To Chicken Out

Context #1 - 

Tim: Have you heard about the new ride and Magic Mountain called the Death Drop?

John:  Yeah, I heard it's super scary.  Have you been on it?

Tim:  Well, we went there this weekend and I was going to go on it with my friends, but I chickened out at the last minute.

John:  Really?  That must have been a little embarrassing.

Tim:  Yeah, it was!

Context #2 -

Christine: Did you hear about Steve and Carol's anniversary trip to Yosemite?

Stacy:  No, what happened?

Christine:  They agreed to go bungee jumping off this bridge, but Carol was ready to jump and then chickened out.

Stacy: Oh no!  How did Steve take it?

Christine:  He wasn't upset at all.  He actually thought it was kind of funny.

Meaning:  to chicken out is used when someone gets too scared or too afraid to do something so they back out or don't attempt it. 

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Mellow (used as an adjective)

                    
First Example:

            Steven: Long week, huh?

            Sharon: Yeah, I'm exhausted.

            Steven: Are you doing anything special this weekend?

            Sharon: Nope. I'm just gonna keep it mellow, maybe rent a movie and order pizza. If possible, I think I'm going to avoid leaving my house until Monday.

            Steven: That sounds great! I wish I could relax, but I'm taking the kids to Disneyland.

            Sharon: Well that sound fun.

            Steven: I'd rather be relaxing like you.

Meaning: While "mellow" can describe a taste (for example, a mellow dish would be pleasant and mild, not spicy or strong in any way), it can also be used to describe an atmosphere or attitude. A person or place that is mellow is relaxed and laid-back. When Sharon says she is going to keep her weekend "mellow," she means she is just planning on relaxing.

Second Example:

            Grace: What do you think of the new math instructor?

            Todd: I like her so much more.

            Steven: Me too! She's such much more mellow than Mr. Sanchez was!

            Sharon: I know! He was so high-strung!

Meaning: In this instance, Steven says that the new instructor is more mellow than Mr. Sanchez, meaning the new teacher is more relaxed than their former teacher, who was nervous and anxious according to Sharon.

http://www.languagesystems.com/

To Ream Someone Out

Context 1: 
    

Example:

            Natalia: Victor! Mind if I eat lunch with you?

            Victor: Sure, if you want

            Natalia: What's wrong? Why do you seem so upset?

            Victor: I just got reamed out by my boss in front of everyone.

            Natalia: Oh no! What happened?

            Victor: I was working on this report for him, and I thought it was due Monday. But it turns out, he wanted it today for his lunch meeting.

            Natalia: Uh oh.

            Victor: Yeah. He yelled at me in front of my desk, then slammed the door of his office.  Then he stormed over to the meeting room and didn't say anything when he walked by. So now I'm not even sure I still have a job after lunch.

            Natalia: I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm sure he will calm down and realize it was just a misunderstanding. Still, sorry he reamed you out, especially with everyone around.

Meaning: The expression "to ream (someone) out" means to very strongly and angrily criticize someone. Here, Victor says that he just got "reamed out" by his boss, which means that his boss probably yelled at him in a critical way. Below that, Natalia apologizes that Victor's boss "reamed him out." Notice that in the first example, since the idiom is happening to the subject, there is no "someone" in the idiom ("I just got reamed out"), but in the second example, since the idiom is happening to the object, there is a pronoun in the idiom ("sorry he reamed you out").

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Camp Out

Idiom: Camp out

First Example:

Lenny: What are you and your family doing this weekend?

Nancy: We’re going to Pismo beach.  We’re still considering if we will camp out on the beach or not.

Lenny:  I’m not big on camping out in the wild.  I only camp out in my backyard.  It’s not extravagant, but it’s safe for me.

Second Example:

Mitt: The protesters have been sitting in front of City Hall for some time now.

Sean: Yeah, they decided to camp out to show the mayor how angry they are about the new policies.

Meaning: 

To "camp out" means to sleep/live outdoors for a short or extended period of time, usually in a tent.  To camp out includes giving up general utilities like shower, toilet, and going without many possessions.  In the first example, Nancy is debating whether she and her family will stay in a tent on the beach, but Lenny contends that he doesn’t like the outdoors.  Lenny’s approach to “camping out” is confined to the safety of his back yard.  In the second example, the protesters intended on staying in front of City Hall for an extended period of time to prove their tenacity.  Therefore, they camped out in front of the building showing their willingness to give up comforts to show their commitment.

http://www.languagesystems.com/