To have a good head on ones shoulders

Context 1
Jim: I like the new quarterback on our high school football team this year.
Steve: Yeah, me too.  He is a very good player and he seems like he has a good head on his shoulders.


Context 2
Sara: I heard we hired a new secretary for the office.
Amy: Yes, her name is Suzie.  She is a very hard worker and she has a good head on her shoulders.

Meaning: This American idiom is used to describe someone who is acts maturely and has good, sound judgement.

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to cut to the chase

Idiom: to cut to the chase; used as a verb

First Example:

Henry: ...and then, I asked if there was going to be a meeting about this, or if it was just a decision from management, but she couldn't tell me, although she did not seem to want a meeting...       

Patti: Can you just cut to the chase already? Are they making the change or not?

Henry: Oh, uh, yeah, the managers decided.

Patti: Great, thanks.

Meaning: The expression "to cut to the chase " means to focus on what's important. As in the above example, the expression is often used when someone is telling a story or giving background, but the other person just wants to know the final outcome.

Second Example:

Lou: I need a new assistant. Mine is not working out.

Nico: Why not?

Lou: She gets hung up on little details, but our office is such a fast-paced environment. I need someone who can cut to the chase and get things done.

Nico: I think I know someone who might be perfect. I'll tell her to send you her resume.

Lou: Thanks!

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Haste makes waste

Example:

Ina: I heard you won some money from the lottery. 

Michael: I did.  I’m going to buy a house, and a boat, and get married, and……

Ina: Whoa! Wait a second. Don’t you want to save or invest some of that money? Also, don’t you want to wait to get to know your girlfriend better before you make a mistake? I mean haste makes waste, don’t you think?

Michael: What are you saying? I mean, I love her and I want to share my new wealth. Besides, I always wanted all that other stuff.

Ina: I know you’re excited right now, but you have to think about things before rushing and making mistakes that could cost you more in the future.

Meaning: The expression "haste makes waste" means to rush into something, or do something quickly, with the possibility of making mistakes that may cause one severe problems or a waste of money and/or materials.

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To Add Fuel to the Fire

Idiom: To add fuel to the fire - To do or say something to make a problem or bad situation worse; to further anger a person or group of people who are already angry

Context #1

Dan: Hey, Juan. Did you see the huge fight at the soccer match last night?

Juan: No, I didn’t. What happened?

Dan: Well, the home team was losing badly, but the visiting team was really playing dirty. The crowd was already angry.

Juan: Well, that’s understandable.

Dan: But then the fans from the visiting team started laughing and taunting the home team crowd by calling them names like “losers.” Of course, this only added fuel to the fire and the crowd got even angrier.

Juan: Wow! So the crowd attacked the visiting team’s fans?

Dan: Yep! The crowd started throwing things at the fans and then even punched some of them!

Juan: Well, I guess that is what happens when you add fuel to the fire, especially in front of a crowd of people!

Context #2

Samira: Did you see the president’s speech last night about the conflict going on right now?

Polly: Yes, I did. Unfortunately, I think the president only added fuel to the fire because now the situation is even worse and the countries in the conflict are even more hostile.

Samira: I agree. What was the president thinking? He needs to be more diplomatic in his words in order to calm the situation down.

Polly: Right! Hopefully, he will be more careful in his next speech and try to predict peace instead of war.

Samira: Well, we can only hope. It seems like this president enjoys adding fuel to the fire. It’s good for his ratings.

Meaning: To add fuel to the fire means to make a situation worse or to further anger a person or group of people. In context 1, the fans from the visiting team added fuel to the fire, or made the home team crowd even angrier, by calling the crowd names. In context 2, the president made the conflict even worse by not using diplomatic language or language that would make the situation calmer.








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Go with the flow

Example 1:

Cody: Wow! This is such a fancy party. I’m not sure that I’ll know who to talk to or what to talk about.

Jada: Don’t think about it too much, just go with the flow. I’m sure you’ll find interesting people and have interesting conversations.

Cody: You think so? I hope I don’t get too shy.

Jada: I’m sure everyone feels that way here.

Example 2:

Lucy: I went out with Karl last week and I wasn’t sure how he felt about me.

Kathrin: So what did you do? Did you guys have a good time? Did you have great conversations?

Lucy: I just went with the flow and everything turned out great. I think he likes me.

Explanation:

To go with the flow means to follow whatever the situation is or whatever people are doing. In the first example, Cody wasn’t sure how to interact with people at an upscale party; to which Jada replied that he should just do whatever everyone was doing or go with the flow. In the second example, Lucy explains that she didn’t know how her date felt about her, but after following his lead, or his actions (went with the flow), she discovered that he liked her.

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In vain

Context #1: 

Mike: Have you heard from Richard? It's been a while since I've talked to him.

Bryan: No, I can't get a hold of him. I've even tried getting in touch with his mother. She's also tried in vain for the last 2 days. I hope he's OK.

Mike: That's really weird, but I'm sure he's fine. Let me know if you hear anything.

Bryan: For sure

Context #2

Tom: Hey, Stan! How are you? Wow! What happened to your leg?!

Stan: Hey, Tom. I had a bike accident and broke my ankle. It happened about 2 weeks ago. I have to stay off of it for at least another month. 

Tom: Oh what a bummer! So that means you won't be running the marathon next week then. That's terrible. You've been training for months!

Stan: I know. The last 6 months of training were all in vain! The only good thing about this is that I'm finally forced to relax and rest. I'll get back on the road once it heals.

Explanation:

In vain is used when something is done without success; it's almost considered a waste of time/effort. 

In example 1, Richard's mother tried without success to get in touch with him.  

In example 2, Stan's training was wasted because of his injury.

This expression can be used with a verb: verb + in vain

She tried in vain to call Richard.

This expression can be used with nouns: noun + be + in vain

All of Stan's training was in vain.

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To Diss Someone

          

Context #1 – Two guys who like the same girl

Vinnie: Hey, Brad. What's up?

Brad: Oh, hi. I’m just getting ready to go out with my girl.

Vinnie: Nice, dude. Is she in our class?

Brad: Yeah, it's Samantha.

Vinnie: What? Samantha is my girl. 
Brad: Well, not anymore.
Vinnie: No way! She would never go out with a guy who looks like you. You’re so ugly, you have to sneak up on your mirror so you don't scare yourself.

Brad: That's a really bad joke. You are dissing me because you’re just mad that Samantha is with me now.

Vinnie: I’m not joking. If you really want a joke, look in the mirror.

Brad: You can keep dissing me, but Samantha is a with a real man now, Vinnie!

To diss someone: a shortened version of “disrespect,” to purposely disrespect someone, to put someone down, to insult someone    

Context #2 – Two roommates are talking at home

Katrina: What’s wrong Cindy. You look sad.

Cindy: Oh, hey Katrina. I don’t know what to do. This woman at work is dissing me like every day. And I’m not good with a comeback.*

Katrina: Why don’t you tell her to stop? What does she say?

Cindy: She is so subtle about it that I look foolish if I tell her to stop dissing me. She will say things like “Oh no, Cindy, you look so pale today. Are you OK?” She said this to me after I came back from a Hawaii vacation and I looked great with my tan.

Katrina: Well, she is obviously just jealous. Why don’t you diss her back? The next time you see her, get a look of surprise on your face and say something like, “Was anyone else hurt in the accident that did this to you?"

Cindy: Ha, ha, ha!! That would be so funny, but I could never diss someone like that.

Katrina: OK. Well, I guess you will just have to ignore her every time she disses you. Instead, pretend you are talking about her until you have her attention and then just ignore everything she says!

Cindy: Sounds good to me!

Meaning: "To diss someone” is short for “to disrespect someone.” It usually involves insulting someone directly or indirectly. In context 1, Vinnie and Brad are both dating Samantha, so Vinnie starts dissing Brad by insulting his looks. In Context 2, Cindy is being dissed by a woman at work and does not have a good comeback (reply to the critical remark). Katrina gives Cindy an idea of how to diss the woman at work, but Cindy decides to just ignore that person. Please note that dissing someone should not frequently be used in daily situations and people should always be careful. Unless it's a joke, dissing someone could provoke a very extreme reaction in a person.

*Comeback – a quick reply to a critical remark

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Technicolor Yawn

Context:

Jackson and I were having a wonderful time at the LA County fair a couple of weeks ago. It's such a fun place to experience many different things about American culture. One of the most famous parts of the fair is the food. They have deep-fried everything! Deep-fried Oreo cookies, deep-fried butter, deep-fried nachos, it's incredible! I didn't want to miss my chance at this unique experience, so Jackson and I tried many different things. I even ate a fresh and colorful salad to try and balance out my meal. Near the end of the night, we were riding roller coasters, and lots of spinning rides. All the fried foods were making my stomach ill. I was very nervous walking back to the car at the end of the night because my stomach was so sick. Right before we reached our car, I sprayed some poor stranger's car with my technicolor yawn. It was quite disgusting and Jackson was really shocked. I was so embarrassed, but I felt so much better after that. 

Explanation: Technicolor yawn = vomit noun

In the example, the speaker had eaten too much foods that upset his stomach. He says he sprayed his technicolor yawn on someone's car. Which means he sprayed vomit on someone's car.

Technicolor yawn should be used as a noun and most often accompanied by a possessive adjective: my technicolor yawn; her technicolor yawn; his technicolor yawn; someone's technicolor yawn

Choose a verb to show an action: 

ex: He threw his technicolor yawn all over the street; 

She left her technicolor yawn in the toilet and forgot to flush;

The dog ate Mark's technicolor yawn before we could clean it up.

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To get knocked up

Idiom: to get knocked up – to get (someone) pregnant

Context #1 – At a party with friends

James: I can’t figure out what do bring for my brother’s bachelor party next week.

Candy: Your brother is getting married? I didn’t know.

James: Yeah, he knocked up his girlfriend and they decided to get married.

Candy: Didn’t they date for seven years now. So it’s not really a big deal. They’ve been living together for such a long time anyway.

James: Yeah, we’re all pretty happy about it anyway.

Context #2 – Two friends having lunch

David:  How are you feeling these days?

Julie: Well, after I got knocked up I’m feeling pretty strange.

David: Why is that? I’m pretty sure your husband is happy though.

Julie: Oh, we really wanted a child, but my body is having some changes and I’m feeling strange.

Meaning: “(get) knocked up” means to get pregnant. People typically use this as slang and with close friends, family or acquaintances.You would never usually use this term in formal situation, for example with your boss. 

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To Pose For

To pose for  - To assume a position or attitude for a photograph or painting.

Context #1 – Two friends talking

Victoria: Hey, Bob. What are you doing?

Bob: I’m getting ready to pose for a photoshoot online. They want to feature me in a piece they are doing on successful business people.

Victoria: OK. Why are you standing that way? You look weird.

Bob: Well, the photos are of confident business people at work, so I’m standing confidently while I tell employees what to do. Also, I’m not smiling because I need an intense look to show control and strength.

Victoria: Hmmm…I think you are overdoing it a bit. Just be natural.

Bob: Victoria, you don’t understand. When you pose for a special photo, you must overact a little in order to project a certain image.

Victoria: If you say so. I still think you look like your shoes are on too tight! 

Artistic Photograph by Tami 

Context #2 – An uncle and his niece are at a concert

Patty: Thank you so much, Uncle Sal, for bringing me to this concert. I love this band!

Uncle Sal: This band is good! I’m glad I came.

Patty: Come here and let’s take a selfie so that we can post it on Instagram.

Uncle Sal: OK. Wait, Patty. What’s wrong with your lips? They are puffy* all of a sudden. Are you having an allergic reaction?

Patty: Oh my god, Uncle Sal! Don’t you know that you are supposed to puff up** your lips when you pose for a selfie? Everyone does it.

Uncle Sal: Oh, I see. OK. Wait, let me practice posing for the picture.

Patty: Ha! That’s perfect! One, two, three……

Meaning: "To pose for" means to make a certain posture or look for a photograph, painting, or drawing (usually a photo). In the first context, Bob is standing a certain way with a stern look on his face because he wants to look strong and business-like for the pictures. In the second context, Patty is making her lips puffy, or bigger, for the selfie and she tells her Uncle Sal that it is normal to do this for selfies. 

*Pillow-like, bigger or swollen

**To swell or become larger

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To Munch Out

Context #1 – Roommates watching TV at home

Vanessa: Hi Brad. I just bought some hamburgers and fries from In-N-Out. Set up the table so that we can munch out while watching Game of Thrones!

Brad: Really? Actually, I bought some food from In-N-Out too. I think we have way too much food!

Vanessa: Not at all! Now we can really munch out!

Context #2 – Two friends in the school cafeteria

Sami:  Hey, Petra! How are you?

Petra: Oh, hi Sami. I’m so hungry!!! I just finished this huge 3-hour test and I’m just starving. I feel like I haven’t eaten in years.

Sami: Ha! Well, you can have half of my broccoli sandwich.

Petra: You can’t be serious! Thanks but no thanks. I don’t feel like munching out on a broccoli sandwich.

Sami: Well, I have some celery with low-fat plain yoghurt. Very healthy and yummy!

Petra: Ahhh, I think I’ll pass. I’m going to go over a munch out on that super-sized pizza I just ordered.

Sami: All by yourself?

Petra: Yep! I would offer you some pizza, but you obviously are busy munching out on your broccoli sandwich and celery sticks.

Meaning: “To munch out” means to eat a lot of food in a very short period of time. In the first dialogue, the roommates want to munch out while watching a TV show. In the second dialogue, Petra is so hungry that she is going to munch out on an super-sized pizza all by herself.

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