Thursday, January 29, 2015

Pedal to the metal

Idiom: Pedal to the metal


Example: Our flight is in 1 hour and we can't miss it! Let's go! Put the pedal to the metal!

Meaning: Pedal to the medal is used to talk about driving very, very fast. When the gas pedal reaches the floor (metal), the car is traveling at maximum speed. This expression is often used as an imperative, or a command, like "hurry," "drive faster."

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Backseat driver

Idiom: Backseat driver


Example: We are going on a road trip to the Grand Canyon next month. I am very excited about everything except for 1 thing: Joseph is coming with us. Joseph is a good friend, but he is a backseat driver. He tries to control the car even when he isn't driving! "Slow down, speed up, turn here, why are you driving like that?" I hope he will take a nap when I am behind the wheel. 

Meaning:backseat driver is a person who tells the driver what to do. This expression has slightly negative connotations as it implies that the backseat driver does not have confidence in the actual driver.