To pig out

Context #1

Matt and Pete are about to leave for a party.

Matt: Are you ready for the party?
Pete: Oh yeah! I’m starving!
Matt: What? Really?
Pete: Yes! I haven’t eaten all day. I’ve been waiting for the party so I can pig out!
Matt: Ah, Pete: I don’t know if they will have food. I hope you know that this party we’re going to is a political party.

Context #2

Melinda sits in front of many empty plates and used napkins. Janet approaches her.

Janet: How was dinner, Melinda?
Melinda: Delicious! Too delicious! Look at how much I ate. I can’t eat another bite.
Janet: Too bad you pigged out on dinner because this restaurant has the best desert in the world!
 

Meaning: To eat a lot, to eat more than expected. We think of a pig as an animal that never stops eating. When we use “pig out” with a person, we basically say that person “eats as much as a pig.” “To make a pig of” oneself is another

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Crocodile tears

Meaning: A display of an emotion that is not real; or showing an emotion but not feeling that emotion. If a person is not sad but wants to look sad, he or she will shed crocodile tears, meaning that person is acting sad rather than feeling sad. People often use the verbs “cry,” “shed,” or “weep” before the idiom crocodile tears.

Example 1: Shasta worked at an awards show the night before her conversation with Jean.

Jean: Did you watch the Tuney Awards last night?
Shasta: Oh, I didn’t tell you? I worked backstage at the Tuney’s!
Jean: What?! No, you didn’t tell me! Did you meet Darlene Lafleur?
Shasta: Yeah, I met her.
Jean: What a lovely person! I thought her speech after winning best song and best new artist was so…heart-felt! And she was so surprised that she won. What a humble woman! I’m glad she brought tissues to the stage for her tears.
Shasta: Um, she brought tissues to the stage because she had prepared to cry. Those were crocodile tears. Just before she appeared on stage I heard her say, “Everyone out there knows I’m going to win. Those other artists are terrible. I can’t believe they even showed up.”

Example 2: BREAKING NEWS!

Police have arrested and charged John Dalia with the murder of his co-worker Kevin McDonald. Police claim that Dalia waited for McDonald outside his home and attacked him as he was leaving for work. Dalia wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke to the press this afternoon: “I did not kill Kevin. He was my friend. I loved that man and would never hurt him.” Dalia’s co-workers, however, claim he was crying crocodile tears: “John never had a nice thing to say about Kevin; but John’s wife did!” 

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You can't teach an old dog new tricks

Idiom: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks -  You cannot make people change their habits or character; it is very difficult to change the way a person does something when they have been doing it the same way for many years

Context #1 

Students are in English class

Terry: Hi, Sal. What’s wrong?

Sal: Oh, hi Terry. I’m just really tired. I’ve been trying to show my grandpa how to use his new smartphone, but he is really being stubborn.

Terry: What do you mean? Smartphones are great!

Sal: Well, he wants to return his smartphone for an old-fashioned flip phone. He says that he cannot even use the smartphone. It’s too hard!

Terry: Well, he is not used to that new technology, so it’s all probably confusing for him. You should probably just let him get an older phone he knows how to use.

Sal: I guess you’re right. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!

Terry: Yes. He will be much happier with a phone he actually knows how to use.

Context #2 

Two friends talking about fitness

Sara:  I’m so tired!!

Pat: Why? You aren’t working full-time right now.

Sara: Well, my fitness coach told me that I should start getting up really early around 6 AM. He told me I would feel much better and get more things done.

Pat: What time do you usually get up?

Sara: 10 AM or so. I’m a night person. I love staying up late!

Pat: Well, if you are used to getting up at 10 AM, I don’t think you are going to be able to get up at 6 AM every day, especially right away.

Sara: I guess you are right. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Perhaps I’ll compromise and get up at 9:30 AM instead!

Meaning: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” means that you cannot make people change established habits of behavior or character. In Context 1, Sal’s grandpa cannot use a smartphone, no matter how much Sal tries to teach him. In Context 2, Sara thinks she can start getting up much earlier than she is used to getting up. In both contexts, it is too difficult to change their habits. 

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To let the cat out of the bag

Idiom: to let the cat out of the bag – to reveal or tell secret information by mistake, to reveal facts that were hidden before, to let a secret be known without intending to

Context #1 

Three Friends are talking about a surprise party next Friday

Dan: Hey, Juan! Did you hear about that surprise party on Friday night? It’s supposed to be really big! Everyone is going.

Juan: Really? No, I haven’t heard about it at all.

Debbie: Come here, Dan! You just let the cat out of the bag! How could you?

Dan: What do you mean?

Debbie: It’s a surprise party for Juan’s birthday. He doesn’t know about it because it’s supposed to be a surprise!

Dan: Oh, I see. Sorry about that. I guess he knows now.

Context #2 

Two Co-Workers are talking during a break

Sami:  Hi, Petra. Congratulations on the promotion! I’m really happy for you.

Petra: What? Promotion? I have no idea what you are talking about.

Sami: Umm…our manager hasn’t talked to you yet?

Petra: No. I haven’t seen him today.

Sami: Well, I think I let the cat out of the bag. You got a really big promotion because of all the great work you have been doing recently. Everyone knows about it.

Petra: Ha, ha! Everyone, but me! Well, that’s OK. At least it was something good!

Meaning: To let the cat out of the bag means to tell someone a secret without intending to.  In Context 1, they are planning a surprise party for Juan and Dan accidentally tells Juan about his party. In Context 2, Sami tells Petra about her promotion before she even hears it from her boss.

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To take a shortcut

Context #1

Tom:  Wow! The traffic is really bad on this freeway. I think we are going to be late for class.

Jim: Don't worry! Get off at the next exit. I know a shortcut that we can take.

Context #2

Samantha: This Friday me and my boyfriend are going to a concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. I know the traffic on the 10 freeway is going to be bad around rush-hour. Do you know of any shortcuts?

Jenny: Yeah, don't go the freeway. Just take Pico Blvd all the way to the Staples Center. It will be a lot faster.

Meaning: "to take a shortcut" means to take the fastest or shortest route to your destination. It is often used when there is traffic or construction that may be causing delays. 

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Get out of here

Context #1

Sam: Guess what?  I got a new car.  I got a brand new BMW.

Chris: Get out of here!

Sam: Really!

Context #2

Sharon: I finally broke up with Matt.

Tammy: Now way. Get out of here!

Sharon: Really. This time it's is over.

Meaning: "to get out of here" is a common idiom that is used when you are surprised and don't believe someone.  It has the same meaning as "no way!"

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A Basket Case

Context #1

My dogs are my babies. I treat them like my children and they always have the best food, toys, beds, everything. I remember once when one of my dogs got sick. I was a complete basket case. I dropped everything and rushed my little dog to the veterinarian. I missed a whole day of work, I didn’t eat, didn’t sleep, I couldn’t rest or function normally until I knew my precious little dog was going to be OK. Luckily, she only had an upset stomach and was perfectly fine the next day. I realize now that I may have overreacted to the situation. 

Context #2

Jake is such a nervous student. He is also a perfectionist who expects perfect scores on all assignments, projects, and tests. I have known him since elementary school and I remember once in 5th grade, he didn’t read the directions correctly on a test. He missed 1 point on the test and became a total basket case. He didn’t play with us at recess; he only sat under a tree and reviewed his test paper over and over again! At lunch, he did the same thing! Now that we are in high school, he still puts the same pressure on himself.

Explanation:

A basket case is an anxious and nervous person who cannot function normally in situations where there is slight pressure, unplanned changes, or unfamiliar settings.

In Example 1, the writer became a basket case when her dog fell ill. In Example 2, Jake became a basket case when he missed a point on his test.


You can use different verbs with this expression:

You are a basket case!

Don’t be a basket case. Everything will be fine.

You turn into a basket case every semester during finals.

She was a basket case after her car accident.

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