To Make Ends Meet

To Make Ends Meet

John and Barb have been married for 42 years. John worked as an executive at a prestigious company for 30 years and retired in 2002. Barb was an attorney and retired in 1995. They both made a lot of money,  lived in a very nice house in Beverly Hills, and drove expensive cars. One day they decided to go to Las Vegas and gamble. Since they were retired, they started going there every weekend. They could not stop gambling. That became their hobby. Their hobby became an addiction. John and Barb sold their house and moved to Vegas. They lost all their money in Vegas. Now, John and Barb work at a hot-dog stand in front of a casino. They now have to save every dollar they have in order to pay for the rental of their trailer. They used to be millionaires and now they have to work really hard to make ends meet. Sometimes they are able to pay the bills, sometimes they have to ask their kids for money. Their family decided not to help them anymore because their addiction is out of control.

To make ends meet means to only have enough money to pay your basic bills. This means, the person does not have any extra money after paying his/her bills.

This idiom is used in our LSI Reading Horizons book. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/

To get a jump on

Idiom: to get a jump on 

First example: Annie knows that the stores will be crowded from Thanksgiving until the New Year holiday because people want to buy lots of gifts for the holidays.  Annie hates crowds and she tries to avoid them as much as she can.  This year, she plans to get a jump on her holiday shopping and start buying gifts during the summer and back-to-school sales.  If she does most of her shopping early, she will be able to relax and enjoy the holidays.

Meaning: “To get a jump on” means to get something started before it has to be started.  In other words, you begin something early to make sure it’s done on time.  In this situation, Annie will start shopping in the summer.  If she can get a jump on buying gifts, she won’t feel stressed during the regular holiday shopping season.

Here is another example:Second example: Peter works hard all week, so he likes to sleep late on the weekends.  He usually wakes up around 11 or 12 on Saturdays and Sundays.  But last weekend, his parents came to visit him Saturday afternoon.  Peter wanted to make sure his apartment was clean and that he had dinner prepared for his parents.  Friday night, he got a jump on all of the chores he needed to do.  Before he went to bed, he cleaned his kitchen and bathroom, and made the dessert for after dinner.  That made his Saturday much easier for him.

Meaning: In this situation, Peter wanted to make sure he was ready for his parents’ visit.  If he waited until Saturday to do everything, he might not have finished his chores before his parents arrived.  So he got a jump on all of the tasks he needed to do by starting them on Friday night.

This idiom is from LSI's soon-to-be-published book "Speaking Horizons," which will be used in the level 6 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com

to be up for

Idiom: To be up for
First example: Jason is in medical school.  He has been studying for the last eight weeks without a break.  He spent every day studying, even the weekends.  Next week is his school’s spring break.  Jason will have a week to relax and do whatever he wants to do.  He’s really up for a trip to a warm location with lots of sunny beaches.  He plans do a lot of surfing in the water and sleeping on the beach.

Meaning: “To be up for” means to want to do something.  In this situation, Jason is up for a nice vacation.  He has spent many weeks studying hard, and he is probably very tired.  He certainly needs to relax.   He wants to relax by going to the beach during the break.

Here is another example: 
Second example:

(The phone rings and Sara answers.)

Sara: Hello?

Dennis: Hey, Sara, how are you doing?

Sara: Hi, Dennis.  I’m not so well.  I’ve been sick all week.

Dennis:  Oh, no… that’s too bad.  What’s wrong?

Sara:  It’s probably just a cold, but I’ve been coughing and sneezing all the time.  Plus, my throat hurts.

Dennis:  Really?  Do you think you’ll feel better by tomorrow?  There’s this cool party on campus we can go to.

Sara:  Oh, I don’t think so.  I’m not up for all the noise and people this weekend.  I just want to sleep and get better.

Dennis:  Are you sure?  It’s supposed to be the biggest party this term.

Sara:  I’m sure.  I need quiet and rest, so I can get back to class next week.  Thanks for asking me, though.

Meaning: In this case, Sara has been sick, so she doesn’t want to be around people.  She just wants to rest.  When Dennis asks her to go to the party, she turns him down.  She is not up for a party environment.  She wants a quiet weekend in order to get better.

This idiom is from LSI's soon-to-be-published book "Speaking Horizons," which will be used in the level 6 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com

to soften the blow

Idiom: to soften the blow; used as a verb

First Example:

Noreen: I'm sorry to hear you lost your job Kelly.

Kelly: Thanks. 

Noreen: How are you paying your bills?

Kelly: Well, I'm getting unemployment benefits, so that softened the blow a little. 

Noreen: Oh good, I'm glad you're not completely broke.

Kelly: Yeah, but my unemployment check barely covers rent and food.  I need to find a new job soon so I can pay my other bills.

Noreen: I'll let you know if I hear of any openings.

Meaning: To "soften the blow" means to better a situation that is difficult or unpleasant.  When something bad happens to someone, Americans occasionally call the negative event a "blow" (especially when something is lost).   Therefore, when something is done to make that "blow" less severe, it is seen as "softening" it.  In the above example, Kelly lost her job, so she doesn't have enough money to pay all her bills, although unemployment benefits have helped her eat and pay her rent.  However, it is important to be clear that this idiom is only used when the result of a negative event is made a little better, but the problem still exists.  Look at the following example.

Second Example:

Sandra: Hey Fernando, how is your wife doing?  I heard she was in the hospital.

Fernando: The doctors still aren't sure, but they're doing lots of tests.   

Sandra: I'm sorry to hear that.  Are you OK?

Fernando: I'm doing OK, but it came as a blow to the kids.  They don't understand why they can't see their mom.

Sandra: That's tough.

Fernando: Fortunately, Amy's mom had some vacation time at work, so she is staying with us.  That helped soften the blow a lot.  She visits with Amy while I'm at work, and she has been helping me with the kids while I visit Amy in the evening.

Sandra: Well, if there's anything I can do, let me know. Maybe I can help babysit one evening.

Fernando: That would be great!  Thanks for offering.   

Here, Fernando's wife is still sick, but his wife's mother is softening the blow by helping out, and Sandra offers to help even more.  Notice also the underlined use of "blow" - when used to describe a bad situation with a strong effect, "blow" is usually used in the expression "come as a blow."

This idiom is from LSI's book "Speaking Transitions," which is used in the Level 4 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/  

in other words

Idiom: in other words; used as an adverb

First Example:

Movie Review: The dialogue sounds so fake, and the acting is so unrealistic, the audience laughed when they were supposed to cry.  Meanwhile, the story itself is pretty uninteresting, and the second half is so boring, the person sitting in front of me fell asleep and starting snoring.  I couldn't wait for the movie to end, and I almost walked out in the middle.  In other words, you should not see this movie. 

Meaning: "In other words" means to "put it another, shorter way."  This expression is usually used after a list, giving a quick summary.  In the example above, the movie critic states a number of negative things about the film and then follows up with the summary statement "you should not see this movie."  This idiom is often put at the beginning of a sentence. Look at another example.

  Second Example (click on video to hear the example below)

Job Advertisement: Do you work well both alone and with others?  Do other people usually care about your opinion, and they often do what you suggest?  Are you dependable and reliable, but also willing to take risks? In other words, are you a leader?

Here, the person writing this job advertisement asks about a number of qualities that the job seeker might have.  Then, he or she asks if the job seeker is a leader.  This means that whoever wrote this job advertisement believes that these qualities together make up a leader.

This idiom is from LSI's book "Speaking Transitions," which is used in the Level 4 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/  

To Fix Up

To Fix Up

Meaning: To improve the appearance or condition of something

 Example 1:

Tom: It is so exhausting looking for a house. We have visited at least 10 different houses in the past two weeks and we still haven’t found one we like!

 Sarah: Are you looking for a new house?

 Tom: No, we don’t really have enough money to buy a new house. Instead, we are looking for an older house that we can fix up. We don’t mind doing a little work as long as the house is in a good location.

 Sarah: That’s what we did when we bought our house a couple of years ago. We had such a good time fixing everything up on the weekends. We especially liked painting everything. It was a great experience for the kids because they were able to fix up their rooms in any way they wanted.

 Tom: That sounds like fun! I hope we find something soon.

 Sarah: I’m sure you will. Good luck!

Example 2:

Ken: Wow! That’s a really old car! What year is it?

Jack: It’s a 1967 Mustang. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Ken: Well….it’s kind of old and rusty.

Jack: You have to use your imagination! After I fix it up with a new paint job and tires, it will be as good as new. Actually, it will be better than new!

Ken: You mean that you are going to fix this old car up? That’s going to take a lot of work!

Jack: Yes, it will, but in the end I’ll have a beautiful classic car. Since I’ll spend so much time fixing it up, the car will be special. You can’t find that in any of the new cars.

Ken: I see your point. Would you like me to help you fix it up on the weekend? My dad owns a tire shop and I can get you a great deal.

Jack: Sounds good! Thank you for the offer!

Meaning:
To fix up means to improve the appearance or condition of something. It is usually used when talking about older things that need changing to look better, like a house or car.

This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook Speaking Transitions. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 4 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com

On Hand

Meaning: Present; available

Example 1:

Terri: Did you just see that used car with the “For Sale” sign parked over there? It’s a gorgeous car and it looks like new!

 Selma: Yes, I did. I called the number on the sign and talked to the owner. The mileage is really low and it drives perfectly.

 Terri: Well, you’ve been looking for a car. Why don’t you buy it?

 Selma: That’s just the problem. The owner needs to sell it fast, and he is willing to negotiate the price. But, he wants cash only.

 Terri: There’s a bank right down the street.

 Selma: Yes, I know, but I still don’t have that much cash on hand to pay for the car today and I’m afraid someone else will buy it if I wait until I can get the cash.

 Terri: I wish that I had enough cash on hand to lend to you because that is a really good deal for a car. Maybe you could borrow from your roommate?

 Selma: Yes, she might have enough cash on hand because she is really good at saving money. I think I’ll call her right now.

Example 2:

Ken: Oh, the kids are so bored and it’s summer! We have to do something. Can we play a game?

Jolene: Well…We could play volleyball at the beach, but I don’t think we have enough people on hand to make two complete teams.

Ken: I see. Why don’t we just play Frisbee at the beach. Do we have enough Frisbees on hand for 6 kids?

Jolene: Yes, I think we do. Also, Mrs. Smith already lives right on the beach and she is willing to watch the kids while they play.

Ken: That makes me feel better to have an extra person on hand to help with the kids. They can get pretty wild at times.

Meaning:
To be on hand means that someone or something is available or ready to be used. In example one, they are talking about having cash or money on hand. In example two, they talk about having people and things on hand to play at the beach.

This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook Reading Horizons. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 6 Reading/Vocabulary classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com