Stay Put

Idiom:  Stay Put; used as a verb.

First Example:  

“Small children usually have so much energy and can never sit still for very long.  You should not expect your three year-old to stay put for very long.”

Meaning:  Stay Put is usually used to express the idea of staying in one place and to not move.  In the example above, it is very difficult for small children to stay in one place for an extended period of time.  This idiom can be used as a general verb to relate the idea of staying in one place.  The words, stay and put cannot be separated.

Here is another example:

Second Example:

“If you ever become lost while hiking in the mountains, it is generally a good idea to stay put until help arrives.  It might be more difficult for people to find you if you continue to move around without any sense of direction.”

Meaning: In this case, the idiom, Stay Put, is used to express the advice that you should not move around if you ever become lost.  It is generally easier for search parties to find a lost hiker if they are still in the general area where they had originally intended to go.  In this example, the idiom is being used as a verb.

This idiom is from the book "The Idiom Advantage – Fluency in Speaking and Listening," which is used as primary material in LSI’s Advanced Conversation classes.

For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/

Breathing Room

Idiom:  Breathing Room; used as a noun.

Example:  

“Tom is having a really hard time at work.  His boss loves to micro-manage him and controls almost every little thing he does.  If Tom’s boss doesn’t give him some Breathing Room, I think he’s going to quit his job soon.”

Meaning:  Breathing Room refers to giving someone sufficient room to breathe and move comfortably.  It can also mean to give someone sufficient space or independence in his/her daily activities.  In this example, Tom’s boss constantly monitors him and does not give him the freedom to perform his work independently.  As a result, Tom feels that he doesn’t have the freedom to do his work comfortably and at his own pace.  This idiom can apply to any situation where it might be necessary to give someone the space to feel comfortable at doing a particular activity. 

This idiom is from the book "The Idiom Advantage – Fluency in Speaking and Listening," which is used as a primary Idioms material in LSI’s Advanced Conversation classes.

For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/