Thursday, November 1, 2012

Time (be) Up

Idiom: Time (be) Up



Context #1 -
 
Teacher: Ok class, please put down your pencils and give me your tests.  Time is up!
Student: But I'm not finished yet!
Teacher:  Sorry, I can't give you extra time to finish.
 
Context #2 -
 
John: I can't believe my time here in Japan is already up!  I've been here for a whole year teaching English and now I have to go back to California.
Sally:  Yeah this year has flown by!  We're going to miss you.
John: I wish I could stay longer.
 
Meaning: the idiom "time is/was up" is used to describe the fact that the time someone had to do something has run out.  When the time you had to do something is gone, we say your "time is up."  This idiom was taken from the LSI textbook titled "Reading Transitions," which is used to teach Level 4 Reading/Vocabulary classes at LSI schools. For more information please visitwww.languagesystems.com

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

To Get in Shape

Idiom: To Get in Shape




Context #1 -
 
Sara:  I can't believe I'm getting married in 2 months!
Jane:  I know...I can't wait to see you in your wedding dress.
Sara: Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.  I have 2 months to get in shape for the wedding.  Time to hit the gym!
 
Context #2 -
 
Jim: I heard your son is playing on the high school football team this year.
Tom: Yeah, he's really excited!  But he's not too excited about all the practices they have.
Jim: I understand.  It takes a lot of hard work to get in shape for the football season.  He'll survive!
 
Meaning:  the idiom "get in shape" is used to describe the process of exercising or working out with the purpose of getting into great physical condition.  This idiom is taken from the LSI textbook "Reading Connections," which is used to teach Level 3 Reading/Vocabulary classes at LSI schools.  For more information please visit www.languagesystems.com