Break a Leg

Situation #1
Martha:  I’ve been practicing all week.  I have a concert tonight.
Sam: I hope you break a leg.
Martha: Thanks!

Situation #2
Sarah: I’m excited to go to the theater tonight and see your performance.  I love Romeo and Juliet.
Terry:  It’s a very dramatic story.  I have been in this play before, but it is the first time for me to play Mercutio. 
Sarah: I can’t wait to see how you do it.
Terry:  Thanks.  He’s a difficult character.
Sarah: Break a leg.
Terry:  Thanks so much. I appreciate that.

Meaning:  “Break a leg” doesn’t seem like a good thing to say to anyone but it actually means “Good Luck” or “Do a great job!”  This idiom is commonly used in the world of stage performance and it is said to a person before a performance.  It seems that the speaker is wishing the performer to have an accident on stage, but in fact, it is the opposite.  The speaker is telling the performer to have an outstanding performance.

This is a very old idiom whose exact origins are not known. In the tradition of theater as well as in horse racing, there was a superstition that if you wish out loud for something good to happen, then the opposite will happen instead.  So it’s best to wish someone a bad thing, like break a leg, so that the person will have the opposite – a good thing.  People say: “I hope you break a leg” so that good luck will come to the person.

One theory is that when a performance is so great, then the performer has to take many bows when the show ends.  In a bow like a curtsy, one must put a leg behind the other and bend it while bowing. So it looks similar to a broken leg next to the straight one.

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Dressed To Kill

If someone, especially a woman, is dressed to kill, they are wearing very smart or attractive clothes which are intended to attract attention and impress people.

To dress in extravagantly fancy or stylish clothes so as to thoroughly impress others.

#1 – Dressed Up for a Date
Jasmin: It must be a very special event that Stephen is taking you tonight. You’re dressed to kill!
Therese: Yes, he’s taking me to a fine dining on a cruise ship. It’s an elegant place so I did my best to put on something nice.
Jasmin:  You look gorgeous. I hope you have a great time!
Therese: Thank you. I’m sure I will.


#2 – Going to Attend a Celebrity Party
Abby: Hey Cate, are you going to that fancy party next Saturday night?
Cate: The one in Beverly Hills for the movie producers? I wouldn’t miss it.
Abby: Yes, that’s the one. I’m wondering about what to wear.
Cate: Well, you better dress to kill cuz’ it’s going to be one extravagant party! 

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To show someone the ropes

Example 1- John is starting a new job at Burger Town
Manager: Hello, John. Welcome to Burger Town! We are excited to have you on our team.
John: I'm excited to be here. I'm a little nervous for my first day, but I will do my best.
Manager: Don't worry! We've arranged training for today. Your supervisor will help you. She will show you the ropes before you have to help any customers.
John: Great! Looking forward to getting started.

Example 2- New international student at LSI
Longtime student: Hi there! My name is Jack. You must be new! Nice to meet you!
New student: Hi, yes. I'm new. Nice to meet you, too.
Longtime student: You seem a little lost. Are you OK?
New Student: Not really. Everything is really confusing.
Longtime student: Don't worry! I can show you the ropes. It's pretty easy once you know where everything is. Let's have lunch together.

Meaning:
To show someone the ropes is to teach someone a task, or to show someone how a place functions. In example 1, John's supervisor will show him the ropes. She will teach him to do his tasks. In example 2, the new student's classmate will show him around the campus; he will show him the ropes so he can know how to function in that place.

Grammar:
(Often used with can and will)  subject/subject pronoun can/will show + object pronoun + the ropes → George can show you the ropes.

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Slaps

Slaps: to taste great; to be amazing or awesome; to describe music that is really good

Dialogue #1
Jenny: Where do you want to go for dinner?
Kevin: Have you tried that new pizza place around the corner.
Jenny: Yes, last week. Their vegetarian pizza slaps!
Kevin: Great! Let's go.

Dialogue #2
Kelly: Have you heard the new Billie Eilish song?
Cassandra: No, I haven't listened to her music very much.
Kelly: Really? You should. Her new song slaps!
Cassandra: OK. I guess I'll listen to it.

Meaning: In the first dialogue, they are talking about a new restaurant that has delicious pizza, or "the pizza slaps." In the second dialogue, they are talking about music and a new song from the singer Billie Eilish. Her new song "slaps" or is really amazing. "Slaps" is often used to describe music.

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To sleep on

To Sleep On (first meaning): The most common meaning is to think more about something (usually overnight) and make a decision about it later.


Jenny: Are you going to take that new job working in Thailand?
Casey: It's a great job. I would be teaching children English.
Jenny: So, are you moving to Thailand?
Casey: Well, even though it's a great job, I need to sleep on it before making a final decision. It's a big change to move to another country.
Meaning: In this situation, Casey has been offered a great teaching job in Thailand, but it is a big change in her life, so she needs to think about accepting the job a little more or she needs to sleep on it.

To Sleep on (second meaning): More recently, it means to ignore or not pay attention to someone's ability or talent; to not get the attention one deserves.

Kevin: You should let Callie sing at your party on Saturday night. She has an amazing voice.
Amber: Really, I didn't know that she can sing or perform.
Kevin: Everyone is sleeping on her. I don't understand it because she is so talented.

Amber: Maybe she needs to promote herself more to let people know how good she is.

Meaning: In this situation, Callie is really talented and can sing well, but no one knows it. They are ignoring her talent. 

 

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To be a fly on the wall

To be unnoticed while listening and observing others.
 
Example #1:
I wish I could be a fly on the wall and hear what he says to his boss when he tries to explain why the project failed.

Example #2:
Tom never came home to his girlfriend last night. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when he told her the reason.

Example #3: The rival company is going bankrupt. If I could be a fly on the wall at their meeting I could learn what is going on there.

Example #4: They made the documentary with a fly on the wall style.

To be a fly on the wall: This idiom uses the image of the small but silent fly resting on the side of a wall, and observing while human activity continues in the room. The definition is to listen and watch others closely but they don’t notice your presence. To observe a situation as if you are invisible.
 
In example #1, the speaker wants to hear how the co-worker is going to explain his failure and how the boss will respond to him.
 
In example #2, the speaker is interested to hear the boyfriend’s excuse and his girlfriend’s response and would have liked to hear how they interacted with each other.

In example #3, the speaker is from a rival company and wants to learn what kinds of internal difficulties the company is facing without them knowing that he is listening.

In example #4, a fly on the wall documentary is an observational style of documentary filmmaking in which the camera records participants doing things in their normal way and responding to situations in their normal way. The style avoids using interviews. The effect is such that the camera, and therefore the viewers, too, are like flies on the wall observing the situation.

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Cray cray (adjective)

This slang word is used to describe someone or something that is really crazy.  It is just another way to say "crazy" and is widely used by the younger generation.  This expression has been around for about 10 years and but it really became popular when the rapper Jay-Z used it in one of his songs.

Example 1
I have so much work to do today.  I think I am going to go cray cray.

Example 2
My brother met this girl recently.  She keeps texting him and calling him all the time.  She keeps asking him to go out on a date even though he clearly told her that he is not interested in her.  I think she is really cray cray.

Example 3
Tom: Hey John, can I borrow your new car?  I want to go to this cool party tonight.
John: Oh ya?  Are you a good driver?  How long have you been driving?
Tom: Of course, I am a good driver.  I mean I failed my driving test 2 times, but I passed it the third time.  And I have gotten in an accident only once this year.
John:  Dude!  You must be cray cray if you think I am going to lend you my car.

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