To snake something

Context #1

Tom: Hey, what happened to my french fries? I go to the restroom and I come back to find them almost gone?

Chris: Yeah, when you left I saw John snake a handful of them. He just laughed and walked away.

Context #2

Carol: You're never going to believe what happened yesterday. I was at the mall waiting for this car that was backing out because I wanted the parking space.  I had my turn signal on so everyone would know that I was waiting for that space. Then, right before I could pull into the space, this other car quickly pulled in and snaked the parking spot that I had been waiting for.

Barbara: No way! That's crazy!  

Meaning: "To snake something" means "To steal" or "To take something wrongly."  

It is an idiom that has an origin in surfing culture. When a surfer is waiting for a wave and he/she is in the proper position to take the wave but another surfer "steals" the wave, they say that the other surfer "snaked the wave." 

http://languagesystems.edu/

To Eat It

Context #1

Jim:  Hey, what happened to your elbow?  It's all bandaged up.

Tony:  Well, I was riding my bike to school yesterday and I ate it when I was going down hill.

Jim:  Wow!  You have to be careful.  

Context #2

Susie: I heard your boyfriend is teaching you how to skateboard.

Jenny:  Yeah, that's right.  

Susie:  Is it hard?

Jenny:  Well, the first few days I was trying to figure out how to keep my balance.  I ate it a lot and scrapped up my knees and hands. 

Meaning: "to eat it" is an idiom that means "to fall" while doing some kind of sport or activity (surfing, snowboarding, riding a bike, jogging, etc.)  Usually it is used when a person falls down and gets a little hurt.  

http://languagesystems.edu/

Don't judge a book by its cover

Idiom: Don't judge a book by its cover: to not judge the quality or character of someone or something just by looking at them

Context #1 – Students talking before the 1^st day of class

Vanessa: Hey, Brad. Did you see the new English teacher? He looks so mean! I'm afraid to go to his class.

Brad: But you haven't even met him yet! Don't judge a book by its cover! Give him a chance before you form an opinion about him.

Vanessa: Hmmm. I guess you are right.

Brad: Besides, I've heard he is really funny! All the students who have taken his class say he is the best teacher they have ever had in English.

Vanessa: Wow, really? OK. I'll try his class and save my opinion for later.

Context #2 – Two friends at a party

Sami:  Hi Petra! Do you want to join us for lunch? We are going to “George's Cafe.”

Petra: Ewww, that place looks awful! It's so tiny and everything is so plain. Why don't we go somewhere else for lunch.

Sami: Don't judge a book by its cover, Petra. “George's Cafe” has the best sandwiches in town. All at a very affordable price.

Petra: Really? Wow, I guess I shouldn't judge it before I even try it.

Meaning: “Dont judge a book by its cover” is said when you cannot know what something or someone is like by looking only at that person or thing's appearance. In the first context, Vanessa has a negative opinion of the teacher based only on his appearance and that he looks “mean.” However, Brad has heard that the teacher is really good, so he encourages Vanessa to try the class and not base her opinion on just the looks of the teacher. In the second context, the place they are going for lunch is small and plain, so Petra has a bad opinion of it. However, it's actually a good place with the best sandwiches in town, so Sami encourages Petra to try it and then form an opinion based on the quality of the food.

To Troll

Idiom: To troll someone or something. Used as a verb (action) or noun (person). To make a  provocative online comment or posting with the goal of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them. A person who posts to an internet discussion group, chat room, or blog with the sole purpose of disrupting it.

Context #1 – Two friends talking about a blog

Sal: Hey Patty, what's wrong? You look upset?

Patty: I'm so mad!! I write this blog about politics and that guy from our class, Reggie, keeps writing all these comments about Trump and how great he is.

Sal: Really?

Patty: Yes. All his comments support everything Trump says. It's crazy! No matter what I say, he just supports Trump more and argues more with me.

Sal: Well, I know Reggie and he is actually a Democrat and super liberal. I doubt he is serious about anything he is saying about Trump.

Patty: What? Do you mean he is just trolling me!

Sal: Yep. You have to admit that it's pretty funny to troll people about controversial politicians. He probably just wants to provoke you.

Patty: I never thought of that! Are you sure he doesn't like Trump? He seems so sincere when he writes comments on my blog.

Sal: Yes, I'm sure. That's what makes him such a good troll!

Context #2 – Two friends talking about Facebook

Tim: Hey, Michelle, what are you laughing about?

Michelle: Oh, hi Tim. I'm writing some comments about Hillary's recent speech on Facebook.

Tim: And why is that funny?

Michelle: Well, I'm turning her words from the speech around to make her look bad. My goodness, I had no idea her supporters would freak out so much!

Tim: You are so mean! You don't even care about the election or the candidates.

Michelle: Hahahaha! I know! But it's fun to see everyone get so upset over a few negative comments! I don't usually troll people like that, but I'm enjoying myself too much to stop.

Tim: Well, be careful. You don't want anyone to “unfriend” you because of a little trolling.

Michelle: You're right. I'll stop trolling....tomorrow!

Meaning: To troll means to purposely and cleverly provoke an angry or emotional response via the internet through comments and dialogue. However, trolling does not only mean making rude comments or statements. The most important part of trolling is to act like one truly believes what one is saying, even if it is completely outrageous. So the person who is being trolled should not know that he or she is being trolled by someone.

Come out swinging

First Example:

Charlie:  Did you watch the political debate last week?

Emilio:  Of course!  It was so shocking; both candidates came out swinging.

Charlie:  That’s an understatement; they were beyond aggressive.

Emilio:  They attacked each other relentlessly.

Meaning: To "come out swinging" comes from the aggressive act of swinging your arms to punch someone or an object to hurt others.  It’s used as an expression to depict someone mounting a verbal attack on someone aggressively.  In this example, Emilio describes the politicians having a debate which probably involved strong accusations, strong/aggressive behavior or language to attack each other.

Second Example:

Sarah:  If Peter doesn’t have a good explanation for leaving me and my family in the middle of dinner, I’m going to come out swinging at him when he arrives.

Michael:  Hey, take it easy.  Don’t be so violent.  I’m sure there’s a rational explanation.  However, that doesn’t give you the right to attack someone physically.

Sarah:  I won’t actually do it, I’m just so angry for his rude behavior.

Michael:  I understand your anger, but saying something like that will confuse people and think you’re violent.

http://languagesystems.edu/

Pull yourself together (used informally)

Idiom: Pull yourself together: used informally

Context #1 Coach and player talking

Coach: Ok, this is really an important race. If we win the next race then our team will be in first place. 

Vinnie: I know coach but I'm so nervous. I don't think that I will be able to compete. I think I'm going to be sick.

Coach: Come on..... pull yourself together. You have run this race many times and you have always done well.

Vinnie: Yeah, but I feel so sick.....

Coach: Come on and do your best.

Context #2 2 Students at an ESL school


Meaning:This phrase is used when someone needs to calm down and to control their emotions. 

Kenji: Oh dude I forgot that we have a test today. I'm going to flunk it.

Mai: How could you forget about this test. We have been talking about it all week. And I'm sure you won't get an "F".

Kenji: I know. What am I going to do?

Mai: Well first you gotta pull yourself together. Freaking out isn't going to help you. I'm sure you will do well. Remember it's only a small percentage of our final grade.

Jenji: You're right. Any grade is better than a zero.

In context #1 The racer is worried about loosing the race and disappointing his coach and team. 

His coach tried to relax him and remind him that he is a good runner.  

In context #2 Kenji is upset because he forgot about a test and is worried about getting a poor grade.

Mai gets Kenji to calm down by reminding him that he is a good student.

http://languagesystems.edu/ 

Comfort food (used as a noun)

Context #1 A teacher and his student talkingTeacher: What's wrong Tatiana? Tatiana: I have been feeling a little down recently and last night I went to a Russian restaurant near my apartment. Teacher: I hope you had a great time. Did you eat anything good? Tatiana: Yeah, that's the problem. Since I was missing home I ate some Russian comfort food. I had a very delicious bowl of Borscht. Teacher: That's wonderful! So what's the problem? Tatiana: It reminded me of home so much that now I'm really homesick.

Context #2 Two friends talking Henry: So Jeries , do you get home often? Jeries: Not as often as I would like to. My boss keeps me really busy. Henry: I hear you. My boss can be like that too. Don't you miss you family and friends? Jeries: Nope. My mom sends me some really good Mac and Cheese. She makes it from scratch. Henry: That's gotta be good to eat some old fashioned comfort food. Jeries: Yeah, it reminds me of when I was a little boy. we would have Mac and Cheese almost every weekend. I am amazed that I still love it.

Meaningf Comfort food is simple, homestyle food that brings an individual comforting thoughts of their home or childhood. In context #1 Borscht reminds Tatiana of her home in Russia. In context #2 the Mac and Cheese reminds Jeries of the time when he was young.

http://languagesystems.edu/