Forum newsfeeds
Forum Newsfeeds


Sites for Teachers

Sites for Teachers


Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > English Idioms and Sayings

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 20-Jun-2007, 09:32
Newbie
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Country: India
Posts: 1
Current Location: Australia
First Language: Tamil
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
madan722002 is on a distinguished road
Default Idioms

I want to know the meaning of the following idioms,

1. I have time on my hands.

2. He has two left feet.

From

Madan & Curie
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 20-Jun-2007, 10:38
Anglika's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Country: UK
Posts: 15,232
Current Location: UK
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 3
Thanked 3,102 Times in 2,924 Posts
Anglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Idioms

#1 = I am not in a hurry.

#2 = to be very clumsy. Said of someone who physically trips over the smallest thing.
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 25-Jun-2007, 21:14
Newbie
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Country: Sevilla
Posts: 12
Current Location: London
First Language: Spanish/English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Chunky is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Idioms

2. He has two left feet.

This is used quite often to describe someone who is a bad dancer.
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 25-Jun-2007, 21:15
.,, .,, is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Country: Australia
Posts: 42
Current Location: Australia
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
.,, is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Idioms

G'day Madan,
It is a military saying that crossed over to danncing and then to the general lexicon.
In the military it is not all that difficult to march in formatioin but some soldiers are so clumsy that they do not know which foot is right and which is left so they are constantly outo of formation and nothing looks clumsier than a poor boob trying to catch step in a formation of perfectly drilled soldiers. The contrast is too striking.
Two left feet is chosen rather than two right feet because right indicated correctness and left used to be called sinister and is still now viewed with suspicion.
A left handed compliment is a hidden insult.

In dancing a person who has two left feet looks as clumsy as a doubly left footed soldier as the dancer is in a room of perfectly swaying bodies but can not keep step.

.,,
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 25-Jun-2007, 21:27
Anglika's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Country: UK
Posts: 15,232
Current Location: UK
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 3
Thanked 3,102 Times in 2,924 Posts
Anglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Idioms

It would be helpful to have your source for this information.
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 26-Jun-2007, 09:38
.,, .,, is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Country: Australia
Posts: 42
Current Location: Australia
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
.,, is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Idioms

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anglika View Post
It would be helpful to have your source for this information.
Why?

.,,
G'day Angie,
Thanks for your welcome.
I have no source.
I am exposed.
It is an opinion only.
I will flag all opinion.
I am terribly terribly sorry for all the distress I have caused by my profferring of an unattributable opinion as to the origin of a flipping idiom.
Do you have any definitive sources that can proove that William Shakespeare, esq. did not plagiarise his maiden aunt for, 'To be on not to be blah blah blah...'?
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 27-Jun-2007, 00:41
Anglika's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Country: UK
Posts: 15,232
Current Location: UK
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 3
Thanked 3,102 Times in 2,924 Posts
Anglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Idioms

Thank you. Personal opinion is fine, so long as we all know that it is personal opinion.
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 27-Jun-2007, 03:51
.,, .,, is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Country: Australia
Posts: 42
Current Location: Australia
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
.,, is on a distinguished road
Default Re: Idioms

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anglika View Post
Thank you. Personal opinion is fine, so long as we all know that it is personal opinion.
In that case it would be better to frame your questions openly and not in a snide manner.
Can you give me any definitive origin for any idiom?

Are you telling me that I am wrong or that my opinion on this subject is diminished because I can not quote you chapter and verse from dome dead tree?
I can not think of a more logical origin for the idiom.
I can not think of two well known occupations where left and right feet make much of a difference.
Oh look at that farmer with two left feet. What does that convey?
What had been conveyed to the learner other than the actual meaning of the phrase rather than any explanation of the phrase.
I am here to help learners not to make moderators feel better about their snippy power.
I guess that I'll see you in the PMs {sigh} again.

.,,
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
idiom, idioms

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
idioms nasir Ask a Teacher 3 21-Aug-2007 12:23
Our Free Idioms Dictionary! Red5 English Idioms and Sayings 0 04-May-2007 19:15
idioms alma mie Ask a Teacher 3 15-Nov-2006 12:15
New References of English Idioms, Slang and Swearing Red5 News and Announcements 4 10-Jun-2005 19:31
idioms Anonymous Ask a Teacher 2 08-Feb-2004 00:28


New To Site? Need Help?

All times are GMT. The time now is 06:05.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 UsingEnglish.com