Over the hill

Example: 
Iain: “Hi, Ligia! Happy birthday!”
Ligia: “Thank you, Iain! I am so happy it’s my birthday!”
Iain: “You are turning 30, right?”
Ligia: “ I am actually turning  37… Pretty soon I’ll be over the hill.”
Iain: “Ligia… you are still young! You’ll not be over the hill anytime soon!!”
Ligia: “You are right! I’ll say I’m over the hill when I turn 85! Haha.”
Iain: “That’s better! Enjoy your birthday!”

Meaning: Over the hill means to be too old!

Happy Birthday Ligia!!!

To let (someone) down

To let (someone) down: to disappoint, to not complete an expectation

Jamie: Sorry I’m late, Mr. Tosca. 

Mr. Tosca: You told me your presentation would ready two hours ago.  Our new clients are very angry.

Jamie: Don’t worry, Mr. Tosca. I’ll explain everything to them.

Mr. Tosca: No, you won’t. They left 45 minutes ago!  You really let me down.

“Let down” is also used as a countable noun to mean “disappointment.”

Jake: Did you like the movie?

Linda: No, it was ­a let down.

“Let down” is a common phrase in popular culture. Search for the Beatles’ song “Don’t Let Me Down.”

For more information, please visit www.languagesystems.com

"to get ahead"

Example 1:

Boss: You're still here? It's almost 7:30!

Employee: I know, don't worry... I just want to get ahead because I have so much extra work to do this week.

Boss: Wow, you're a hard worker! But please take care of yourself, and don't work overtime this week, ok?

Employee: Thank you, I got it. And I will feel much better when I don't have this work on my desk tomorrow!


Example 2:

Tim: I'm getting another job to pay off my credit cards faster.

June: I hear you! I'm thinking about getting a part-time job to make some extra money. I really want to build up my savings.

Tim: Sounds good~ Just don't spend your extra income!

June: Exactly! We have to be careful with our money to really get ahead!


Meaning: to become successful, to push yourself into an advantageous position

In Example 1, the employee feels behind in his/her work, so he/she wants to work late in order "to get ahead" and that means less work tomorrow.

In Example 2, Tim wants to pay off his debt and June wants to save money. Both of them want "to get ahead" and succeed with their finances.

Usage notes: We can use "get ahead" in various verb tenses by modifying the form of "get."

Ex. I am getting ahead with my new job. present progressive
Ex. I got ahead last year when I saved lots of money. past simple
Ex. I've gotten ahead many times in my life simply by working hard. present perfect
Ex. I will get ahead with my new business plan. future simple


The idiom "to get ahead" was taken from Unit 7 (Making it Work) in LSI's textbook Reading Transitions for Level 4 Reading/Vocabulary classes.

"to beat traffic"

Example 1:

Mary: Let's go to the Laker game this weekend!

Steve: Sounds like fun, but the traffic around Staples Center is such a nightmare... ugh!

Mary: How about if we leave early to beat traffic, and then have dinner downtown before the game?

Steve: Mary, that sounds great!


Example 2:

John: I got a really good job offer this week, but it's all the way across town...!

Mark: Oh, you don't want to drive during rush hour...

John: No way! But the pay is great and the benefits are really good.

Mark: Hmm. My cousin works on the other side of town and she leaves at 6:00 in the morning to beat traffic.

John: She's smart! Maybe I can ask the boss for a flexible schedule and start work earlier to beat the traffic too.


Meaning: to drive somewhere before there is a lot of traffic

Usage notes: We say "to beat traffic" or "to beat the traffic."

The idiom "to beat traffic" was taken from Unit 7 (Making it Work) in LSI's textbook Reading Transitions for Level 4 Reading/Vocabulary classes.

to point the finger at

Idiom: to point the finger at; used as a verb

First Example: When Charlene asked her kids who ate the cake in the fridge, her son Oscar pointed the finger at his sister, Michelle.  Of course, Charlene knew it was Oscar because he had frosting on his face, so he got into trouble for lying as well.

Meaning: To "point the finger at" someone means to blame a person for something bad that happened.  The expression comes from the act of pointing at a guilty person, often done by a witness in court (who points at the criminal).  However, while possible, it is not required that the accuser literally point his/her finger at someone in order to blame him/her.  In fact, this idiom is often used when the person being blamed isn't even present, as in the next example:

Second Example: When Melanie got into trouble at work, she pointed the finger at everyone but herself.  She blamed her late projects on Todd, claiming he kept interrupting her with other projects, and she said Chris said it was OK for her to use the phone to make person calls.

Here, Melanie is blaming others for her bad behavior at work.  In addition to personal blame, the expression can also be in a larger sense, as in the following example:

Third Example:

            Economist A. When people ask me about what caused the economic crisis in 2008, I usually point the finger at the Iraq war.  It was an extremely expensive ordeal.

            Economist B. While I agree that the expense of the war had some effect on the economy, I think you're overestimating its influence.  Real estate prices and the stock market were really blame.

When asked what was the number one cause of the in the United States, the first economist pointed the finger at the Iraq war.  However, the other economist argued that he should have pointed the finger at real estate prices. 

This idiom is from LSI's book "Reading Savvy," which is used in the Level 5 Reading classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/  

to shell out

Idiom: to shell out; used as a verb

First Example: If you want a car like mine, you're going to have to shell out $23,000;  that's how much it cost me after taxes and fees.

Meaning: To "shell out" something means to spend a certain amount of money; the expression suggests that the amount is a large cost.  This idiom doesn't require a specific amount, such as when it is used in a question, but an answer will usually include a specific number, as in the following example.

Second Example:

   Andrew. The diamond on that ring you gave your girlfriend is huge!  How much did you have to shell out for that?

   Ben. Only $100...  The diamond is fake, but don't tell her that!

Here, Andrew thinks that Ben gave his girlfriend an expensive ring, so he uses the idiom "shell out," but Ben replies with a much smaller number. Notice that the modal "have to" is often used with "shell out" as in both examples above (however, the second example could be written without it).  In addition to questions, "shell out" can also be used with an expression to suggest a large number instead of an actual number, as in the following example:

Third Example: In order the keep the woman quiet after the accident, the theme park shelled out an obscene amount of money.  She'll never have to work another day in her life.

In this case, "obscene" means an outrageous amount that people would be shocked (and maybe even offended) to hear, and the use of "shell out" heightens the idea that the "obscene" amount was quite large.

This idiom is from LSI's book "Reading Savvy," which is used in the Level 5 Reading classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/  

to chew out

To Chew Out

Example 1:

Kaly: You are not going to believe what Jenny just told me!

Sanae: What?

Kaly: Well, you know that it was Jenny's 21st birthday last Saturday. Of course it was a big deal and she was really looking forward to an exciting party. She thought that her boyfriend had something really big planned out, but when he came to take her out, they ended up just going to a movie and to dinner at Burger King. It turns out that her boyfriend completely forgot it was her birthday! Can you believe it?

Sanae: No! How terrible for Jenny!

Kaly: Yes, I know. She was so angry by the end of the night that she really chewed him out when he dropped her off at her house after dinner. She almost broke up with him!

Sanae: I don't blame her. Actually, I forgot my boyfriend's 24th birthday last year and he really chewed me out for it. He wouldn't talk to me for a week!

Example: 2

Jimmy: I really don't know what to do. My boss is so mean.

Tammy: Why? What happened?

Jimmy: Well, I've been running into a lot of traffic lately on the way to work, so I was late a couple of days in a row. Today, when I was only 2 minutes late, my boss just chewed me out. I was so shocked.

Tammy: You really shouldn't be late to work. You know how important it is to be on time.

Jimmy: Yes, I know. But I don't like being chewed out in front of everyone else at work. He could have at least taken me into his office and chewed me out privately.

Tammy: You're right about that.

Jimmy: Well, I guess I won't be late anymore!


Meaning:
To chew someone out means to angrily tell someone that their actions are unacceptable. In the first example, Jenny was really mad at her boyfriend because he forgot her birthday. So, she chewed him out. A lot of times, "to chew out" is used when the subject is the superior (boss, parent, teacher, etc.). In example 2, Jimmy's boss chewed him out for being late.

This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook Speaking Transitions. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 4 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com