Pull an all nighter

Meaning: Depriving yourself of sleep all night to do things that need to be done or you want to do. Usually used for studying.

Example 1

Matt and Ben are two friends

Matt: Are you going to John’s party tonight?

Ben: No, I’m not!

Matt: Why not?

Ben: I have a test tomorrow.

Matt: Didn’t you study for the test?

Ben: No, that’s why I have to study all night!!

Matt: Man! So you are going to pull an all nighter?

Ben: Yeah! It looks like it!

Example 2

Jessica finished her final exams at her university in the morning and is now visiting her parents in the afternoon.

Jessica: Hi mom!! It’s so good to see you.

Mom: Thanks honey! It’s so nice to see you, too. I’ve missed you.

Jessica: I’ve missed you, too. How are you?

Mom: I’m great. How about you?

Jessica: I’m so tired, mom!!

Mom: Why, honey?!

Jessica: I was awake all night

Mom: Why were you awake all night? Were you at a club? You should focus on your studies!!!

Jessica: NO Mom!!!! I was pulling an all nighter for my final exams.

Mom: Oh, I see. You are such a good student, honey!

Pit stop

Idiom: Pit stop

Example 1: 

Our road trip to Las Vegas was great except for 1 thing. John kept drinking a ton of water and we had to make so many pit stops for him to use the restroom! 

Example 2:

Jason: Are you ready to go?

Maria: Yes, but we'll need to make a quick pit stop for gas and snacks. It's going to be a long drive.

Jason: OK! There's a gas station near the freeway. We can get everything there.

Explanation: A pit stop is a short break in a driving trip to do something such as fill the gas tank, use the restroom, buy snacks, etc. 

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Like wildfire

Idiom: Like wildfire

Meaning: Spreading, growing or gaining popularity in an accelerated way; Quickly gaining attention. 

Context #1 – A new song was released by a very popular music artist.

Joc: Hey Clay, did you hear the new McPac-Man song? 

Clayton: No, why?

Joc: Dude, seriously?  It’s been spreading like wildfire.  It’s become so popular across the world, so quickly, that the president wants to meet him.

Clayton: No way!  That popular?

Larry:  Yeah!  They say it will be the track of the century.

Context #2 – The most popular kids in school started dating.

Jay: Manny started dating Jinkee.

Alice: I heard! OMG

Jay: Wow, I guess everybody knows.

Alice: I guess so.  Seems the news has been spreading like wildfire.

Jay:  Yeah, even our other campuses know about this romance.

Alice: Wow, it really is like wildfire. 

Jay: With social media, you can’t keep anything a secret for long.

Meaning: The idiom “like wildfire” means that information about something positive/negative has spread so quickly that it’s almost impossible to stop.  Spreading like wildfire means gaining popularity at a pace most people didn’t imagine possible.  The news become almost impossible to control.

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Rocket science

Idiom: Rocket science

Examples:

Context #1 – Two friends are discussing the effects of illegal drugs

Lars: You know, I don’t agree with what the professor said in class today.

Katrina: Hmmmm? About what?

Lars: He said that drugs are the biggest problem in our society today.

Katrina: Well, they are really bad, especially for younger people.

Lars: What about crime? I think that is the biggest problem today.

Katrina: Drugs equal crime. It’s not rocket science! The connection is really clear.

Lars: Oh, I never thought of it that way.

Context #2 – Julia is planning a party for her 6-year-old sister

Julia: Oh, I’m so nervous!

Tito: Why? What’s up?

Julia: I have to plan a birthday party for my little sister. She is turning 6 years old. What should I do?

Tito: Come on! It’s not rocket science! It’s a party for a 6 year old girl. How difficult can that be?

Julia: Well, I want her to have fun!

Tito: Buy a cake, balloons, and presents. Then invite a bunch of her friends over and play some games.

Julia: Well, maybe they want to do something more than that. Maybe I should bring someone in to do their make up and nails. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Tito: They are 6 year-old girls. I think games, presents, and cake should be enough.

Meaning: Something that is not very complicated or difficult to understand

“People use this idiom when they want to describe something that is simple and easy, not complicated. It is usually used in the negative. Instead of saying “it’s not rocket science,” you can also say “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist!” 

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To line (someone or something) up

Idiom: To line (someone or something) up

Example:

Context #1 – Students are trying to plan a surprise party for their teacher

Jeff: Next Friday is our teacher’s last day of class before she moves to China. I think we should line something up for her surprise farewell party. Something really big!!

 Mimi: Hmmmm...let me think about that. How many people are in the class?

Jeff: About 15 people and they are all adults.

 Mimi: Oh, I know! Let’s line up a magician for the party. I recently saw a magician named “Alvin the Great” who hypnotizes people and makes them do crazy things. When they wake up, they forget ever doing those things!

Jeff: Really? That sounds a little strange. What if they do something embarrassing?

Mimi: Well, he only hypnotized people who were willing and they didn’t do anything too crazy. Just funny things.

Jeff: OK. Do you think we have enough time to line “Alvin the Great” up for the party?

Mimi: Let me call him now.

Context #2 – Students are rushing to see a magician’s show

Jack: OK, everyone. Line up over here by the stage if you want to get a closer look at “Alvin the Great.”

Terri: Oh, this is so exciting! I want to volunteer during the show.

Jack: Well, if you line up first, you will have a better chance.

Meaning: To schedule someone or something for something (figurative); to put people or things in a line (literal)

“In context 1, the figurative meaning is to arrange or schedule someone or something for an event. Jeff and Mimi are scheduling a magician to come and perform during their teacher’s farewell party. In context 2, the literal meaning is to put people or things in a line. In this case, the students are lining up to see the magician and Terri wants to be the first in line so that she can volunteer during the show. 

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The calm before the storm

Idiom: The calm before the storm

Example 1: It was just before the department store was to open on "Black Friday," the biggest shopping day of the year. The store was very quiet, but the sales clerks knew this was just the calm before the storm. As soon as the doors open, there will be hundreds of customers rushing in to try to grab the best merchandise.

Example 2: The sky was dark full of clouds. The weather report said there was a big rainstorm on its way. The calm before the storm lasted only a short while. In just a few minutes, thunder, lightning, and strong winds began to rattle the small village. 

Meaning: The calm before the storm can be used figuratively (as in Example 1) or literally (as in Example 2). This expression describes a period of quiet and calmness before an anticipated period of exciting or chaos. 

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