Thursday, July 7, 2016

To snake something





Context #1

Tom: Hey, what happened to my french fries? I go to the restroom and I come back to find them almost gone?

Chris: Yeah, when you left I saw John snake a handful of them. He just laughed and walked away.





Context #2

Carol: You're never going to believe what happened yesterday. I was at the mall waiting for this car that was backing out because I wanted the parking space.  I had my turn signal on so everyone would know that I was waiting for that space. Then, right before I could pull into the space, this other car quickly pulled in and snaked the parking spot that I had been waiting for.

Barbara: No way! That's crazy!  

Meaning: "To snake something" means "To steal" or "To take something wrongly."  

It is an idiom that has an origin in surfing culture. When a surfer is waiting for a wave and he/she is in the proper position to take the wave but another surfer "steals" the wave, they say that the other surfer "snaked the wave." 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

To Eat It


Context #1

Jim:  Hey, what happened to your elbow?  It's all bandaged up.
Tony:  Well, I was riding my bike to school yesterday and I ate it when I was going down hill.
Jim:  Wow!  You have to be careful.  




Context #2

Susie: I heard your boyfriend is teaching you how to skateboard.
Jenny:  Yeah, that's right.  
Susie:  Is it hard?
Jenny:  Well, the first few days I was trying to figure out how to keep my balance.  I ate it a lot and scrapped up my knees and hands. 

Meaning: "to eat it" is an idiom that means "to fall" while doing some kind of sport or activity (surfing, snowboarding, riding a bike, jogging, etc.)  Usually it is used when a person falls down and gets a little hurt.