Don't judge a book by its cover

Idiom: Don't judge a book by its cover: to not judge the quality or character of someone or something just by looking at them

Context #1 – Students talking before the 1^st day of class

Vanessa: Hey, Brad. Did you see the new English teacher? He looks so mean! I'm afraid to go to his class.

Brad: But you haven't even met him yet! Don't judge a book by its cover! Give him a chance before you form an opinion about him.

Vanessa: Hmmm. I guess you are right.

Brad: Besides, I've heard he is really funny! All the students who have taken his class say he is the best teacher they have ever had in English.

Vanessa: Wow, really? OK. I'll try his class and save my opinion for later.

Context #2 – Two friends at a party

Sami:  Hi Petra! Do you want to join us for lunch? We are going to “George's Cafe.”

Petra: Ewww, that place looks awful! It's so tiny and everything is so plain. Why don't we go somewhere else for lunch.

Sami: Don't judge a book by its cover, Petra. “George's Cafe” has the best sandwiches in town. All at a very affordable price.

Petra: Really? Wow, I guess I shouldn't judge it before I even try it.

Meaning: “Dont judge a book by its cover” is said when you cannot know what something or someone is like by looking only at that person or thing's appearance. In the first context, Vanessa has a negative opinion of the teacher based only on his appearance and that he looks “mean.” However, Brad has heard that the teacher is really good, so he encourages Vanessa to try the class and not base her opinion on just the looks of the teacher. In the second context, the place they are going for lunch is small and plain, so Petra has a bad opinion of it. However, it's actually a good place with the best sandwiches in town, so Sami encourages Petra to try it and then form an opinion based on the quality of the food.

To Troll

Idiom: To troll someone or something. Used as a verb (action) or noun (person). To make a  provocative online comment or posting with the goal of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them. A person who posts to an internet discussion group, chat room, or blog with the sole purpose of disrupting it.

Context #1 – Two friends talking about a blog

Sal: Hey Patty, what's wrong? You look upset?

Patty: I'm so mad!! I write this blog about politics and that guy from our class, Reggie, keeps writing all these comments about Trump and how great he is.

Sal: Really?

Patty: Yes. All his comments support everything Trump says. It's crazy! No matter what I say, he just supports Trump more and argues more with me.

Sal: Well, I know Reggie and he is actually a Democrat and super liberal. I doubt he is serious about anything he is saying about Trump.

Patty: What? Do you mean he is just trolling me!

Sal: Yep. You have to admit that it's pretty funny to troll people about controversial politicians. He probably just wants to provoke you.

Patty: I never thought of that! Are you sure he doesn't like Trump? He seems so sincere when he writes comments on my blog.

Sal: Yes, I'm sure. That's what makes him such a good troll!

Context #2 – Two friends talking about Facebook

Tim: Hey, Michelle, what are you laughing about?

Michelle: Oh, hi Tim. I'm writing some comments about Hillary's recent speech on Facebook.

Tim: And why is that funny?

Michelle: Well, I'm turning her words from the speech around to make her look bad. My goodness, I had no idea her supporters would freak out so much!

Tim: You are so mean! You don't even care about the election or the candidates.

Michelle: Hahahaha! I know! But it's fun to see everyone get so upset over a few negative comments! I don't usually troll people like that, but I'm enjoying myself too much to stop.

Tim: Well, be careful. You don't want anyone to “unfriend” you because of a little trolling.

Michelle: You're right. I'll stop trolling....tomorrow!

Meaning: To troll means to purposely and cleverly provoke an angry or emotional response via the internet through comments and dialogue. However, trolling does not only mean making rude comments or statements. The most important part of trolling is to act like one truly believes what one is saying, even if it is completely outrageous. So the person who is being trolled should not know that he or she is being trolled by someone.