To gobble (something) up/down

Context #1:

Kirk: We gotta leave soon if we're going to make the play.

Jake: I just made dinner.

Kirk: Then let's gobble it up; we have to leave in 10 minutes.

Jake: Ugh. I shouldn't have bothered making anything nice.

Kirk: Sorry, but I told you we had these tickets for tonight.

Jake: I know.

Meaning: The word "gobble" is an English onomatopoeia that is used to describe the sound a turkey makes (Onomatopoeias are words like "bark" and "bang" that imitate sounds). But the expression "gobble up" means to eat very quickly, usually because the person is in a hurry or very hungry.  In the above example, Kirk says they need to "gobble up" their dinner because they need to leave for a play. Paradoxically, "Gobble" can be used with the prepositions "up" or "down" and have the exact same meaning, as in this next example:

Context #2:

Jean: This birthday party is a disaster!

Will: Why? The kids seem to be having fun.

Jean: I just put out the pizza, and they gobbled it all down in 5 minutes. They want more, but that's everything I ordered.

Will: Can't you order more?

Jean: It'll take at least half an hour to get here.

Will: Well, let's serve the cake then. Maybe they'll fill up on that.

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Black Friday; used as a noun

Context:

Alex: What are you doing over the Thanksgiving break?

Armando: Well, I'm spending Thanksgiving evening with my parents, and then I'm spending the night in a Best Buy parking lot.

Alex: Why would you do that?

Armando: It's Black Friday. I need a new computer, and they are selling a laptop I've had my eye on for really cheap. But they will have like 5 at that price, so I'm going to camp out in front of the stoor.

Alex: That's sounds dreadful. I will be wishing you luck from the comfort of my apartment.

Meaning: The expression "Black Friday" is a nickname for the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. Thanksgiving is a harvest celebration, and in the US, it's always celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Because it's on a Thursday, most schools and companies stay closed on the day after. Since everyone is off work and it's roughly a month before Christmas, the day has become one of the most popular shopping days in the US. In order to attract customers, stores usually offer their best sales on that day, although many of these sales are limited, as explained by Armando in the example above. Because of these limited sales, some people have made the day almost a competitive shopping holiday, and every year there are reports of shoppers fighting over an item and people falling and being trampled when the store's doors open.

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The late __ (person's name or social position)

Context #1:

​I was married to my husband for 37 years. I miss him so much. He passed away 5 years ago. When it rains, I miss him even more...​My late husband used to enjoy his garden, especially after it rained. He was a good man.​

Context #2:

November has been a very sad month in America. Many bad things happened, but for me, the saddest thing was to find out that one of my favorite singer/song writers passed away. He died on November 10th. The late Leonard Cohen was great and ​wrote many of my favorite songs.

Meaning: dead. We use "the late" before a name or title to indicate that person is not alive. If the person is loved and respected, we often use "the late great" before the name or title.

http://languagesystems.edu/

To slip (my, his, her) mind

Context #1:

Terrence dials a number on his cell phone. His friend, Will, answers.

Will: Hello?

Terrence: Will? Where are you?

Will: At home. What are you doing, Terrence?

Terrence: Waiting for you! We agreed to meet in Downtown, remember?

Will: I'm so sorry, Will. It totally slipped my mind. I'm on my way!

 

Context #2:

Linda and John arrive home to find dinner in the oven and ​it's ​burnt.

Linda: John, weren't you supposed to turn the oven off before we left?

John: I guess it slipped my mind.

Meaning: to forget. We use this idiom when we have a thought or intention and that thought or intention "slips away" before it becomes an action. 

http://languagesystems.edu/

Be bent on doing something

Context #1:

Jean: Phillip! I'm so tired! Can't we finish tomorrow? The project isn't due until 5 pm. We have plenty of time in the morning. Let's go to sleep!

Phillip: No way, Jean. I told myself we'd finish this by tonight and we're not going to bed until we do. Sorry!

Jean: You're being really selfish, you know. You're so bent on finishing this project but you're not considering any one else's feelings. I'm tempted to just let you finish it on your own.

Context #2:

Mother: Son, why are your grades so low in your science class this semester?

Son: I don't know mom. I work really hard but the teacher is bent on making my life miserable. She hates me.

Mother: Why do you think that? I'm sure it's not true.

Son: It's true. She doesn't treat me the same as others.

Mother: I'll have to go and talk to her then.

Son: NO! Don't do that. It's really OK!

Explanation: 

To be bent on doing something means that you are obsessed with doing something and you MUST do it.

In example 1, Phillip MUST finish his project, even if it means that Jean and he will lose sleep. 

In example 2, the son claims that his teacher is obsessed with making his life difficult. 

Be sure to change the be verb to match your tense and always use an ing-verb following on

She is bent on preparing all of the appetizers by herself. She won't consider a caterer. 

Mr. Lee has been bent on learning English in less than two years. He studies every single day. 

When I was a kid, I was bent on reading all of the Harry Potter books.

http://languagesystems.edu/

Bark up the wrong tree

Context #1 Alex: I'm sure that Cynthia took my candy. Mike: Cynthia? There's no way she took it. Alex: I think she did! She was at school yesterday. Mike: So was everyone else! It's a big school. Alex: She likes candy. Mike: Lots of people like candy. I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Alex: Wait a minute. Why are you so sure she didn't take it?

Context #2

Young Aaron's birthday is coming up soon. He will turn five years old on his birthday. Aaron's parents have been keeping Aaron's birthday present as a surprise but Aaron really wants to know what his present will be. As a result, Aaron is asking his mother all kinds of unusual questions to try to discover what his gift is. Aaron asks if his mother or father have gone shopping anywhere different. Aaron asks if his present is larger than a loaf of bread. He asks if his gift is hidden in the house. Aaron asks many questions. Finally, Aaron's mother says...

"Young man, if you think that I will tell you what your present is, you are very mistaken. You are barking up the wrong tree!"

Meaning: To make a wrong assumption about someone or something.

http://languagesystems.edu/ 

To play dumb

Context #1

Tony: Did you take my book?

Jack: What are you talking about? I didn't see any book.

Tony: Don't play dumb. I know you took it.

Context #2

Grace: So did you ask your boyfriend about that text he got from that girl Chrissy.

Amanda: Yeah, but he played dumb and said that she probably texted the wrong number.

Grace: So you think he was lying?

Amanda: Yeah, I could tell by the look on his face.

Meaning: "to play dumb" is used when someone pretends like they don't know something, when they really do know!

http://languagesystems.edu/