Winter Holidays Expressions!

December 22, 2022December 21, 2022 US Adult LiteracyLeave a comment

Holidays times call for a holiday lesson on English idioms and phrases! It is likely that throughout December you will hear more idioms and phrases related to the upcoming winter holidays – Christmas, New Year’s, Chanukah, Diwali, and Kwanzaa.

Below is a list of 5 holiday expressions you might hear, with examples.

Happy Holidays!

This is a super common phrase that you’ve probably already heard!

We usually say Happy Holidays in December because it includes everyone’s holidays in just one greeting!

Instead of trying to figure out who does and doesn’t celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Diwali and the New Year, you can simply say Happy Holidays to wish everyone a happy holiday!

When someone says Happy Holidays to you, you can respond with a cheery (1) “Thank you! Happy Holidays!”

The more, the merrier!

This phrase is excellent if you love to host (2) parties with lots of people.

The more, the merrier is usually used in response to someone asking if they can invite an extra guest.

For example:

Christian: Alex, Thank you for inviting me to your New Year’s Eve party! Can I invite my boyfriend?

Alex: Yes of course! The more the merrier!

A scrooge/a grinch

This phrase is based on 2 famous holiday stories. Both Scrooge and The Grinch are angry or grumpy (3) characters in the stories.

If someone calls you a scrooge or a grinch, they are calling you an unkind person who hates the holidays!

For example:

Izzy: Can we listen to Christmas music?

Tina: No, I hate Christmas music!

Izzy: Ugh! Don’t be such a grinch!

Ring in the New Year!

To ring in the new year means to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of the new year.

For example: I don’t want to go out on December 31st. I just want to ring in the new year with my friends and family this year!

Get into the holiday spirit!

Getting into the holiday spirit means that you finally feel excited about the holiday season. You feel the “spirit” or the energy of the holidays!

For example: I bought all of my Christmas gifts, and I watch a Christmas movie every night while I drink hot chocolate. I’m really getting into the holiday spirit!

Source: English Holiday Idioms, Expressions & Other Common Phrases – Ellii Blog

cheery (1) adj. happy

to host (2) verb. to have guests over

grumpy (3) adj.to be In a bad mood

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Benefit of the Doubt Revisited

November 4, 2021November 3, 2021 US Adult LiteracyLeave a comment

Let’s review our new idiom post, Benefit of the Doubt watching two clips below. One is explaining the meaning using an example in an animation and the other is a scene from the popular sitcom, Friends.

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A Blessing in Disguise Revisited

October 14, 2021October 13, 2021 US Adult LiteracyLeave a comment

We learned a new idiom “A Blessing in Disguise” last week. To see some examples of when to use it, let’s watch the videos.

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Idiom of the Week: “Benefit of the Doubt”

October 11, 2021September 19, 2021 US Adult Literacy1 Comment

Meaning: To give someone the benefit of the doubt is to choose to not be disappointed or upset when they may have made a mistake because you have some trust in them.

Examples:

My daughter is usually so good with studying that I gave her the benefit of the doubt when I saw her watching TV all night, and I knew she had a math test the next day.

Last night the food wasn’t good at my favorite restaurant, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and go back again because the chef probably had just one bad night.

He didn’t have any professional experience but he said he was an excellent barber, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him cut my hair because my friend knew him.

Pop Quiz:

Which student should get the benefit of the doubt?

Student A and Student B have the same problem – both are often late to class. Student A has arrived several times in gym clothes and carrying a gym bag. Student B has talked with the teacher about her lateness, explaining that she has to drop off her son right before class, but she seems to be trying to avoid be being late. The teacher needs to select one student to be cancelled first.

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Idiom of the Week: “A Blessing in Disguise”

October 4, 2021September 8, 2021 US Adult Literacy1 Comment

Meaning: A blessing in disguise is something that seems to be bad but actually there is a positive result.

Examples:

I wasn’t accepted to my first choice school, but it was a blessing in disguise because another school accepted me and that’s where I met my wife.

Having a baby in high school was a blessing in disguise since it turned his life in a positive direction by making him realize he had to grow up himself.

Sometimes we don’t see a blessing in disguise right away – it could be years before we see the blessing.

Pop Quiz:

Which of these sounds like a blessing in disguise?

a. I had no money, then won the lottery.

b. When I tripped and fell on the street, I hurt myself but found $100.

c. I failed my test, but my mom still bought me ice cream.

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Cutting Corners Revisted

September 30, 2021September 29, 2021 US Adult LiteracyLeave a comment

We learned a new idiom “Cutting Corners” a few days ago. Do you know where the idiom comes from?

: : : Where did the phrase “Cutting Corners” come from?
: : It’s a metaphor from driving – not necessarily motor driving, because it also applies to horse-drawn carriages. When you come to a sharp turn in the road, instead of going all the way to the corner and then turning, you can go diagonally across, and “cut the corner off”. This saves time, but entails a risk of clipping the curb and overturning, or being involved in a pile-up with another vehicle. Thus “to cut corners” means to discard normal safe practice in order to get fast results.
from The Phrase Finder

Let’s watch the video clip to review the meaning and the origin, and look at more example sentences.