To shoot from the hip

Context #1

Dana: Karen, I need to buy a new shirt for my company dinner tomorrow night. I think I'm going to buy one of these two. What do you think? Which one?

Karen: Well, the red one with the yellow sleeves is interesting - and bright. It really catches the eye! But the white and blue shirt will probably look better with your skirt. I'm just not sure I like the pink buttons. Hmmm, I don't know. Let's ask Roger.

Dana: Roger, what do you think of these two shirts? Which one would you buy if you were me?

Roger: Neither. They are both ugly.

Karen: Wow. He really shoots from the hip.

Context #2

Dear Professor Andersen,

I wanted to write you to ask if our group could submit our project again. Joseph and I did a lot of research and planning. Fred, on the other hand, did very little work. Fred knew this, so he promised Joseph and I he would read and organize all of our work and put it all together. I guess he decided to shoot from the hip because none of our research was included - and he didn't do any. Joseph and I are very worried about our grade.

Thank you for your consideration,

Jane

Meaning: To say or do something without thinking carefully about it. This can be used in a positive or negative way. When this idiom is used, it can mean a person is direct and honest (positive) or careless and thoughtless (negative).

http://languagesystems.edu/

To miss the boat

Context #1

Dear Mrs.Goldberg,

I would like to express my interest in interviewing for the front desk position at Goldbergs and Associates. 

Would it be possible for us to meet this week?

Sincerely,

John Snowish

___________________________________________

Dear Mr. Snowish,

Thank you for your interest in our company.

Unfortunately this position has already been taken. 

I am sorry you missed the boat, but we will keep your resume and contact you when a similar position becomes available.

Best regards,

Mrs. Goldberg

___________________________________________

Context #2

Hey Cassie, 

How is everything in LA?

It's good to be back in Russia, but I miss you guys so, so, so much!

How is everything with you and the girls? How is Devin? Does he miss me at all? Do you think he likes me?

Seriously, I even told him I liked him and he never asked me out!

I'm telling you, if he says he likes me now, I am just going to tell him he missed the boat! It's too late. I don't even like him anymore...

Anyway, I hope all is well with you! 

Miss you!

Natasha

Meaning: to be too late to join an event or trend, or to late for an opportunity.

http://languagesystems.edu/

To snake something

Context #1

Tom: Hey, what happened to my french fries? I go to the restroom and I come back to find them almost gone?

Chris: Yeah, when you left I saw John snake a handful of them. He just laughed and walked away.

Context #2

Carol: You're never going to believe what happened yesterday. I was at the mall waiting for this car that was backing out because I wanted the parking space.  I had my turn signal on so everyone would know that I was waiting for that space. Then, right before I could pull into the space, this other car quickly pulled in and snaked the parking spot that I had been waiting for.

Barbara: No way! That's crazy!  

Meaning: "To snake something" means "To steal" or "To take something wrongly."  

It is an idiom that has an origin in surfing culture. When a surfer is waiting for a wave and he/she is in the proper position to take the wave but another surfer "steals" the wave, they say that the other surfer "snaked the wave." 

http://languagesystems.edu/

To Eat It

Context #1

Jim:  Hey, what happened to your elbow?  It's all bandaged up.

Tony:  Well, I was riding my bike to school yesterday and I ate it when I was going down hill.

Jim:  Wow!  You have to be careful.  

Context #2

Susie: I heard your boyfriend is teaching you how to skateboard.

Jenny:  Yeah, that's right.  

Susie:  Is it hard?

Jenny:  Well, the first few days I was trying to figure out how to keep my balance.  I ate it a lot and scrapped up my knees and hands. 

Meaning: "to eat it" is an idiom that means "to fall" while doing some kind of sport or activity (surfing, snowboarding, riding a bike, jogging, etc.)  Usually it is used when a person falls down and gets a little hurt.  

http://languagesystems.edu/

Don't judge a book by its cover

Idiom: Don't judge a book by its cover: to not judge the quality or character of someone or something just by looking at them

Context #1 – Students talking before the 1^st day of class

Vanessa: Hey, Brad. Did you see the new English teacher? He looks so mean! I'm afraid to go to his class.

Brad: But you haven't even met him yet! Don't judge a book by its cover! Give him a chance before you form an opinion about him.

Vanessa: Hmmm. I guess you are right.

Brad: Besides, I've heard he is really funny! All the students who have taken his class say he is the best teacher they have ever had in English.

Vanessa: Wow, really? OK. I'll try his class and save my opinion for later.

Context #2 – Two friends at a party

Sami:  Hi Petra! Do you want to join us for lunch? We are going to “George's Cafe.”

Petra: Ewww, that place looks awful! It's so tiny and everything is so plain. Why don't we go somewhere else for lunch.

Sami: Don't judge a book by its cover, Petra. “George's Cafe” has the best sandwiches in town. All at a very affordable price.

Petra: Really? Wow, I guess I shouldn't judge it before I even try it.

Meaning: “Dont judge a book by its cover” is said when you cannot know what something or someone is like by looking only at that person or thing's appearance. In the first context, Vanessa has a negative opinion of the teacher based only on his appearance and that he looks “mean.” However, Brad has heard that the teacher is really good, so he encourages Vanessa to try the class and not base her opinion on just the looks of the teacher. In the second context, the place they are going for lunch is small and plain, so Petra has a bad opinion of it. However, it's actually a good place with the best sandwiches in town, so Sami encourages Petra to try it and then form an opinion based on the quality of the food.

To Troll

Idiom: To troll someone or something. Used as a verb (action) or noun (person). To make a  provocative online comment or posting with the goal of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them. A person who posts to an internet discussion group, chat room, or blog with the sole purpose of disrupting it.

Context #1 – Two friends talking about a blog

Sal: Hey Patty, what's wrong? You look upset?

Patty: I'm so mad!! I write this blog about politics and that guy from our class, Reggie, keeps writing all these comments about Trump and how great he is.

Sal: Really?

Patty: Yes. All his comments support everything Trump says. It's crazy! No matter what I say, he just supports Trump more and argues more with me.

Sal: Well, I know Reggie and he is actually a Democrat and super liberal. I doubt he is serious about anything he is saying about Trump.

Patty: What? Do you mean he is just trolling me!

Sal: Yep. You have to admit that it's pretty funny to troll people about controversial politicians. He probably just wants to provoke you.

Patty: I never thought of that! Are you sure he doesn't like Trump? He seems so sincere when he writes comments on my blog.

Sal: Yes, I'm sure. That's what makes him such a good troll!

Context #2 – Two friends talking about Facebook

Tim: Hey, Michelle, what are you laughing about?

Michelle: Oh, hi Tim. I'm writing some comments about Hillary's recent speech on Facebook.

Tim: And why is that funny?

Michelle: Well, I'm turning her words from the speech around to make her look bad. My goodness, I had no idea her supporters would freak out so much!

Tim: You are so mean! You don't even care about the election or the candidates.

Michelle: Hahahaha! I know! But it's fun to see everyone get so upset over a few negative comments! I don't usually troll people like that, but I'm enjoying myself too much to stop.

Tim: Well, be careful. You don't want anyone to “unfriend” you because of a little trolling.

Michelle: You're right. I'll stop trolling....tomorrow!

Meaning: To troll means to purposely and cleverly provoke an angry or emotional response via the internet through comments and dialogue. However, trolling does not only mean making rude comments or statements. The most important part of trolling is to act like one truly believes what one is saying, even if it is completely outrageous. So the person who is being trolled should not know that he or she is being trolled by someone.

Come out swinging

First Example:

Charlie:  Did you watch the political debate last week?

Emilio:  Of course!  It was so shocking; both candidates came out swinging.

Charlie:  That’s an understatement; they were beyond aggressive.

Emilio:  They attacked each other relentlessly.

Meaning: To "come out swinging" comes from the aggressive act of swinging your arms to punch someone or an object to hurt others.  It’s used as an expression to depict someone mounting a verbal attack on someone aggressively.  In this example, Emilio describes the politicians having a debate which probably involved strong accusations, strong/aggressive behavior or language to attack each other.

Second Example:

Sarah:  If Peter doesn’t have a good explanation for leaving me and my family in the middle of dinner, I’m going to come out swinging at him when he arrives.

Michael:  Hey, take it easy.  Don’t be so violent.  I’m sure there’s a rational explanation.  However, that doesn’t give you the right to attack someone physically.

Sarah:  I won’t actually do it, I’m just so angry for his rude behavior.

Michael:  I understand your anger, but saying something like that will confuse people and think you’re violent.

http://languagesystems.edu/