Understanding American English Phrases

  Kotleysa ,when you chose  English,baby as a tool to learn english and have friends  around the world you hit the nail on the head

the tourists were lost..or have been lost maybe?

the student hit the nail  on the head by answering correctly during the exam?

the student hit the nail on the head with his/her answer during the exam?

(these are my suggestions by the way, my knowledge in grammar is  very mediocre).

I think the main goal here was to use the idiom properly in a sentence, and you did just that. kudos for you!

Snoopyboy, I’m ready to answer

I’m not going to miss my turn to use the “hit the nail on the head”.

1st example – the tourists have lost in the unknown territory. Suddenly one of them hit the nail on the head, showing the correct route;

2nd example -the student hit the nail on the head by the answer during the exam.

sure ;)

You are right, I must make a sentence with it. Let me some minutes to think. OK?

 Kotlesya: Unless you make a sentence with it and for all of us to see, we will not be convinced that you found it for sure. I go first:

“Hit the nail on the head” the witness really hit the nail on the head pointing out the right suspect.your turn ;)

I have found it!  Thank you a lot, Julito. 

Sure Kotleysa,  What i did is this,  i wrote at the top right  :hit the nail on the head , then click ,then popped up hit the nail on the head- idioms by the free dictionary thesaurus, you will find  full explanations.   luck

Julito,thank you. Can you give me the link where can I read the explanations about this idiom?

kotlesya,  if you don´t hit the nail right on the head  ,you have missed  the point and are ineffective.   

Snoopyboy, I agree with you about “a dork” and “a nerd”

Buttafly, your story is funny, indeed. I think anybody out of us could easily be on your place, sincerely wondering about the thing American people are talking about in their tricky idioms :))))))

I’m very ashamed, but I don’t know what does it mean “hit the nail right on the head” :))))))))))))))))))) 

Teacher 24/7. why not have your own website? or launch a book deal?

aha! “give me that piece of cake already!”  Idioms are tricky things indeed even for native speakers.Sometimes you just have to draw a mental picture and figure out what a phrase really means

you use too much idioms in your speech you might come across a little ambiguous.People will rolll their eyes at you and think you are a dork. And when you don’t use enough of it, you sound too formal and people think you’re a nerd.

Dear, Englishteacher24/7

Thank you very much fro the brilliant Mini Lesson №2.

The idioms (slang) were always difficult for me to remember and to use them properly afterwards.

I had a thought that idioms are for the advanced people in English. On my opinion, the idioms go their own way apart of the standard language. I tried to avoid them do not appear amusing speaker ( because of the incorrect using).

After your lesson with  the very detailed explanations of the meaning of the each idiom I realized how important is to show how and where they can be used.

I’m very grateful for these excellent explanations you have done below each phrase. It helps me so much.

Will follow your lessons

Mini Lesson No. 2

A shoo-in / Waiting for the other shoe to drop / Caved / Caved-in

A.  A Shoo-in (shoe-in) = The most appropriate or logical person selected for a position

Origin/background of the phrase:

This phrase is commonly used to indicate that a certain person is chosen for a particular office or position.  Concerning the historical part of this phrase, the following is the best I’ve located:

“This one is spelled wrongly so often that it’s likely it will eventually end up that way. The correct form is shoo-in, usually with a hyphen. It has been known in that spelling and with the meaning of a certain winner from the 1930s. It came from horse racing, where a shoo-in was the winner of a rigged race.

In turn that seems to have come from the verb shoo, meaning to drive a person or an animal in a given direction by making noises or gestures, which in turn comes from the noise people often make when they do it.

The shift to the horse racing sense seems to have occurred sometime in the early 1900s. C E Smith made it clear how it came about in his Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburgh Phil in 1908: “There were many times presumably that ‘Tod’ would win through such manipulations, being ‘shooed in’, as it were”.”

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sho1.htm

 Example sentences:

1.  Tom has over 20 years experience in furniture making and is a “shoo-in” for the position of foreman.

2.  Sometimes family members are “shoo-ins” when there are open positions in a small family company.

3.  The “shoo-in” candidate is likely to win the election.

B.  Waiting for the other shoe to drop= Expecting bad news after a certain event or something that may happen after something else bad has happened.

Origin/background of the phrase:

This phrase is used when people are uneasy because they believe that in addition to whatever bad experience they have already experienced, it’s only a matter of time for more bad news to come.

Example sentences:

1.  After 100 employees loss their jobs because of the downsizing, the remaining employees were “waiting for the other shoe to drop” because they believed they may be next to lose their jobs.

2.  After a car accident, the family was at the hospital “waiting for the other shoe to drop” concerning their father’s condition.

3. It’s an uneasy feeling when you’re “waiting for the other shoe to drop!”

C.  Caved (slang)= Accepting defeat by quitting due to opposition.

Origin/background of the phrase:

This slang phrase is used when someone wants to put emphasis on the fact that a person quit due to the opposing pressure of continuing.  This phrase is a variation of “cave in” and shortened to “caved.”  The phrase “caved” has been gaining popularity lately and is used commonly in conversational English. 

Remember to use the proper tense of the base word “cave,” for example “cave” is the present tense and “caved” is past tense.  Present continuous form is not normally used unless you construct your sentence accordingly.   You could say someone is “caving” and be understood; however, it’s not a popular use of the expression.

Example sentences:

1.  When the candidate determined that he didn’t have enough votes to win the election, he “caved” and dropped out of the campaign.

2.  After the child was place on punishment, one of the parents “caved” when the child started crying and ended the punishment.

3.  The worker union “caved” in their demands for higher pay.

D.  Caved-in=  This phrase is basically the same as “caved” but is not as slang.

Examples sentences

1.  The father “caved-in” to his daughter’s request and gave her what she wanted.

2.  The wife told her husband, “if you “cave-in” again to our daughter, I’m going to have a fit!” (be angry).

3.  Wife says to her husband: “I told you our daughter was going to “cave-in” to her boyfriend and neglect her school work!”

English lessons from within:

When listening to a native speaker, you will hear the normal sentence structure with subject, object and verb.  However, they may interject a phrase in place of the verb and this is the point that confuses some students of English.

The solution is to write down these phrases or slang and learn what they mean.  Keep them in a small notebook dedicated for this purpose.  Make a note where you heard it, that is, from a movie, TV, interview, etc.  Put a check mark next to the phrase every time you hear it.  Eventually you will be able to determine the frequency of use and you should try to memorize the ones that are frequently used.  These phrases will become a part of your English vocabulary which you should use when you have an opportunity.

For those students who have only a very small amount of time, you may want to visit the new grammar video series I posted in the lessons section on my profile page.  Each grammar lesson is only 1 minute long on video.

Here is the link to the previous 20 mini lessons in the Teacher’s Forum.

http://www.englishbaby.com/forum/TeacherTalk/thread/390410?page=1

Well that’s all for now, here are the phrases for Mini Lesson No. 3

Hanging in the balance / Come up short / Pull it off

Buttafly.

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.” Mark Twain

Thanks!

Snoopyboy and Others,

Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it!

Concerning knowledge, no one knows everything but you should know where to find it! Before I write something, I research it, then give an explanation that I hope is understood. Therefore, the information doesn’t originate with me, rather, I become a channel that it flows through. In the process, I learn things as well.

Some final things, remember that “TIME” is a non-renewable resource and you only have the present moment, therefore, use your time wisely! Opportunities come and go; minimize missing opportunities and know that some of the most valuable lessons in life doesn’t require the use of money. “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows!” (Bob Dylan).

Whatever we know, it is only a part of all there is to know. This fact should keep us all humble. Have a nice day and may God bless you all!

Working on Mini Lesson No. 2 now, look out for it sometime this week!

Englishteacher24/7, you sound so formal,like a book even.You seem to have the answer for anything, how can I become as knowledgeable as you? Aslo I’m glad I find you, I will follow every single piece you write, very resourceful and geniune mentor. On behalf of every single learning member here I want to tell you that I admire your selflessness and dedication.

Lizaza you’ll be surprised of the kind of names somes bands or artists have nowadays. Thanks to Julito and the Teacher you know know the mystery behind “Black Eyed Peas” hope you enjoy their music along with a plate of of rice

 Dear Lizaza , it was my pleasure to try to help adding  some kind of explanation  to your question. The English Teacher  came to our help` clearing out any doubt that we might have  had  about  the name of this hip hop band.   take care.