3 Beach Idioms

Summer is arriving! It's time to hit (=go to) the beach! Do you recognise these three beach idioms?

Beach bum/bunny

A young man who is always on the beach is a beach bum. A beach bunny is often used for females.

He's turned into a real beach bum since he moved to California.

Life's a beach

When you are very happy because your life is going well, life's a beach. It has the opposite meaning of the more well-known idiom, life's a bitch which expresses the idea that things are difficult or going badly.

He got engaged and got promoted - life's a beach for him at the moment.

To not be the only pebble on the beach

We use not the only pebble on the beach to state someone is not the most important person in the group. It's often used when someone is sad because a relationship has ended. Plenty of other fish in the sea is also used.

I know you are sad because you miss her, but remember, she's not the only pebble on the beach.

Laura always expects to get her own way. It's time she learned that she's not the only pebble on the beach.

5 Heat Idioms

It's heating up (the weather is getting warmer) here in Spain.

Did you know that to heat up is also used to describe a situation that is becoming intense, or angry:

"The conversation started to heat up so I decided to leave."

Here are five other heat related expressions.

Take the heat

If you can take the heat you can take criticism and handle stressful situations.

"Don't worry, if the project fails and the boss gets angry, I'll take the heat for us."

A dead heat

A dead heat is when there is no single winner - two or more participants tie for first place.

"The horse race finished in a dead heat."

In the heat of the moment

When you do or say something in the heat of the moment, it is because you are too angry or excited to think properly.

"She was so angry that in the heat of the moment she threw her pen at me! She apologised and we laughed about it later."

The heat is on

When the heat is on, a situation is becoming more difficult and busy.

"There are only 5 more days until the election, so the heat is on."

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

If the pressure is too much for you, stop. It is used when someone is not good at dealing with stressful situations.

"Being President is a hard job and if you can't stand the heat, you should get out of the kitchen."