Colloquial English

[Алексей Конобеев]

To play fast and loose is a commonly used phrase which means to be inconstant and unreliable. The phrase is derived from a cheating game which appeared as early as in the 16th century and was still played in the 1850s

[Алексей Конобеев]

Sweet William vs Stinky Willie (Stinky Billy). A flower, in Latin called Dianthus barbatus, grows in many places of Europe including Russia. In England it is called "Sweet William", but in Scotland, where the Jacobite Uprising was severely suppressed by the troops of William, the Duke of Cumberland in 1746 (he was nicknamed "Butcher Cumberland" for this) the flower is calles "Stinky William" or "Stinky Bylly". Nothing to do with the smell and everything with the history and memory.

I will be writing more about Scotland, but since it is not directly related to ELT methods or is too lengthy, I am doing it in my blog. To read, go to the blogs by pressing the Блоги button at the top of the page, I am lucky to have started the first blog at www.englishteachers.ru

[Алексей Конобеев]

Full of beans - energetic and lively. I really wonder what the association is. Actually, beans are part of traditional English and Scottish meals, but I am not sure they'll give you that much energy. If you want to learn more about Scottish food, see my today's entry in my blog (click the Блоги button at the top pf the page to view).

[Владислав]

Bash - a big party

 

Big daddy - V.I.P, a big chief

[Алексей Конобеев]

hand me down vs hand me up. A hand me down item is something, which has passed on to a younger sibling from an older one. For example, when an older brother grows out of his T-shirt, he hands it down to his younger brother to wear, and it becomes a hand me down T-shirt. Hand me up, in contrast, is some gadget that passes from aomeone younger to someone older. This is often the case with less advanced mobile phones that children pass on to their parents as soon as they've bought a more advanced gadget for themselves. So if you ever give your old but still good mobile phone to your mother/father/uncle/aunt etc after you've bought a new one for yourself, it will be a hand me up phone. Amazing, how handing can go both ways. You can also read about how modern technology can help you save your time in aiports in my today's entry in my blog at http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....p;blogid=1&

Please feel free to comment/ask questions on the entries in the blog.

[Olchik]

hand me down vs hand me up. A hand me down item is something, which has passed on to a younger sibling from an older one. For example, when an older brother grows out of his T-shirt, he hands it down to his younger brother to wear, and it becomes a hand me down T-shirt.

Very familiar situation! My older brother's clothes (T-shirts, fur coat, etc.) was handed down to me

[Алексей Конобеев]

Reader's block - a feeling that you can not read a book that you need to read, or that you don't remember a single word from the book you've been reading. I'm sure we all get this reader's block now and then, especially if it's a book we need to read for work rather than for entertainment.

Have you ever happened to buy a book that you positively cannot read? Have you ever tried to return it to a bookstore? I've written a short entry about returning goods to British and American stores in my blog, you can read the entry by clicking on the Блоги tab at the top of the page and going to my blog directly.

[Владислав]

crack a joke - отмачивать, откалывать (шутки)

He is so cute! Cracking jokes all over! Он такой забавный! Все время откалывает какие-нибудь шутки.

 

bang up - 1) pregnant

Oh, gosh! What I am supposed to do?! Maggy is bang-up again! - Боже праведный! Что мне делать?! Мэгги вновь в залете!

2) very successful, excellent

Mick has done a bang-up job for the team. - Для команды Мик сослужил отличную службу.

[Алексей Конобеев]

a shopping spree - spending a lot of money while shopping and feeling good because of it.

Some people like to go on a shopping spree when there are sales. If you would like to read about the main shopping areas in Edinburgh, as well as the difference between a Scottish and an English miles, where the birthplace of harry Potter is, where the knights and ladies of Order of the Thistle meet every year, and why this year the Queen was driven 300 meters from her palace of Holyroodhouse instead of just walking, go to my today's blog entry here: http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....mp;showentry=17

Your comments and questions are very welcome

[Алексей Конобеев]

thick as thieves means 'very close, doing everything together". The idiom probably originates from the assumption that thieves have to cooperate very closely to be successful.

If you want to read about a famous thief called deacon Brodie (Brody) and his involuntary input into British literature, go to my blog at http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....mp;showentry=18

[Olchik]

If you want to read about a famous thief called deacon Brodie (Brody) and his involuntary input into British literature, go to my blog at http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....mp;showentry=18

Very interesting and exciting story!!!

[Владислав]

I also liked your story. Thank you, Alexey!

 

Lonely hearts - people, who hope to meet their second half. they give adds in newspapers, in so called lonely hearts columns or use the services of special agencies, which are sometimes called lonely hearts clubs. Now the newspapers in order to avoid the sentimentality of the expression "lonely hearts", name their columns Friendship or Introduction or Rendezvous.

[Владислав]

To keep mum about something - to keep silence

 

Mum`s the word - to say nothing about something

[Алексей Конобеев]

A culture vulture - someone who is excessively interested in the classical arts.

In fact, cultures differ in different countries and what is excessive for some people may well be not enough for others. Such differences may cause a culture shock when you travel abroad. If you are interested in reading about stages of culture shock and its implications for teaching ;anguages, go to this blog entry: http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....mp;showentry=20

Your comments are always welcome

[Алексей Конобеев]

We are not amused is a very famous expression by Queen Victoria. She used to say so when she did not like something, and now every time there is a film or a book aboutthis queen, you will almost certainly see this phrase there. Of course, the 'we" here means the queen herself and is an fine example of "the singular we", or "pluralis majestatis". And, while we are on the subject of queens and royalty, if you want to read about the history of the palace of Holyroodhouse, where and when the thrones that stand in the throne room there were made and what you can see in Queen mary's bedchamber and other Royal Apartments there (including some things with bloodspots, carefully preserved), feel free to go to my today's blog entry: http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....mp;showentry=21

[Алексей Конобеев]

The second album syndrome - the disappointemnt that many people feel after a group or a singer releases the second album after a very successful first one, and people decide that the the second album is not at all as good.

[Алексей Конобеев]

Some jobs expressions:

A big cheese - an important pesron in a company

To cold call - to call potential customers without arranging the time for this call first

Backroom boys - people who do hard and important work but have no contact withthe public

Busman's holiday - when you spend your holiday or spare time doing the same things you do in your job

Dead wood - people or things which are no longer considered necessary

To be in the firing line - to be in a position to be criticised because of all their responsibilities

A golden handhsake - a generous sum of money given to a person when he/she retires

Golden handcuffs - a generous sum of money given to an executiveto induce him/her to stay with the company

To be paid peanuts - to be on a very low salary

Jobs for the boys - jobs given to friends or relatives.

 

I've also put together a list of 15 very unusual jobs, but since they have little to do with the topic of the thread, I've placed the list in my blog here: http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....mp;showentry=22

In this entry I also ask a question, and the first person to answer the question in the comments will get a free audiobook via e-mail together with the tasks that I've developed to go with it. the audiobook is in the public domain, so you can actually download it yourselves if you want to, but I've developed the tasks which, hopefully, you can use directly in your classroom.

[Владислав]

Come off it - stop telling lies

cat (tomcat) - sexually active man

carry away - to arouse (feelings); to thrill

The music was so cool that she was carried away

[Алексей Конобеев]

You'll be aware that when a letter ends in xxx under the signature (for example:

Love, Angela

xxx)

every "x" means a kiss. But what does "xox" stand for? In fact, it means "hugs and kisses", kisses denoted by "x" and hugs by "o".

[Владислав]

to be on the dole – to live on the cash benefit (жить на пособие)

to be laid off – to be off the pay-roll

to resign – to leave work; to go out of service

to negotiate training – to discuss terms

[Владислав]

to have a check up - to have a preventive examination

to be acute - to have an acute pain

to be or feel run down - to be or feel physically exhausted; attenuated, withered; jaded, worn-out ; sweltered (жарой)

[Алексей Конобеев]

The start of the new academic year is approaching only too fast, so here're a few colloquial expresiions that pupils might find interesting to know:

to be a bookworm - to like to read a lot

to be a copycat - to like to copy one's work off other people's work

to be a swot - to be someone who studies excessively (and this is meant as a ridicule)

to get an A for effort - to get a high mark not because the work is good, but because the hard work is appreciated

to call (take) the roll - to call out the students' names to check who is present

to crank out a paper - to write a paper in a mechanical way without interest

honour roll - a list of students with exceptional achievements

to make the grade - to be satisfactory (said about an assignment)

 

Talking about teaching, studying and researching: today I've tried to put together a few ideas of how teachers could organise their professional research. You may find the ideas here: http://www.englishteachers.ru/forum/index....mp;showentry=24

[Алексей Конобеев]

Emotions are something which, contrary to the stereotype of British reserve, have lots of descriptions and colloquial expressions. here are some:

to get to someone - annoy someone: He is always getting to me!

to get carried away - start exaggerrating because you are too excited: And the fish i caught weighed 10 kilos! Erm... sorry, I'm getting carried away.

to perk somebody up - to make feel better: She was very upset at first, but the news soon perked her up.

to get somebody down - depress someone: This rainy weather really gets me down!

to freak out - to completely lose temper, start showting: He seemed so calm, but then he just freaked out at us! I am not talking to him any more, ever!

And, finally, if someone is difficult to deal with, what can you say to this person? Oh, you are impossible!

[Владислав]

to do a bunk - to make an escape, leave rapidly. eg. "Once Fred er'd the filth were onto him he dun a bunk".

to bunk-off - to be absent without permission, usually used by children who miss days at school.

to clock - to notice / see / look at.

to cop hold - to take hold of, to look at. Also 'cop a feel' to grope someone sexually.

to cop it - to die, to get into trouble.

to cop off - to make an excuse to avoid something, also used to mean to 'get off' with someone sexually.

to cop out - to 'chicken' out of something or retire early due to laziness, go back on a promise.

[Владислав]

Ace Boon Coon - Best friend

Ace! - Excellent! Very good!

Ace-Duce - Best friend.