TOPIC: Common English Idioms Series 2 | 영어 관용구: 시리즈 2

In this series, you will learn some common English idioms. | 다양한 관용구를 배워봅시다.

Use the examples to help you understand how these idioms and expressions are used.
예문을 보면서 관용구가 어떻게 사용됐는지 정확히 이해하세요.

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포럼 업데이트를 주기적으로 확인하며 함께 공부해요. 열여섯 살 이상의 학생 혹은 성인이시라면, 회원으로 가입해 보는 건 어떠세요? 오이스터카페의 즐겁고, 유익하고, 주제에 꼭 맞는 효율적 영어 강의를 체험해 보세요.
열공!

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A tall story/tale (idiom / 영어 관용구): a story that is very hard to believe; a story that seems too good or too embellished to be true

Tip to help you remember: Another way of saying ‘tall story’ is ‘fisherman’s tale’. Fishermen/women are famous for telling tall stories – the fish they catch are always bigger in the story than in reality.

Note: Tall stories are usually told on purpose to amuse or make a story more interesting.



Examples
1. Situation: A little boy talking to his mom after coming home from school.
Mom: How was school? Do you have any homework?
Son: Good and no homework. The teacher said because we were all so good today in class we didn’t have to do homework tonight.
Mom: “You were all so good.” Did the teacher really say that?
Son: Yes. And she said that the mommies and daddies should give us ice cream (Laughing).
Mom: Oh, did she? That sounds like a bit of a tall story. But, OK. We can have ice cream.

2. Situation: A grandfather talking to his grandson.
Grandfather: …and then the pirates attacked my boat.
Grandson: Really, grandpa? Pirates really attacked your boat?
Grandfather: Yes. Hundreds of them. Why? You don’t believe me?
Grandson: Hmm... To be honest, this sounds like another one of your tall stories.

3. Situation: Two friends talking about a fishing trip.
Billy: Do I have a story for you? Yesterday, I caught a huge lobster; it must have been at least 50kg.
Jean: Hmmm… A 50kg lobster; is it possible? Sounds like a bit of a tall story to me.

Bonus Vocabulary
embellish (v.): to exaggerate; to make (a statement or story) more interesting or entertaining by adding extra details, especially ones that are not true.
Do I have a story for you? (exp.): used to introduce an exciting or interesting story

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Bark worse than one’s bite (idiom / 영어 관용구): someone’s temper is worse than the actual punishment they hand out or action they take when they are angry

Tip to help you remember: Many dogs bark but don’t bite.



Examples
1. Situation: A boss is yelling at someone in the office.
New employee: Oh my gosh! The boss really has a temper, doesn’t he?
Long-time employee: (Ha ha) Don’t be alarmed. His bark is worse than his bite.

2. Situation: Two students talking about their new teachers.
Grant: Who did you get for math?
Sally: Mr. Johns. I hear he has a bad temper.
Grant: Nah, don’t stress. His bark is worse than his bite; he’s a real pussycat.
Sally: But he gives a lot of detentions, doesn’t he?

3. Situation: A father yelling at his teenage son for doing something wrong.
Father: (Yelling) If you do that again you will be grounded for a week!
Son: Whatever, dad.
Father: I mean it! I will ground you for a month if I have to.
Son: Dad, you know your bark is worse than your bite. You’ll never ground me; you’re too much of a pussycat, aren’t you?
Father: (Laughing) Yes, I am. But I really will ground you this time.
Son: You have been saying that for 17 years, haven't you?

Communication Tip: Question Tags
What they are used for: Question tags are generally used to seek confirmation on what you believe to be true.

How they are made: Question tags (or tag questions) turn a statement into a question and are formed by combining an auxiliary verb (e.g. be, have) with the subject’s pronoun (e.g. I, you, she, it, they).

Remember, in most cases if the main clause is positive, the question tag is negative, and if the main clause is negative, then the question tag is positive. For example: It's hot today (positive), isn't it (negative)? And: It isn't hot today (negative), is it (positive)?

Examples of Question Tags
* You’re a pussycat, aren’t you? (i.e. I think you are a pussycat, do you agree?)
* The boss has a temper, doesn’t he? (i.e. Is it true the boss has a bad temper?)
* The movie wasn't good, was it? (i.e. I don't think the movie was good, do you agree?)
* The teacher gives a lot of detentions, doesn’t he? (i.e. Is it true that the teacher always gives detention?)

Bonus Vocabulary
alarmed (v.): worried or concerned by something
punishment (n.): a penalty as retribution for an offense
bark (n./v.): the sound a dog makes
pussycat (informal n.): used to describe a surprisingly gentle or meek person
oh my gosh (exclamation): used to show shock or surprise
ground (someone) (v.): prevent someone from doing something they want to as punishment
grounded (adj.): (of a child being punished) not allowed to participate in social or recreational activities.

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Break the ice (idiom / 영어 관용구): to start a conversation with a stranger as a way of relieving an awkward mood; to create a good mood between strangers so they can engage in conversation

Tip to help you remember: When you meet someone new it is often difficult to start a conversation because the mood is cold (like ice). Therefore, we must break the ice so the mood warms up.



Examples

1. Situation: Meeting someone at a party.
Bob: Hi. I’m Bob. Instead of standing alone I thought I’d walk over here and break the ice.
Mary: Well, I’m glad you did. I’m Mary; nice to meet you.

2. Situation: Running an ice-breaking game at a business seminar.
Seminar host: Before we begin, I would like everyone to turn to the person next to them and break the ice by telling that person your favorite movie and why.

3. Situation: Meeting someone in a university lecture.
Chris: (Sits down in the lecture hall next to another student) Hi, I’m Chris.
Dave: Hi, I’m Dave.
Chris: Nice to meet you.
Dave: You too. I’ve actually seen you in this class before.
Chris: Really? You too. And that’s why I thought I’d come over and break the ice.

Bonus Vocabulary
stranger (n.): someone you don’t know
mood (n.): atmosphere; feeling
engage in (v.); to do

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A dream come true (영어 관용구): when something you have been really hoping for finally happens

Tip to help you remember: Do you dream about getting the perfect job, meeting the perfect partner, or travelling to exotic places? Well, if you do any of these things, then your dream has come true.



Examples

1. Situation: A guy is about to propose to his girlfriend.
Guy: Meeting you was a dream come true.
Girl: (Blushing) Oh, you are so sweet. Meeting you was also a dream come true.
Guy: I know (Laughs). But seriously, you know I love you, right?
Girl: Yes, I know. You tell me every day, don’t you?
Guy: (Laughs) I do. Well, I was wondering (Getting down on one knee)…

2. Situation: A guy telling his friend he landed his dream job.
Yeni: Why do you look so happy? Did one of your dreams come true or something?
Kenji: Exactly! I landed my dream job today.
Yeni: Really? That’s fantastic!
Kenji: I know, right? Up top! (Reaching an open hand toward the sky)
Yeni: (Gives a high five) Well done! I’m proud of you! Let’s go celebrate. Your treat!

Note: To keep this conversation going Kenji or Yeni would need to ask a question in the next one or two exchanges. Having a long conversation without asking questions is almost impossible.

3. Situation: Two friends discussing goals and dreams.
Benny: Did you hear Kenji just landed his dream job?
Jet: Yeah, I heard that. It really sounds like a dream come true for him, doesn’t it?
Benny: I know. It’s rad! The guy deserves it; he has worked so hard.
Jet: How about you? Do you have any dreams or goals?

Communication Tip: Question Tags/Tag Questions
What they do: Common in spoken English, question tags are generally used to get a confirmation or affirmation that what one said is true or correct.

How to form: In a positive sentence a negative question tag is used and in negative sentence a positive question tag is used.

Examples
* It really sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?
* Your dream came true, didn’t it?
* Kenji got a new job, didn’t he?
* You don’t like pizza, do you?
* She doesn’t work with you, does she?

Bonus Vocabulary
exotic (adj.): originating in or characteristic of a foreign country or culture
propose (v.): to ask someone to get married
blush (v.): when one’s face turns red from shame or embarrassment
land a … (phrasal verb): to get something (usually a job, a promotion, or an opportunity)
up top (exp.): used to tell someone to give you a high five
your treat (exp.): said to a friend when you want them to pay for your meal or drink etc.

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Let the cat out of the bag (idiom): to reveal a secret

Tip to help you remember: Imagine what you have in your bag is secret – you don’t want people to see it.



Examples
1. Situation: Three friends are talking about a work colleague.
Min-Song: So, there is a rumor Josh is getting fired.
Sam: What!? Is that true? Josh is getting fired?
Greg: Yeah, I think so. I heard the same thing as Min-Song.
Sam: Jeez….He doesn’t know yet, does he?
Min-Song: I don’t think so. But please don’t let the cat out of the bag.
Sam: I won't. But I hope he lands a new job soon; he has a family to feed.

2. Situation: Two friends are gossiping about a rumor they heard.
Sam: Did you hear the rumor about Josh?
Jeff: Nope. What rumor?
Sam: I heard he is going to be fired.
Jeff: Well, it doesn’t surprise me; he’s as slow as a snail at work.
Sam: True, but they could retrain him, couldn’t they?
Jeff: Sure, but he’s as thick as two short planks.
Sam: (Ha ha) That’s mean! Anyway, please keep this under your hat.
Jeff: Of course. I’ll keep the cat in the bag, don’t worry.

3. Situation: Two colleagues talking about a rumor they have heard.
Jeff: Have I got news for you!?
Oh-Jin: Oh…pray, do tell.
Jeff: I shouldn’t actually tell you, it’s sort of a secret.
Oh-Jin: Come on; just let the cat out of the bag.
Jeff: OK. Do you know Josh from sales?
Oh-Jin: Yeah, the slow guy. Tall as a giraffe.
Jeff: (Ha ha) Yeah, that’s him. Anyway, I heard he’s getting fired.
Oh-Jin: For real? That’s not good.

Grammar Tip: Making Comparisons (As + adjective/adverb + as + a/an noun)
In English, you can use ‘as + adjective/adverb + as’ to make comparisons when the things we are comparing are equal in some way.

You can use ‘not as … as’ when making comparisons between things which aren’t equal.

Examples
He is as big as a house. (i.e. The man is very big.)
She is as quiet as a mouse. (i.e. The lady is very quiet.)
That guy is as tall as a giraffe. (i.e. The man is very tall.)
He is as strong as an ox. (i.e. The man is very strong.)
He is running as quickly as a cheetah. (i.e. He is running very fast.)
My brother is not as smart as he looks. (i.e. My brother is not very smart.)

Bonus Vocabulary
colleague (n.): someone you work with; coworker
rumor (n.): unconfirmed news
pray, do tell (exp.): please tell me; I really want you to tell me
slow (informal adj.): unintelligent; slow to do or comprehend things
sort of (adv.): in part; kind of
mean (adj.): unkind
thick (adj.): wide
thick (informal adj.) not smart; stupid
gossip (v.): talking about other people, typically involving unconfirmed details or rumors

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