-
Lower the boom
English Idiom: lower the boom When I was 16, I got my driver’s license and bought my first car. Like any young Canadian with a car, I sometimes drove fast and sometimes had too many friends in the car. One Friday, I left high school at lunchtime and did not go back. Some friends and I…
-
Believe in (something)
Word of the Day: Believe in (something) If you believe in something, you are 100% sure it exists. We have all heard stories about Sasquatch or Bigfoot. Some people say they have seen Sasquatch in the forests of North America. However, the question is, do you believe in Sasquatch? Are you 100% sure that Sasquatches exist?…
-
Money in the Bank
English Idiom: Money in the Bank Money in the bank is an expression that can be used when we are sure about the outcome of something. For example, if you write the TOEIC test and are sure you did well, you can say, “That was easy. Money in the bank.” If you are a manager…
-
Believe
Word of the Day: Believe Today, I will start with a straightforward word: believe. Believe means to think or accept something is true. If you believe the evening news on TV, you mean that you accept what they say as the truth. If I tell you I’m Canadian and you accept that as the truth, then…
-
Out of it
English Idiom: Out of it Hello again. Today’s idiom , out of it, can be quite useful when you want to explain how you or someone else feels after working many long days in a row. If you are out of it, you may not know where you are or what you are doing. You may…
-
Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves
English Proverb: Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves This one sounds very British because we have pennies and pounds, right? The idiom can be used in any English-speaking country because its meaning is easily understood internationally. Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of…
-
Make conversation
Word of the Day: ‘Make conversation’ vs ‘Have a conversation’ The first thing to notice in this comparison is the importance of the article’ a’ make conversation has no article, whereas have a conversation uses an article. The second thing to notice is the different verbs used. It’s very easy to understand the difference in…
-
Elbow grease
Word of the Day: Elbow grease If you want to succeed, you must use a lot of elbow grease. In many cases, elbow grease is the key to success. What the heck does that mean? Well, Elbow grease is a term used to express hard work. It is often used to show hard physical work…
-
Sheer
Word of the Day: Sheer This word came up in one of my classes this month, and it is more common than you think. While watching news programs, we hear about the sheer number of refugees trying to enter EU countries. We can also hear about the sheer cost of university education in the United…
-
Take a load off
English Idiom: Take a load off It’s summer. It’s hot. It’s sultry. It’s the best time to take a load off. Summer is the best time of year to sit down, kick off your shoes and take a load off of your sore, tired feet. Maybe you could even wiggle your toes in the sand of…
Got any book recommendations?