Second to None

Second to None: the best, better than anything or anyone else

Context #1 – A friend is asking his roommate about restaurants

Mark: Hey, Mannie. What are you doing?

Mannie: Well, I’m looking for a really nice restaurant. I’ve decided to ask Tanya to marry me and I would like to do it in a romantic restaurant.

Mark: Congratulations! You make a great couple! I know a perfect restaurant right on the beach. It has a beautiful view and the food is delicious!

Mannie: Are you sure it is the best restaurant in the area?

Mark: I guarantee you that this restaurant is second to none. You will love it!

Context #2 – Friends talking about a concert

Cassandra: Hey, would you like to go see that new band “Things Hidden” tonight at the coliseum?

Tabitha: Oh, yes! I heard they are the best new band out there!

Cassandra: They are second to none! No other band can compare.

Tabitha: Let’s go early so that we can get really good seats.

Explanation: “Second to none” means the best or better than anything or anyone else. In context 1, Mannie wants to take Tanya to the best restaurant in town so that he can propose to her.  Mark assures Mannie that the restaurant he recommended is the best, or second to none. In context 2, the band that the two friends are going to see is the best new band in town. 

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A drop in the bucket

First Example:

            Mary: Thanks for the donation for the Children's Hospital.

Conner: I wish I could give more. I know $100 is a drop in the bucket compared to what they need.

Mary: It's still generous of you. Yeah, we need to raise about $10 million, but if more people give, it'll really make a difference to a lot of sick kids.

Meaning: The expression "a drop in the bucket" means that something is very small when compared to what is necessary. In the example above, Conner has given Mary a donation for children's hospital, but he realizes that compared with the $10 million necessary, it seems almost worthless (which Mary denies).

Second Example:

When the employees found out how much money the company had made without giving any raises or bonuses, the employees were furious. They argued that a small raise for each employee would have been a drop in the bucket when compared with the record profits, but the company argued that they were investing the profits to ensure future growth.

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A small world

Context #1

Tom: So Sara, where are you from?
Sara: I'm from California.
Tom: Really? Me too! Where in California?
Sarah: I'm from San Diego. How about you?
Tom: I'm from San Diego too. Wow! It's a small world!

Context #2

Chris: You know that new girl in our class? Well, I just found out that we grew up in the same neighborhood. We went to the same elementary school 30 years ago!
Sam: Wow! That's amazing. What a small world!

Meaning: "a small world" is used to describe a situation where two people find out that they grew up together, live in the same apartment building, or have something truly amazing in common.

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Actions speak louder than words

Context #1

Amy: Hey Brian, what time will you pick me for tomorrow’s carpool to school?
Brian: I’ll be there at 9 am sharp.
Amy: Are you sure? Because the last 3 times you were late and we almost missed our first class. I would almost prefer to walk than wait for you again if you’re going to be late.
Brian: I promise. I’ll be on time tomorrow. Trust me.
Amy: Actions speak louder than words. I’ll have to see what you do tomorrow.

Context #2

We have a new American President set to be sworn into office soon. During each campaign season, the candidates make many promises with hopes to gain support and votes from the citizens. It seems that a candidate will often say anything and everything that will get him or her elected, even if they have no intention of doing what they say. Regardless of whom you supported in the elections, this is always true: Whoever is elected must remember that actions speak louder than words when it comes to gaining our trust and support in the long run.

Explanation

Actions speak louder than words means that what you DO is more important than what you SAY.
In Example 1, Brian SAYS he will be on time, but actually, he has been late the last 3 times. His actions don’t match his words, so Amy reminds him that he needs to DO what he says, not only SAY that he will.
In Example 2, the speaker is discussing politics. It is likely true of politicians in many countries, that they SAY many wonderful things and make many amazing promises, but often FAIL TO DO it. The speaker uses this expression to emphasize that politicians would enjoy more trust and support from their constituents if their ACTIONS matched their WORDS.

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Pull Christmas Crackers

Context #1 

Family sitting down for Christmas dinner

Dad: OK everyone. Let’s sit down to eat Christmas dinner!

Jason: Dad, can we pull the Christmas crackers now?

Dad: Sure, Jason! Go ahead.

Jason: Pulling Christmas cracker with his sister and it makes a “bang.”

Mother: Oh, look at those cute little toys. OK, Jason, now let your sister pull a Christmas cracker to see what she gets!

Context #2 

Two friends planning a Christmas party

Sami:  You know what? I have another idea for our Christmas party this year. Let’s have Christmas crackers!

Petra: What? I don’t know what that is.

Sami: Well, in Britain and some other English-speaking countries, people “pull Christmas crackers” during parties. The Christmas crackers contain little trinkets, toys, or even jokes on small pieces of paper.

Petra: That sounds interesting! Let’s do it.

Meaning: A Christmas Cracker is a cardboard paper tube, of brightly colored paper and twisted at both ends. They are usually given during Christmas dinner or at Christmas parties. They make a noise when pulled apart by two people and contain small presents like toys, trinkets, or even jokes on pieces of paper. Christmas crackers are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. Christmas crackers are not very common in the United States. 

Check out this video of people pulling Christmas cracker! https://youtu.be/ZAq6YzBBJBc

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To look on the bright side

Context #1:

Amy: We need to save money.
Brian: Why do we need to save money?
Amy: Because we need to buy a house.
Brian: But a house is so expensive.
Amy: That's why we need to save money.
Brian: How much do we need to save?
Amy: We need to save enough for a down payment.
Brian: How much is that?
Amy: That's about $30,000.
Brian: Thirty thousand dollars! That will take forever.
Amy: Not if we save every penny. Besides that, look on the bright side! We're going to buy a very nice house!
Brian: Okay, okay. Here's seven pennies.

Context #2

Maura: I don’t know what to do.
Robin: What’s the matter?
Maura: Well, I’ve been looking for a job for months everyday. I send my resume, but I just can’t get a job. I think I’m going to be unemployed all summer.
Robin: Hey, hey, hey, look on the bright side. At least while you’re not in the office, you can sit outside and enjoy that beautiful weather.
Maura: You’re right. The weather has been nice lately.
Meaning:This is an expression that means "Think positively." People use this expression when they're talking to someone who's having a problem. After saying "Look on the bright side", the speaker then says something good that the person who's having the problem can be happy about. 

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Black Friday; used as a noun

Context:

Alex: What are you doing over the Thanksgiving break?

Armando: Well, I'm spending Thanksgiving evening with my parents, and then I'm spending the night in a Best Buy parking lot.

Alex: Why would you do that?

Armando: It's Black Friday. I need a new computer, and they are selling a laptop I've had my eye on for really cheap. But they will have like 5 at that price, so I'm going to camp out in front of the stoor.

Alex: That's sounds dreadful. I will be wishing you luck from the comfort of my apartment.

Meaning: The expression "Black Friday" is a nickname for the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. Thanksgiving is a harvest celebration, and in the US, it's always celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Because it's on a Thursday, most schools and companies stay closed on the day after. Since everyone is off work and it's roughly a month before Christmas, the day has become one of the most popular shopping days in the US. In order to attract customers, stores usually offer their best sales on that day, although many of these sales are limited, as explained by Armando in the example above. Because of these limited sales, some people have made the day almost a competitive shopping holiday, and every year there are reports of shoppers fighting over an item and people falling and being trampled when the store's doors open.

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