To burn off

Idiom: to burn off 

Context #1:

Julie:  Hey, do you want to go to the beach today?

Kathy: I don't know.  It's really cloudy right now.

Julie: I know.  California is like that in June.  It's always cloudy in the morning but once the clouds burn off it'll be gorgeous.

Kathy: Really?  Ok!  Let's go then.

Context #2:

Tom: Did you guys go to the beach yesterday?

David: Yeah, we were going to go in the morning, but it was too cold and cloudy. We waited until the clouds burned off.

Tom: I bet the weather was amazing in the afternoon.

David: Yeah, it was perfect! Clear, sunny skies and not a lot of wind.

Meaning: "to burn off" is an idiom that is specifically used to talk about the process of morning clouds gradually disappearing.  Usually along the coast in California the sky is cloudy in the morning. But then in the late morning or early afternoon the clouds go away and it becomes sunny and hot. 

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To get roasted

Idiom: To get roasted

Context #1:

Jim (On Monday): What did you do this weekend? 

Tommy: I went to the beach all day yesterday, and I forgot to put on sunblock.

Jim: Uh-oh.  Did you get sunburned?

Tommy:  My shoulders got so roasted that I couldn't even sleep last night.  My skin hurts so bad!

Jim:  Well, I guess next time you won't forget to wear sunblock.

Context #2:

Chrissy: Can I borrow some of your sunscreen?

Jill: Sure!  Help yourself.

Chrissy: I want to make sure my nose doesn't get roasted. 

Jill: Good idea!

Meaning: "to get roasted" is an American idiom that means to get very sunburned. People use this expression when they get so burned by the sun that their skin hurts. 

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A day at the beach

Idiom: A day at the beach

Ron and Lisa are both students in the same class in university. It's nearing the end of the term and Ron is stressed about his finals...

Ron: I've been doing research for two days now, and I don't feel any closer to writing my final essay. I wish our professor would just give us a multiple choice exam. That would be far easier for me.

Lisa: No way! I never do well on multiple choice tests; but, for me, writing an essay is like a day at the beach.

Meaning: A day at the beach is a non-stressful, relaxing day - an easy day. When someone uses the idiom a day at the beach, it means the project, task, or event will be easy or non-challenging.

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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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