40 Common English Idioms

40 Common English Idioms Learning English isn’t as easy as some might think. First, grammar muddies the waters (makes things unclear), and idiomatic expressions only add fuel to the fire (make things worse). If you’re taking the TOEFL or the TOEIC, or just want to know more common idioms,  study this list of 40 common idiomatic expressions before you take the test. They may just help your English language acquisition soar (get much better). Common English Idioms 24/7: Twenty-four hours a day; seven days a week; all the time; constantly. My little sister irritates me 24/7!A short fuse: A quick temper. Jamie is known for his short fuse; just a few days ago he screamed at his coach for not letting him play.A taste of your own medicine: Bad treatment deservedly received for treating other people badly.  After constantly being prank-called, Julian decided to give Juan a taste of his own medicine and ordered twenty-seven pizzas to be delivered to Juan’s house.Butterflies in my stomach: To be nervous.  Liam had butterflies in his stomach before he went on stage to play the violin.By the skin of your teeth:  To just barely get by or make it.  Lester made the dance team by the skin of his teeth; you can tell he hasnt been dancing jazz for very long.  Cat got your tongue?: Can’t you speak? (Usually said to embarrass the other person).  I just saw you kissing my boyfriend. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?Crying w olf:  To ask for help when you dont need it.  You have cried wolf so many times that no one believes you when youre really hurt.   Cut someone some slack:  To not judge someone too harshly.  Hey. Cut me some slack. I was really busy with my frog hunting business last week and forgot to call. Im sorry!Down for the count: Tired; giving up; unable or unwilling to participate any longer.  No, you can’t take my dog for a walk- she’s down for the count after chasing cats all day.Draw the line: To stop; to know the point where something goes from okay to not okay.  Now I draw the line at speaking in front of 34,000 people.Easier said than done: Not as easy as it appears to be.  You want me to come to work at 6:00 AM? Easier said than done!Every cloud has a silver lining: You can find good in every bad situation.  Even though you just got fired, remember that every cloud has a silver lining- at least you don’t have to work for that grouchy boss anymore!Finding a needle in a haystack: Virtually impossible to find.  Trying to get a new job these days is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.Fish out of water: To be out of place.  Tom felt like a fish out of water at the Star Trek convention his new girlfriend begged him to attend. Get something off your chest: To talk about something that has been bothering you for a long time; to admit something you have done wrong.  I have to get this off my chest- I copied your answers on the SAT. Thanks for the 15th percentile score, by the way.  Give it a whirl: To try something.  I’ve never gone kite-boarding, but I’m prepared to give it a whirl!Go down in flames:  To fail suddenly and spectacularly.  The football players career went down in flames after the media learned hed been losing on purpose to settle gambling debts.  Go the extra mile:  To make an extra effort.  My dentist always goes the extra mile, offering free back massages at the end of a stressful tooth extraction.  Hang in there:  Be patient. Wait it out.  I know youre struggling right now in school but just hang in there. Itll get easier. I promise.  In the fast lane: A life filled with excitement.  When Curtis turned forty, he decided he needed to live life in the fast lane, so he quit his job as a dentist and decided to tour Europe by motorcycle. In the nick of time: Almost too late.  You gave me that main idea help in the nick of time- my teacher just gave us a quiz on that reading skill and I passed it!Let the cat out of the bag: Tell a secret.  Brady’s surprise party is going to be great if you don’t let the cat out of the bag.Let the chips fall where they may:  To let something happen, no matter if its good or bad.  Look. Im going to just try out for the cheerleading squad and let the chips fall where they may.  Lose your marbles: To go crazy; insane.  Mom  has really lost her marbles; shes making me practice writing the ACT Essay seven times this week!Once in a blue moon: Rarely.  In Florida, the temperature drops below freezing only once in a blue moon.Plain as day: Obvious; clear.  It’s plain as day that you’re in love with her, so just admit it.Play second fiddle: To be less important.  I hate playing second fiddle to my sister; she always does things better than I do!Pu t your foot in your mouth: Saying something you shouldn’t have.  Jessica really put her foot in her mouth when she asked about John’s job right after he lost it. Pull yourself together:  Calm down and behave normally.  Pull yourself together, man! Sure, your girlfriend just dumped you and then you got hit by a car, but you cant let those things get you down.  Sick and tired: To be bothered or annoyed by.  She is sick and tired of her dog chewing up her shoes every day.Sleep on it: To think about something for a while before making a decision.  Don’t tell me whether you’ll move to Texas with me or not today. Sleep on it, and get back to me tomorrow.Snug as a bug in a rug: Warm and cozy; content.  That baby looks as snug as a bug in a rug cuddled up next to his mother.Step up your game:  To start performing better.  Listen, Jen. Youd better step up your game if you want to get all As in Miss Finchs Physics class. She isnt easy!Stick your nose into something: To interfere.  Sharon always sticks her nose into everyone else’s business.Straight from the horse’s mouth: Directly from the person involved.à ‚  Listen to the news straight from the horse’s mouth; we’re all getting bonuses this week! Take it easy: Relax.  I know you’re not feeling well, so try to take it easy today.Tip of the iceberg: The small easily visible part of a larger problem.  The fact that Carrie is dating a member of the mafia is just the tip of the iceberg; she’s also smuggling contraband into the country.To not see the wood for the trees: To be so involved with the details that you don’t get the most important facts.  She always argues about the silliest things; it’s like she can’t see the wood for the trees.Up a creek without a paddle: In an unlucky/bad situation.  If you don’t have any money to pay for the repairs we just made to your car, I guess you’re up a creek without a paddle because you can’t have your car back.You rock!: You are great.  Dude. You rock. Thanks for offering to watch my pet iguana all week.   These are just a few of the thousands of idioms in the English language. Get your feet wet (start) with these, and then move on to the idioms that will knock your socks off (astound you).

The eNotes Blog Neil Gaimans Advice for LivingCreatively

Neil Gaimans Advice for LivingCreatively I have no idea who the speakers were at my own graduation ceremonies. Luckily, the kids who just graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia will not have that problem, as their commencement guest was author Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, American Gods, Coraline).   Although Gaiman never graduated from any college himself,   he is one of the most popular and prolific of modern authors. Here is some of the advice he gave to the Class of 2012: 1. Want to write? Write. Its that simple. I learned to write by writing. I tended to do anything as long as it felt like an adventure, and to stop when it felt like work - which meant that life did not feel like work. 2.   Make good art. Sometimes life is hard. Things go wrong - and in life, and in love, and in business, and in friendship, and in health, and in all the other ways in which life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do:  Make good art.  I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Someone on the internet thinks what you’re doing is stupid, or evil, or it’s all been done before? Make good art. 3. Learn first by copying those you love.   Henry Miller said, And your way, is it really  your  way? [†¦] What, moreover, can you call your own? The house you live in, the food you swallow, the clothes you wear - you neither built the house nor raised the food nor made the clothes. There is a lot more fabulous advice about writing and life, but here is a perfect summary of Gaimans entire message: Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make. Good. Art. I encourage you to watch the entire address:

Andrew Jackson Indian Removal Policy Essays

Andrew Jackson Indian Removal Policy Essays Andrew Jackson Indian Removal Policy Paper Andrew Jackson Indian Removal Policy Paper Was Andrew Jacksons Indian Removal Policy Motivated by Humanitarian Impulses? Authors: Anthony F. C. Wallace, Robert V. Remini, A Summary By: History 2111 Summer 2011 A summary comparison of views regarding the Indian Removal Act of 1830, Was it an act of humanitarianism intended to help and save the Native American culture from the white settlers, as Robert V. Remini has argued? Or was his intent to destroy the tribal culture and to get rid of the Native Americans, as Anthony F. C Wallace has argued? Robert V. Remini argues that Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 was socially motivated by humanitarian impulses, and that Jackson’s actions where driven by the desire to save the culture and populace of the Native Americans from white settlers into Indian territories. Robert V. Remini points out that Andrew Jackson believed that the only way for Indians to be â€Å"protected from certain annihilation† (pg3) was to remove the Native Americans from their land, to expel the Indians from their ancient lands. To a majority of the Americans the Indians were inferior to them and that their culture was â€Å"a throw back to a darker age† (pg2). Mr. Remini strongly believed that that President Jackson was only trying to protect the Indians from this mentality and by moving the Indians to the west of the Mississippi this would protect them from the white man. Although the policy of removal was first suggested by President Jefferson as the alternative to the Native Americans, Mr. Remini explains how President Jackson had no hesitation in the belief that this was the right course of action. President Jackson would proposed to the Indians that by moving west he would arranged for the exchange of land in the west for the land in the east, that the Indians that moved to the west would be given land titles and would be compensated for their land. President Jackson insisted that the Indians would not be forced to move, that some could stay if the understood and obeyed the laws of the state and recognized that they would be subject to them if they did not obey. Although this proposal was never put into action because of corruption within those agents handling the removal and land greedy state officials. Jackson’s removal policy did not sit well with a lot of groups; many were uncomfortable about it but agreed it had to be done. President Jackson showed great leadership apart from everything else, and handled the Indian Removal act when no one else wanted to address the growing issue of Indian problem. Most government officials saw little to gain from addressing this and would do nothing. Some historians believe the president’s motivation was clearly out of concern for the Indians customs, their culture and their language, but his first concern was the safety of the military, Indians occupying the east might jeopardize the defense of the United States. In December of 1830 President Jackson would submitted the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek to congress, it would be the first to win Senate approval. President Jackson wanted everything to go smoothly so that the American people would see that he was humane and that this Treaty would benefit both the Indians and the American nation at large. With Jackson located too far away to oversee the actual removal of the Choctaw Nation, they would endure mismanagement, theft, corruption, and inefficiency on a level that would lead to their destruction. Jackson would be deeply offended and the removal of the Choctaw Nation would become one of the worse horror stories of modem era. Anthony F. C Wallace claims that Jackson’s actions as humanitarian were in fact the exact opposite, saying that Jackson was out to destroy the Indian Tribal culture and to move the Native Americans from the southeastern United States to areas west of the Mississippi by force. Mr. Wallace objects to the belief that Jackson was acting humanely, and leans towards a more harsh truth and assessment of President Jackson’s actions and motives. That Jacksons alternative motive for acting like he cared about the Indians to the public and the Tribes was all in an effort to remove the Tribes completely from the southern United States in order to acquire their land. The Act gave the president the power to set aside land in the western territories for the Indians to be moved into. The 1820s was a new era for growth among banks, family farms; railroads in Georgia, with the Cherokee constitution in effect nullified Georgia law and made the Indian nation a â€Å"state within a state. † Georgia legislature 1828 passed a law after Andrew Jackson was elected president that extended the states jurisdiction over the Cherokees living within the state; Georgia was looking to force the president’s hand. Jackson quickly implemented a removal program that would resolve the Georgia’s crisis, but many would claim the removal was not justified but necessary to save the Indians from extinction. Even though President Jackson preferred the Act over any other alternative, he stated that the Removal Act was â€Å"most arduous part of my duty† (pg15). The Indian removal bill covered many emotional issues, such as Christian, national honor, racial, prejudices, over all long and bitter and of course greedy. Both Houses of Congress were petitioned and solicited by all groups of religions and benevolent societies. Jackson’s Administration had successfully undermined the very essence of the Constitution by refusing to enforce existing treaties with Native Americans that had been policy from the time Washington on. The Indians were finally forced to move out and where so sometimes by force. The Cherokee and the Seminoles resisted the removal and tried to hold their ground, by 1837 the Cherokee resistance was defeated, and the Seminoles where removed in 1842 after a long and costly war. President Jackson spoke of the removal in a friendly and concerned tone for Indian welfare stating, â€Å"They (the Indians) and my white children are too near to each other to live in harmony and peace†(pg17). The harsh policies where nevertheless put into place. Jackson policies where not driven or influenced by humanitarian impulses but were a result of and expansionist mentality. Jackson was an Indian fighter from Tennessee and clearly wanted the Indians out of the picture as the country expanded. This view can be supported further by the fact that President Jackson ignored a Supreme Court ruling which stated that the Indians had a right to that land, Jackson still removed the Indians under harsh conditions and sometimes by force. The Indian Removal Act was Jacksons way of solving the Indian Question. Some people view the Indian Removal Act as a noble attempt by Jackson to save the Indians from the expansion of the United States, other see it as Jacksons way of moving the Indians out of the picture and to secure more land for the growing country. Either way the Indian Removal Act is what it is, a crime against the Native Americans which had a right to the land of their ancestors and which they inhabited before American Expansion.

the things they carried essays

the things they carried essays In the story Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong in The Things they Carried by Tim O Brian Mary Ann Bell goes from one end of the spectrum to the other. Mary Ann is brought in by her high school sweetheart, Mark Fossie. They are destined to be married and live out the rest of their lives together. In a matter of weeks she is transformed from a cute, blonde high school girl to a Mark Fossie first toys with the idea of bringing her over from Cleveland and then goes through with it. Listen, the guy sends her the money. Flies her over. This cute blonde- just a kid, just barely out of high school- she shows up with a suitcase and one of those plastic cosmetic bags. Comes right out to the boonies (pg.102). She is very young, at most seventeen years old. She is pretty and has a great personality that all the guys appreciate. She is never afraid of the unseen horrors of the war. She thirsts for knowledge Mary Ann wants to know about everything and her desire for knowledge leads her to the loners of the war, the green berets. She starts by just going out on ambush with them then it progresses more. The way she quickly fell into the habits of the bush. No cosmetics, no fingernail filing, cut her hair short and wrapped it in a dark green bandana (pg.109). She breaks it off with Mark Fossie and doesnt want to leave the bush. She does stuff even the greenies wouldnt do. She stays with them until she eventually The greenies say shes still alive but theyve never really seen her again. She was one with the jungle. She was young and innocent then became a ferocious hunter of the jungle. She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill (pg.125). ...

Definition and Examples of the High or Grand Style

Definition and Examples of the High or Grand Style Definition In classical rhetoric, the grand style refers to speech or writing thats characterized by a heightened emotional tone, imposing diction, and highly ornate figures of speech. Also called high style. See the observations below. Also see: DecorumEloquenceLevels of Usage Plain Style and Middle Style Purple ProseStyle Observations Alas! the grand style is the last matter in the world for verbal definition to deal with adequately. One may say of it as is said of faith: One must feel it in order to know what it is.(Matthew Arnold, Last Words on Translating Homer, 1873)The grand style of oratory Cicero described was magnificent, stately, opulent, and ornate. The grand orator was fiery, impetuous; his eloquence rushes along with the roar of a mighty stream. Such a speaker might sway thousands if conditions were right. But if he resorted to dramatic delivery and majestic speech without first preparing his listeners, he would be like a drunken reveller in the midst of sober men. Timing and a clear understanding of the speaking situation were critical. The grand orator must be familiar with the other two forms of style or his manner would strike the listener as scarcely sane. The eloquent speaker was Ciceros ideal. No one ever achieved the eminence he had in mind but like Platos philosopher king, the ideal sometimes motivated mans best efforts.(James L. Golden et al., The Rhetoric of Western Thought, 8th ed. Kendall Hunt, 2004) [In De Doctrina Christiana] Augustine notes that for Christians all matters are equally significant because they concern mans eternal welfare, so ones use of different stylistic registers should be linked to ones rhetorical purpose. A pastor should use a plain style for instructing the faithful, a moderate style for delighting an audience and making it more receptive or sympathetic to sacred teachings, and a grand style for moving the faithful to action. Although Augustine says that a preachers chief homiletic purpose is instruction, he acknowledges that few people will act based on instruction alone; most must be moved to act through the psychological and rhetorical means employed in the grand style.(Richard Penticoff, Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition, ed. by Theresa Enos. Taylor Francis, 1996)

Miohippus - Facts and Figures

Miohippus - Facts and Figures Name: Miohippus (Greek for Miocene horse); pronounced MY-oh-HIP-us Habitat: Plains of North America Historical Epoch: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene (35-25 million years ago) Size and Weight: About four feet long and 50-75 pounds Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; relatively long skull; three-toed feet    About Miohippus Miohippus was one of the most successful prehistoric horses of the Tertiary period; this three-toed genus (which was closely related to the similarly named Mesohippus) was represented by about a dozen different species, all of them indigenous to North America from about 35 to 25 million years ago. Miohippus was a bit larger than Mesohippus (about 100 pounds for a full-grown adult, compared to 50 or 75 pounds); however, despite its name, it lived not in the Miocene but the earlier Eocene and Oligocene epochs, a mistake for which you can thank the famous American paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh. Like its similarly named relatives, Miohippus lay on the direct evolutionary line that led to the modern horse, genus Equus. Somewhat confusingly, although Miohippus is known by over a dozen named species, ranging from M. acutidens to M. quartus, the genus itself consisted of two basic types, one adapted for life on prairies and the other best suited to forests and woodlands. It was the prairie variety that led to Equus; the woodland version, with its elongated second and fourth toes, spawned small descendants that went extinct in Eurasia at the cusp of the Pliocene epoch, about five million years ago.

Local Beaches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Local Beaches - Essay Example Years later when I got married, my husband, who is from Virginia Beach, introduced me to the region where he grew up. I discovered that Virginia is a conservative state. The Virginia Beach area has a large military the  presence, and conservative family values such as the ‘proper’ role of women in the home and church attendance are dominant. Virginia Beach, which is 35 miles of waterfront property, has three different beaches within the city. They are the Chesapeake Bay of the  Virginia, Virginia Beach Resort area and Sandbridge. By comparing the beaches of my childhood with the beaches of my husband’s childhood, I was able to get a better sense of place and the type of people who might enjoy each location. The beaches of Virginia all have their own distinct personality. The section of Virginia Beach called the Chesapeake Bay area is for the person who is looking for tranquility and a more relaxed atmosphere. It is calmer, quieter and more laid back than many of the party beaches you see on TV. The traditional beach activities such as swimming, building sand castles, strolling along the beach and playing volleyball or throwing a football around are all a part of this scene. The Virginia Beach Resort area consists of a three mile concrete boardwalk. It has hotels, a few outdoor cafes and novelty shops. In addition, on the boardwalk there are roller-bladers, bikers, live music and street performers. There are many special events held here throughout the whole year.