To Come to Terms With

Idiom: to come to terms with: used as a verb


First example: The economic situation of the past few years has been hard for people in most countries around the world. Unemployment is high all over the world, and people have much less money to spend. In the beginning, people thought that the economy would get better in a year or two. Now, however, these people are coming to terms with the realization that world economy may take several years to make a complete recovery. People have started to make serious adjustments in their lifestyle as they accept just how long it might be for a full recovery.


Meaning: “To come to terms with” means “to accept.” It is almost always used to refer to a negative situation that needs to be accepted. In the example above, it describes the poor economy the world has been facing for the last few years. Originally, people believed that the period would be short: a year or two. Now they realize that they will have to deal with the difficult economic situation for a lot longer. The adjustments the people have started making show they have come to terms with how long the poor economy may last.


Here is another example:


Second example:


Jessie: Hi Professor Martin, I’d like to talk about my grade with you.


Professor Martin: Ok, what’s on your mind?


Jessie: I needed a ‘C’ to get credit for the class, but you gave me a ‘D.’


Professor Martin: Hmmm, let me look at your grades. Oh, I see why. You missed several classes, only turned in half of your assignments, and skipped a couple of tests. When you turned in the work, you did well on it, but all of the zeros really affected your grade.


Jessie: Well, since you know I can do the work, can’t you change my grade? I really need to pass this class. My parents are going to be upset if I don’t get credit for it.


Professor Martin: Of course I can’t. That wouldn’t be fair to the other students. They worked hard to make sure they passed the class. You have to come to terms with the fact that you’ll need to take the course again if you want credit for it. Next time, make sure you come to class regularly and complete all of the work you’re supposed to do.


Meaning: In this situation, Jessie asks Professor Martin to change her grade. According to Jessie, she knows how to do the work, so she should get a higher grade, even though she didn’t complete all of the assignments. The professor has a different view and feels he must be fair to all of the students. Professor Martin tells Jessie she must come to terms with her poor grade and repeat the class if she hopes to get credit for the course.


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

To Come Out on Top

Idiom: To come out on top; used as a verb

First example: Most people in the crowd bet that Diego would lose the championship match because this was the first time for him to play in the city ping-pong tournament. However, Diego had practiced for weeks with his family and friends. After a long and difficult match, he came out on top and got the first-place trophy. The crowd was shocked that Diego was able to defeat the champion from the previous year.

Meaning: “To come out on top” generally means to win a contest or fight. In this case, not many people expected Diego to win. He had never played in the tournament before. But Diego did play a lot with his family and friends to prepare for the match. Even though it was hard, Diego finally won the match and receive the trophy for first place. He came out on top over the previous champion.

Here is another example:

Second example: Several actresses were in competition for the Best Actress Oscar for 2011. All of them had excellent performances in movies that year. But only one of them could come out on top. When the winner was announced, everyone found out who it was: Natalie Portman. Now people are eagerly waiting to hear who the Oscar will go to this year.

Meaning: In this situation, Natalie Portman was one of several actresses who were nominated to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2011. Though five actresses are usually nominated each year, only one can win the award. In 2011, Natalie Portman came out on top, and got the award.

This idiom is from LSI's book "Reading Transitions," which is used in the level 4 Reading classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com

To Beat ___self Up

Idiom: to beat ___self up; used as a verb

First Example:

Seonho: Why are you crying, Karla?

Karla: I got a bad grade on my essay today. (sniff) I think I'm going to fail the class.

Seonho: Well, don't beat yourself up over it. I think everyone got a bad grade.

Karla: Really?

Seonho: Yeah. I got a 65, and Mario barely passed with a 70. In fact, I don't think anyone has ever gotten an A on an essay from Mr. Clark.

Karla: Thanks. I thought it was my fault, like maybe I was stupid.

Seonho: No, it's not your fault. He's really picky. But his tests are easy.

Meaning: "Beat ___self up" means to judge or blame oneself too strongly. When used, "beat ___self up" suggests that someone did something wrong or failed at a task, and he or she is now blaming him/herself more than anyone else would. In the example above, Karla blames herself for getting a bad grade, but Seonho tells her that she shouldn't blame herself so strongly since Mr. Clark always gives bad grades. This idiom always uses a reflexive pronoun, and when used with an object, this idiom generally uses the preposition "over," as underlined above. However, it doesn't always need an object. Look at the following example.

Second Example:

Angela: Who was that on the phone?

Jeff: Christina. I need to go pick her up.

Angela: Why, what happened?

Jeff: She got into an accident.

Angela: Oh no! Was anyone hurt?

Jeff: No, she's fine, and so is the other driver, but the cars aren't. She's really beating herself up.

Angela: Why?

Jeff: She says it was her fault. A dog ran out in front of her car, so she swerved quickly. Instead of hitting the dog, she hit the driver coming the other way. Insurance will cover everything, and the other driver sounds like a nice guy, but she's really mad at herself.

Angela: Well, I'm glad she didn't hit the dog.

In this case, Christina is beating herself up because she caused an accident. Of course, Christina is at fault for the accident, but because of the situation, no one else is really mad at her. Notice that the idiom is used in this case without the preposition "over" or an object.

This idiom is from LSI's book "Reading Connections," which is used in the Level 3 Reading classes. For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/

To Cuddle Up

Idiom: to cuddle up; used as a verb

First Example:

After a stressful day at work, Janelle just wanted to go home and cuddle up with her boyfriend; lying on the couch with him while watching TV always made her feel better.

Meaning: To "cuddle up" with someone means to get physically close with someone, often a romantic partner. The expression suggests relaxing together comfortably under a blanket or other covers. In the example above, Janelle wants to cuddle up with her boyfriend on the couch and relax. However, this idiom isn't always romantic, as in the following example.

Second Example:

Other children made fun of five-year-old Tommy at school, and he was crying when he got home. When he got home, he cuddled up with him mom in her favorite chair and took a nap in her arms.

Here, Tommy had a bad day at school, but his mother made it better by cuddling up with him in a chair while he fell asleep. Notice that the preposition "with" is usually used with "cuddle up." In addition to not always being romantic, one doesn't even always "cuddle up" with another person, as in the following example:

Second Example:

Andy had a really bad cold, so instead of going to work, he grabbed his favorite blanket and cuddled up with a good book. He felt great the next morning.

In addition to cuddling up with people, we can also "cuddle up" with a book (we usually say "a good book" in this case), which means to get warm under a blanket and read. The expression "curl up" can be substituted in this last case (as in, "curl up with a good book").

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/

The Bottom Line

Idiom: The Bottom line

Example 1:

Tammy: I'm so excited about starting my new business! I've always dreamed of selling
clothing. Now, I'm decorating my store and setting up fashion displays.

Selma: That's great! I'm sure it's a lot of fun getting everything ready and fixing up the store; however, the bottom line is that you need to get a lot of customers to stay open.

Tammy: Yes, I know and I've been adverstising my grand opening in the local media. I hope it
works.

Selma: Good luck with everything!

Example 2:

Sammy formed a band this year called "The Black Cats" with his friends Jimmy and Frank. They like to play popular songs and often perform at different places during the weekends. Each member of the band has a regular job during the week. Sammy and Jimmy are lawyers, and Frank teaches ESL at LSI. The bottom line is that they all love music and want to play it. They don't care if they make a lot of money.

Meaning:
The Bottom Line means the most important fact or point of something. In the first example, Tammy has opened a new business and is talking about decorating her store. However, the most important fact for Tammy is that she brings in customers to buy what she is selling. In the second example, three guys form a band and play at different places on the weekend. It's not enough to make a living, but the most important thing for these guys is that they are doing what
they love, playing music.

This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook
Reading Transitions. This book is used at LSI schools in the level
Reading/Vocabulary classes. For more information, please visit: http://www.languagesystems.com/

to pull one's own weight

to pull one's own weight; used as a verb

Example 1: Mario has been looking for a new job for about a month. He doesn't like his current job because he has to do all the work. The other people in his work do not pull their own weight, so he is really stressed out all the time. He would rather work at a job where each person pulls his own weight and does their assigned duties.

Meaning: to pull one's own weight means to do the work you are responsible for. In the first example, Mario doesn't like his work very much because other people at his work do not pull their own weight, meaning they do not do their share of the work.

Example 2: Tom, Bill and Fred decided to rent a house together a couple of months ago. However, Bill and Fred have asked Tom to move out because Tom just doesn't pull his own weight around the house. Bill and Fred have to do all the housework and Tom just sits around watching TV.

Meaning: In example 2, Tom is not doing his share of the housework, so he is not pulling his own weight around the house. His roommates are doing all the work, so they want Tom to move out.

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

To Cater To

To Cater To

Example 1:

Tammy: I just love that new restaurant on 9th street! It has the most delicious sandwiches!

Selma: I know! I went there with some friends from school last week. The best thing about the restaurant is that it caters to vegetarians, so we tried a variety of different types of dishes. Restaurants in this area usually only carry a few common vegetarian dishes, but this
restaurant had so many!

Tammy: Yes, I really want to go back there.


Example 2:

Kitty: I absolutely loved staying at that hotel on the coast. When I was there, the hotel employees catered to my every need. All I needed to do was ask.

Jolene:That must have been expensive! Usually hotels that offer a lot of services charge much more.

Kitty: Actually, it was not too expensive. I guess that hotel caters to young couples looking for a romantic weekend. It worked with us because my husband and I are definitely going back.

Jolene: Wow, I’ll have to check it out the next time I go out of town for the weekend.

Meaning:
To cater to means to supply what is wanted or needed. In the first example, the restaurant supplies food for vegetarians. In the second example, the hotel supplies a lot of services for people staying there. This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook Reading Transitions. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 4 Reading/Vocabulary classes.
For more information, please visit: http://www.languagesystems.com/