Horsing around

Idiom: "horsing around"

Example:

Mariela:  Minami, you really should pay more attention in your Idioms class. I don’t think you pay attention in class, you are always horsing around.

Minami: Horsing around? I don’t have a horse! I don’t even know how to ride a horse.  I take the bus everywhere I go!

Mariela: No, silly. Horsing around means goofing around and not paying attention.

Minami: Okay, you are right. I really need to stop chatting with Bruno and Sylvia in Idioms class and need to start paying attention to what the teacher says.  

Meaning: "horsing around" means to be goofing around, playing around. Not paying attention.

For more information, please visit www.languagesystems.edu

Beating a dead horse

Idiom: “Beating a dead horse”

Example:

Minami:  Hey there Mariela.  I heard you were talking to Joyce about politics yesterday, and you told her to “stop beating a dead horse”.  I mean I don’t know much about politics, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do something as cruel as that!  Why would she beat a dead horse?  That’s horrible!

Mariela:  Minami, you silly goose!  “Beating a dead horse” is an English idiom.

Minami:  Really?  That’s pretty strange.  What the heck does it mean?

Mariela:  It means repeating something over and over again, trying to make your point in so many different ways that it becomes totally obvious.

Minami:  Oh, I think I get it.  I just don’t understand why English idioms use so many references to animals.  They are very confusing to me! 

Meaning: "Beating a dead horse" is a common idiom has nothing to do with cruelty to animals, dead or alive, but simply means to make your point over and over again ad nauseam!  (Basically, this means to keep explaining and giving examples about something to the point of making your audience sick to their stomachs!).

For more information, please visit www.languagesystems.edu

To get busted

Idiom: "to get busted"

Context #1:

Fred: Hey, did you hear what happened to Joe?

Chris: No, what happened?

Fred: He got busted for drinking and driving. He is in serious trouble.

Chris: Oh man! That's too bad! He's probably going to lose his license.

Context #2:

Stephanie: Yesterday in Math class I was cheating on my test and I got busted by the teacher.

Veronica:  You did? That was stupid.

Stephanie: I know. She took my test away and said I would get a zero.

Meaning: "to get busted" is an American idiom that means to get in trouble for doing something wrong. People get busted when they are caught breaking the law or a rule. Getting busted is embarrassing and usually leads to serious consequences. 

For more information, please visit www.languagesystems.edu

To be hot

Idiom: "to be hot"

Context #1:

James:  Did you watch the basketball game last night? The Miami Heat won again.

Tom:  I know. They are hot right now.

James: I don't think anyone can beat them. 

Tom:  I think you're right! They're going to win the NBA Championship.

Context #2:

Sally: Who's the hottest golfer in the world right now?

Jane: Well, it's not Tiger Woods.

Sally: Yeah, what happened to him. He used to be really good.

Meaning: "to be hot" is an idiom related to sports and it is used to talk about teams or individual players that are doing really well during a specific period of time. You can use this idiom for any team or player when they are performing at an excellent or outstanding level. The hot players or teams tend to shine more than all other players or teams. Practical idioms like this are taught in the Speaking and Conversation classes at LSI.  

For more information, please visit www.languagesystems.edu

To spread the word

Idiom: "To spread the word"

Example:

Mitsue runs to Hugo excitedly...

Mitsue: Spread the word! The LSI beach party is coming soon! It's a day at the beach with free lunch, sports, games and prizes!

Hugo: Will do! I'll tell my class first!

Meaning: "To spread the word" means to tell as many people as you can. "The word" is a message. We use this idiom for good or bad news.

For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.edu

To be an eye-opener

Idiom: "to be an eye-opener"

Example: 

Darryl and John are talking...

Darryl: Did you know that the average household in California uses more than 350 gallons of water a day? That's over 1325 liters everyday! 

John: Each house?! That's a real eye-opener!

Meaning: An eye-opener is a shocking or surprising piece of news. It's something unexpected that makes you think differently about a situation or about the world.

For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.edu

To scorch & to roast

Idiom: to scorch & to roast; used as a verb
 

Example:

Carla: I just saw the news, and  it's going to be 97 today! I don't want to leave our air conditioned house.

Ken: I know! I went outside to take out the trash, and the sun was scorching!      

Carla: I'm not going to the movie.

Ken:  Fine by me; let's see if we can find something to watch on TV.

Meaning: Literally, "scorch" means to burn the exterior of something so that it is burnt or charred (for example, a blackened piece of chicken that is charred on the outside).  However, an American will sometimes say that the weather is "scorching," meaning that it is very hot. The idiomatic meaning of "scorch" suggests a person getting burnt by the sun, but it doesn't literally mean that the sun will blacken the person's skin. In the example above, Ken uses the idiomatic meaning of "scorch" to emphasize how hot the sun is - not that he actually got his skin burnt. Alternatively, there is another word with a similar idiomatic meaning, as seen below:

Ken: Why did you go outside? You know how hot it is.

Carla: I know, but I left my purse in my car yesterday! Unfortunately it was too late.  It was roasting in there, and my makeup was all ruined!                                       

Ken: Oh no! Was there a lot of makeup?

Carla:  Fortunately, I had only taken a few things with me last night, but it melted my favorite lipstick.

Ken: That's too bad - sorry to hear that.

Meaning: In this case, Carla uses the word "roast," which is usually used in cooking (for example, a roasted turkey) to idiomatically explain how hot it was in her car.  Since roasting is used for an enclosed heat, the idiomatic meaning is most often used when something is hot because it is closed up (for example, Carla's car), but it isn't limited to that use, and a sunbather who sits out in the sun for too long and burns his/her skin can be said to have roasted him/herself.

This week, we have been covering American idioms related to heat due to the high temperatures in Los Angeles. 

For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.edu