IS IT YOUR CUP OF TEA?

Is it your cup of tea?

2015 saw the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland.

Can you match these “tea” expressions with their meanings? – Sai abbinare queste espressioni idiomatiche con i loro significati? Riguardano tutti il té!

1.    It’s not my cup of tea

2.    Not for all the tea in China

3.    A storm in a teacup

4.    As good as a chocolate teapot

5.    Put the kettle on

     a. To put water on the hob to boil – fare bollire l’acqua [per il té] nel bollitore

b.    A dramatic reaction to something unimportant – una tempesta in un bicchier d’acqua

c.    I don’t like this type of thing – non è di mio gusto / questa cosa non è per me

d.    Not for any price or reward – a nessun prezzo / per niente al mondo

e.    Useless – inutile / utile come il fumo negli occhi

Have you put the kettle on?

Highlight the space below to see the answers: 

1c, 2d, 3b, 4e, 5a.

BABY IDIOMS

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their son, His Royal Highness, Prince of Cambridge. The baby is third in the line of succession to the British throne, after his grandfather, Prince Charles, and father, Prince William [the Duke of Cambridge].

As everybody's thinking of babies this week, here are some baby idioms [1 - 6] for you to match up with their meanings [a - f].  You can see the answers at the end of the quiz:;

1.  as soft as a baby's bottom

2.  leave someone holding the baby

3.  sleep like a baby

4.  a baby boomer

5.  throw the baby out with the bathwater

6.  wet the baby's head

Image: WP Clipart

a.   Someone born between 1945 and 1965, the Postwar Era when a lot of babies were born.

b.  to discard something useful with something useless

c.  to sleep very well

d.  very smooth to touch

e.  [In British English]:  to celebrate the arrival of a baby by drinking alcohol [usually quite a lot!]

f.  To let someone else take the blame for a problem you have caused or for something you have done wrong.

To see the answers, please highlight the space below:

1. d  2. f  3. c  4.a  5. b  6. e

BONE IDIOMS

Richard lll

With no offence intended to England's last Plantagenet king, Richard lll, whose skeleton, it has been confirmed, was found under a Leicester car park, here are some bone idioms for you to match with their meanings:

1.  bone dry

2.  to make no bones about it

3.  to be all skin and bone

4.  to be bone idle

5.  to bone up on something

6.  to have a bone to pick with someone

7.  [to say something that is] close to the bone

8.  to be like a dog with a bone

a.  to stubbornly refuse to stop talking about something

b.  to study or revise [ripassare] something quickly, possibly for a test

c.  to say something that hurts or offends someone because the person is particularly sensitive about it

d.  to be absolutely clear and insistent about what you think

e.  to need to speak to someone about something they have done which has made you angry

f.  not wet at all

g.  to be very thin

h.  to be very lazy

To see the answers, highlight the space below:

1f, 2d, 3g, 4h, 5b, 6e, 7c, 8a.

LEAF IDIOMS

It's autumn and for many of us, that means that the leaves are falling.  Can you match up the leaf idioms 1 - 5 with their meanings a - e?  You'll find the answers at the end of the quiz:

1.  to turn over a new leaf

2.  to leaf through something

3.  to use as a fig leaf

4.  to take a leaf out of someone's book

5.  to shake like a leaf

a.  to copy someone else's behaviour, usually because the person sets a good example

b.  to turn over the pages of a publication quickly, without really paying attention to the content

c.  to tremble with fear

d.  to use a situation to hide an embarrassing fact or problem

e.  to begin again, changing one's behaviour in a good way

Finally, in Cockney Rhyming Slang  what is a  tea leaf ?   grief / beef / a thief?

To see the answers, please highlight the space below: 

1e, 2b, 3d, 4a, 5c.  In Cockney Rhyming slang, a "tea leaf" is a thief.

Images for this post are from WP Clipart.

Eric Clapton - Autumn Leaves

ARE YOU REACHING FOR THE MOON?

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died on 25th August and the world has been remembering him.

If you, like me, have been thinking about the moon in the past week, you may like to try matching the "moon" words and idioms below with their meanings.  You will find the answers before the songs at the end of the post:

1.  Once in a blue moon

2.  Be over the moon

3.  Ask for the moon

4.  Many moons ago

5.  Reach for the moon [also "stars"]

6.  Think someone hung the moon and the stars

7.  Moonshine

8.  It's all moonshine

9.  Moonlight [verb]

10. To moon over someone / something

a.  To think someone is wonderful and can do no wrong.

b.  To think something is all nonsence or imagination.

c.  Something that only happens very rarely.

d.  A long time ago.

e.  To grieve or pine about someone or something [often used in romantic situations].

f.  To try to do something that is very difficult;  to be very ambitious.

g.  Illegally made, very strong alcohol, made in illegal stills.

h.  To be very happy.

i.  To work at a second job when you already have a regular [day] job [usually without your regular employer's knowledge].

j. To want something that is probably impossible.

To see the answers, highlight the space below:

1c, 2h, 3j, 4d, 5f, 6a, 7g, 8b, 9i, 10e.

Now here is one of my favourite songs about the moon:

Anne Murray - Moon Over Brooklyn   

And everybody knows this one!

Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Moon

    

BOLTS AND FENCES

It's the last day of the London Olympics and everyone is talking about athlete Usain Bolt.   But do you know the following expressions which use the word bolt?

First of all, this is what we normally mean by a bolt:

Image: www.wpclipart.com

A bolt can also be a flash of lightning and this is what Usain Bolt's famous pose refers to.  We usually say bolt of lightning to make the meaning clear.  We also say thunderbolt when lightning is accompanied by the noise of thunder.

Image: www.wpclipart.com

A bolt from [or out of] the blue is a sudden, negative, shock or surprise.

If someone sits bolt upright, they are sitting in a very straight, rigid position.

If someone bolts their food down, they eat very fast and inelegantly.

If someone tells you that you should get down to the nuts and bolts of something, they mean that you should stop wasting timne and examine the important details of a situation or a thing.

The verb to bolt means to move away very suddenly and quickly [like our athlete!].

If you close the stable door after the horse has bolted, you are trying to solve a problem when it is already too late.

Image:  www.wpclipart.com

In the famous novel The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford, there is a character whose nickname is "The Bolter" because she is always running away from one man in order to start a relationship with another!

In my town of Modica in Sicily, everyone is talking about another athlete as well:  He is Giorgio Avola, a Modican fencer who was in the Italian male fencing team that won a gold medal in London.

Image:   www.wpclipart.com

Fencing is the sport of fighting with swords.  A fence is a barrier that people put around their property to enclose and protect it and the sport derives its English name from the concept of defending or protecting something.

Image:   www.wpclipart.com

If you fence something off, you build an enclosure around it.

If you sit on the fence, you are being indecisive about something.

If you mend your fences, you are trying to end a disagreement or argument. [This expression is often used in international politics.]

In British slang, a fence is someone who deliberately and illegally buys stolen property in order to sell it again later.

If you fence someone in, you are limiting them in some way so that they don't feel free to act as they wish.

Finally, do you agree with this proverb?

"Good fences make good neighbours."

Now try to complete these sentences with the right expression.  You will need to put the verbs into the correct tenses, too. The answers are below:

1.  I feel _________  by my parents' rule that I must get home before midnight.

2.  Losing my job was a real shock.  It was a ________________ .

3.  "I wish I'd studied harder for the exam!"
     "That's like ________________________ !"

4.  The USA is trying to _________________  with China on this issue.

5.  He ____ his lunch ____  because he was in a hurry.

6.  Some jewellery was stolen from my house but I expect the thieves have sold it to a _____ by now.

7.  She heard a noise during the night and _________________ in bed.

8.  The police have _______________  the crime scene.

9.  Make your mind up! Stop ___________________ !

10. Last night there was thunder and I also saw a ________________ .


To see the answers, highlight the space below:

1. fenced in  2. a bolt from the blue / out of the blue  3. closing the stable door after the horse has bolted
4.  mend its fences  5.  bolted.... down  6.  fence  7.  sat bolt upright  8.  fenced off  9.  sitting on the fence
10.  bolt of lightning.

Now here's a song!

Ray Conniff Singers - Don't Fence Me In




Chorus lyrics

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don't fence me in
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love
Don't fence me in
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever but I ask you please
Don't fence me in.

GOING FOR GOLD

An Olympic Gold Medal from 2000
Image:  Wikipedia

All that glisters is not gold

- English proverb from Shakespeare
[Modern English would use "glitters".]

I would guess that we are all interested in gold medals at the moment, so today let's have a look at some expressions and idioms that use the words gold or golden.

First of all, what is the difference between gold and golden?  Basically, gold means that something is made of the metal gold, whilst golden means "having the appearance of gold" and is often used poetically or figuratively.  We talk about a gold ring but a golden age or golden opportunity, for instance.  As always, there are exceptions, so it is always worth checking the context of these two words.

Now see if you can match up the gold or golden expressions 1 - 6  with their meanings a - f.  You will find the answers below:

1.  good as gold

2.  to be sitting on a goldmine

3.  a gold digger

4.  to have a heart of gold

5.  worth its weight in gold

6.  a golden rule


a.  a woman who forms relationships with a rich man or men because she is interested in his / their money

b. an important rule in a particular field / a principle ensuring fairness

c.  extremely valuable or useful

d.  a well-behaved, genuine person

e.  to be very kind

f.  to own something that could make you a lot of money

To see the answers, highlight the space below:

1d, 2f, 3a, 4e, 5c, 6b.  You can also use expression number 5 about a person, for example:  "A teacher who could help me with this exercise would be worth their weight in gold."

To go for gold means to try as hard as you can to achieve something.

By the way, did you know that Welsh gold is very rare and that the wedding rings of the royal brides of Britain are made from it?

Is it raining where you are? Never mind - you may find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!  In Irish folklore, a leprechaun is supposed to guard it.

Image: www.cartoon-clipart.com

Now it's time for a song!

This Beatles prelude to Carry That Weight  is based on a 1603 poem by Thomas Dekker.

The Beatles - Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight

And you have to clap your hands to this one! [In American English, a wedding ring is sometimes called a wedding band.] James Gilreath - Little Band of Gold



Little Band of Gold - Lyrics
There you were, standing there, smiling as you made your plans You were going to leave me and go with him You said you loved him so and your love would always be And that's the very same thing you once told me.
And you still had my little golden band on your hand Does my little band of gold mean nothing to you? To me it means the world but you've torn my world apart You're leaving me alone with my broken heart.
So take my little golden band from your hand My little band of gold means nothing to you To me it meant the world but you've torn my world apart You're leaving me alone with my broken heart.

SOME "BOATING" IDIOMS

The River Thames and the boats that travelled along it on Sunday were in the news all over the world, so this seems a good time to have a look at some "boating" idioms in English.

First of all, let's have a look at the terminology:

Boat is a general word for a sea or river vessel but usually refers to smaller ones.

Ship is used for larger sea-going vessels.

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat used for the transport of goods along rivers or canals. Barges are often towed. In naval terminology, a barge is a boat assigned to a flag officer, often for ceremonial occasions.  The Queen travelled on a very special barge on Sunday:

Image: Wikimedia Commons via
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianpatterson/7329591976/

To go boating means to take a trip in a boat for pleasure.

Now see if you can match the following sentences 1- 8, which all contain idioms about boats, with their meanings a - h.  The answers are at the end of the post.

1. I understand how you feel because I'm in the same boat.

2.  When my ship comes in, I'll buy you a car.

3.  I should have applied for the job but I missed the boat.

4.  Everything is ship-shape and Bristol fashion.

5. In the end he decided not to rock the boat.

6. She barged in on the meeting and annoyed everybody.

7.  My boss runs a tight ship.

8.  I wouldn't touch that project with a bargepole!

Broad Quay, Bristol, UK
 in the eighteenth century

a.  I was too late.

b.  I think the situation could be dangerous or stupid.

c.  The person is very strict in the way he or she manages the company or institution.

d.  When I become rich I will do this.

e.  The person did not want to cause a problem or disturb a situation.

f.  I am in the same situation as the other person.

g.  Everything is absolutely in order.

h.  She interrupted or entered in a rude way.


Highlight the space below to see the answers:

1f, 2d, 3a, 4g, 5e, 6h, 7c, 8b.

You can see the origin of the saying, "Ship-shape and Bristol fashion" here.

SOME QUEENLY EXPRESSIONS

Whatever you think of the British monarchy, there is no escape from the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations!  So here are some "queenly" expressions, 1 - 10, for you to match with their meanings a - j. You will find the answers at the end of the post.

Image: Wikipedia

1.  Queen bee

2.  The Queen's Speech*

3.  To turn Queen's evidence*

4.  Pearly Queen  [also "King"]

5.  Queen of Puddings

6.  Drama queen

7.  Homecoming Queen  [and sometimes "King"]

8.  Queen Anne [used as an adjective]

9.  The Queen's English*

10.  To queen it

Expressions marked with an asterisk [*] change to "King's" when the British monarch is a king.

a.  A style of furniture or architecture

b.  A person who dramatises an uncomplicated situation. 

c.  To domineer or to behave in a domineering way [slang].

d.  A dessert

e.  The fertile female in a hive

f.  To testify against one's criminal accomplice[s] in court.  [In countries where there is no monarch the term "turn state's evidence" is used.]

g.  The accent of standard English [about which there is much debate].

h.  Member of a traditional charitable organisation in London.  Pearly kings and queens wear costumes decorated with pearl buttons.

i.  The words of the Prime Minister, read by the Queen at the State Opening of the British Parliament.

j.  In the USA, a girl chosen to lead the celebrations of students returning to a school or a football team returning from its longest trip.

Image: Wikipedia

To see the answers, highlight the space below:

1e, 2i, 3f, 4h, 5d, 6b, 7j, 8a, 9g, 10c.