burners in front are used for immediate cooking, while the ones in back are often used for simmering or keeping things warm. To move something to the front burner means to make some project highest priority.
⚫️ON THE BACK BURNER, PUT (SOMETHING)
▪️to decrease the amount of energy spent on some
activity; to delay or postpone action on some
activity.
🔘Examples :
1. The boss isn’t sure he wants to pursue that new project right now. I think it’s on the back burner until the current project is finished.
2. Because of the country’s debt problems, the government has had to put its plans to expand the national medical program on the back burner.
▪️The expression on the back burner comes from cooking on a standard stove, which has four burners, two in front and two in back. The burners in front are used for immediate cooking, while the ones in back are often used for simmering or keeping things warm. To move something to the front burner means to make some project highest priority.
#idioms
▪️a (figuratively) painful payment of a debt.
1. When we fell behind in our mortgage and asked the
bank to work out a different payment schedule, they
refused and took possession of our house. They got
their pound of flesh.
2. You’ve been annoying me for days about the ten
dollars I owe you, but I’m afraid I don’t have the money right now. You’ll have to wait for your pound of flesh.
▪️The expression originates from Shakespeare’s play The
Merchant of Venice in which Antonio borrows money from
Shylock, the Jewish money lender, promising to pay it back
when his ships arrive. When Antonio learns that his ships
have sunk at sea, Shylock demands payment in the form of one pound of Antonio’s flesh.
🔘POUND OF FLESH
▪️a (figuratively) painful payment of a debt.
1. When we fell behind in our mortgage and asked the
bank to work out a different payment schedule, they
refused and took possession of our house. They got
their pound of flesh.
2. You’ve been annoying me for days about the ten
dollars I owe you, but I’m afraid I don’t have the money right now. You’ll have to wait for your pound of flesh.
▪️The expression originates from Shakespeare’s play The
Merchant of Venice in which Antonio borrows money from
Shylock, the Jewish money lender, promising to pay it back
when his ships arrive. When Antonio learns that his ships
have sunk at sea, Shylock demands payment in the form of one pound of Antonio’s flesh.
#idioms
⚫️FAT CAT
▪️a rich but usually lazy person
▪️Examples :
1. Now that Mr. Anderson is rich, he rides around town
in a fancy car like a fat cat and has everyone else do
the work.
2. Richard is such a fat cat businessman. He owns
several supermarkets.
🔘The expression is primarily used to describe a man (usually not a woman) who, although rich, is not seen as industrious.
He has perhaps become wealthy through hard work but is now relaxing, or he has never had to work for his wealth.
⚫️FAT CAT
▪️a rich but usually lazy person
▪️Examples :
1. Now that Mr. Anderson is rich, he rides around town
in a fancy car like a fat cat and has everyone else do
the work.
2. Richard is such a fat cat businessman. He owns
several supermarkets.
🔘The expression is primarily used to describe a man (usually not a woman) who, although rich, is not seen as industrious.
He has perhaps become wealthy through hard work but is now relaxing, or he has never had to work for his wealth.
#idioms
⚫️DARK HORSE
▪️a competitor who is little-known by most people but who is expected to win by someone more knowledgeable.
▪️Examples :
1. The voters know very little about Mr. Johnson, but
he’s a dark horse and I think he’ll win the election.
2. At the racetrack, we placed our money on a horse
most people had never seen before, but was expected
to do well. He was a dark horse in the race.
🔘The expression originates from horse racing jargon. It is often used to mean a surprise candidate in a political election.
⚫️DARK HORSE
▪️a competitor who is little-known by most people but who is expected to win by someone more knowledgeable.
▪️Examples :
1. The voters know very little about Mr. Johnson, but
he’s a dark horse and I think he’ll win the election.
2. At the racetrack, we placed our money on a horse
most people had never seen before, but was expected
to do well. He was a dark horse in the race.
🔘The expression originates from horse racing jargon. It is often used to mean a surprise candidate in a political election.
#idioms
⚫️SWEAT BLOOD
▪️to put out a great deal of effort; to work very, very hard
1. Gary had to work day and night to keep his large
family in food and clothing. He sweat blood for them.
2. There’s no point in sweating blood for some people.
They’ll never be happy no matter how hard you try.
▪️The expression suggests that one works so hard that one sweats blood, a fluid more vital than perspiration.
⚫️SWEAT BLOOD
▪️to put out a great deal of effort; to work very, very hard
1. Gary had to work day and night to keep his large
family in food and clothing. He sweat blood for them.
2. There’s no point in sweating blood for some people.
They’ll never be happy no matter how hard you try.
▪️The expression suggests that one works so hard that one sweats blood, a fluid more vital than perspiration.
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#common_mistakes
🔘Travel/journey/trip/voyage
😨I’m going away on a business travel.✖️
😇I’m going away on a business trip.✔️
😨We had to do quite a long car travel.✖️
😇We had to do quite a long car journey.✔️
⚜Travel, meaning ‘the act of travelling’ is uncountable. Do not say a travel.
Instead, use a journey, a trip or, less commonly (on a ship)¸ a voyage:
🔅We’re going on a day trip to the seaside.
🔅On long journeys, Emily often gets sick.
🔅It was the ship’s second voyage.
⚜Note that you do not use the verb do with any of these nouns. You make or
go on a journey, you take or go on a trip, and you make a voyage:
🔅He made the long journey to India.
🔅We took a bus trip to Oxford.
🔅The ship made the 4,000-kilometre voyage across the Atlantic.
🔘Travel/journey/trip/voyage
😨I’m going away on a business travel.✖️
😇I’m going away on a business trip.✔️
😨We had to do quite a long car travel.✖️
😇We had to do quite a long car journey.✔️
⚜Travel, meaning ‘the act of travelling’ is uncountable. Do not say a travel.
Instead, use a journey, a trip or, less commonly (on a ship)¸ a voyage:
🔅We’re going on a day trip to the seaside.
🔅On long journeys, Emily often gets sick.
🔅It was the ship’s second voyage.
⚜Note that you do not use the verb do with any of these nouns. You make or
go on a journey, you take or go on a trip, and you make a voyage:
🔅He made the long journey to India.
🔅We took a bus trip to Oxford.
🔅The ship made the 4,000-kilometre voyage across the Atlantic.
#common_mistakes
🔘Arrival
😨At your arrival, please report to the visitors’ office.✖️
😇On your arrival, please report to the visitors’ office. ✔️
😨At his arrival, he went straight to the hotel.✖️
😇On his arrival, he went straight to the hotel.✔️
⚜If you want to say that something happens immediately after someone
arrives at a place, you can say it happens on/upon their arrival.
⚜Note that this is a slightly formal phrase. Do not say at their arrival.
🔘Arrival
😨At your arrival, please report to the visitors’ office.✖️
😇On your arrival, please report to the visitors’ office. ✔️
😨At his arrival, he went straight to the hotel.✖️
😇On his arrival, he went straight to the hotel.✔️
⚜If you want to say that something happens immediately after someone
arrives at a place, you can say it happens on/upon their arrival.
⚜Note that this is a slightly formal phrase. Do not say at their arrival.