Want To Get Married? Go Skiing

Mimi: I'm looking forward to a Christmas vacation in the Rocky Mountains.
Sam: What'll you do there?
Mimi: I'm going skiing as usual. I go skiing every year.
Sam: I heard from a friend yesterday. There was no snow anywhere in the West.
Mimi: I'm hoping for at least twelve inches of snow. It depends on the weather at Aspen.
Sam: Aspen, Colorado?
Mimi: That's right. Why do you ask?
Sam: To make sure we're going to the sae place. I mean, I'm skiing there this Christmas, too.
Mimi: Wonderful! We can go skiing together.

look forward to - Anticipate, usually with pleasure.
as usual - As one very often does; in the customary way
hear from - Receive a letter, phone call, news etc. from somebody.
at (the) least - Not less or fewer than, a minimum of, at the smallest guess. Contrast: at (the) most.
make sure + of / about - Be certain of something, check; investigate carefully.

Example 1 - I looked carefully at the letter to make sure that it was from Sam. It was wonderful to hear from him again, and I looked forward to reading his letter.
I read it slowly. It was full of news and at least ten pages long. As usual, he wrote about many interesting things.
Example 2 - Fred phones me yesterday. It was good to hear from him. He told me he was working hard at least ten hours a day, sometimes more, and that he always got up early. He look forward to Sunday to sleep late.
Yesterday Fred got up at 5am as usual. He made sure to rewind his alarm clock right away. Then he remembered it was Sunday.

I'm Feeling Very Blue Today

Red is a hot color. American often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about omething unfair. When they are red hot thery are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the txentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Elligton and his orchestra recorded a famous song - Mood Indigo - about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song: "You ain't been blue till you've had that Mood Indigo." Someone who is blue is very sad.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who was a sick feeling stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.

Sometimes a person may be upset because he does ot have sometimes as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.

The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day.  A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.

In some cases, colors describe a situation. A brown out is an expression for a reduction in electric power. Brown out happen when there is too much demand for electricity. The electric system is unable to offer al the power needed in an area. Black outs were common during World War Two. Officials would order all light in a city turned off to make it difficult for enemy planes to find a target in the dark of night.
(VOA Special English Program, Words and Their Stories).

She Is In Hot Water

"To be in hot water" - "Hot water" was used five hundred years ago to mean being n trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.

When we are in "hot water," we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble--serious, or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother, if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.

Being in "deep water" is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in "deep water," you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown in water over his head.

You are in deep water when you are facing a roblem that you o not have the ability to solve. You can be in dee water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.

"To keep yor head above water" is a colorful expression that means taying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he find a new job.

"Water over the dam" is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.

When a friend is troubled by a mistake she has made, you might tell her to forget about it. You say it is water over the dam.

Another common expression, "to hold water," is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes fro a way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water,  it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and not worth debating.

"Throwing cold water" also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means to not like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because th old one has some problems. But your wife "throws cold water" on the idea, because she says a new car costs too much.
(VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.)

A Team Player

I want to tell you about my new coworker. His name is Alan and he just started working here last week. Even though he is just a rookie, I can already tell he is going to be a team player and work well with the other people in our office.
When Alan interviewed for the job, the boss tried to throw him a curve ball by asking him some very difficult questions. However, Alan was on the ball and gave very intelligent answers. The boss was very impressed. The boss can be tough sometimes and is determined to make his company successful. Sometimes this means he has to play hard ball with people. Alan took all of this in stride and didn't get upset once. He was a real sport about it. The boss really liked him and gave him the job.
Gary, the last person who had this job, really dropped the ball and made a lot of mistakes. His ideas were way out in left field and didn't make sense, so the boss fired him. When Alan started, there were a lot of projects waiting for him. He didn't waste any time and took the ball and ran with it. He has done more work in his first week, than Gary did in a month. Already we are bouncing the ideas off of him. Alan seems ready to tackle the problems facing our company and make it even more successful.

a rookie - someone who has just started doing a job and has little experience.
team player - someone who works well with other people so the whole group is successful.
throw him a curve ball - to surprise someone with a question or problem that is difficult to deal with.
on the ball - thinking or acting quickly and intelligently.
play hard ball - to be very determined to get what you want, especially in business or politics.
took all of this in stride - to not allow something to annoy, embarrass, or upset you.
a real sport - a helpful and cheerful person who never complains when there is trouble.
dropped the ball - to make a mistake or do a bad job.
to be out in left field - ideas etc. that are strange or unusual.
took the ball and ran with it - to understand a situation or task and know what to do about it or how to do it.
bouncing the ideas off of him - to ask someone's opinion on an idea; to play with an idea.
to tackle something - to deal with a difficult problem determinedly.

Not for Love nor Money

For years, my wife has been asking me to dg dancing with her. I'm a terrible dancer and would never go, not for love nor money. However, last week was my wife birthday,so I decided to surprise her with a one-hour dance lesson. As much as I hate to dance, I did not have the heart to tell her we couldn't go dancing. I didn't want to make her unhappy.
I found a dance studio near the International Center and made an appointment. At first, I didn't want to go. My heart wasn't in it. But it was my wife's birthday and I wanted to do this for her. I'm head over heels in love with her. I was really afraid if I didn't take her dancing after all these years, I would have to kiss my marriage goodbye.
The istructor at the dance studio was very nice and showed us some steps. I was really trying my best to learn the moves. Before long I was dancing my heart out and spinning my wife around the room. The instructor told me I was doing great, but to be honest, I don't think she had the heart to tell me I was the worst dancer she had ever seen. "Take heart," she told me. "You're doing great!"
For one hour, we danced till our heart's content and had a great time. I only stepped on my wife's feet a couple of times. She told me that this was the best birthday of her life an that I have a heart of gold. Even though the dance lesson was a labor of love for me, I had a better time than I thought I would, and would even consider doing it again. Honest. Cross my heart. I'm not just saying that to kiss up to my wife. Dancing is not so bad as I thought it would be. Eat your heart out Fred Astaire!

not for love nor money - something that is impossible to obtain or do
not have the heart to do something - to be unable to do something because you do not want to make someone unhappy
My heart wasn't in it - used to say that someone doesn not really want to do something or does not care about what they are doing
kiss my marriage goodbye - used when you think it is certain that someone will lose their chance of getting or doing something
dancing my heart out - to sing, dance etcc. with all your energy
had the heart to tell me - to be able to do something
Take heart - to feel encouraged or have more hope; to not give up
danced till our heart's content - to do something as much as you want to
heart of gold - someone is good and kind although they may not appear to be
labor of love - something that is hard work, but that you do because you want to very much, or enjoy
Cross my heart - used to say that you promise that you will do something or that waht you are saying is true
kiss up to my wife - to try to please or impress someone in order to get them to do something for you
Eat your heart out - used to tell someone that you are better than them at something

Idioms with Words That Go Together

A while ago, I decided o put together one of those five thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles all by myself. I was sure tht I colud do it because I'm got at all kinds of games - from crossword puzles to video games. But it wasn't seasy after all. First, I put all the pieces on the table, and I started to work on the sky part of the puzzle. But every other piece was bule and seemed to fit in the sky. I must have stared at the pieces for two hours. "Take it easy," I told myself. "Sooner or later you'll put some piece together." And I was right. Before long, I had several pieces together. But finishing the entire puzzle was a project that took me quite a few months. Of course, at the end, I learned the most improtant fact about putting together puzzles. The last piece is always missing! Just the other day I found that missing piece behind the sofa. No wonder I hadn't found it before! (By Shawn)

after all - different from what you expected
every other - this one but not the next, then the next but not the one after that, and so on
take it easy - calm down, relax, don't worry
sooner or later/before long - eventually, after some time
quite a few - many
the other day - a short time ago
no wonder - not surprising

Idioms from the Weather

For some folks, everything is easy. Life is a breeze. They're always healthy. They're never under the weather. If they walk into a room full of strangers, they make friends in five minutes. They have no trouble breaking the ice. They earn enough to save some money every week. They're saving money for a rainy day. So if trouble ever does come, they'll be able to weather the storm. Yes, some people have no problems if times are good or bad. They're okay come rain or shine.

a breeze - something easy for a person to do
under the weather - sick
breaking the ice - to begin a conversation with a stranger
saving money for a rainy day - to prepare for trouble, usually by saving money
to weather the storm - to wait and be patient until things get better
come rain or shine - no matter how hard it is to do

Idioms from Plants

Eustacia always wanted her life to be a bed of roses. She wanted everything to be easy and comfortable. But when she had a choice or decision to make, she could not do it. When you asked her what she was going to do, she always beat around the bush. She never gave a direct answer. And when she did decide something, she usually made a mistake. She was always barking up the wrong tree. So, she decided to turn over a new leaf and change her life. But when she finally made up her mind to change, she couldn't decide what to do. That was the last straw. She realized that she would never change. In a nutshell, if you want to describe Eustacia, you could say that she isin't good at making decisions.

a bed of roses - a comfortable, easy situation
beat around the bush - to waste time by not giving a direct answer
barking up the wrong tree - to make the wrong choice and waste one's efforts
to turn over a new leaf - to start over again, to start a new and better life
the last straw - the final thing after a series of bad things, the thing that finally makes you angry
In a nutshell - in a few words

Idioms from Parts of the Body

Last year my English class was full of characters. That's a polite way of saying it had some unusual people that I'll never forget. One student was such a hard worker that he learned all the idioms in our book by heart. He was always saying things like "I'm on cloud nine," or "I'm green with envy." We never knew if he meant what he said or if he was just practising English. Another student had a sweet tooth. She would bake lots of breads and cakes and bring students met in the class and fell head over heels in love. We were all invited to their wedding and had a great time. Then there was a student who was always pulling someone's leg. For example, one day before class, he put a long homework assignment on the board and made us thinkg that the teacher had given it. We all had long faces until the teacher came in. Then we realized that someone had played a joke on us.

by heart - by memory
to have a sweet tooth - to like sweet foods very much
head over heels in love - very much in love
pulling someone's leg - to joke, to kid or trick someone
long faces - a sad, dissatisfied expression

Idioms from Numbers

For some people, fishing is so enjoyable that it puts them in seventh heaven. For others,  fishing is a good time to relax and catch forty winks. I'm of two minds about it. At first sight, fishing seems like fun. But, on second thought, I just don't like to handle a fish when I catch it. To many people who like ishing, it's second nature to look a a river or a lake and know where the fish ae. They have a sixth sense that helps them do this. Soon they're catching fish, while I'm still trying to put the worm on the hook.

in seventh heaven - extremely happy
forty winks - a short sleep, a nap
of two minds - having trouble making a decision
at first sight - after a quick look, before realy thinking about one's feeling about something
on second thought - changing one's mind after thinking more about something
second nature - easy and natural to someone
sixth sense - a special feeling for something, or a special understanding of things