Category Idioms/Phrasal verbs
SWEAT LIKE A PIG
“A scorching hot afternoon; even in the shade I was sweating like a pig.” Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell While the island is experiencing another heatwave, with temperatures hitting 37° and with water pouring out of our skin, I think it’s appropriate to remind you of the expression SWEATING LIKE A PIG. The advice being […]
TO GET ON LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE
Sometimes I prefer not listening to the news as often there is more bad than good. Crime, political scandals, natural disasters, collapsing tower blocks and houses on fire – a flood of negativity which brainwashes us into thinking that no good is left in the world. If that is what I think, then why am […]
TO LOSE THE THREAD
It’s happened again. My students were working with a partner or in teams of three, discussing whether tomatoes can protect the body from certain diseases. Matteo, in one group, was busy giving his opinion when Bakir, working in another team, interrupted with a funny remark. This was enough to make Matteo forget what he was […]
AS DEAD AS A DODO
It must have happened to you some time that you forgot to put your phone on charge during the night. To make matters worse, the following morning you went to work or university without the charger. I bet that by noon the screen went blank as the phone powered down. It might have been the […]
Time to share a joke
I wish I had but the day started at 5am and now, 14 hours later, tiredness is making itself felt. However, if you’ve got a joke to SAY / TELL, I’m listening. If you do and I don’t understand it, I can say that I DIDN’T GET THE JOKE. It may happen that a few […]
Animal idioms
I’m feeling a bit lazy this evening so I’m just copying a piece out of the class course book. It’s all about animal-related idioms. Can you work out their meanings? As always, write in with your ideas.
Death and business English
There I was, giving my afternoon class feedback regarding yesterday’s flag and national anthem session. Then somehow, talk turned to graveyards, skeletons, death and burials. As Brigitte remarked, the topic clashed with the warm and sunny afternoon weather. Besides, what use could these words have to a learner of English? While agreeing that the subject […]
