Happy Camper

Idiom: Happy Camper; used as a noun

First Example:

Pete: Hey Chip, what’s going on?  You seem to be incredibly unhappy.

Chip: Every time I almost get my work done, someone interrupts me. I’m not a happy camper.

Pete: No kidding, you’ve been quite irritated for the last couple of days.  I guess that project was tough huh?

Second Example:

Jean: You’re certainly a happy camper after your trip to Europe.

Matt: I had a chance to visit so many sites and try so many good things to eat.  What’s not to be happy about?

Meaning: 

To be a "happy camper" means to be satisfied, cheerful or pleased with something, someone, or the result of something.  In the first example, Pete noticed Chip’s demeanor and noticed how unhappy he was with something.  Chip explains that he keeps getting interrupted. This idiom is commonly used with a negative to mean unhappy.

In the second example, Matt expresses his positive experience in Europe and why he was so happy.  He was a satisfied customer, or a Happy Camper.

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To drop the ball

Idiom: To drop the ball

Example: Last week, my wife received all of our monthly bills. She wrote the checks, put them in envelopes and asked me to mail them the next day. I forgot. Now all of our bills are late. I can't believe I dropped the ball like that! My wife is so angry.

Meaning: To drop the ball means to not do or perform your responsibility. When you have a duty or responsibility and you forget to do it or don't do it well, you drop the ball.

By Iain McConnell, #DTLAcampus

www.languagesystems.edu