Sporting idioms

A lot of idioms in the English language come from the world of sport and have become so embedded in the English language that most people have probably forgotten that

• ” to throw the towel in” comes from boxing
• “to give it your best shot” was originally used in the context of hunting

to mention but two examples. In this American video you can learn a few more

That was a nice tutorial, didn´t you think? If you wish to practise further,  click on the following links

Interactive idioms

A fun animated interactive game

A nice alphabetical list

Exhaustive list of American sport idioms; click on the left to find idioms related to each sport.

The ball is in your court now and although it won´t all be plain sailing, just give it your best shot!

Colour idioms: Green

Play this video to learn a few idioms that include the word ‘green’.

In this video the Teacher goes green:

1. To have green fingers
2. The grass is always greener on the other side
3. To be green with envy

Have you got green fingers? Or tell me about a time you’ve been green with envy. Use one or more of these idioms in a paragraph as a comment.

Colour idioms: Red

In this video, three idiomatic expressions which use the colour red:

1. Paint the town red
2. Catch someone red-handed
3. Like a red rag to a bull

When was the last time you painted the town red? Have you ever been caught red-handed?

Send me a sentence or two using one or more of these idioms.

An Idiom a Day Keeps your Brain Awake

As Anna’s pledge suggested and you all signed up for (hint, hint), we will learn an idiom every lesson between 7^th January -26^th February and, if successful, we can go on with it til the end of the year.

Students of English have trouble using idioms in their conversations, but PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT so, let’s go for it. Idioms play a very important role in English; native speakers often use them, so it’s important to use them in order to achieve fluency. You have to try and use as many idioms as you can in order NOT TO BE LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER  in any conversation. Using idioms naturally is not as difficult as it seems, pay attention to the following story:

‘ I almost GOT INTO HOT WATER with my boss , who IS A COLD FISH, by the way. This morning, I PUT MY FOOT IN IT. As I was DRESSED TO KILL for the meeting, the clients thought I was the boss. Can you imagine it? What a difficult situation!  Finally, when we were by ourselves, I was warned that if I did it again, I would BE FIRED. He also told me that he wasn’t PULLing MY LEG, on the contrary, he was speaking very seriously.’

Well, DOWN TO BUSINESS, I am looking forward to your new idioms!!

By clicking here you will find a whole page dedicated to idioms with their meanings and an example, and here  is a good selection too.

Be patient, ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN ONE DAY!