Idioms for Everyday Conversation (develop your speaking fluency)

welcome to today's lesson and we are going to learn some idioms for everyday conversation and this is a quiz lesson so I want you to participate write your answers in the chat or in the comments if you're watching this later and if you are someone who likes building your vocabulary and learning idioms to just improve your speaking fluency please hit that subscribe button turn on notifications then I can become your teacher uh for those of you who don't know me my name is Wes the channel is interactive English it's all about trying to help you reach your fluency goals and the other thing before we start this little quiz if you would like to download and get access to the lesson notes that you see right here you can join our community and there is a link Down Below in the description if that is something that you're interested in I'll send you lesson updates new course information as well as just some useful resources from time to time I'll go ahead and throw that down there in the chat but check out that link down in the description if you are already a part of our email Community then just check your inbox I have already sent them to you or they should be arriving soon now as we go through the lesson I I see so many familiar faces in the chat which is great I am going to try to give some shoutouts here and there as we go through this but let's go ahead and start with the first one and I'm trying to to make it a little easier so in this case I'm giving you part of the idiom you can see it bolded right there but there's just one word missing so I want you to complete the idiom which word is missing I can't believe she said that it was really below the m so you can see what's bolded there below the m H what word is missing how would you complete that idiom and then we'll talk about the meaning so that you have a better understanding but the key word in there I think is like well that first sentence as far as trying to figure out the meaning something was said this person can't believe it they were surprised maybe they were offended and you could say wow that was really below the the correct answer is below the belt nice uh Ricardo Juliet alal perfect this is a remark uh that is really insulting or unfair and if you want to say that you know it was not necessary it was uncalled for that was an unfair remark you could say yeah that was just below the belt it wasn't it wasn't the right thing to do it was just too insulting it was below the belt excellent the next one and I again my goal is as we go through these I think they'll get a little more difficult but I just hope that you learn a few new idioms that would be the goal so you can see this picture right here somebody cleaning the carpet and let's pretend that I am telling this person hey you know you can get that stain out but you may need to give it a little M grease so this this is a phrase it's an idiom and we're talking about M Greece two words so what adjective would come before the noun Greece and then we'll talk a little bit about the meaning so you can get that stain out but you may need to give it a little M grease and as I see you guys are rocking this you guys are on on fire today we're talking about El elbow grease nice uh LLY Angela perfect Yama elbow grease it's a lot of physical effort especially when cleaning now there are other situations that you could use this and talking about elbow grease apart from cleaning maybe you're trying to to fix something and you really just have to give it a lot of physical effort to uh you know turn this so that you can tighten the screw you got to give it a little elbow grease this is a again useful phrase when talking about that you just got to work a little harder and give it a little elbow grease I would even say that is a bit of a collocation with this phrase to give something a little elbow grease well done the next one this is uh maybe it's a little bit too much of a hint with the the picture there if you notice or you can recognize these different people I I think also the the sentence will also give it away and another one gone and another one gone Another One Bites the and I'm trying not to sing it because you may recognize those four people they are from the famous music group Queen and this is a song and this is part of the song and another one gone and another one gone Another One Bites the what and and then we'll talk about what it means so I think this is one that you probably have heard this is a very well-known song I imagine you've heard this song possibly in a movie or TV show and I see some really uh great answers in there another one bites the dust that is the noun we were looking for for excellent Suma Ricardo Another One Bites the Dust it has different meanings uh I well I can talk about in the song but bite the dust it could mean to fall so if you fall off your bike and you say yeah I fell off my bike yesterday and I really bit the dust it would just mean to fall it could mean something comes to an end if I'm talking about somebody's career they say something stupid and they get fired and I say well yeah their career really bit the dust and it came to an end or it could mean to be killed and in this sense I imagine that in the song they're talking about bullets flying and people hit the ground and another one bites the dust so it could be like killed or even in this case somebody's falling but if you say something it it would be a euphemism in this case and I would say that if you're talking about another person another human it would sound a bit cold in callus to say somebody bit the dust if you're going to use this to refer to something being killed maybe you could use it talking about an insect or a a spider or something a mosquito you this mosquito bit you and you smacked at your arm and it bit the dust so I feel like if you're going to use this to talk about being killed keep that in mind I don't think it's often used to refer to other people um in that context the next one this one I think is maybe a little more difficult at least I when I every time I say that that's when I see all the correct answers every boom boom boom boom for now let's put a m in it will come back to your idea later so hopefully just hearing the sentence it can jog your memory as to okay I think this is the idiom I've bolded it for you put a m in it and the second part of the sentence would be a little bit of a hint as far as the meaning is concerned for now let's put a m in it we'll come back to your idea later on which noun are you going to complete this idiom and I see some answer no not a table even though okay we'll I'll talk about that not put a sock in it if somebody tells you put a sock in it it's kind of like telling you hey be quiet uh don't don't say anything or like shut up I haven't seen it again everybody just try and think about it throw your answers don't worry if you make a mistake I would just this is all about practicing it's interactive English I want you to participate in the lesson not put a lid in it a lid would technically go on something but for now let's put up m in it we'll come back to your idea later on and the key part of this as far as trying to figure out the meaning would be to come back to something so in this case it's not like you're upset it's like okay let's we we'll we'll we're not going to talk about this now we'll come back to it I haven't seen it so all right maybe this oh arminda you nailed it put a pin in it for now let's put a pin in it we come back to your idea later on so to put a pin in it or this generally what happens is you're talking about something and that's why you're going to use it or this and say okay let's put a pin in it and maybe then we'll come back to it later on you're taking a break from discussing some topic and you're going to resume later so you would put a pin in it now I I said I'd come back to the word table because that is another idiom to table something and you could say the same something similar like for now let's table this discussion and we'll come back to your idea later on it would have a similar meaning so to table something is to put it off and deal with it later talk about it later and to put a pin in it or put a pin in this we're going to take a break from discussing something and then we will come back to it later on put a pin in it all right then maybe this one's new that's good I love it I like it when if if this is new you can let me know hit that like button and that'll tell me should I should do more idiom lessons so that you can continue to build your informal vocabulary because these are phrases that you're likely going to hear in spoken English now I'm going to switch gears and this time I'm giving giving you a picture and I just want you to to try to guess the idiom and I will give you a hint because I'll show you the meaning in just a moment and then I'll I'll tell you the idiom but can you use this picture think about what's going on and what idiom could it possibly be you see this this looks like it has to do with fishing and I think once you see this is a little more challenging I think once you see the answer then it it'll definitely make sense but let me go ahead and give you the meaning and we're talking about when you are free from blame or from an annoying obligation see some people like fish out of water that that's a good guess that is another expression if somebody feels like a fish out of water though it means they feel uncomfortable in some new or different environment so we're talking about a different meaning here if you're free from blame or from an annoying obligation you are close Ricardo and some other ones uh gifty excellent yes um Angela you are off the hook to be off the hook I saw some with get I I wouldn't use it with get off the hook typically you're going to hear people use this with the verb to be and say somebody is off the hook if you are supposed to go with me to some party and maybe you don't want to go and I say okay look you don't have to go with me you're off the hook you're free from this annoying obligation you're off the hook or again if somebody's not going to get blamed for something and okay yeah you're you're off the hook or you're not going to get punished uh for this thing all right let's let's keep going here we go the next one this is definitely I think a little more challenging looking at this picture what do you think can you guess what idiom what's happening you see this foot these people standing on this white line what would you say I will give you the meaning and hopefully it may make it a little easier to do what you are expected to do without causing trouble for anyone to do what you're expected to do without causing trouble for anyone that is the meaning of this idiom and in this case you are trying to do what and now I think again people you're able to look at the picture and come up with the correct answer which is to tow the line well done uh Yama Suma nice to tow the line means that you're you're doing what you're expected to do without causing trouble for anyone I think of situations like somebody might be in at work and you're trying to follow orders even though maybe you don't disagree with what you're supposed to do and you're just like okay look I'm just I'm just trying to tow the line I'm going to do what's expected of me I don't want to cause any trouble I I'm just trying to tow the line then we have I I'm I may need to give you a little more context with this I just love the picture it's a giraffe obviously but the word giraffe is not a part of the idiom however there is a body part that is part of the idiom which is very relevant when talking about a giraffe like this one and I tried to find a picture that I don't know really makes it easier possibly to identify that body part and let me give you the meaning cuz yeah it's a it's a little more difficult just looking at that picture I just thought it was funny to bravely say or do something that might be criticized or might turn out to be wrong to bravely say or do something that might be criticized or might turn out to be wrong what are you doing and this is something you may do for another person trying to help another person even though you might be criticized you're you're trying to help another person even though you might be wrong and the key word uh the word that I was talking about the body part is neck cuz I see that as a like couple of answers but what what idiom that has the word neck has this meaning so if somebody I see like is breathing down your neck now it's where like somebody's like looking over you making sure you're doing what you you're supposed to be doing excellent loli you nailed it we're talking about the IDM to stick your neck out and if you're sticking your neck out you're basically putting yourself out there to be criticized and you might be wrong and you may stick your neck out for another person trying to help them you're trying to stick up for this person and you stick your neck out and think about it as far as the meaning of let's what's going on you stick your neck out it's kind of a dangerous situ situation that you you could have problems you could get in trouble when you stick your neck out the next one another fun animal one which maybe this one is a little easier than the giraffe one in sticking your neck out there's definitely uh a body part that I think you can identify with this picture and and then try to think about what idiom it is especially when it means to be waiting eagerly to hear about something so if you're waiting eagerly to hear about something you could say this idiom often I feel like this idiom is used in response to someone who wants to tell you something like oh guess what happened you couldn't believe what happened really I want you to listen closely and then you could tell this person what and say this statement nice well done uh Helen eloisa we're talking about to be all ears and the statement that that that you would then say is I'm all ears if I have something really important to tell you say oh just listen just hear what I have to say okay I'm all ears tell me what's going on I'm all ears this part is going to be a little more challenging because now I'm giving you the meaning and I want you to tell me the idiom and we're going to again walk through this slowly because I'll give you the meaning and then I'll show you the picture which is kind of related to the idiom and then I'll tell you what the answer is so I've blurred out this first picture even though maybe you can guess what it is perhaps I think it's easy because I know what the picture is before I blurred it out but this idiom means to to be well prepared or well organized for something that is going to happen and those of you who have taken my speak up course this is one that we've talked about before previously I feel like in the last couple of courses see some uh some name some people Rafael or Melinda pressures on what what idiom is this you're well prepared or well organized for something that is going to happen and a key word here I believe would be organized so here is the picture and I think now it probably would become a little easier I already see a couple of answers in the comments there uh nice yes Sid uh there's another name I can't pronounce it but yeah you you guys got it nil we're talking about the idiom to get your ducks in in a row or you could use it with the verb have either one to to get your ducks in a row or have your ducks in a row refers to being really well organized well planned and you have everything in order and you're just ready for what's going to happen in the future and you're you're going to get your ducks in a row here's the next one and I do think this one is a a little more challenging I think probably it's more common to hear an idiom like to get ducks in a row because we often have conversations about the need to be organized this one's rather specific we're talking about changing the rules while someone is trying to do something in order to make it more difficult for them so if you have these rules or conditions that you're trying to follow and then all of a sudden those rules or conditions are changed in order to make make it more difficult to complete your task or do whatever it is that you need to do you could say that this person or organization or institution keeps what and that is the idiom they're changing the rules or conditions here is the picture I know it's blurred out but you can see this like a soccer goal and the word that would be a part of this is not necessarily the goal in its entirety but what about what the sides what would you call those those would be the goal post and if you are going to move the goalpost then that means you're changing the rules while someone is trying to do something in order to make it more diff difficult so it's a little bit more of a descriptive idiom if you want to say hey I'm trying to do this but this you know my my boss or my supervisor just keeps moving the goalpost and they're changing the requirements or rules and making it a little more difficult they're moving the goalpost which is true if you're trying to score and somebody's moving the goal post it's going to make it more difficult to score as well here's this one I think this is all also a bit more challenging I think this is maybe one that you've I I would guess maybe it's one you've heard if you watch a lot of movies or TV shows in English but once again I'd say it's rather specific and if it's new then that's great you're talk we're talking about to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results you're doing something without worrying about the risk you're not worrying about the negative negative results what idiom uh am I talking about and your hint you see that sign right there and it says caution high winds so thinking about that sign thinking about what it says I think maybe now it possibly will become a little bit easier especially if this is a phrase that you've heard you're doing or to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results I see some answers yes great job uh Julia Ava we're talking about to throw caution to the wind when you throw caution to the win you're going to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results now as far as the way you may have heard this being used this is just my opinion I feel like a lot of times it might be used kind of in the negative when you're telling someone hey don't take a risk you should worry about the outcome in the results don't throw caution to the win so in that case I'm kind of using it to say the opposite with the negative don't throw caution to the win don't do anything without uh you know you should worry about the risk or the negative results in in that context all right here is another one that I think I even though I tried to blur it out I probably you can kind of see the picture talk about what it is to be directly involved in or affected by something especially financially you're involved in it you're affected by this you you have some financial interest in this thing you could say that you have what and I gave you a little bit of a hint there by using the verb have and here is the picture in case you're wondering maybe this picture is not going to help you too much but there's a word a specific word in there that is part of this idiom and I'll go ahead and tell you the word you can see this picture we're talking about skin this is a picture somebody uh their back you can see their skin and they're you're directly involved in or affected by something especially financially and you could say that you have skin in the game to have skin in the game it's an informal way of saying you are really involved in whatever it is that you're going to be affected by this outcome and like I said financially would be like investing in some company and you have skin in the game if the company does well then you're going to make money if the company goes out of business you're going to lose everything and you have skin in the game all right so this is a review of the idioms there are 12 idioms that we talked about in this lesson you can see all of them right here this is a way to build your vocabulary improve your speaking fluency right now let's just quickly go through and do a little bit of review just to to remind you of the meaning one more time so if we say that something is below the belt it's referring to something that was said it was insulting it was unfair it was below the belt if we talk about giving something a little elbow grease we're talking about physical effort and generally you would use this in the context of cleaning something and you need to give it a little bit of elbow grease to bite the dust it has a few different meanings but if you say someone or something bites the dust or bit the dust in the past tense to fall or come to an end or to be killed then we have this one we talked about putting a pin in it maybe this is a this one was a little more challenging if you put a pin in it you're basically saying like this would be more in the context of a conversation with another person or a group of people you're Shar ing ideas you're talking about something look we'll come back to that later for now let's just put a pin in it and then we'll resume discussing this later on off the hook means that you are free from blame or some annoying obligation I gave you that example you don't have to go to the party with me I know you're busy you don't want to go you're off the hook we also have this one to tow the line which again I think is rather specific you're just BAS basically saying that you're trying to just do what's expected of you you don't want to cause any trouble you're trying to tow the line the next one we talked about was to stick your neck out to bravely say or do something in which you might be criticized or even you might be wrong and you're sticking your neck out possibly to help someone else out and you're sticking your neck out then we have to be all ears I told you that mostly you might hear this sentence if some somebody's asking you hey oh listen I got to tell you something and you just want to say look I'm all ears I'm I'm eagerly waiting to hear about what you have to say I'm all ears the next one to have or get your ducks in a row you just want to be prepared and well organized for something that may happen in the future I think this one's useful and common to have your ducks in a row to move the goal post when you're changing the rules or conditions just to make something a little more difficult and you're moving the goal poost and I know we looked at these recently to throw caution to the wind you're just doing something without worrying about the risk or negative results I mentioned that often you may end up using this in like the negative saying hey don't throw caution to the win you should be careful don't throw caution to the win and the one that we just looked at to have skin in the game you're directly involved or affected by something especially financially so hopefully one or more of these idioms is new and you learn something new and you can listen for them if you're watching a TV show or movie of course I want to know how you did and I'm going to write this in the chat you can tell me how you did on the quiz I'm always interested how did you do on the quiz and could say I rocked it and we'll do like a little Emoji 100 okay with a smile or I really need to do my homework and uh we'll did some books there okay so what do you think um all right what do you how did I how do I start the poll um not allowing me oh maybe I have to I didn't not get any correct maybe that is why and then I can start it no it's not letting me start this Poll for some reason okay I apologize about that well you can let me know in the comments how you did uh on this quiz lesson and remember if you want to get the lesson notes check out the description down below once again I'll go ahead and throw that in the chat right there thanks so much for joining me today rafella Loi great to see you Suma Sid everybody thank you for joining and participating in the lesson and I will be back soon for another lesson in the future have a great day

Channel: Interactive English

Views: 75,278

Keywords: interactive english, learn english online, learn english vocabulary, vocabulary, english vocabulary, learn collocations in english, english vocabulary lesson, english vocabulary quiz, vocabulary quiz, idioms, learn idioms, advanced idioms, american idioms, learn american idioms, american english, american english idioms, idioms in english, idioms for conversation, english idioms, idiom quiz, learn idioms in english, english idiom lesson, lesson on idioms

Id: oekK5PZxVAk

Length: 31min 27sec (1887 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 06 2023