TO LEND SOMEONE AN EAR

To "lend someone an ear" means to listen to someone, especially when they need it.

Are you a good listener?

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TO BE A PEACH

If someone is a peach, he or she is a very nice person.

For example: 
Thank you so much for helping me move. You are a peach!

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TO BE THE APPLE OF SOMEONE'S EYE

To be the apple of someone's eye means to be adored and preferred by someone, usually an older relative.

For example,"She's the apple of her grandpa's eye. He spoils her with gifts."

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As with many other idioms, this is a little puzzling. How do you think this idiom came to be? Why an apple?

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

The idiom "waste not, want not" means that if you don't waste anything you will always have enough.

Have you ever regretted wasting something, missing it later?

                                                                            photo courtesy of dreamstime.com

A Dime A Dozen

When something is "A Dime a Dozen," it's common and easy to get and therefore without extraordinary value.
Example: 
- Look what I found!
- Oh, that's nothing. Those bracelets are a dime a dozen.

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF

To turn over a new leaf means to make a change in one's life; to begin over or anew. The "leaf" is not one from a tree but one from a book, as if one's life was a book.

For example: In the New Year, he decided to turn over a new leaf and improve his life.

BE IN THE DARK

To be in the dark means that you don’t know what is really going on in a particular situation because you were uninformed.

They didn’t want him to know, so they kept him in the dark about the company going bankrupt.

Under the Weather

When someone says they are feeling "Under the Weather," they mean that they are not feeling well.
This idiom dates back to the late 19th century when it was a popular belief that bad weather makes a person ill. 

Similarly, we say catch a cold/have a cold. Mothers often tell us to dress warmly or we will catch a cold. However, scientists now say that cold weather does not play a role in getting sick. According doctors, we get a cold, not from being cold, but from germs.

What do you think?

Blessing in Disguise

Blessing in disguise means that something is good, but it's not recognized as being good at first.

For example:

When Marianne lost her job, she was devastated. But a month later, she found a more interesting job with a higher salary. So, losing her job was a blessing in disguise.

Be A Mixed Blessing

When something is a Mixed Blessing, it means that has bad effects as well as advantages.

For example:

The new shopping center was a mixed blessing for the community. It gave the neighborhood a place to do their shopping and created new jobs. However, it also caused a lot of traffic.

PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER

PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER means to stay up all night studying for an exam.

Can you fill in the blank?

We pulled an _____ to get ready for the exam.

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SHOUT/YELL AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS

To shout or yell at the top of your lungs means to do so as loudly as you can.

Have you ever yelled so much that you felt it in your lungs?

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Do you have a similar expression in your language?

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

A Penny for Your Thoughts is used as a way of asking someone what they are thinking about, especially when someone looks like he or she is deep in thought.

With today's inflation rates, it should really be A "Quarter" for your thoughts. Don't you think?

Be As Cool As a Cucumber

To be as cool as a cucumber is a humorous idiom that means to be very calm and relaxed, especially under pressure.

For example: I was shocked that he was as cool as a cucumber when he got a parking ticket. I would have been very upset.

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DOWN THE ROAD

Down the Road is an expression meaning that if an even is a particular time "down the road," it will not happen until that period has passed.

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Example: Though many advances have been made, a cure for cancer is several years down the road.

Rain on my Parade

We use the expression "TO RAIN ON SOMEBODY'S PARADE" when someone does something or something happens that ruins someone's plans or fun.
Park ranger to a group of camping teenagers roasting hot dogs on a campfire:
"I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but this is private property. You have to evacuate the premises immediately."

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Has anyone ever spoiled your fun?

Be in Hot Water

 If someone is in hot water, people are angry with them, and they are in trouble for something they did or said.

For example:
Mike: Oh, no! I forgot my wife's birthday.

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Jeff: You'll be in really hot water if you don't buy her a present right away.

Have you ever been in hot water?

To Compare Apples to Oranges

to compare two unlike things; to make an invalid comparison

For example: Comparing a night in a four-star hotel with a night in a one-star hotel is like comparing apples to oranges. One is a luxury hotel and the other is a budget hotel.

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A related expression is "compare apples to apples" which means to compare two things of the same type. This means that you are making a valid comparison, as opposed to when you're comparing apples to oranges.

As Hungry as a Bear

The expression "AS HUNGRY AS A BEAR" means that someone is very hungry.


In English we make comparisons using as + adjective + as + an animal


More examples include:
- As stubborn as a mule
- As busy as a bee

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- As mad as a hornet
- As free as a bird
- As strong as a bull or ox
- As nervous as a cat

A Little Bird Told Me

When someone says "a little bird told me," it means that they know some information, most likely a secret, and they don't want to reveal the source. 


 For example:


A: Who told you I got a promotion? That was a secret!
B: Let's just say I know because a little bird told me.

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Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

This is a proverb that means that our feeling for those we love increases when we are away from them.  


Sometimes the word absence is substituted with distance




For example: When he came to study English in America, he realized how much he really loved his family. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

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Be Over the Moon

The following idioms express happiness:

to be over the moon: "He was over the moon when she agreed to marry him."

to be thrilled to bits: "They were thrilled to bits when they won the lottery."

to be in seventh heaven: "I was in seventh heaven when I learned that I was accepted into medical school."

to be on cloud nine: "He is on cloud nine because he is in love."

to jump for joy: "We jumped for joy when we won the game."

Be as Old as the Hills

A simile is a figure of speech in which two things are compared using "like" or "as" to make a description more vivid or emphatic.


We say that something or someone is "as old as the hills" to suggest that it, he or she has been around for a long time.


For example: Mrs. Jones can tell you about what New York was like during the Great Depression. She's as old as the hills.


Why do you think it's the hills, not the mountains or something else?

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(Could I) give you a lift?

This is the same as saying: Can I offer you a ride to some place? 

(Also used with can or may in place of could, and give instead of offer)

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WHEN PIGS FLY

Is it possible for a pig to fly? Have you ever seen a pig fly? 
A person uses the idiom - When Pigs Fly - to express, with sarcasm, that something will never happen or that they will never do something. 


For example: 


A:"Will you come see the new Star Trek movie with me?"
B: "When pigs fly! I hate science fiction."

(Image courtesy of photosearch stock illustration)

Shop Till You Drop

If you shop till you drop, you shop for such a long time that you drop, or fall down, once you are done.


Example: Whenever I am in New York, I shop till I drop because there are so many stores and so many sales.


Have you ever shopped till you dropped?

(Image courtesy of bing.com)

On Cloud Nine

A person who is on cloud nine is extremely happy because something wonderful has happened.
  
Example: When he won a million dollars, he was on cloud nine.




Can you remember a time when you felt that you were on cloud nine?

Why do you think it is cloud number NINE, not seven, eight, or ten?

To Feel It in One's Bones

The idiom: "to feel something in your bones" means that you are instinctively sure something is true, although it cannot be proven

For example: I knew I'd get the job; I could just feel it in my bones. So, I was not at all surprised when I got the call saying that I can start on Monday.

Image courtesy of QT Pie Kennels

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE USA

CAPITAL: Washington, DC
INDEPENDENCE DAY: July 4, 1776
MOTTO: In God We Trust
NATIONAL ANTHEM: The Star-Spangled Banner
AREA (50 states and District of Columbia  only): 9,631,418 sq km 
NATIONAL BIRD: Bald Eagle
NATIONAL FLOWER: Rose
LARGEST STATE: Alaska
SMALLEST STATE: Rhode Island
LARGEST CITIES: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio
POPULATION: 295,734,134
LANGUAGES: English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific Island 2.7%, other 0.7%
RELIGIONS: Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10%



Adapted from the CIA World Factbook

Image courtesy of Photobucket

IDIOM: "SLAP ON THE WRIST"

Idiom: A common expression understood figuratively, as the literal definition makes no sense.

When the senator got caught stealing , everyone thought he would receive a severe punishment, but all she got was a slap on the wrist.

Can you guess the meaning of this idiom from the context of this sentence?

If someone gets a slap on the wrist, they get a very minor punishment when they could have been punished more severely.

THINGS TO DO IN NYC - The Hester Street Fair

One of the most wonderful things to do in the spring time in New York is to stroll the streets leisurely. Even better, imagine you happen upon a street fair during your stroll where you can shop and eat. One of the best street fairs in NYC is the Hester Street Fair
In the Lower East Side on a tree-lined street is the Hester Market where you can find chic clothes, accessories, home furnishings and savor some deliciuos foods such as cupcakes, ice cream and pies. You can even take a quick yoga class for $1.

              Hester St at Essex St (hesterstreetfair.com). Sat 10am--6pm. Opens Apr 28.

Dumb Laws throughout the United States

In order for our country to have order, we do need laws. However some of the laws are just plain stupid or outdated. This site allows you to find out what "dumb" laws are still on the books in many states. These are real laws, but many of these laws were written ages ago, and they were never repealed (taken out of the lawbooks). For instance:
-It is illegal for a driver to wear a blindfold while driving a car in Alabama.
-In New York, you have to buy a license to hang clothes on a clothesline.
-In Michigan, alligators may not be tied to fire hydrants.

Go to the following website and click on the name of the state to learn about these dumb laws:

http://www.dumblaws.com/

Things to Do in New York City: Macy's Flower Show

Macy's Flower Show runs from March 25 - April 7, from 10am to 9pm


Macy's is a well-known chain of mid- to high-range department stores (over 800) in the US. It was founded in 1858. Its flagship store is located right here, in Herald Square.
Macy's has played a role in New York City's culture for nearly a century. Since 1924, it has produced the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the City's annual Fourth of July fireworks display since 1976.


Each spring 5 Macy's stores throughout the US, host a Flower Show. Here, in New York City, Macy's celebrates the blossom of Brazil in an outdoor show entitled: "Gardens in Paradise"


As its website describes: "Bursting with color, excitement and energy, our Flower Show is like taking a walk through Brasil itself! Experience the vast, lush wonders of the Amazon rainforest as you walk by towering palms, tropical plants and exotic birds. Take a trip to Brasil – no passport required! Step into our Gardens in Paradise and be swept away to a bold, lush, tropical world inspired by the vibrant plants and flowers of Brasil..." 

For more information go to www.macys.com

"Necessity Is the Mother of Invention"

This idiomatic expression means that if you want to or need to do something very much, you will think of a way to do it. 


For example: Since we don't have any gift-wrapping paper, let's use the old newspaper to wrap the present. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.

This idea is exhibited in the story of "The Crow and the Pitcher" by Aesop,  a Greek storyteller from the 6th Century B.C.:


"A crow, perishing with thirst, saw a pitcher, and, hoping to find water, flew to it with great delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach, and thus saved his life."

Source:

Aesop's Fables
Copyright 1881
Translator: unknown
WM. L. Allison, New York
Illustrator: Harrison Weir, John Tenniel, Ernest Griset, et.al.

Go With The Flow

"Go with the flow!"

Definition: to be flexible in situations. 

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to our blog! We're the English Language Institute (ELI) at the College of Staten Island/CUNY. We're on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and now we have this blog. We hope to give you fun and useful idioms and words each week to better your English skills.