20 Common English Phrases for Describing Things | Common English Similes

[Music] hey what's wrong it's as dead as a door nail what is my phone i dropped it in the bath why did you have it in the bath i i thought i'd just give it a quick wipe while i was having a soak but it slipped through my fingers and now it's as clean as a whistle but i can't turn the stupid thing on come on i know a little trick you pop it into a bag of rice and in about 12 hours it'll be as bright as rain come on hello everyone anna here from english like a native dot co dot uk did that conversation make any sense to you as you probably already know the english language is made up of so many strange phrases and idioms in the scene you just saw there were three similes a simile is a phrase which uses the word like or as to describe something specific by comparing it to something else let's have a look again hey what's wrong this as dead as a doornail what is my phone i dropped it in the bath why did you have it in the bath i thought i'd just give it a quick wipe while i was having a soak but it slipped through my fingers and now it's as clean as a whistle but i can't turn the stupid thing on come on i know a little trick you pop it into a bag of rice and in about 12 hours it'll be as bright as rain come on before i continue there are notes available for you to download and keep for future reference simply click on the link below fill in your details to sign up to my mailing list and i will send them and any future notes to you now similes are often used to be humorous or to add detail or emphasis you can easily create your own similes to describe something take a look oh this cheese is as smelly as an old pair of socks uh careful with that nick it's lethal lethal this thing is as lethal as a fart in a space suit this thing's not been sharpened for months okay making up your own similes is certainly fun but we do have a lot of commonly used descriptive similes these are basically set phrases used by natives regularly and not just in english descriptive similes can be found in lots of languages for example in spanish you might hear como pan comido which means as easy as pie or komer komo una lima which means to eat like a horse and in french bell com le jour means as pretty as the day or so means as deaf as a pot knowing these commonly used phrases is important if you hope to achieve a native level of fluency in your target language that's why you should try to have at least one native model in your language toolbox at lingoda all of their 1400 teachers are native level qualified teachers from different countries who can teach you local expressions slang and culture if you're unfamiliar with this fabulous online language school let me give you a little insight i've been studying on and off with lingoda for many years they offer live immersive classes in english business english spanish french and german their flexible online learning platform allows you to mold your learning around your needs take me for example i am a long-term ad hoc student of spanish and german my hectic unpredictable lifestyle means that i cannot commit to a regular schedule so whenever i find a spare 60 minutes in my schedule i try to slot in a class and as lingoda's classes are online and offered 24 7 it's really easy for me personally i prefer group classes and as the groups have a maximum of five students it means they're never overcrowded i hope that i'm able to commit more time to studying in the new year and move up to the next level claim my certificate to put in my record of achievement yay if you're keen to do the same you can choose from a monthly subscription that gives you lots of flexibility or you can challenge yourself to a marathon and potentially earn up to 400 euros cashback interested well why not take a test drive first click on the link below and sign up for a seven day free trial use my link to get up to 40 off your marathon course or the first month of monthly subscription if you decide to continue let's have a look at 20 commonly used descriptive similes in english number one as blind as a bat we have an adjective sandwich here the bread is the word as so we have as either side of the adjective here the adjective is blind meaning to be visually impaired or unable to see we usually put the name of a person or thing at the beginning of the sentence followed by our adjective sandwich followed by the thing it is being compared to confusingly bats are not actually blind they have very small eyes which allows them to see in the dark but this is an idiom that has been around for hundreds of years in british english so even though it doesn't really make sense we understand it to mean very blind help i'm as blind as a bat without my glasses number two as busy as a bee bees are renowned for being hard-working animals so to say you are as busy as a bee means that you are working very hard at something or doing many things at once when listening to similes the most important word to note is the adjective as long as you catch and understand the adjective it will be much easier to understand the phrase even if it doesn't make much sense oh my little girl alison has been as busy as a bee with school and homework football practice and learning her lines for the school play i can barely keep up number three as cold as a fish this is a funny one which means to be unemotional i really thought he cared about me but when i told him i was moving away he was as cold as a fish number four as clean as a whistle whistle notice the pronunciation of that one whistle to be as clean as a whistle means to be very clean it can be used literally to mean something isn't dirty or to describe someone or something that is free of incriminating evidence we had to let him go we searched him and his bags but he was as clean as a whistle number five as clear as mud this one is a classic example of sarcasm which is a key element in british humor if something is clear then it is transparent like a window or easy to read like the text on the screen mud is thick and dark and not clear at all so if something is as clear as mud that means it's very confusing and difficult to understand i've been studying algebra for two months already but these equations are as clear as mud number six as cool as a cucumber to be cool in this context means to be calm and relaxed cucumbers are typically kept in the fridge and they are known for being a cooling and soothing ingredient therefore to be as cool as a cucumber means that you are very relaxed and calm particularly when something is surprising some idiot has just run into the back of our car made a right mess i am absolutely fuming but gareth well he's as cool as a cucumber number seven as dead as a door nail a door nail is completely lifeless to be as dead as a doornail means to be dead totally dead this could be used literally or in the context of an idea the flat earth movement appears to be as dead as a door nail number eight as fit as a fiddle to say someone or something is as fit as a fiddle means that they are in very good condition or health the doctor says i'm as fit as a fiddle and i'm allowed to go back on the pitch yes number nine as fresh as a daisy this can either mean to be fresh and clean or full of energy and enthusiasm little leo has been off school with the chicken pots but today he's turned up as fresh as a daisy layla don't hit henrietta with that fire engine sorry i've got to go what have i told you number 10 as tough as nails a nail is a metal fixture used in building and attaching things to walls they are very strong if something or someone is as tough as nails then they are very strong and determined sometimes you might also hear the phrase as hard as nails which means the same thing justine's been through so much this year she lost her cat she lost her job she lost her knock-off versace handbag but she still keeps going with a smile on her face she's as tough as nails that girl number 11. as good as gold this phrase is often used to describe children who are very well behaved we had a lovely day on saturday hanging out with my parents and oliver oh was as good as gold he loves his grandma number 12. as mad as a box of frogs this is a silly one if someone is as mad as a box of frogs then they are crazy it can be used as a term of endearment or sometimes as a bit of an insult this is another one which doesn't really make sense but it does paint a clear picture in your imagination oh i love our neighbour she's as mad as a box of frogs and she's so kind number 13 as plain as day if something is as plain as day then it is very clear and easy to see or understand you might also hear the phrase as clear as day which means the same yeah she stood there smoking right outside the hospital door even though there was a no smoking sign right in front of her as plain as day it's so disrespectful number 14. as please does punch to be as pleased as punch means that you are very pleased or happy punch is a character in a famous puppet show called punch and judy punch is always seen to be very happy when his evil plan succeeds if i get the promotion i want then i'll be as pleased as punch number 15. as quiet as a mouse this one simply means to be very very quiet i was supposed to be home over an hour ago my mother should be asleep by now so i just need to be as quiet as a mouse and anna is that you oh damn it yes mom sorry i'm late number 16 as right as rain we're very used to rain in the united kingdom if it's raining it's normal so to be as right as rain means to feel healthy and well again after being unwell sad or under pressure i'm sorry i snapped at you earlier i'm just tired as soon as i have a good night's sleep i'll be as right as rain number 17 as sick as a dog this is another one of those phrases that doesn't make much sense but most english speakers will instinctively understand the meaning to be sick as a dog means to be very unwell sick and vomiting poor angela she's not at work today because she's ill she's as sick as a dog i was told i also heard it was self-inflicted out late drinking with colleagues apparently knocking back tequila's until three in the morning but you didn't hear that from me okay yeah there's a nasty flu going around at the moment number 18 as easy as abc this phrase is used to emphasize an easy learning process is this your first time making cupcakes oh wonderful well don't be nervous baking is as easy as abc number 19 as flat as a pancake if something is as flat as a pancake then it is very flat and level to other countries with huge mountains and volcanoes most of england is as flat as a pancake number 20 as quick as a wink or as quick as a flash this phrase can be used to describe something which happens very quickly just like a wink or a flash oh wow she replied to my email as quick as a wink amazing and our time together has passed as quick as a flash remember achieving fluency is easier with the motivation and right resources don't forget to download your lesson notes and take that free trial with lingoda details in the description

Channel: English Like A Native

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Keywords: English Lesson, Learn English, English Like a native, common english phrases, english phrases, english phrases for daily use, English Phrases for Describing, learn english phrases, english, common phrases, english conversation, english language, english lesson, english similes, phrases for conversation, phrases to use in conversation, conversation english, fluent english, learn english speaking, speak english, spoken english, native speaker, similes, what is a simile

Id: pS0J7NvNXVk

Length: 15min 28sec (928 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 16 2021