TODAY'S IDIOM: A WEIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDERS

"A WEIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDERS"

You can say a weight is off your shoulders if you no longer have to worry about something or deal with something difficult.

Quitarte un peso de encima.

Example sentences:

• Thanks so much for agreeing to take care of Snoopy while I'm away. It's a weight off my shoulders knowing that a real dog lover will be looking after her / Muchas gracias por haber accedido a cuidar a Snoopy mientras estaba fuera. Me quité un peso de encima al saber que un verdadero amante del perro cuidó de ella.

• He has a lot to do this week, so Trevor said it'd be a real weight off his shoulders if I could do the reports for him / Él tiene mucho que hacer esta semana, por lo que Trevor dijo que le quitaría un gran peso de encima si yo hiciera los reportes por él.

Additional example:

• If you could take over the job of organizing the party, that would be a tremendous weight off my shoulders.

• I think it was a real weight off Cathy's shoulders when you offered to take care of the arrangements. She's got so much else to deal with at the moment.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: A FIRM HAND

"A FIRM HAND"

A person who will discipline people.

Example: The students in Grade 8 need a teacher with a firm hand. 

Mano firme.

Example sentences:

• I had to use a firm hand with Perry when he was a child. He had a problem with discipline / Tuve que usar una mano firme con Perry cuando era un niño. Tenía un problema con la disciplina.

• What people want is a president with a firm hand on the tiller / Lo que la gente quiere es un presidente con una mano firme en el timón.

Additional examples:

• Reforming these young offenders will require a firm hand.

• The horse is very spirited, he needs a firm hand.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: WEAK AT THE KNEES

"WEAK AT THE KNEES"

If you go weak at the knees, you feel an emotion so strongly that it makes you feel unstable on your feet. 

Example: When he looked at me and smiled, I felt weak at the knees. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen!

Temblaron las piernas.

Example sentences:

• Just thinking about getting up in front of a thousand people makes me weak at the knees. It's terrifying! / Sólo de pensar en estar frente a millones de personas hace que me tiemblen las piernas. Es aterrador! 

• Carlos gasped and went weak at the knees when he realised he had lost his passport, money and credit cards / Carlos se quedó sin aliento y le temblaron las piernas cuando se dió cuenta de que había perdido su pasaporte, dinero y la tarjeta de crédito.

Additional examples:

• The very thought of jumping out of an aircraft with a parachute made him go weak at the knees.

• He was so gorgeous, I felt weak at the knees every time he spoke to me.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: MORE OFTEN THAN NOT

"MORE OFTEN THAN NOT"

If something happens more often than not, it happens quite often, but not all the time.

Example: If I listen to BBC 3's "Late Junction" online, more often than not I'll hear some great music that I've never heard before.

La mayoría de las veces.

Example sentences:

• Bob loves browsing around second-hand bookstores, and more often than not he finds something great to read / A Bob le encanta navegar alrededor de librerías de segunda mano, y la mayoría de las veces se encuentra algo bueno para leer.

• If Jenny goes shopping, more often than not she'll look for new clothes / Si Jenny va de compras, la mayoría de las veces va a buscar ropa nueva.

Additional examples:

• Our children's clothes are, more often than not, made in China.

• These flowers will live through the winter more often than not.

• This kind of dog will grow up to be a good watchdog more often than not.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN

"THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN"

If something is the jewel in the crown, it's part of a group or set of similar things, and it's the best of them all.

Example: If something is the jewel in the crown, it's part of a group or set of similar things, and it's the best of them all.

La joya más preciada.

Example sentences:

• Dudley has many companies, but he regards his cable TV channel "World of the Arts" as the jewel in the crown of his business empire / Dudley tiene muchas empresas, pero considera que su canal de TV por cable "El Mundo de las Artes", como la joya más preciada de su imperio empresarial.

• The jewel in the crown of Sir Humphrey's priceless collection of modern art is Pablo Picasso's "Boy with a Pipe" / La joya más preciada de la valiosa colección de Sir Humphrey del arte moderno es "Niño con pipa" de Pablo Picasso.

Additional examples:

• The island of Tresco, with its beautiful tropical gardens, is the jewel in the crown of the Scilly Isles.

• This college is the jewel in the crown of the city's university.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: TAKE TIME

"TAKE TIME"

To go as slow as one wants or needs to; to use as much time as is required.

 

Example: There is no hurry, please take your time.

Toma tu tiempo.

Example sentences:

 

• Bill is very careful and takes his time so he won't make any mistakes. / Bill es muy cuidadoso y se toma su tiempo para que no se cometa ningún error.

• Take your time; this is a big decision, and you don't want to rush into it. / Tómate tu tiempo; ésta es una gran decisión y no quieras precipitarte en ella.

 

Additional examples:

• Carlin took her time before she answered him. 

 

• Take time to play; it is the secret of perpetual youth.

 

 

 

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TODAY'S IDIOM: (LIKE) WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK

"(LIKE) WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK"

You can say an insult or criticism is like water off a duck's back if it doesn't upset you.

Example: I asked Amy if she got upset when journalists wrote negative things about her, and she said she didn't care what they wrote. It was like water off a duck's back.

Se le resbala.

Example sentences:

• Terry said he was too sensitive about criticism and he wanted to be like one of those people for whom it's like water off a duck's back / Terry dijo que era demasiado sensible a las críticas y quería ser como una de esas personas a las que todo se les resbala.

• Many people claim that insults or negative comments are like water off a duck's back, but in reality, many of them are upset by such things / Muchas personas afirman que los insultos o comentarios negativos se les resbalan, pero en realidad, muchos de ellos están molestos por este tipo de cosas.

Additional examples:

• Insults rolled off John like water off a duck's back.

• He's always being told he's lazy and incompetent, but it's just water off a duck's back to him.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: BEAT AROUND THE BUSH / BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH

"BEAT AROUND THE BUSH / BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH"

If you beat around the bush, or beat about the bush, you don't say something directly, usually because you don't want to upset the person you're talking to.

Example: I had trouble telling Pedro he'd lost his job. I started beating around the bush and talking about one door closing and another door opening. 

Andarse con rodeos.


Example sentences:

• Stop beating about the bush. Just tell me what's happened! / No andes con rodeos. Solo dime lo que pasa.

• It's hard not to beat around the bush when you have to tell someone some bad news / Es difícil no andarse con rodeos cuando tienes que decirle a alguien malas noticias.

Additional examples:

• Stop beating around the bush and answer my question.

• Let's stop beating about the bush and discuss this matter.

• Quit beating around the bush and tell me what you really think about my idea.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS / EDGEWISE

"GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS / EDGEWISE"

If you can't get a word in edgeways, you can't say anything because someone else is talking so much.

Example: Cindy got so excited when she was talking that nobody else could get a word in edgeways.

Captar una sola palabra.

Example sentences:

• Sam couldn't get a word in edgeways because Cindy was talking too much / Sam no podía captar una sola palabra porque Cindy estaba hablando demasiado.

• Mary talks so fast that nobody can get a word in edgeways / Mary habla tan rápido que nadie pudo captar una sola palabra.

Additional examples:

• I'd go to the meetings more often if I could get a word in edgeways.

• Harold talked so much that nobody else could get a word in edgewise.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: ESPRIT DE CORPS

"ESPRIT DE CORPS"

A feeling of pride and comradeship shared by members of a group such as a military unit or a sports team.

Example: My father says the best thing about going to fight in a war is the esprit de corps one feels and the friendships one makes.

Compañerismo.

Example sentences:

• The new coach is trying to develop a feeling of esprit de corps among his players / El nuevo entrenador está tratando de desarrollar un sentimiento de compañerismo entre sus jugadores.

• Japanese companies try to develop esprit de corps among their workers / Las compañías japonesas tratan de desarrollar el compañerismo entre sus trabajadores.

Additional examples:

• If a group is able to develop esprit de corps, they can be quite effective.

• He certainly feels no less esprit de corps because of it.

• The event brought in television crews and local officials in a festive show of esprit de corps.

• The film wholly missed fashion's sincerity and esprit de corps.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: A QUESTION OF TIME

"A QUESTION OF TIME"

You can say "it's only a question of time" before saying what you think will happen in the future.

Example: It's only a question of time until we run out of oil, so we're going to need other forms of energy to power our cars. 

Es cuestión de tiempo.

Example sentences:

• If you keep on spending money like this, it'll just be a question of time before you have a serious debt problem / Si sigues gastando el dinero de esa manera, será solo cuestión de tiempo antes de que tengas serios problemas de deudas.

• If Taylor doesn't start eating healthy food, it's only a question of time before he has serious health problems / Si Taylor no empieza a comer saludable, solo es cuestión de tiempo antes de que tenga serios problemas de salud.

Additional examples:

• If she wins next year's congressional race, it seems only a question of time before she ends up running for the Senate.

• It's just a question of time before prices for the newest computer come down.

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TODAY'S IDIOM: A ROLLER COASTER / A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE

"A ROLLER COASTER / A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE" 

 

You can say an experience is a roller coaster, or a roller-coaster ride, if it involves many emotional highs and lows, or really good times alternating with really difficult times. 

Example: Eric writes about the roller coaster of rock and roll, with the highs of success and fame followed by the lows of drug addiction and depression.

Como una montaña rusa.

Example sentences:

• Starting the new business was a roller-coaster ride of successes and failures / El comienzo del nuevo negocio fue una montaña rusa de éxitos y fracasos. 

• The journey of success is always a roller coaster ride, you have to go through the slows and fasts, the ups and the downs / El camino hacia el éxito se parece a una montaña rusa, a veces se avanza muy despacio y otras a toda velocidad, a veces estás muy arriba y otras muy abajo.

Additional examples:

• The movie follows a young guy's emotional roller-coaster ride as he tries to come to terms with being gay in a small town in Australia.  

• Ben says his life was a roller-coaster ride while he was getting divorced and changing his job.

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TODAY'S QUIZ: ASSURE

"ASSURE"

What do you think "Assure" means?

A) A commercial contract agreeing to compensate one for loss in the event of specifically named or described risks.
 
Example: I need to pay the car's assure


B) To guarantee something to someone
 
Example: Let me assure you that this is no mistake


C) The action or an instance of rebellion; an insurrection.
 
Example: Those countries are currently undergoing a major assure.



Leave your answer on the comments section!

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TODAY'S IDIOM: KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN

"KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN"

If you keep your nose clean, you stay out of trouble by making sure you don't do anything wrong.

Example: It's important for sport's stars to keep their noses clean because they make a lot of money for endorsing products, and they could lose this income if they got into trouble with the law.

No metas las narices.

Example sentences:

• Our son Michael is in trouble with the police again. I really wish he'd learn to keep his nose clean / Nuestro hijo Michael está en problemas con la policía de nuevo. Realmente me gustaría que aprendiera a no meter sus narices.

• If George doesn't keep his nose clean he'll go to jail / Si George no deja de meter sus narices, irá a la cárcel.

Additional examples:

•  I'm trying to keep my nose clean by staying away from those rough guys.

• John, if you don't learn how to keep your nose clean, you're going to end up in jail.

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