To bring sand to the beach

Idiom: To bring sand to the beach

Sandra and Jane are discussing a friend's up-coming birthday...

Sandra: I don't know what to get Julia - and her birthday party is this weekend!

Jane: I know she likes bracelets. She certainly has a lot of them.

Sandra: No kidding! She has so many that if I give her another, it'll be like bringing sand to the beach!

Meaning: Because there is so much sand at the beach, there is no point or purpose in bringing sand. When to bring sand to the beach is used, it means the action a speaker suggested or choice a speaker has made (in the above example, buying yet another bracelet for a person who has many) is without purpose or good reason.

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To bury one's head in the sand

Idiom: to bury one's head in the sand; used as a verb

First Example:

Teacher: Joe, can we talk about your test?   

Joe: I know. I did terribly.  But I'll do better next time.

Teacher: Isn't this the third one you've failed?                              

Joe: Yeah, so?

Teacher: Well, maybe you should stop burying your head in the sand and admit you need help.  If you fail another test, you won't pass the class.

Joe: Oh wow. Yeah, I guess I do need to do something.

Teacher: Why don't you go down to the tutoring center tomorrow? I hear they have some really great math tutors that should be able to help you.

Meaning: The idiom "to bury (one's) head in the sand" is used when someone is ignoring a bad situation. The idiom is based on the idea that ostriches bury their heads in order to avoid danger; however, this is actually a myth as ostriches do not hide in this way. Here is another example:

Tricia: I finally paid off my credit card.    

Val: That's awesome!  How did you do it?

Tricia: Well, for a long time I just buried my head in the sand about how much debt I had, but one day I finally added it up and realized I had $20,000 in credit card debt.

Val: Wow! That's a lot!

Tricia: Yeah. Once I finally admitted how bad it was, I quit using my cards and paid off as much as a I could each month.  It took me a couple years, and it was really tight, but I'm so glad I did it.

Val: Congratulations

Meaning: In this example, Tricia uses the expression to explain the she was ignoring the amount of credit card debt she had. 

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To go off the deep end

Idiom: to go off the deep end; used as a verb

First Example:

Hugh: Hey, did you go shopping today? 

Marty: Yeah, I went to Costco.

Hugh: Did you remember to get toilet paper?                                

Marty: Yeah, I got four packages.

Hugh: Cool.  Where are they?                                                         

Marty: In my car.  I need help carrying them up.

Hugh:Why?                                                                                    

Marty: There's 30 rolls in each pack.

Hugh: Whoa! You didn't need to go off the deep end!                

Marty: You said to get a few packages.

Hugh: Yeah - the ones with like 6 rolls! Now we have enough toilet paper for years!       

             

Meaning: The idiom "to go off the deep end" is used when someone does something beyond what is expected, usually crazy or irrational. In the example above, Marty went off the deep end when he bought 4 large packages of toilet paper at Costco. The idiom is also used when someone becomes suddenly angry or upset, as in the next example:

Chrissie: How did the presentation go with the bosses? 

Pete: Not great.  They didn't really like our idea.

Chrissie: They didn't like any of it?                                                

Pete: Not really.

Chrissie: I've been working on that for a month! Do you think they're mad? I hope I don't get fired!

Pete: Whoa! Don't go off the deep end. They appreciated the work we put into it, but they had some other ideas, and they want us to work together on a new presentation.

Chrissie: Oh good.  Sorry, didn't mean to panic there.

Meaning: In this example, Chrissie panics because her bosses didn't like the project she and Pete had been working on for a month.  However, her sudden panic is irrational, and Pete calms her down by telling her that they want her to work with him on the new idea.

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Life’s a beach

Idiom: Life’s a beach

Example 1: 

Mikey: My friends think I’m having a difficult time because of my new job, but to be honest, life’s a beach right now.

Rafael: Life’s always a beach with you.  You’re probably the only person I know who always has a good time.

Example 2:

Paco: I’ve always dreamt of having a house with a great view.  I would wake up every morning and think life’s a beach.

Emil: You and everyone else. Now put that lottery ticket away and stop day dreaming.  I’m a simple person. If I could only have a drink at work, then life would be a beach.

Paco: That’s kind of true. We should become bartenders. We could do it then.

Emil: I take that back. Life’s a beach when you’re not annoying me during work time.

Meaning: "Life’s a beach" is an expression used to describe when things are fantastic. People usually say it when they want to express an ideal or blissful situation.  

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A Beach Bum

Idiom: A Beach Bum

Example 1:

Chip: Dude, you never go to school. What do you do all day? 

Dale: It’s the summer bro. We’re next to the sand and sea. What’s better than being a beach bum this time of the year? As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing better than being a beach bum.

Example 2:

Simon: Sometimes I wish I could escape my work and just be a beach bum.

Sarah: Everyone thinks that way, but if you were a beach bum you wouldn’t get many things done.

Simon: That’s the point.

Meaning: "A beach bum" (noun) is someone who spends too much time at the beach. This expression is often used when referring to someone who only wants to be at the beach and be unproductive. It could be both negative and positive.  

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A knock off

Idiom: A knock off

Example 1:

Brandon: Wow, Melissa! Nice bag. It looks really expensive!

Melissa: Thanks, Brandon! Shh. don't tell anyone, it's a knock off. It only cost me $15. The original is over $1,500! It's a pretty good knock off. It looks pretty authentic.

Example 2:

Scott: Jessie, look at these toys. These are terrible knock offs!

Jessie: Ha ha ha! Mickey Mouse isn't supposed to look like that!

Meaning: "A knock off" (noun) is a copy of an original item. This expression is often used when the original item is of designer quality and very expensive. This expression has slightly negative connotations that imply that the copy is of very cheap quality and design.

You can learn more idioms like this in LSI's Intermediate and Advanced Conversation Programs. 

Please see: www.languagesystems.edu for more information.

To knock it off

Idiom: To knock it off.

Example 1: My neighbor is a guitar player (but he's not very good). I try to study at home in the evenings but I can't concentrate with the "music" coming through the walls. Some day, I'm going to go over there and tell him to knock it off. I can't take it anymore!

Example 2:

Cindy: Hey Penny, you look tired. Are you feeling OK?

Penny: Hey.. I didn't sleep much last night. I got a new video game and I've been playing it all day and night for the last 2 days. I only take a break when I get hungry, but I just eat something simple like potato chips so I can get back to playing faster.

Cindy: Penny! You'd better knock it off before you get sick!

Meaning: "To knock it off" (phrasal verb) means to stop doing something annoying or bad. This expression is usually used as a command or imperative.

...I'm going to go over there and tell him to stop it.

...You'd better stop it before you get sick!

In each case, it is the activity that should be stopped.

You can learn more idioms like this in LSI's Intermediate and Advanced Conversation Programs.

Please see www.languagesystems.edu for more information.