Wish Upon a Star

Context #1 

Mother and 4-year-old son are talking

Mom: Did you like the movie, Pinocchio?

Johnny: Yes, I did. I especially like Jiminy Cricket! He’s funny!

Mom: Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Johnny: Mommy, you know that song that Jiminy Cricket sings in the movie? What does “wish upon a star” mean?

Mother: Well, when you look up in the sky at night and you see the first star, make a wish.  Then, your wish is supposed to come true. 

Johnny: So, when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true?

Mom: Well, let’s try it and find out!

Context #2 

A little girl is talking to her teacher at school

Samantha: I really wish that I get an A on this spelling test. It would make my grandpa so happy!

Teacher: Well, Samantha, you are 5 years old now and a big girl. If you studied, you will do just fine. Don’t worry.

Samantha: Do you know what I did last night?

Teacher: What?

Teacher: I decided to wish upon a star, the first star I saw, to be sure that I would get an A!

Meaning: To wish upon a star often refers to making a wish after seeing the first star in the sky at night. Many children believe that if you wish upon a star, your wish will come true.

"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written for Walt Disney’s 1940 adaption of Pinocchio. The original version was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket. The song has since become the representative song of The Walt Disney Company.  It is also popular at Christmas time. Check out Jiminy Cricket performing this song in the film Pinocchio. See the link below: When You Wish Upon a Star

http://languagesystems.edu/

Pull Christmas Crackers

Context #1 

Family sitting down for Christmas dinner

Dad: OK everyone. Let’s sit down to eat Christmas dinner!

Jason: Dad, can we pull the Christmas crackers now?

Dad: Sure, Jason! Go ahead.

Jason: Pulling Christmas cracker with his sister and it makes a “bang.”

Mother: Oh, look at those cute little toys. OK, Jason, now let your sister pull a Christmas cracker to see what she gets!

Context #2 

Two friends planning a Christmas party

Sami:  You know what? I have another idea for our Christmas party this year. Let’s have Christmas crackers!

Petra: What? I don’t know what that is.

Sami: Well, in Britain and some other English-speaking countries, people “pull Christmas crackers” during parties. The Christmas crackers contain little trinkets, toys, or even jokes on small pieces of paper.

Petra: That sounds interesting! Let’s do it.

Meaning: A Christmas Cracker is a cardboard paper tube, of brightly colored paper and twisted at both ends. They are usually given during Christmas dinner or at Christmas parties. They make a noise when pulled apart by two people and contain small presents like toys, trinkets, or even jokes on pieces of paper. Christmas crackers are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. Christmas crackers are not very common in the United States. 

Check out this video of people pulling Christmas cracker! https://youtu.be/ZAq6YzBBJBc

http://languagesystems.edu/

To look on the bright side

Context #1:

Amy: We need to save money.
Brian: Why do we need to save money?
Amy: Because we need to buy a house.
Brian: But a house is so expensive.
Amy: That's why we need to save money.
Brian: How much do we need to save?
Amy: We need to save enough for a down payment.
Brian: How much is that?
Amy: That's about $30,000.
Brian: Thirty thousand dollars! That will take forever.
Amy: Not if we save every penny. Besides that, look on the bright side! We're going to buy a very nice house!
Brian: Okay, okay. Here's seven pennies.

Context #2

Maura: I don’t know what to do.
Robin: What’s the matter?
Maura: Well, I’ve been looking for a job for months everyday. I send my resume, but I just can’t get a job. I think I’m going to be unemployed all summer.
Robin: Hey, hey, hey, look on the bright side. At least while you’re not in the office, you can sit outside and enjoy that beautiful weather.
Maura: You’re right. The weather has been nice lately.
Meaning:This is an expression that means "Think positively." People use this expression when they're talking to someone who's having a problem. After saying "Look on the bright side", the speaker then says something good that the person who's having the problem can be happy about. 

http://languagesystems.edu/

Christmas came early

Context #1

"Christmas came early for Disney. Their latest film 'The Jungle Book', starring Neel Sethi, made $27 million dollars in its opening weekend."

When a happy surprise arrives before Christmas, like a hot new date, awesome gift or magical experience.

Context #2

Ralph: Oh, man! It's only 10:00 am and that loaf I dropped felt like fire!
Ted: Sounds like Christmas came early.

The expression "Christmas came early" originated in northern New Mexico. In this case, "Christmas" refers to the unique combination of both red chilli and green chilli on your breakfast burrito. The fiery blend has a unique chemical reaction that results in premature bowel movements that are tainted with the fire of the chile. Thus, when one has an excretion after consuming a Christmas breakfast burrito, Christmas is said to have come early.

http://languagesystems.edu/

To Cut a Rug (used as a verb)

Idiom: to cut a rug; used as a verb

First Example:

Brie: I saw you dancing with Deb. You guys really cut a rug.

Aj: Yeah, we were having a blast.

Brie: I didn't realize you were such a great dancer.

Aj: Neither did I! I think Deb is the great dancer, and she just made me look good!

Meaning: The expression "cut a rug" means to dance really well, usually in a very energetic way.  The expression was most popular in the 1920s, although it is still sometimes used to this day.

languagesystems.edu

Bootleg

Bootleg; used as an adjective, noun or verb

Context #1:

Maria: Do you want to watch the new Star Wars movie?

Henry: Yeah, but it's not out yet. Christmas seems so far away

Maria: I have a bootleg copy.

Henry: How did you get that?

Maria: I downloaded it. Come over tonight and we'll watch.

Henry: I don't know; I'd feel guilty.

Maria: It's up to you, but I'm going to watch it.

Meaning: The word "bootleg" means that something was obtained and/or sold illegally. In the above example, Maria downloaded a movie that hasn't opened in theaters yet. Since she didn't pay for the movie, it's a "bootleg"."Bootleg" can be used as an adjective, as in the conversation above, and as a noun, as in the previous sentence. It can also be used as a verb, as in the following example, which explains the word's past:

The word "bootleg" was first used in the late 19th century, and it's believed it originated with cowboys who hid small guns in their boots. Whatever the origin, the word "bootleg" was associated with secrecy. In the 1920s and early 30s, Prohibition was passed, making all alcohol illegal to sell or produce in the United States. Of course, some people started illegally selling, or bootlegging, alcohol that was either purchased in another country (often Canada) or made illegally. Since then, the term has been used for any illegal production and distribution, especially those of inferior quality when compared to the original item. A person can bootleg music (especially concerts recorded without permission), movies (often cheap DVDs, sometimes handheld recordings from inside movie theaters), software, toys, games and of course, homemade alcohol.

http://languagesystems.edu/

To gobble (something) up/down

Context #1:

Kirk: We gotta leave soon if we're going to make the play.

Jake: I just made dinner.

Kirk: Then let's gobble it up; we have to leave in 10 minutes.

Jake: Ugh. I shouldn't have bothered making anything nice.

Kirk: Sorry, but I told you we had these tickets for tonight.

Jake: I know.

Meaning: The word "gobble" is an English onomatopoeia that is used to describe the sound a turkey makes (Onomatopoeias are words like "bark" and "bang" that imitate sounds). But the expression "gobble up" means to eat very quickly, usually because the person is in a hurry or very hungry.  In the above example, Kirk says they need to "gobble up" their dinner because they need to leave for a play. Paradoxically, "Gobble" can be used with the prepositions "up" or "down" and have the exact same meaning, as in this next example:

Context #2:

Jean: This birthday party is a disaster!

Will: Why? The kids seem to be having fun.

Jean: I just put out the pizza, and they gobbled it all down in 5 minutes. They want more, but that's everything I ordered.

Will: Can't you order more?

Jean: It'll take at least half an hour to get here.

Will: Well, let's serve the cake then. Maybe they'll fill up on that.

http://languagesystems.edu/