Curveball

Meaning: a difficult, strange or unusual situation (This idiom comes from baseball. The person responsible for throwing the ball towards the batter “the pitcher” has an array of different throws, one of them being the “curveball.”  It’s a particularly difficult throw to strike, as it can change direction.

Context #1 – At work

Clayton: Hey Zach, I’m not quite sure what’s going on with our manager; he really 

threw a curveball with those new company policies.

Zach: Tell me about it.  It’s unusual for changes to be made so suddenly.  It was 

definitely a curveball situation.

Clayton: I’m wondering if the new owners decided to implement the new policies as 

soon as they took over the company.

Zach: Either way, they should have warned us.  Now I’m just upset.

Context #2 – Dating

Sarah: Oh my goodness! The guy I went on a date with totally surprised me.

Leslie: Why? Was he strange?

Sarah: He hit me with a curveball.  Apparently he only likes to date for two weeks and then try to find a new girlfriend after.

Leslie: How strange.  It must be difficult dealing with a relationship like that;  Definitely a curveball.

Meaning: The idiom “curveball” means a tricky, difficult, unusual situation due to the change in direction into an unusual place.  In example #1, Clayton was upset at the unexpected and sudden new policies the company implemented.  In example #2, Sarah went on a date to meet a nice guy she could date, but the guy was unusual in his relationship expectations.  Sarah was not expecting to meet someone like that.

In the boonies

Idiom: In the boonies

Meaning: very rural area; far away from large populations or urban areas

Context #1 – New Job, New Location

Kevin: I heard you got a new job and you have to move away.  Where are you going to live now Vee?

Vee: I got a great job as a Geologist in a university.  But it’s way out in the boonies.

Kevin: What do you mean?  How far in the boonies is it?

Sal: Let me put it to you this way, it takes about three hours to drive to a supermarket.

Context #2 – Survival trip

Bear: How was your trip?

Les: It was great.  It got a little scary because we were far in the boonies and we were afraid that if someone got hurt, there would be no help.

Bear: Wow! How far away in the boonies were you?

Les: Let’s just say the boonies are a couple of hours away, and we were in the boonies of the boonies.  So about a two day walk to the nearest road.

Meaning: The idiom “in the boonies” means a very rural location.  Usually, it means it’s difficult to reach, even by vehicles; it’s not necessarily a negative point, but it’s typically thought of as a negative thing.  In context #1, Vee got a new job he really likes, but the downside is that it’s very rural.  In context #2, Les was in one of the most remote locations possible.  When he says, “the boonies of the boonies” he’s trying to say they were in an extremely remote area.

To be light years ahead of

Idiom: To be light years ahead of

Meaning: A long way ahead of someone or something in terms of development or success

Context #1 – Becki and Sookie are talking about phones

Sookie: I really don’t know what to do. I’m so tired!.

Becki: What happened?

Sookie: I’m trying to talk my grandma into buying a new phone. Right now, she has one of those old flip phones from like 10 years ago. She insists that she doesn’t want anything different. I keep trying to tell her that the iphone is light years ahead of the flip phone and that she will see how much easier it is with a smart phone.

Becki: She probably doesn’t even know all the things the iphone can do. She can only make calls on her phone, right?

Sookie: Well, calls and low quality pictures. Despite all that, she says that she doesn’t want some fancy phone with functions that are light years ahead of her flip phone. She likes things just the way they are.

Context #2 – Deborah is asking about Carl’s 6-year-old son

Deborah: So how is your son doing in first grade?

Carl: He is doing great. Actually, that’s the problem.

Deborah: It’s a problem that he is doing great?

Carl: Yes. His teachers told me that he is really smart and learns things really fast in class. She said he is light years ahead of his classmates.

Deborah: That doesn’t sound like a problem to me.

Carl: Well, it is. Academically, he is light years ahead of the other students, but socially he is six years old and needs to have friends his age to play with.

Deborah: Oh, I see.

Carl: Now we have to decide whether to move him up a grade or keep him in the same grade.

Meaning: The idiom “light years ahead of” means to be a long way ahead of someone or something in terms of development or success. In context one, Sookie is trying to convince her grandma to buy a phone that is light years ahead of (or much more developed than) her grandma’s flip phone. In context 2, Carl is worried about his son being more advanced academically than his classmates because socially he wants his son to be surrounded by children his own age.

Cutting Edge

Idiom: Cutting Edge

Meaning: The most modern or advanced point of something, at the forefront, newest, up-to-date, the leading or most important part of a movement , leading edge; commonly used as both a noun and adjective

Context #1 – Belinda and Sal are studying

Sal: This new phone is great for studying. While reading this book on my phone for class, I can look up unknown words instantly with one tap, write notes with a stylus in the margins, and quickly find commentary and explanations on the internet. I don’t even need a computer.

Belinda: Wow, that’s nice! I do a lot of studying on my iPad. I can’t imagine what it was like before all this cutting edge technology.

Sal: I know! Can you imagine reading a book and then looking up the words in a paperback dictionary? That would take forever!

Belinda: Well, my grandma says she will never go back to the way it was before. She is on the cutting edge of technology, despite her age!

Sal: Good for her! I cannot imagine it any other way.

Context #2 – Daphne is asking about Cecil’s new watch

Daphne: Is that a new Apple Watch?

Cecil: Yes, it is. My parents gave it to me for my birthday.

Daphne: That’s so cool! You are on the cutting edge of technology and fashion with such a nice looking watch!

Cecil: Thank you!

Check out this video for more examples of cutting edge technology!

Top 5 Wearable Tech

Meaning: The idiom “cutting edge” means the most modern or advanced of something and can be used as both a noun and adjective.  In context one, they are discussing cutting edge (adjective) technology and Belinda’s grandma who is on the cutting edge (noun) of technology. In context 2, Daphne thinks that Cecil’s watch is on the cutting edge (noun) of fashion as well as technology.

Around the Bend

Idiom: around the bend

Meaning: to be coming soon (an event or time of year); upcoming

 

Context #1 – Betty and Sergio are talking about the upcoming vacation

Sergio: This has been a difficult term at school. I can’t wait until vacation!

Betty: Well, you won’t have to wait long. The break is just around the bend and I have some really fun activities planned!

Sergio: Really?

Betty: Yes. I think you will like where we are going. But I’m keeping everything a secret so that you will be surprised.

Sergio: No way! Vacation is just around the bend and I have very little time to plan. What if I need to bring a bathing suit or hiking boots? I need to know.

Betty: No worries! I will make sure you have everything you need.

Context #2 – It is October 2016 and two friends are talking about the upcoming presidential election in November.

Darline: I can’t believe how fast time goes by. The election is right around the bend and we need to vote for our next president. Do you know who you will vote for yet?

Kenji: No, I think that I need a little more time and there is not much of a choice. One of the candidates just insults everyone and the other one is a career politician who only cares about power.

Darline: Well, it may seem hopeless, but we should still vote. It’s not only the presidential election, but other important elections for the House and Senate are also around the bend.

Kenji: Yes, I know. Maybe our votes will make a difference in those elections.

Darline: I certainly hope so!

Meaning: The idiom “around the bend” means upcoming or coming soon in American English. Sometimes “around the corner” can have the same meaning when discussing upcoming events or seasons. For example, in Context 1, they are talking about their upcoming vacation. In Context 2, they are talking about the presidential election which is just around the bend. Please note that in British English, the definition for this idiom is crazy or mentally unstable. For example. “I think this stressful job is sending me around the bend,” which means the job is making me crazy.

To Fall Into Place

Idiom: to fall into place

Meaning: to begin to make sense;  to happen in a satisfactory way without problems; to understand something that was not understandable before; to solve the problem

Context #1 – Bethany is finishing her first day on the job

Lars: I’m so glad you got a job here. How do you like it? Is everything OK?

Bethany: Well, I like it now. At first I was really confused about how I was supposed to take orders over the phone and that really stressed me out.

Lars: Oh no! You should have told me. We have support material for new people who are just learning on the job.

Bethany: Yes, I know. I asked Martha what to do and she gave me a script and other support material. Then, things began to fall into place, and I finally understood what to do.

Lars: Whew! That’s good. I really want you to like it here.

Bethany: No worries! After everything fell into place, I am stress-free and happy!

Context #2 – Two fans are watching a basketball game and discussing their favorite team

Donna: Wow! I can’t believe how differently the team is playing today compared to just last week when they completely fell apart and lost by 20 points.

Carlos: I know! It’s like a miracle. I guess the changes the coach made in the team lineup and the new plays really made things fall into place for the team.

Donna: You can say that again! Look at all the shots they are making, and they are getting almost all of the rebounds!

Carlos: Yes, it is fun to watch.

Donna: Well, I’m really glad that everything fell into place for the team before they lost too many games. We might even go to the playoffs this year!

Meaning: The idiom “to fall into place” means to make sense of something that previously was not understandable or to organize something efficiently to make it more understandable. In Context 1, Bethany was confused about her job duties, but when a co-worker helped her, everything fell into place. In Context 2, when the team became more organized and together, everything fell into place and they started playing well.  

to scrape together

Idiom: to scrape together (used as a verb)

First Example:

The college students didn't think they'd have enough money to pay their rent. They sold some stuff and borrowed from their parents and they finally scraped together what they needed just in time.

Meaning: The expression "to scrape together" means to gather together or make something with difficulty.  The expression is used when trying to collect enough of something from limited resources. Most commonly, as in the case above, it's used with money.

Second Example:

            Christina: There's nothing to eat. Want to order a pizza?

            Lisa: I'd rather save money. What's in the cupboard? Maybe we can scrape something together.

            Christina: Not much. There's some pasta.

            Lisa: Great! Is there any olive oil?

            Christina: Yeah, I think so. 

            Lisa: And this tomato is good. We have dinner!

           

Meaning: In the second example, Lisa says that they can "scrape something together", meaning dinner.  This means that despite Christina saying there is nothing to eat, Lisa thinks they can gather together enough food to make them dinner. Also notice that the expression can be separated with a noun.