to have (one's) eye on

To have (one's) eye on __

Today's idiom has two meanings

Idiom: to have (one's) eye on (something); used as a verb.

First Example: Hideka has her eye on a new purse at Nordstrom. It's a little expensive, so she is saving money so she can buy it next month.

Meaning: to have (one's) eye on something means that the person is working towards getting a thing he or she desires. In this example, Hideka likes the purse she saw at Nordstrom, and she is saving money with the purpose of buying the purse the following month. This idiom can apply to any desired noun, whether it's a physical object or a goal. Note that the "(one's)" is replaced by a possessive pronoun, and "(something)" is replaced with what is desired.

Here is another example of the same usage:

Second Example: Ben has had his eye on Elizabeth's position ever since she announced her retirement. In order to prove he deserves the promotion, he started working longer hours and taking work home with him.

Meaning: In this case, Ben desires Elizabeth's old position, so he is working harder in order to get a promotion. Please note that while any non-progressive verb tense is possible, simple present and present perfect are the most common verb tenses used with this meaning.

Idiom: to have (one's) eye on (someone); used as a verb.

First Example: Mrs. Johnson caught Billy cheating on last week's test. She told him, "I have my eye on you now." Now that she is watching him, he won't cheat again because he is afraid he will get caught.

Meaning: to have (one's) eye on (someone) means that the person is watching "(someone)" because he or she is expected to do something bad. In this case, Billy cheated, so Mrs. Johnson is watching Billy. Note that this idiom can be tricky due to the two people involved. The subject of the clause is the person watching, and the object is the person being watching. The possessive pronoun replacing "(one's)" should match the subject (or watcher), not the object (or person being watching).

Here is another example of the same usage:

Second Example: The salesman has had his eye on the children since they came into the store. He thinks they might steal some candy.

Meaning: In this case, the salesman is afraid the children might steal something, so he has been watching them. Please note that while any non-progressive verb tense is possible, simple present and present perfect are the most common verb tenses used with this meaning. However, if a progressive meaning is desired, the similar idiom "keep one's eye on" can be used; the above example could be replaced with "The salesman has been keeping his eye on the children..."

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

to flip out

Idiom: to flip out

First Example: When I accidentally dropped my new iPhone into a cup of coffee, I flipped out! I had just bought it the day before, and it was very expensive.

Meaning: to flip out means to suddenly become excited, frightened, or crazy. In the first example, the person dropped a new and expensive iPhone into a cup of coffee, so of course he became a little crazy.

Here is another example:

Second Example: When Julie came home and found a burglar in her kitchen, she just flipped out. She couldn't stop screaming, even after he ran away.

Meaning: In this case, Julie is really shocked and scared that a burglar is in her house. She can't control herself and just keeps screaming.

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 have (something) both ways

Idiom: to have (something) both ways; used as a verb.

First Example: Mario has been dating Erika for six months, but he also likes Tina and would like to ask her out. Mario wants to have it both ways. He would like to date both Erika and Tina.

Meaning: to have (something or it) both ways means to get the best of a situation by getting the benefits of two opposite things. In this example, Mario likes his relationship with Erika, but he also likes Tina. However, he can't date both of them at the same time because he has been dating Erika for six months. This idiom can apply to any situation where there are two opposite things that can't be done at the same time. It's used as an infinitive in this example.

Here is another example:

Second Example: John works long hours and makes a lot of money, but he would like to have more time off to do the things he enjoys. However, John can't have it both ways. He either works hard and makes a lot of money, or he takes more time off and makes less money.

Meaning: In this case, the two opposite things are working a lot and taking more time off. John can't make a lot of money if he does both of these things at the same time. He must choose one thing. In this example, it's used with the modal "can't."

This idiom is from LSI's book "Speaking Savvy," which is used in the Level 5 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/