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Do justice
Idiom: Do justice The phrase do justice is a common English expression. To do justice means to treat someone or something fairly, or to show the true value or quality of that person or thing. When you do justice to something, you represent it in the best and most accurate way possible. Let’s look at how to use do justice in daily life. Imagine you take a beautiful photo…
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Send for vs send to
WotD: Send for vs send to English prepositions are tricky. Actually, for an English teacher like me, they are my bread and butter, and the bane of all English language students. Two challenging phrases that came up in my lessons recently are the difference between send for and send to. They might look alike, but the…
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On the edge of your seat
Phrase: On the edge of your seat Have you ever watched a movie or read a story that was so exciting you couldn’t look away? If so, you were probably on the edge of your seat. The books and the movies for The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones were like that for me. To be on the edge…
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Bottom out
WotD: Bottom out Have you ever bottomed out? It means to reach the lowest point in a situation, often before things start to improve. It is used to describe situations in which something, such as your feelings or a business, can’t get any worse. It is the same as hitting rock bottom if you are familiar with this…
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Hit it off
Phrase: Hit it off Have you ever met someone new and instantly felt comfortable with them? This is a great example of what it means to hit it off. To hit it off means to quickly become friends or get along very well with someone from the first meeting. Use this phrase when you’re talking about meeting someone and immediately feeling a…
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Come of age
Phrase: Come of age Everyone has a coming-of-age story about how they grew up and became the person they are today. Even though I’m fifty-two, I still don’t always feel like a real adult, but that’s another story. Coming of age means becoming an adult or maturing, usually after learning important life lessons. People grow up in their own ways and…
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Cartel
Word of the Day: Cartel At the end of February, Mexico erupted into violence after Mexican authorities killed an important and powerful cartel leader. Everybody understands this guy was a drug lord. But do you know what a cartel is? Sometimes, criminal organizations form a cartel to control illegal activities, such as drug trafficking. In…
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Cardinal rule
WotD: Cardinal rule There are people in this world who live to bend the rules that others have to follow. In life, some rules are made to be broken. But then, there are cardinal rules. These are the ones that don’t bend, and the ones you never, ever break. A cardinal rule is a very important principle or guideline that should…
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Grey zone
WotD: Grey zone You have a situation on your hands, but you don’t know what to do. The rules are unclear, and there is no straightforward path for you to follow. Congratulations, my friend, you have entered the grey zone. The term grey zone is used to describe situations that are not clear-cut or easy…
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Black humour
WotD: Black humour If English is not your first language, you understand that there is nothing more difficult to understand in a foreign language than humour. Probably the most difficult kind of humour to find funny is black humour. Black humour is a type of comedy that makes jokes about serious, sad, or even frightening…
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