English Idioms and Sayings

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RonBee

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bmo said:
1. (As) sick as a dog.
Very sick.

Example: “Linda, Brian is on the phone, he is asking if you are going to the Sunday school?” “Mom, please tell him it is something I ate at the party last night; I am sick as a dog, I can’t make it.”

Do I need a "the" in front of Sunday school? Should "Sunday" be capitalized? Anything else wrong?

No, you don't need the in fromt of Sunday school. Yes, "Sunday" should indeed be capitalized. (So should Monday, Tuesday, etc.)

bmo said:
2. A man is known by the company he keeps.
By looking at your associates, people can tell what kind of person you are.

Example: I am worried about my son. He hangs around with these people with long hair, tattoos in arms and chest, holes in pants, some wearing nose, tongue, and lip rings. A man is known by the company he keeps; I wish he would associate with well-dressed, mannered, and church-going people.

Say: "tattoos on their arms". What's the question?

:)

bmo said:
3. (Buying) a pig in a poke
Buying something without first checking it out can bring a surprise.

Example: I am glad the old fashioned, arranged marriages of our great-grandparent’s generation are over. Without seeing each other until the wedding day, how would they know the person they were marrying did not have two noses? It was like buying a pig in a poke – it could be full of surprises.

Should grandparent be plural and anything else wrong?

I would make "grandparent" plural in that sentence. Thus it would be: "our great-grandparents' generation".

:)
 

RonBee

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Here's one: sour grapes. What does it mean to say It was a case of sour grapes?

:)
 

bmo

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bmo said:
2. A man is known by the company he keeps.
By looking at your associates, people can tell what kind of person you are.

Example: I am worried about my son. He hangs around with these people with long hair, tattoos in arms and chest, holes in pants, some wearing nose, tongue, and lip rings. A man is known by the company he keeps; I wish he would associate with well-dressed, mannered, and church-going people.

Say: "tattoos on their arms". What's the question?


Thanks. So it would be "tatoos on their arms and chest." Here is what I get so confused, do we say "their chests" or "their chests?"

BMO
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
Here's one: sour grapes. What does it mean to say It was a case of sour grapes?

:)

Something you like but can't get it, so you say it is a sour grape. For example: "John said Linda is not very pretty, but I think it is a case of sour grape."

BMO
 

RonBee

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bmo said:
RonBee said:
Here's one: sour grapes. What does it mean to say It was a case of sour grapes?

:)

Something you like but can't get it, so you say it is a sour grape. For example: "John said Linda is not very pretty, but I think it is a case of sour grape."

BMO

How about if John got fired from his job then said it (the company he had been working for) wasn't a very good company to work for. Might that be a case of sour grapes?

:)
 

bmo

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bmo said:
bmo said:
2. A man is known by the company he keeps.
By looking at your associates, people can tell what kind of person you are.

Example: I am worried about my son. He hangs around with these people with long hair, tattoos in arms and chest, holes in pants, some wearing nose, tongue, and lip rings. A man is known by the company he keeps; I wish he would associate with well-dressed, mannered, and church-going people.

Say: "tattoos on their arms". What's the question?


BMO

Okay, thanks. "With tatoos on their arms and chest." Are we talking about one chest or it can be more here?

Thanks again. BMO
 

RonBee

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It should be with tattoos on their arms and chests. (I assume that we are talking about more than one person. Certainly, the context indicates that.)

:)
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
It should be with tattoos on their arms and chests. (I assume that we are talking about more than one person. Certainly, the context indicates that.)

:)

Thanks a lot, and have a good day.
BMO
 

bmo

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idioms and sayings

Dear teachers,

I am learning idioms, sayings and grammar all at the same time. ("My method") When you have some time, would you please take a look at what I did below. Any corrections or improvements will be appreciated. I would like to know if I defined them accurately and everything is grammatically correct. Or if you have a better (native speaker's) way of saying them.

Thanks. BMO

1. Birds of a feather flock together.
Meaning: People of the same type or of similar interest tend to associate with each other.

Example: There are special interest groups of mostly Japanese descendants in the South Bay – the Yu-Ai-Kai, Ikebana Club, Bonsai Club, Taiko drum teams, etc. Birds of a feather flock together; these groups are formed by people with common interests.

Question: Should both "Same type" and "Special interest" be plural? Also, is article "the" needed before yu-ai-kai? Should it be a semicolon or comma after "together?" Is it better to say people of the same background instead? Background or backgrounds? Anything else wrong?

I am so confused with singular or plural, when to use or not to use. Do you have some tests I can practice on?

2. (Come) rain or shine.
Meaning: No matter what the weather is or no matter what happens, a scheduled event will occur.

Example: (Come) rain or shine, we are going to Taipei tomorrow, even if John can’t make it.

Question: Some idiom websites explain that "Rain or shine" is related to the weather, but it is more than that, isn't it? Anything else wrong?
 

RonBee

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Re: idioms and sayings

bmo said:
Dear teachers,

I am learning idioms, sayings and grammar all at the same time. ("My method") When you have some time, would you please take a look at what I did below. Any corrections or improvements will be appreciated. I would like to know if I defined them accurately and everything is grammatically correct. Or if you have a better (native speaker's) way of saying them.

Thanks. BMO

1. Birds of a feather flock together.
Meaning: People of the same type or of similar interest tend to associate with each other.

Example: There are special interest groups of mostly Japanese descendants in the South Bay – the Yu-Ai-Kai, Ikebana Club, Bonsai Club, Taiko drum teams, etc. Birds of a feather flock together; these groups are formed by people with common interests.

Question: Should both "Same type" and "Special interest" be plural? Also, is article "the" needed before yu-ai-kai? Should it be a semicolon or comma after "together?" Is it better to say people of the same background instead? Background or backgrounds? Anything else wrong?

The word same suggests one thing, as in the same thing. The word similar suggests more than one thing, as in similar interests. Say same background or similar backgrounds.


bmo said:
I am so confused with singular or plural, when to use or not to use. Do you have some tests I can practice on?

Perhaps Tdol will have some tips on that. I haven't written my book on that yet.

:wink:

bmo said:
2. (Come) rain or shine.
Meaning: No matter what the weather is or no matter what happens, a scheduled event will occur.

Example: (Come) rain or shine, we are going to Taipei tomorrow, even if John can’t make it.

Question: Some idiom websites explain that "Rain or shine" is related to the weather, but it is more than that, isn't it? Anything else wrong?

The expression is come rain or come shine, and your explanation of its meaning is just right. It literally means a person is going ahead with his plans regardless of the weather, but it really means he is going ahead with his plans no matter what. I think your example illustrates that.

:)
 

bmo

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Re: idioms and sayings

Thanks.

I did a Google exact search, this is what I found:

Come rain or shine - 12,900
Rain or shine - 202,000, including the above.
Come rain or come shine - 33,900. (Thanks for telling me this.)

Maybe they are all acceptable?
Is everything else okay? (My questions under #1.)

Thanks again, you and other teachers have been a big help. BMO
 

RonBee

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Re:
  • Come rain or come shine
I would say that all the variations are acceptable usage. They would all be understood.
 

RonBee

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Re: idioms and sayings

bmo said:
1. Birds of a feather flock together.
Meaning: People of the same type or of similar interest tend to associate with each other.

Example: There are special interest groups of mostly Japanese descendants in the South Bay – the Yu-Ai-Kai, Ikebana Club, Bonsai Club, Taiko drum teams, etc. Birds of a feather flock together; these groups are formed by people with common interests.

Also, is article "the" needed before yu-ai-kai? Should it be a semicolon or comma after "together?"

It looks fine as is. The definite article ("the") is, I think, optional in this instance. It should be a semicolon rather than a comma.

:)
 

RonBee

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bmo said:
RonBee said:
tdol said:
They're the best of friends.

How about 'like chalk and cheese'? ;-)

I don't know that one.

:?

Since I don't know this one, I checked it out.
www.clichesite.com says "As different from each other as possible." (BE)

BMO

Thanks. I doubt that I will ever use that one. If I did I would then have to explain it. Thanks for the link.

:D
 

bmo

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Dear Teachers, Please take a look at these idioms again. Is everything okay? I made up the explainations and examples. Thanks. BMO

1. Sell ice to the Eskimo.
Speak very convincingly.

Example: The Reverend Wang is a powerful and convincing preacher who can sell ice to the Eskimo. More than two hundred Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims and atheists were baptized and converted to Christianity after hearing his sermon at the Sun Yat-Sun Memorial last Sunday.

2. All talk and no action.
Action doesn't come with or after talk.

Example: “The management is playing that usual ‘all talk and no action’ tune again! When are we getting that huge bonus we have been promised?” Kenneth, nicknamed “Mr. Big Mouth,” complained.

3. His bark is worse than his bite

He sounds very mad, but he is harmless.
Example: Typhoon Lucy’s bark was worse than its bite. It looked vicious out in the ocean but it did not cause any damages when it landed in Taitung.
 

RonBee

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bmo said:
Dear Teachers, Please take a look at these idioms again. Is everything okay? I made up the explainations and examples. Thanks. BMO

1. Sell ice to the Eskimo.
Speak very convincingly.

Example: The Reverend Wang is a powerful and convincing preacher who can sell ice to the Eskimo. More than two hundred Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims and atheists were baptized and converted to Christianity after hearing his sermon at the Sun Yat-Sun Memorial last Sunday.

2. All talk and no action.
Action doesn't come with or after talk.

Example: “The management is playing that usual ‘all talk and no action’ tune again! When are we getting that huge bonus we have been promised?” Kenneth, nicknamed “Mr. Big Mouth,” complained.

3. His bark is worse than his bite

He sounds very mad, but he is harmless.
Example: Typhoon Lucy’s bark was worse than its bite. It looked vicious out in the ocean but it did not cause any damages when it landed in Taitung.

I would say for number 2 that "all talk and no action" means a person talks plenty but doesn't do much. Especially, he doesn't do what he says he is going to do. (Your example is a good one.)

Do you have any more interesting idioms to discuss?

:)
 

RonBee

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Re:
  • It's for the birds.

Meaning: it's a ridiculous or unhelpful idea.

Example:
  • Bob's idea to start a pet shop is for the birds. He doesn't know anything about pets.
 

RonBee

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Re:
  • He or she is a birdbrain.

Meaning: the person is not very smart.

Esample:
  • Kathy is a birdbrain. She never understands anything I tell her.
 
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