To Fend for Oneself

To Fend for Oneself

Meaning: To take care of oneself without help.

Example 1:

Tom: Oh, my! What a cute little kitten!

Sarah: Yes, isn’t she adorable? I just found her yesterday in the back yard of my parents’ house. She was all alone and in good health. I was surprised because she is so young and it is hard for a kitten to fend for herself without a mother cat.

Tom: Yes, that is surprising. Usually baby animals have a hard time surviving by themselves. It’s really great that she was able to fend for herself and stay healthy at the same time.

Sarah: Yes, I know. We want to pick out a good name for her that shows how strong she is. Do you have any ideas?

Tom: Well, you could call her “Kick Butt Kitty!”

Sarah: Ha ha! That’s cute, but a little too long.

Example 2:

Ken: Did you hear about Kevin’s mom?

Jack: No, what happened?

Ken: She was in a terrible car accident and will be in the hospital for at least two months!

Jack: Oh, no! And his father left them a long time ago, so he only has his mom!

Ken: Yes, on top of that, Kevin’s mom does everything for him even though he is 20 years old. I’m worried about him. I don’t think he will be able to fend for himself while she is gone.

Jack: Yes, that’s going to be really tough. I don’t think he even knows how to make a sandwich. He might starve! How will he eat? What about his clothes? Who will clean them?

Ken: Well, I told him last summer that he should come camping with me for two weeks in the wilderness. It’s a tough trip, but he could have learned how to fend for himself and not be so dependent on his mother.

Jack: He’ll have to find a job, too so that he can pay the rent and buy gas for his car. I guess he is going to learn really fast how to fend for himself!

Ken: Yes. I hope he can do it.

Meaning:
To Fend for Oneself means to take care of oneself without the help of others. In the first example, the kitten was able to fend for herself alone outside even though she was just a baby. In the second example, Kevin depends completely on his mother for every part of his life, so when his mother is in the hospital, Kevin’s friends are worried they he won’t be able to fend for himself.

This idiom can be found in the 2^nd edition of Reading Horizons. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 6 Reading/Vocabulary classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Zero in On

Meaning: Direct one's attention to, concentrate or focus on

Example 1:

Tom: Did you hear about that big bank robbery yesterday on Main Street?

Sarah: No! What happened?

Tom: Well, a couple of guys dressed up as clowns went into the bank around 1:00 yesterday and stole almost $100,000 in cash!

Sarah: Really? Do the police have any idea who the robbers could be?

Tom: Well, the police have zeroed in on a couple of guys working at a local circus that is in town for a few weeks. They think perhaps that is where the guys got their wigs and make up for the clown costumes. Plus, the men were seen running toward the circus area after robbing the bank.

Sarah: Well, I guess it wasn’t too hard to zero in on those two. They must not be very smart!

Example 2:

Ken: So, have you found a new house yet.

Jack: Well, we have been looking at so many different houses in the past couple of weeks, but we haven’t zeroed in on any one special house yet.

Ken: Don’t worry. Take your time so that you find the house that is just right for you.

Jack: Yes, I know. But I don’t want to take too long because the kids are tired of living in this small apartment we rented while looking for a house.

Ken: I’m sure after looking at all those different houses, you’ll be able to zero in on one soon and move in right away.

Jack: I hope so!

Meaning:
To Zero in On means to direct one’s attention to someone or something or to focus on someone or something. In the first example, the police have zeroed in on who the bank robbers are since they were seen running toward a certain area of town. In the second example, Ken is trying to find a new house, but has not zeroed in on a house yet because he has looked at so many different houses.

This idiom can be found in the 2^nd edition of Reading Horizons. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 6 Reading/Vocabulary classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Be All Set To Go

Example 1

Gina: Are you almost ready to go? Our flight leaves in 2 hours!

Kevin: I'll be all set to go in 5 minutes. I have to finish packing my shoes.

Gina: I hope we don't miss our flight because of your shoes!

Kevin: Ok, I'm all set!


Example 2:

Ok, we have our bottles of water, hiking boots, and sunblock. We are all set to go on our hike!

to be all set to go = to be ready to go

This expression is often shortened "be all set" meaning "to be ready"
It can also be used with other verbs: be all set to + verb.. for example I'm all set to take the test.

This idiom was taken from LSI's book titled Speaking Transitions. This book is used to teach Level 4 Speaking classes at LSI schools. For more information please visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Be Bummed

Example 1:

Marty was bummed after his flight was delayed. He wasn't going to arrive in Cancun in time to watch the parade. 

Example 2:

Bill: Hey, Ted. Why are you so bummed these days?

Ted: Hey, Bill. I'm bummed I failed my English test and now my parents won't let me go to Sandy's farewell party!



In Examples 1 & 2, Marty and Ted are bummed. They are a little sad and disappointed by their circumstances. However, the idiom to be bummed isn't usually used for serious situations.

This idiom was taken from LSI's book titled Speaking Transitions. This book is used to teach Level 4 Speaking classes at LSI schools. For more information please visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Be Out Of (Something)

To Be Out Of (Something)

Context #1:
Jimmy: Oh man!
Mark: What's wrong?
Jimmy: We're out of coffee! I'd better go to the store and get some more. I really need my cup of coffee in the morning.  I'll be back.
Context #2:
Restaurant Waiter: Hi, are you guys ready to order?
Restaurant Customer: Yeah, I'll have the fresh lobster.
Restaurant Waiter: I'm sorry but we are out right now. The shrimp is really good too.
Restaurant Customer: Ok, I'll try the shrimp.

Meaning: to be out of something means that there is no more left. The thing that was available before has been used up.

This idiom was taken from LSI's book titled Speaking Transitions. This book is used to teach Level 4 Speaking classes at LSI schools. For more information please visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Skip Something

To Skip Something

Context #1:

Tom: I am so hungry I think I'm going to pass out!
Jane: It's only 10 am. What did you have for breakfast?
Tom: That's the problem. I skipped breakfast. I'm not going to do that again.

Context #2:

Grace: Wow, I missed the grammar class for one week and we are already on chapter 10?
Julie: Actually the teacher said we needed to skip chapters 8 and 9. So basically we went from chapter 7 to 10. Don't worry!

Meaning: to skip something means that you do not do something because there is no time, or something unexpected comes up, or maybe because you just don't feel like doing it.

This idiom was taken from LSI's book titled Speaking Savvy. This book is used to teach Level 5 Speaking classes at LSI schools. For more information please visit: www.languagesystems.com

To Make a Move

"To Make a Move"

Hey Susan,

Last night I went to Fabricio's birthday party and you won't believe what happened!
I was standing by the bar when Roger approached me. We started talking and I noticed that he kept looking at me in a weird way. He bought me a drink and said I looked good! I was so happy... You know how much I like him.
After a few minutes, he asked me if I wanted to dance and I said yes. I totally thought he was making a move on me, but then he started asking me questions about YOU! I was so confused! Finally he said he has been in love with you for months and didn't know how to tell you.
Well, I guess now you know... Please let me know if you guys start dating. If that's the case, I can't be your Facebook friend anymore. I hope you understand...

Have a great week,

Bob.

To Make a Move on Someone means to approach a person with the intention of becoming more than just friends.

You can find this idiom in our Reading Transition book! For more information, please visit http://www.languagesystems.com/