a group of people standing around a man who is reading a newspaper under an umbrella, illustrating a post on the meaning of "the calm before the storm" and other idioms in newspapers

The calm before the storm (Newspaper idioms)

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a group of people standing around a man who is reading a newspaper under an umbrella, illustrating a post on the meaning of "the calm before the storm" and other idioms in newspapers
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by Kate Woodford

Readers of our About Words blog often ask us for posts on currently used English idioms. One way that we make sure we give you up-to-date idioms is by looking at expressions used in current newspapers. This week, the idioms come from a range of national newspapers that were published on 5 October 2023. Continue reading “The calm before the storm (Newspaper idioms)”

a smiling woman reading a newspaper on the bus

A flash in the pan (Newspaper idioms)

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a smiling woman reading a newspaper on the bus
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by Kate Woodford

Today’s post is the latest in my ‘newspaper idioms and phrases’ series. The aim of this series is to keep you supplied with up-to-date, frequent English idioms. As with previous ‘newspaper idioms’ posts, these expressions all come from a range of national newspapers published on the same day. Continue reading “A flash in the pan (Newspaper idioms)”

a young man and woman sitting together in a living room smiling as they speak to each other

You’re speaking my language! Phrases with the verbs ‘speak’ and ‘say’

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a young man and woman sitting together in a living room smiling as they speak to each other
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by Liz Walter

My last post was on phrases containing the verb ‘talk’. This one looks at some phrases with the related words ‘speak’ and ‘say’. Continue reading “You’re speaking my language! Phrases with the verbs ‘speak’ and ‘say’”

three people sitting outside in a city drinking coffee and having an enthusiastic conversation

Now you’re talking! Phrases with the verb ‘talk’

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three people sitting outside in a city drinking coffee and having an enthusiastic conversation
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by Liz Walter

My last two posts (Verbs to use instead of ‘say’ and Using animal noises to show human emotions) have been about verbs that describe the way people speak. In this post and the next one, I’ll be looking at some useful phrases that actually contain the verbs talk, speak, and say. Continue reading “Now you’re talking! Phrases with the verb ‘talk’”

a young man putting chairs up on tables in a cafe as he prepares to leave work at the end of the day

At the end of the day (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 2)

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a young man putting chairs up on tables in a cafe as he prepares to leave work at the end of the day
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by Kate Woodford

In a recent post, I looked at phrases containing the word ‘day’, most of which relate in some way to time. Today, I’m considering frequent idioms that feature the word ‘day’. In many of these, the original meaning of ‘day’ isn’t quite as obvious. Continue reading “At the end of the day (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 2)”

composite photograph of the Beijing skyline seen at several different times of day and night

From one day to the next (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 1)

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composite photograph of the Beijing skyline seen at several different times of day and night
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by Kate Woodford

The word ‘day’ features in a lot of commonly used phrases and idioms so I thought I’d take a look at the most useful ones. This post focuses mainly on phrases rather than idioms. Continue reading “From one day to the next (Phrases with ‘day’, Part 1)”

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Wimps and scaredy-cats: talking about people who are not brave

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a small white cat with black and orange markings on its ears and tail looking frightened by something off-camera
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by Liz Walter

My last post was on the topic of bravery, so by way of a contrast, this one looks at words and phrases connected with the opposite. The most common word for someone who isn’t brave is coward. The related adjective is cowardly (one of those rare adjectives that ends in -ly) and the noun is cowardice: Continue reading “Wimps and scaredy-cats: talking about people who are not brave”

picture of an old, worn teddy bear against a dark red background

On its last legs (Describing the condition of objects, Part 1)

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picture of an old, worn teddy bear against a dark red background
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by Kate Woodford

A friend recently told me that she needed a new sofa. Her current one, she said, ‘had seen better days’, meaning that it was clearly old and damaged. This nice idiom (‘have seen better days’) got me thinking about the many ways we describe the condition of objects, both good and bad. This post, in two parts and covering both single words and phrases, is the result of this. Continue reading “On its last legs (Describing the condition of objects, Part 1)”

a father and his young daughter sitting next to each other on a sofa and reading a news magazine together

Calling it quits and pitting your wits! (Idioms and phrases in newspapers)

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a father and his young daughter sitting next to each other on a sofa and reading a news magazine together
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by Kate Woodford

Today’s post is the latest in my ‘Idioms and phrases in newspapers’ series, which I write in order to provide you with a regular supply of contemporary, frequently used English idioms and phrases. The expressions all come from a range of national newspapers that were published on the same day. Continue reading “Calling it quits and pitting your wits! (Idioms and phrases in newspapers)”

four seated men seen from the chest downwards - three are sitting formally and wearing plain black suits, and one is sitting casually with crossed legs and wearing a bright red suit

Out of the ordinary: ways of saying that something is unusual (2)

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four seated men seen from the chest downwards - three are sitting formally and wearing plain black suits, and one is sitting casually with crossed legs and wearing a bright red suit
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by Kate Woodford

My last blog post looked at adjectives used to describe things that are unusual or in some way different. In today’s post, I focus on idioms and phrases in this area. Continue reading “Out of the ordinary: ways of saying that something is unusual (2)”