To Come Forward

Example 1:

No new witnesses have come forward with information to help police catch the people who stole the jewels from the museum. The authorities are asking anyone with any clues to please contact the police right away.

Example 2:

Jen: Please, Stacy. You have to help Josh. He could get kicked out of school because of Ben!

Stacy: I want to help, but I'm scared! Ben would never forgive me. 

Jen: You just need to come forward and explain that Ben was cheating, not Josh. 

Explanation:

to come forward means to come to an authority with your knowledge about a crime or a problem. In the first example, the news report indicates that no witnesses have come to the police with information about the crime at the museum. In the second example, Jen is urging Stacy to come to the school principal with information about a cheating incident involving Ben and Josh. 

This idiom was taken from our L/S Book, Reading Savvy, 1st Edition. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com

dead serious

Example 1:

Mike: Hey Jennifer, how's it going?

Jennifer: Oh Mike, pretty good--but I didn't get any sleep last night... my neighbors were partying late AGAIN!

Mike: I see... Did you tell them to quiet down? Also, maybe you should tell them that if they do it again, you'll call the police.

Jennifer: Actually, I did! But they don't seem to take me seriously...

Mike: Well, I think you should tell them that you're dead serious about calling the police next time. 

Jennifer: Good advice, Mike. I really am dead serious about this. I need my sleep!

                                    


Example 2:

Tony: Lisa, I've been thinking maybe we shouldn't live together anymore, but I would still like for us to date each other... 

Lisa: What? Listen, Tony, if we stop living together--then we should just break up.

Tony: But I really like you! Are you serious?

Lisa: I'm dead serious! We've already been seeing each other for two years and I'm ready for the next step. I need a commitment. 

                                    

Meaning: absolutely serious, not joking

The idiom "dead serious" was taken from Unit 5 ("Hanging Out") in LSI's textbook Speaking Savvy for Level 5 Speaking/Listening classes.  

Grossed Out

Idiom: "grossed out"

Context #1:
Sara: Did you know Tom likes to eat cow brains?  He says it's really good.
Jane: Yeah I saw him eating that one time and it really grossed me out.

Context #2:
Jenny: My friend Sam has a pet snake.  He asked me if I wanted to pet it but I was so grossed out when I saw it that I screamed.
Kathy: I don't like snakes either, but I get even more grossed out when I see a spider.

Meaning: "grossed out" is an expression used to describe when someone feels really disgusted.

This idiom can be found in the book LSI Speaking Savvy. This book is used to teach Level 5 Speaking/Listening at LSI schools. For more information visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Give Someone a Dirty Look

"To Give Someone a Dirty Look"

Example: Mary,

How was your weekend? I hope you are feeling better.
I have to tell you what happened at the party last night!
Everyone was there on time. Susan called and said she was running a little late, so we all waited for her to arrive to start having dinner.
She arrived 2 hours later...We were all very mad and of course, starving!
Everyone gave her a dirty look when she walked in... That was so inconsiderate!
She apologized and started eating before everyone else! Unbelievable!
Anyway, we had a good time... Susan will not be invited to any parties anytime soon.

Call me when you have a chance! Feel better!

Gloria.

To Give Someone a Dirty Look means to look at someone in an angry way.

This idiom was taken from our L/S Book, Speaking Transitions. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com

Needless to Say

Needless to say means "obviously, unnecessary to mention".

Example:
Barb: Hey, Rob! How are things with you and Sandy?
Rob: Oh, you haven't heard yet? We broke up....
Barb: What? What do you mean? What happened?
Rob: Well, I went to New York for work last month.
Barb: Yes, I remember that much. You were there for 2 weeks, right?
Rob: Well, I was supposed to be there for 2 weeks, but they needed me back in LA after a week, so I came back a week earlier.
Barb: OK... Then what?
Rob: Well, I got home and Sandy was... She was...
Barb: She was, what???
Rob: Well, she was eating all my expensive chocolate. She knew that no one touches my chocolate!
Barb: That's so lame, Rob! Come on!
Rob: Well, she knew it, Barb! No one eats my chocolate! I got really upset and started to yell at her. Needless to say, she left and said she would never want to see me again...
Barb: I don't blame her, Rob... You are so weird!



This idiom was taken from our LSI book, Reading Horizons! For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Go Bad

Idiom: to go bad; used as a verb

First Example:

Christina: What is that awful smell?

Russell: Rotting vegetables - it's in the trash.

Christina: Why do you have rotting vegetables?

Russell: I forgot some vegetables in the back of the fridge and they went bad.  I think they were in there for like 6 months.  Some of them turned black.

Christina: Why don't you take the trash out so the smell doesn't get worse?

Russell: You know, that's a good idea.

Meaning: When something "goes bad," it means that it becomes rotten, evil, or bad in some way.  The most common use of the expression is the one above, when describing food that was good but has "gone bad" and become rotten or stale.  In the example above, Russell says that the apples "went bad" because he left them in the fridge too long. 

In addition, "go bad" used to be commonly used for once-good people who started doing bad things, such as criminals.  A college student who started selling drugs might have been referred to as "a good boy gone bad" in the past, although many people would now laugh at that usage for being old-fashioned.  This meaning is also the basis of the expression "break bad," which is used to describe a person who has chosen a life of crime.  This expression is a regional expression, which means that only people from a certain place commonly use it, but the expression has recently become famous thanks to the popular television show "Breaking Bad," which is about a High School Chemistry teacher who started making illegal drugs.

This idiom is from LSI's new edition of "Reading Horizons," which will be used in the Level 6 Reading classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/   

off season

Idiom: off season; used as a noun or adjective

First Example:

John thought he could afford to go skiing when he saw cheap rates for hotel rooms - only $59 a night!  He started to make plans with his friends, but then he realized those rates were for the off season.  During the time of year that there was snow, the rooms were over $200 a night!  That's too expensive!

Meaning: "Off season" is a phrase that refers to a period when something is not usually done. This idiom is often used to specify an unpopular time to go to a certain place, such as in the example.  Many areas that are popular destinations for skiing are not popular when there is no snow, so times with no snow (such as during summer) would the "off season."  Things such as hotel rooms are usually cheaper in these types of areas during off seasons.   In the example above, "off season" is used a noun, referring to the time period.  This idiom can also be used as an adjective, and it is also commonly used to describe when a sport is not played, such as in the next example:

David:  Hey Chuck, what are you doing after work tonight?

Chuck:  I'm going to the gym.  I've got to stay in shape for my basketball league.
David:  But basketball season ended a month ago.  Can't you take some time off?

Chuck:  I did last year, and I was really out of shape when the season started.  This year, I've decided to do some off-season training to make sure I'm ready when it starts.
David:  Wow, you're really dedicated.

In this case, Chuck is doing off-season training to make sure he stays in shape even though the basketball season recently ended.  Notice that a hyphen is used when the phrase is used as an adjective that comes before a noun; this is to make sure the reader understands that "season" is not a noun but part of an adjective.

Note: While "off season" would seem to be the antonym of "in season," the two are actually used in different (and possibly confusing) ways.  While "off season" is used for activities and sports, "in season" is used for foods that are available for limited times and times that certain animals can be hunted.  Strawberries and duck hunting can be "in season", but you would not say they are "off season" when not available/legal; instead, you would say they are "out of season."  Conversely, skiing areas and basketball can be "off season," but you would not say that skiing or basketball is "in season."

This idiom is from the upcoming edition of LSI's book "Reading Horizons," which will be used in the Level 6 Reading classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/