Hot under the collar? Idiomatic phrases with ‘hot’.

On December 4, 2019November 28, 2019 By Liz WalterIn Idioms24 Comments

mikroman6/Moment/Getty Images

Sitting in my office in Cambridge UK, with cold, windy weather outside, it is nice to think about phrases containing the word ‘hot’. There are quite a lot of them, and this post looks at some of the most useful ones.

Let’s start with the phrase in the title. If someone is hot under the collar, they are angry and look as though they might lose their temper soon. We often use the verb get or become with this phrase. Continue reading “Hot under the collar? Idiomatic phrases with ‘hot’.” →

Flaring up or bubbling over? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 2.

On October 16, 2019October 22, 2019 By Liz WalterIn Idioms, Phrasal verbs, the English language, Vocabulary28 Comments

by Liz Walter

My last post was about phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs connected to sadness and happiness. This post will look at some other emotions.

Let’s start with anger. If someone suddenly becomes angry, we can say that they flare up. Blow up is similar and often describes an even angrier outburst. We use the preposition at if that anger is directed at a particular person: Continue reading “Flaring up or bubbling over? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 2.” →

Weighed down or perking up? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 1

On September 18, 2019August 31, 2019 By Liz WalterIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary25 Comments

by Liz Walter

Phrasal verbs are a very important part of English (even if students hate them!) and I have written several posts explaining useful ones. I realised recently that there is a surprisingly large number of phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs relating to emotions. Today I am going to concentrate on happiness and sadness. My next post will cover some other emotions, and a final post will present a selection of phrasal verbs for talking more generally about emotions. Continue reading “Weighed down or perking up? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 1” →

Couch potatoes and peas in a pod: more food idioms

On September 11, 2019August 31, 2019 By Kate WoodfordIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary11 Comments

by Kate Woodford

Last month, we looked at idioms featuring words for sweet items of food. Changing the order in which we usually eat food, (savoury, then sweet), we’re now focusing on idioms that feature words for savoury (UK)/savory (US) food. Continue reading “Couch potatoes and peas in a pod: more food idioms” →

Eggs are in aisle 3: the language of supermarket shopping

On September 4, 2019August 31, 2019 By Liz WalterIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary33 Comments

by Liz Walter

Food shopping is something that nearly all of us do, and it is the kind of basic topic that is often quite difficult in another language. This post looks at some words and phrases you might need if you go to a supermarket in an English-speaking country. Note that — as so often with everyday language — there are lots of differences between UK and US vocabulary. Continue reading “Eggs are in aisle 3: the language of supermarket shopping” →

Pieces of cake and sour grapes: food idioms

On August 28, 2019August 26, 2019 By Kate WoodfordIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary53 Comments

by Kate Woodford

This week, we’re looking at English idioms that feature food and drink words. As there are lots of these idioms, we’re focusing today on idioms containing words for sweet food. Next month, we’ll publish a post on savoury (UK) or savory (US) food idioms.

Continue reading “Pieces of cake and sour grapes: food idioms” →

The ball’s in your court now: idioms with ‘ball’

On August 7, 2019July 30, 2019 By Liz WalterIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary20 Comments

by Liz Walter

There are a surprising number of idioms that contain the word ‘ball’. This post looks at some of the most useful ones.

It seems appropriate to start with the idiom get/start the ball rolling, which means to do something to make an activity start or to encourage other people to do something similar to you:

I’m hoping we can all share our ideas today. Who would like to start the ball rolling? Continue reading “The ball’s in your court now: idioms with ‘ball’” →

My very best friend: talking about friendship

On July 17, 2019July 15, 2019 By Liz WalterIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary21 Comments

by Liz Walter

July 30^th is the United Nations’ International Day of Friendship, so this post is all about words and phrases for talking about friends and friendship.

A friend can be anyone you like and spend time with, so we use adjectives to say how much we like or love someone. A good friend or a close friend is someone you spend a lot of time with and care very much about, and your best friend is the person you love most of all:

I’d like you to meet my good friend Mateo.

He doesn’t have many close friends.

Sarah is my very best friend.

Continue reading “My very best friend: talking about friendship” →

Black sheep and cans of worms: animal idioms, part 4

On July 10, 2019July 3, 2019 By Kate WoodfordIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary17 Comments

By Kate Woodford

This post – the last in our popular ‘animal idioms’ series – looks at idioms featuring animals that range in size from an elephant to a worm. Most of today’s idioms have a rather negative meaning.

Let’s start with the elephant idiom. If people know that a problem exists but they find it too embarrassing or difficult to talk about, the problem may be described as the elephant in the room:

We all know that Tom will have to retire at some point, but no one mentions it – it’s the elephant in the room. Continue reading “Black sheep and cans of worms: animal idioms, part 4” →

Bird’s-eye views and headless chickens: animal idioms, part 3

On June 12, 2019May 30, 2019 By Kate WoodfordIn Idioms, the English language, Vocabulary20 Comments

Sandra Standbridge / Moment / Getty Images

by Kate Woodford

This is the third in our popular series of blogs about common animal idioms. We’ll start with a creature that is found in a few frequently used idioms: the bird. (Sadly, the first two idioms have their origin in hunting.) If you want to say that with one single action you achieve two separate things, you might say you kill two birds with one stone:

I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and drop my coat off at the cleaner’s on the way to the library. Continue reading “Bird’s-eye views and headless chickens: animal idioms, part 3” →

About Words – Cambridge Dictionaries Online blog

Category: Idioms

Hot under the collar? Idiomatic phrases with ‘hot’.

Flaring up or bubbling over? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 2.

Weighed down or perking up? Phrasal verbs to express emotions, part 1

Couch potatoes and peas in a pod: more food idioms

Eggs are in aisle 3: the language of supermarket shopping

Pieces of cake and sour grapes: food idioms

The ball’s in your court now: idioms with ‘ball’

My very best friend: talking about friendship

Black sheep and cans of worms: animal idioms, part 4

Bird’s-eye views and headless chickens: animal idioms, part 3

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: