English Idioms and Sayings

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RonBee

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What is meant by "Every cloud has a silver lining"?

(Learners?)

:)
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
Very good, BMO! Now, what does it mean to save something for a rainy day?

Save something for later use when you are in need.

We have a great harvest this year, we should save some grains for a rainy day.

BMO
 

RonBee

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bmo said:
RonBee said:
Very good, BMO! Now, what does it mean to save something for a rainy day?

Save something for later use when you are in need.

We have a great harvest this year, we should save some grains for a rainy day.

BMO

Very good!

(The word grain (like rice or wheat) is not usually pluralized. The exception is when we are talking about individual grains, for example: grains of sand or grains of wheat.

[Edited to fix a goof. (The word pluralized had been something else.)]
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
What is meant by "Every cloud has a silver lining"?

(Learners?)

:)

Every cloud has a silver lining: In every bad situation, some good thing will come out of it.

Example: Although Howard Dean lost the presidential election bid, every cloud has a silver lining, he has other candidates focused on the Iraq war and he initiated a grass root internet campaign movement.

RonBee, what is the difference between this and "A blessing in disguise?" I think the latter is "A misfortune turns out to be a fortune at the end." Agree? Here is a Chinese story to illustrate this. (But I saw a Portugese version that is almost identical; perhaps readers can offer opinions.)

A old man near the Great Wall of China sadden at the loss of his horse was happy to see his horse comes home later with a female horse - a bad thing turned out to be a good thing after all. Sometimes later, his son fell from the horse and broke his leg, the old man was sad again. However, some times later, all the young men in the villege were drafted into the army to fight, the son was spared because of his broken leg - again, a bad situation turned out to be a good fortune at the end.

"Every cloud has a silver lining" is different. Howard Dean's losing bid may not be a blessing, but some good things did come out of the campaign.

BMO
 

bmo

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tdol said:
bmo said:
3. Two heads are better than one.
Two (or more) can come up with more ideas than one person.

Example: Pastor Yang and our congregation had been agonizing over whether to build our own church or continue to rent for some time. Recently, after consulting with Pastor Cheng from a neighboring church, our pastor decided to build one. Indeed, two heads are better than one.

Is #3 okay grammatically? BMO
 

RonBee

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bmo said:
RonBee said:
What is meant by "Every cloud has a silver lining"?

(Learners?)

:)

Every cloud has a silver lining: In every bad situation, some good thing will come out of it.

Example: Although Howard Dean lost the presidential election bid, every cloud has a silver lining, he has other candidates focused on the Iraq war and he initiated a grass root internet campaign movement.

RonBee, what is the difference between this and "A blessing in disguise?" I think the latter is "A misfortune turns out to be a fortune at the end." Agree? Here is a Chinese story to illustrate this. (But I saw a Portugese version that is almost identical; perhaps readers can offer opinions.)

A old man near the Great Wall of China sadden at the loss of his horse was happy to see his horse comes home later with a female horse - a bad thing turned out to be a good thing after all. Sometimes later, his son fell from the horse and broke his leg, the old man was sad again. However, some times later, all the young men in the villege were drafted into the army to fight, the son was spared because of his broken leg - again, a bad situation turned out to be a good fortune at the end.

"Every cloud has a silver lining" is different. Howard Dean's losing bid may not be a blessing, but some good things did come out of the campaign.

BMO

Your analysis is good, but may I make a few corrections in your story?

  • A old man near the Great Wall of China saddened at the loss of his horse happy to see his horse come home later with a female horse -- a bad thing turned out to be a good thing after all. Sometimes later, his son fell from the horse and broke his leg. The old man was sad again. However, some times later, all the young men in the villege were drafted into the army to fight, but the son was spared because of his broken leg. again, a bad situation turned out to be a good thing in the end.

What do you think?

:)
 

RonBee

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bmo said:
tdol said:
bmo said:
3. Two heads are better than one.
Two (or more) can come up with more ideas than one person.

Example: Pastor Yang and our congregation had been agonizing over whether to build our own church or continue to rent for some time. Recently, after consulting with Pastor Cheng from a neighboring church, our pastor decided to build one. Indeed, two heads are better than one.

Is #3 okay grammatically? BMO

Yes, but the first sentence might be better like this:
  • Pastor Yang and our congregation had been agonizing for some time over whether to build our own church or continue to rent.

What do you think?

:)
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
A old man near the Great Wall of China saddened at the loss of his horse happy to see his horse come home later with a female horse -- a bad thing turned out to be a good thing after all. Sometimes later, his son fell from the horse and broke his leg. The old man was sad again. However, some times later, all the young men in the villege were drafted into the army to fight, but the son was spared because of his broken leg. Again, a bad situation turned out to be a good thing in the end. [/list]

What do you think?

:)

Thanks. Much better. It is AN old man, we both missed that. BMO
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
Yes, but the first sentence might be better like this:
  • Pastor Yang and our congregation had been agonizing for some time over whether to build our own church or continue to rent.

What do you think?

:)

Yes, it's better to move the time factor there right after agonizing. Thanks. BMO
 

RonBee

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Here's another one. :)

What does it mean to "call the shots"?

:)
 

RonBee

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Ron said, "I am so hungry I could eat a horse." Was he (a) very hungry, (b) interested in having some unusual cuisine, or (c) talking through his hat?

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RonBee

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What does it mean to "squirrel money away"?

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RonBee

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What does it mean if somebody says "Go suck an egg"? Is it rude?

:)
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
Ron said, "I am so hungry I could eat a horse." Was he (a) very hungry, (b) interested in having some unusual cuisine, or (c) talking through his hat?

:)

Very hungry. What is "Talking through his hat?" Is it similar to "Lie through his teeth?" A big, big lie?

BMO
 

RonBee

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bmo said:
RonBee said:
Ron said, "I am so hungry I could eat a horse." Was he (a) very hungry, (b) interested in having some unusual cuisine, or (c) talking through his hat?

:)

Very hungry. What is "Talking through his hat?" Is it similar to "Lie through his teeth?" A big, big lie?

BMO

Yes, Ron is very hungry. :)

I think your guess is a good one. I would say that a person who is talking through his hat is saying outlandish things, probably to get attention. (outlandish = ridiculous, unbelievable)

What about "squirreling money away"? Is that like "saving money for a rainy day"?

(See my latest rhyme for something on that last one.)

:)
 

RonBee

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What is meant by "Better late than never"?

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bmo

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RonBee said:
Here's another one. :)

What does it mean to "call the shots"?

:)

He is calling the shots = He is making the decisions; he is the boss.

BMO
 

RonBee

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Very good! :D

What about "turn over a new leaf"?

If I am turning over a new leaf what am I doing?

:)
 

bmo

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RonBee said:
Very good! :D

What about "turn over a new leaf"?

If I am turning over a new leaf what am I doing?

:)

Your life is turning into a new direction, because of a new or renewed faith or starting a new job, for example. A company can turn over a new leaf when it installed an automated system or when a new management is on board.

BMO
 

RonBee

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That's right. A person who is turning over a new leaf is changing his behavior, hopefully for the better.

:D
 
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