The icing on the cake

Context #1

Dear Diary,

I just started at my new school and I'm very excited! All of my teachers are excellent, the school is in a wonderful location, my schedule is great, AND one of my classmates is really cute. The classes are pretty small, too, so I know I'll be partnering with him on projects and exercises. I know I'm here to study so I won't let him distract me from that. He's just the icing on the cake! Can't wait for school tomorrow!

Context #2

Lena: How's your new job, Sandra?

Sandra: I love it! It's a great company.

Lena: Is the pay good? Are you making more than at your last job?

Sandra: Oh, yes! Much more! But that's just the icing on the cake. We're given tons of perks like fully-covered health insurance, an office gym, and a free healthy lunch catered on site every Friday. There are also lots of opportunities to move up as the company grows into other markets. I'm really excited about it!

Lena: Wow! That sounds amazing. Are they still hiring?

Explanation: The icing on the cake is used to talk about an additional, but non-essential, part of something that is already quite good. It makes a good thing even better.

In Example 1, the student is writing in her diary about her new school. Her new school is good in many ways AND there's a cute boy in her class. The cute boy is not necessary but makes a good thing even better. 

In Example 2, Sandra has a great new job. There are many perks and opportunities for growth which makes the job great. She says the great pay is an extra thing to make the job better.

use the BE verb with this expression

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Crocodile tears

Meaning: A display of an emotion that is not real; or showing an emotion but not feeling that emotion. If a person is not sad but wants to look sad, he or she will shed crocodile tears, meaning that person is acting sad rather than feeling sad. People often use the verbs “cry,” “shed,” or “weep” before the idiom crocodile tears.

Example 1: Shasta worked at an awards show the night before her conversation with Jean.

Jean: Did you watch the Tuney Awards last night?
Shasta: Oh, I didn’t tell you? I worked backstage at the Tuney’s!
Jean: What?! No, you didn’t tell me! Did you meet Darlene Lafleur?
Shasta: Yeah, I met her.
Jean: What a lovely person! I thought her speech after winning best song and best new artist was so…heart-felt! And she was so surprised that she won. What a humble woman! I’m glad she brought tissues to the stage for her tears.
Shasta: Um, she brought tissues to the stage because she had prepared to cry. Those were crocodile tears. Just before she appeared on stage I heard her say, “Everyone out there knows I’m going to win. Those other artists are terrible. I can’t believe they even showed up.”

Example 2: BREAKING NEWS!

Police have arrested and charged John Dalia with the murder of his co-worker Kevin McDonald. Police claim that Dalia waited for McDonald outside his home and attacked him as he was leaving for work. Dalia wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke to the press this afternoon: “I did not kill Kevin. He was my friend. I loved that man and would never hurt him.” Dalia’s co-workers, however, claim he was crying crocodile tears: “John never had a nice thing to say about Kevin; but John’s wife did!” 

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A penny for your thoughts

Context #1 

Friends making a decision about where to take a trip

Natalie: I was thinking about the restaurants we should visit while in San Francisco. I have so many I want to go to. What about you? 

Robert: I don’t know what to say. Whatever is fine.

Natalie: Hey, we’re doing this together right? A penny for your thoughts, Rob.

Robert: Well, I heard they have good sushi there. I guess the sushi shop by the Ferry Building would be great.

Natalie: See, that wasn’t so painful, was it? Your opinion counts.

Context #2 

Teachers discussing next year’s school events

Tom: What do you think about taking students to the Ramen Festival in February?

Karley: I’m not from L.A., so please don’t ask. I really don’t know any place around here.

Tom: Oh, come on! I’m sure you’ve considered, at least, a place you want to visit. A penny for your thoughts, Karley.

Karley: Fine! I was thinking about this really nice restaurant in downtown with a great view of the city. Maybe after, we can all go to a museum.

Meaning: A penny for your thoughts is a comment you make when you want someone else’s opinion. Perhaps the person doesn’t want to contribute to ideas or is simply shy. It’s a way to motivate someone to participate. In both examples, the characters have to say it for their friend’s opinion to be expressed.

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Bootleg

Bootleg; used as an adjective, noun or verb

Context #1:

Maria: Do you want to watch the new Star Wars movie?

Henry: Yeah, but it's not out yet. Christmas seems so far away

Maria: I have a bootleg copy.

Henry: How did you get that?

Maria: I downloaded it. Come over tonight and we'll watch.

Henry: I don't know; I'd feel guilty.

Maria: It's up to you, but I'm going to watch it.

Meaning: The word "bootleg" means that something was obtained and/or sold illegally. In the above example, Maria downloaded a movie that hasn't opened in theaters yet. Since she didn't pay for the movie, it's a "bootleg"."Bootleg" can be used as an adjective, as in the conversation above, and as a noun, as in the previous sentence. It can also be used as a verb, as in the following example, which explains the word's past:

The word "bootleg" was first used in the late 19th century, and it's believed it originated with cowboys who hid small guns in their boots. Whatever the origin, the word "bootleg" was associated with secrecy. In the 1920s and early 30s, Prohibition was passed, making all alcohol illegal to sell or produce in the United States. Of course, some people started illegally selling, or bootlegging, alcohol that was either purchased in another country (often Canada) or made illegally. Since then, the term has been used for any illegal production and distribution, especially those of inferior quality when compared to the original item. A person can bootleg music (especially concerts recorded without permission), movies (often cheap DVDs, sometimes handheld recordings from inside movie theaters), software, toys, games and of course, homemade alcohol.

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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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Street Smart

Idiom: street smart(s); used as an adjective or noun

Context #1:

Lenny: So Mayra got a new place.

Bruce: Really? Where is it?

Lenny: Over on 4th, kind of near the freeway.

Bruce: Isn't that kind of a bad neighborhood?

Lenny: Yeah, but she's street smart. She grew up in an area like that, so she knows how to survive. And she's saving a ton of money compared to her last place.

Meaning: The expression street smart means that someone knows how to survive in dangerous urban areas, usually because they have experience living in similar areas. The expression can be used as an adjective, as in the example above, or as the non-count noun street smarts, as in the next example:

Context #2

Don't go into that neighborhood without any

street smarts; it can be a rough area, and

people walk around with expensive jewelry and talking on expensive mobile phones are likely to get mugged.

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Shoot the Breeze!!

Context #1: 

Mark: Hey Rob! How was your date last night with Mary? 

Rob: Hi Mark. It was OK. I'm not sure we're a good match.

Mark: Why not?

Rob: Well, we met for coffee and only spent about 30 minutes together before she left. We were pretty uncomfortable, just shooting the breeze. She didn't really tell me anything about herself which is disappointing because I really wanted to get to know her. From what you said, she seemed really interesting. But this was not the case yesterday.

Mark: Oh man! That's too bad. Will you have another date with her?

Rob: I don't know. She said she would text me, but I'm not sure if she will!

Context #2

Tom: Hey Bill! How was your date with Jane yesterday?

Bill: Oh it was great! She is really easy to talk to. I really like her.

Tom: That's great!

Bill: Yeah, we had a great time. We went for coffee and spent at least 2 hours just shooting the breeze. We're going to get together next week, too!

Explanation:

To shoot the breeze is to spend time chatting casually about nothing in particular and with no purpose.

In context #1, Rob wanted to have deep conversation and get to know Mary, but they only had casual, light conversation. 

In context #2, Bill and Jane spent hours shooting the breeze  and enjoyed their time together.

This expression is often used with -ing form 

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