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."

Expressions with Face

Straight Face

When your face shows no emotion, especially when you are trying not to laugh, you keep a straight face.

Don't laugh, try and keep a straight face or she will know you are joking.

His new hairstyle is so awful that I found it hard to keep a straight face.

Lose Face

When you lose face you feel you have lost the respect of others because of something you have done. You feel embarrassed when you lose face.

He didn't understand the lecture but he said he did because he did not want to lose face in front of his classmates.

He lost face when his much younger brother took the test and did better than him.

Long Face

You have a long face when you look sad.

What's happened to James? He has a long face this morning.

"Why the long face?" "I had some bad news."

Egg on your face

You have egg on your face when you get caught doing something wrong. It's an embarrassing situation.

The President had egg on his face after journalists found out he was lying.

The company has egg on its face after its new product turned out to be faulty.

Face it

You face it when you accept the truth, usually about something unpleasant.

Face it, unless we start making a profit soon we will go bankrupt.

I have to face up to the fact that I'm getting too old for nightclubs.

Feeling happy? Great! Learn some new expressions to tell the world!

How are you feeling today? I hope you are in a good mood. Here are seven idioms we use to show we are happy.

On cloud nine
Extremely happy when something wonderful happens.
She's been on cloud nine since she found out she is pregnant.

Like a dog with two tails
To look and be very happy.
Was he pleased? He was like a dog with two tails.

Full of the joys of spring
When you are energetic, cheerful and happy.
James must have had some good news, he's full of the joys of spring today.

To be happy as Larry
When you are as happy as Larry, you are, of course, very happy. But who is Larry? No one is certain but it is believed that 'Larry' refers to an Australian boxer called Larry Foley (1878 - 1917) who after receiving a large payment after winning a fight was described in a newspaper as being 'happy'. Somehow this description stuck and is now used all these years later.
My daughter was as happy as Larry with her birthday present.

On top of the world
You are on top of the world when you feel wonderful.
I've been feeling on top of the world since I started doing yoga every morning.

Over the moon
This idiom isn't used so much these days because it is considered a cliché (an overused, unoriginal expression), but it means to be delighted.
The team captain said he was over the moon with their win.

In seventh heaven
Bliss; to be so happy it feels like you are in heaven.
I was in seventh heaven when I landed my dream job.

In a dog eat dog world...it's important to speak English!

How many of you know the English expression raining cats and dogs, as in, 'I'm not going outside, it's raining cats and dogs'?

It means, and no one seems to know why, raining very heavily. The other strange thing to notice about this expression is the amount of English learners who know it. Perhaps it's because it's a fun, simple and easy phrase to remember?

As we recently posted some cat expressions, tooday we introduce you to some other expressions featuring the animal that makes up half that idiom - the dog.

Here are some well-known dog expressions.

 Dog-tired

Very tired.

He was dog-tired after working a double-shift.

She's said all nurses are dog-tired by the end of the day. It really is a tough job.

Dog-eat-dog

When a situation is dog-eat-dog, it's very competitive in a cruel and selfish way.

Working on Wall Street is dog-eat-dog.

Banking is a dog-eat-dog industry.

Let sleeping dogs lie

You let sleeping dogs lie when you choose to not talk about things which have caused problems in the past. It's also used to not try to change a situation because it might cause problems.

He never talks about his ex-wife and we never ask about her, it's better to let sleeping dogs lie.

Can we just let sleeping dogs lie? I don't want to discuss the matter any further?

Work like a dog

To work very hard.

She worked like a dog all day to finish the report before the deadline.

I worked like a dog all weekend painting my parents' house.

to be like a dog with a bone

This, mostly British expression, means to refuse to stop talking or thinking about something. To not give up.

When it comes to talking about politics, he's like a dog with a bone.

Don't get into a discussion with her about environmental issues - she's like a dog with a bone.

to be like a dog with two tails

To be very happy.

He was like a dog with two tails when his team won.

She'll be like a dog with two tails when she finds she's been promoted.

Some expressions for all you cool cats who love English!

There are many idiomatic expressions which take cats as their inspiration. Let's study a few today!

Fat cat
• A negative description of a rich and powerful person.
• Those fat cats in government don't care about the poor.

Cat got your tongue?
• Has the cat got your tongue? is an expression we say to people when we want them to speak but they don’t answer us.
• You’re very quiet Jenny. What's the matter, has the cat got your tongue?

Curiosity killed the cat
• Basically, being too curious can get you into trouble. It's used to warm someone they are asking too many questions.
• Simon: Stop asking questions about my private life! Curiosity killed the cat so mind your own business!

Not a cat in hell's chance
• When something or someone has no chance of being successful, it doesn't have a cat in hell's chance.
• We haven't got a cat in hell's chance of getting there before 5:30 with this traffic.

Look like something the cat dragged in
• When someone looks very untidy and messy, they look like something the cat dragged in.
• Go and shower and get changed before your granny gets here. You look like something the cat dragged in!

Let the cat out of the bag
• When you accidentally tell someone a secret, the cat is out of the bag.
• I tried to keep John’s surprise party a secret from him but Susan let the cat out the bag when he asked her what the cake was for!