Understanding American English Phrases

Greetings everyone!  It is my pleasure to return to writing mini lessons on understanding American English phrases.

For those of you who have been following my mini-lessons, I want to apologize to you (especially to those who wrote comments) for my mistake in deleting the posts.  If anyone wants a copy of the last 9 mini-lessons, please send me an email with “Request Mini Lessons” on the subject line and I’ll send you a copy.

We left off on the following phrases:

Hand-over-fist / Between a rock and a hard place / Back in the day

Since I’m starting over, this will be Mini Lesson No. 1, so “on with the show!”

1. Hand-over-fist 

This phrase is used primarily when describing someone/something that is earning money in a fast profitable manner.  Please study the following examples:

1. Henry and his brother Jack had an idea to sell flavored bottle water to people on the island, and they were making money “hand over fist” in their  business endeavor!

2.  Money lenders can make money “hand-over-fist” by charging various transaction fees.

3.  You can make money “hand over fist” if you supply goods to a market with strong demand and no competition.

Background of the phrase:  The origin of this phrase appears to be nautical from sailors who would reel in rope by placing a hand on the rope and pulling and then placing and pulling with the other hand, thereby, using a hand-over-hand motion until the rope was completely in. This phrase is commonly used in everyday American English by someone who wants to quickly convey the message of somebody making money fast, there may be some sarcasm in their tone of voice.  The other person may reply, “yes and they were laughing all the way to the bank!” (phrase for another lesson, try to understand the context)

2.  Between a rock and a hard place

 This phrase indicates that a person is in an unfavorable position of having to make a decision which has choices that are undesirable.  In literal terms, it would express the thought of something caught between a rock and something else hard.  Whatever the hard place is, the result is the same, that is, entrapment.  Consider the examples:

1. Sally says to her mother: “Mom, I have 2 important tests to take for my final examination in school and I only have time to study for 1 of them, I’m really stuck “between a rock and a hard place,” help!”

Mom to Sally: Sally, why did you wait so late to study, you should have allowed yourself enough time!”  Sally to Mom: “Mom, that’s water under the bridge!” (another lesson, understand by the context)

2. The company’s policy was never to eliminate personnel due to financial reasons, however, the economy is so bad that they may have to go out of business unless they can reduce the budget.  Therefore, the company is “between a rock and a hard place” not to eliminate employees.

3. My parents are not in good health and need my help, however, I must work to be able to support them.  I am “between a rock and a hard place” to decide what to do?  

You can understand from the examples above that being “between a rock and a hard place” means having to make a difficult decision with either decision not being desirable.

Background of the phrase:  From Greek mythology of Odyssey.  This phrase is used commonly in everyday English.

3. Back in the day

This is a relatively new phrase that is being used to describe something that happened in the past.

1. “Back in the day” before computers, we relied on writing letters or sending telegrams instead of simply sending an email! 

2. “Back in the day” in high school, chess was a very popular game to play!

3. “Back in the day” during the 1950’s and 1960’s, love song lyrics were very romantic!

You can see from the use of this phrase that it is referring to something that happened during a time in the past that the speaker is causing the listener to refer to.

Background of the phrase:  This is a slang phrase that came from American urban life which has made it’s way into mainstream American English.  It’s used in informal conversation by young and old.

Well, it’s good to be back, thanks for all of the emails and friend requests I’ve received.  Some of you are really serious about learning English and I’ll do my best to help you understand authentic American English. 

Here is my suggestion for you to learn English: Read, Write, Speak and think in English!

Until the next time!

Thanks Raibite, here’s to you and other readers of the mini lessons.

Mini Lesson No. 20

Weigh in / A leg up / You nailed it

A. Weigh in= To offer your opinion or judgement in a discussion, argument or a certain matter.

Origin/Background of the phrase:

To determine the weight class of a fighter such as boxers or wrestlers, they must prove they are eligible for their weight class. Once their weight has been confirmed, they can proceed with the fighting match.

When used as a phrase, you are making your opinion known. Here are some examples:

1. With the campaign season starting, the public is waiting for the Republican candidates to “weigh in.”

2. Everyone was waiting for the president to “weigh in“ concerning his plan to improve the economy.

3. Until the referee “weighs in,” we won’t know if the basketball shot made when the clock ran out will count!

B. A leg up= To gain an advantage or receive a helping hand.

Origin/Background of the phrase:

The first known use of this phrase was in 1837.

This phrase is from the act of an equestrian receiving assistance in mounting a horse. The person helping the rider would cup his hands (put them together with the inside facing up) tp allow the rider to use the cupped hands as a step while the other person lifted him up and over onto the horse.

Can you imagine how this phrase can be used to indicate someone received help or has an advantage? Here are some examples:

1. The runner sacrificed going to a celebration party to get “a leg up” on the competition by receiving a good nights rest.

2. College students are always trying to get “a leg up“ to be accepted by a college!

3. To get “a leg up“ for a job interview, it helps if you can meet someone from the company.

C. You nailed it= To get something absolutely right (correct) or you were successful at doing something.

Origin/Background of the phrase:

I could not determine the origin of this phrase, however, my guess concerning the logic of the phrase may be that when you nail something, you attach something to a definite point. When using the phrase, you’re correct on a certain point. Here are some sample statements:

1. Jane “nailed it” when she predicted the winning team.

2. “Daughter, “you nailed it” when you got all “A’s” on your report card!”

3. The Defense Attorney “nailed it” when he proved the defendant was in another place, thus, vindicating his client of all criminal charges.

English lessons from within:

Determining the mood of the speaker/writer:

It is important to understand the mood of the speaker/writer, this is the foundation of the words that will follow. As you gain experience learning English, you will learn not to take everything in a literal sense. Your goal will be to discern the mood of the speaker/writer.

I’ve started a new lesson entitled: “Inside the language” which I invite you to read on my profile page.

Well, that’s all I have for you in this session, here are the phrases for

Mini Lesson No. 21

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

Until next time, use English as much as you can!

Thanks for the phrases. I’ll keep following these mini lessons ;)

Mini Lesson No. 21

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 of 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.”  It 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 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.

Example 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.

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

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

Dear sir!

Your lessions are very easy to understand because of your different examples.explanation. I do realy love your lessons. I am very interested to have your mini lessions on my email and want to add to my lessions but couldn’t able to find way…..how to add them.  

Thank you, Sir!

You have such a strong grip on American slang and phrases as you turn lessons into fun activity, you are shoo-in for the position of American English slang and phrases teacher.

I was always pessimistic about learning slangs as I used to think that learning American slang from any teacher would be waiting for the other shoe to drop, but thank you Sir due to your efforts my vicious circle of negativity is coming to halt. as you are making learning peanuts by taking slang and phrases back to earliest of origins where we can find true foundation for the most hardest nuts.

In short, it would be inappropriate to ‘cave-in’ from learning slang and phrases any further.

Yours sincerely! 

Rachaeita, I’ve sent the first 10 mini lessons to your email address.

Saladeen, I’ve been explaining American English phrases for over 25 years with my non-native co-workers before I retired. 

You used all of the phrases correctly, if you heard a native speaker using them, you would know exactly what they were saying, therefore, you receive an “A” in my class!

I hope Sir, I will learn everyday something new from you!

Thanks a lot for your care!

Mini Lesson No. 22

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

A. Hanging in the balance=

Being in a precarious or uncomfortable position where the outcome (result) can be either one way or another way.

Origin/background of the phrase:

The origin dates back to the 15th century during biblical times concerning scales and the significance of things being in balance.  “Hanging in the balance” came to mean a situation is left to uncertainty.  For example, if the head of a family went to stay in a hospital because of an illness, the family would be left “hanging in the balance” because they would not know what their fate would be.

Examples of the phrase:

1. I was told by my supervisor that my salary was going to increase, but I haven’t received any increase in salary. It looks like my pay increase is “hanging in the balance!”

2. If the speaker of the hour does not arrive, the host will be left “hanging in the balance!”

3. I’ll be left “hanging in the balance” if my car doesn’t start and I can’t get to my job!”

B. Come up short= To have an insufficiency and not meet a requirement.

Origin and background of the phrase:

Determining the origin of this phrase is not clear. To a non-native the phrase may not make any sense if you take the literal meaning of the words and try to put them all together to understand the meaning. Come up is a phrasal verb which would mean to “rise up,” however, the word “short” would be the opposite of “tall.” If you take the fact that short is less than coming up, you maybe can understand that something is not rising to a certain level or in other words, it is insufficient to meet the requirement.

Hopefully, this explanation will give you some idea of how the phrase is used in conversational English. Here are some examples of the phrase:

1. Father to son: Son, I want you to take this money and go to the store to purchase the items on my list. I’m giving you more than enough money so you won’t “come up short.”

Son: Okay Dad!

2. Some politicians “come up short” when they don’t fulfill their campaign promises!

3. If you “come up short” on your test scores, you may not receive a passing grade.

C. Pull it off= To accomplish a task or goal usually under challenging circumstances.

Origin/background of the phrase:

This is another phrasal verb that the origin can’t be identified. However, it is known to date back to at least 1887 in written text (Black, 5th edition). Concerning it’s use, it basically means “to win” which when used in conversational English, the speaker is communicating that something is going to be accomplished or not be accomplished depending on the construction of the sentence. Here are some examples:

1. Susan: “Say Jan, you’re a full-time student and work a full-time job. Are you going to be able to “pull it off?”“

2. Jan: Well Susan, I have no choice because I need the money and the chance of a better job.

3. Susan: “You go girl!” (slang for encouraging someone to do it)

English lessons from within:

The key to improving in English is learning vocabulary and using it. One way to increase your vocabulary twice as fast is through the use of antonyms. Antonyms is the opposite meaning of any word. For example, the antonym of “up” is “down”, the antonym of “left” is “right.” Therefore, if you learn one word, learn the opposite word at the same time and you will double your vocabulary for about the same amount of time. Well, that’s all for now, there are 21 more mini lessons in the Teacher’s Forum which I will share with you, here’s the link: http://www.englishbaby.com/forum/TeacherTalk/thread/390410

Mini Lesson No. 23 words are:

Pushing the envelope / Stay put / Back down

Thank you Mr. Alston. Interesting phrases but it took me long to understand them especially ” come up short”. With regards. Looking forward to others.

Liana, good to hear from you again!  I’ve added some background information for the phrase “hanging in the balance,” you may want to read it again to help give more understanding.  Please be sure to watch the one-minute grammar lessons, the link is on my profile page.