Learn Natural English While Friends Share Their Day

This lesson will be talking about blowing off steam with friends. We'll be practicing idioms at home. If you haven't already, take a look at idioms at work for our second session. Again, since idioms come from many different sources, we're going to use three broad categories for this one. Kinds of speech, social situations, and negative situations. Our first section will be idioms for kinds of speech. The first one, ring a bell, means when something sounds familiar or you have heard it before. Beat around the bush means to avoid the main topic in conversation. Come out of left field is a topic that seems random or appears without context in conversation. Spill the beans means to tell a secret, and very often this is by accident. In this first section, these idioms describe nuance in conversation and are often used when commenting on the way someone says something. And a few notes, the first ring a bell and come out of left field are often after the word that or it. And they cannot be used to describe a person. So let's look at some examples. So, here are some examples. I might know him, but his name doesn't ring a bell. He kind of beat around the bush for an hour before he finally told me he had lost his job. What? That question came out of left field. I heard you're getting married. Sorry, Richard spilled the beans. So, here ring a bell and came out of left field have his name and that question. And a little bit of context for these examples. I might know him, but his name doesn't ring a bell. This means his name doesn't sound familiar. So, you may have met him before, but his name doesn't sound familiar. His name doesn't ring a bell. He kind of beat around the bush for an hour before he finally told me he lost his job. And this means he avoided the main topic because the main topic was difficult to say. So, it was difficult to say he lost his job. So he kind of beat around the bush. What? That question came out of left field. So this means the question was without context. So if you're talking about one thing and someone asks a question which seems not related, I heard you're getting married. Sorry, Richard spilled the beans. Means he accidentally told a secret. Our next section is idioms for social situations. So our first idiom is down to earth. This is an adjective and it means someone who is honest, relaxed, and unpretentious. Go with the flow means to let things happen naturally and without a strict plan. So if you are meeting a friend, but you haven't decided what to do, you can just go with the flow. Blow off steam means to release tension from a stressful time. So, if you have been very busy at work, maybe you need to blow off some steam. When in Rome is an interesting idiom because only the first three letters are often used. The full idiom is when in Rome, do as the Romans do. And it means to follow a group's actions in an unfamiliar situation to you. So in this example, if you are in Rome, which was uh many many years ago, this idiom came about. In Rome, they did things a little bit differently from other places. So when you are in Rome in an unfamiliar situation, you should do as the Romans do. So follow the group's actions. The most common usage of these four idioms is describing how to act in a situation. And often in social situations, you're not sure exactly how to act. And this describes making plans or deciding how to act. And one note, down to earth is the only adjective in the group and it describes a person. The rest of the idioms are all verbs. And here are some examples. Kim's so down to earth and easy to talk to. We'll take the subway downtown and just go with the flow from there. It's been a tough week. I need to blow off some steam. I don't usually like dancing, but when in Rome. And here is some context for these examples. Kim's so down to earth and easy to talk to. So, this means that Kim is an honest person who is unpretentious and it's easy to talk to her without feeling nervous. We'll take the subway downtown and just go with the flow from there. Means we'll just let things happen. We don't have a plan. We'll arrive downtown and go with the flow. It's been a tough week. I need to blow off some steam. This means I need to release tension. So, if you're very stressed, then you need to blow off some steam and it usually means having fun in some way. I don't usually like dancing, but when in Rome, this means to follow the group's actions. So, if you are in a group of people and everyone wants to go dancing, you can say when in Rome. And it's usually said with this inflection, when in Rome. And sometimes people finish this the idiom with the rest of the sentence, but you can just say when in Rome. And finally, we have idioms for negative situations. The first one, lose your touch, means to lose a talent or ability you previously had. Barking up the wrong tree is asking someone something they will definitely say no to. So if you want someone to do something with you and they will not say yes. Throw someone under the bus means to blame someone publicly for a mistake and it's usually to avoid being punished yourself. So you want someone to get angry at another person. Go cold turkey is less negative, just more descriptive. To go cold turkey means to quit a bad habit suddenly, not gradually, and without help. In this section, these idioms are also used for social situations or actions, but they tend toward negative meanings. So, you use them in negative situations. And a note, all these idioms begin with a verb and they follow tense rules. So you can make this into a present perfect or a present continuous or a past tense. And here are four examples. I have to keep practicing or I'll lose my touch. If you think I'll be impressed by money, you're barking up the wrong tree. Hannah's always throwing me under the bus at work. If I quit eating sugar, I'll have to go cold turkey or I won't make it. And some context for these examples. I have to keep practicing or I'll lose my touch. Means to lose an ability. So, if you play a musical instrument, perhaps you have to keep practicing or you will lose the ability to play that instrument. If you think I'll be impressed by money, you're barking up the wrong tree. So, this means you're asking the wrong person because this person maybe wants you to be impressed by money, but you will definitely say no. You will not be impressed. Hannah's always throwing me under the bus at work means Hannah is always blaming me publicly to avoid punishment herself. And perhaps she is throwing you under the bus to your boss. If I quit eating sugar, I'll have to go cold turkey or I won't make it. So to go cold turkey means to quit something completely and suddenly because if you eat sugar a little bit, you won't be able to quit. And let's practice. In our practice section, we have five sentences and we are going to review the idioms that we learned in this lesson and use the correct one in the blanks. The meanings are in the brackets. So, told a secret accidentally, honest, completely and suddenly, avoiding the main topic, and asking someone who will say no. and take a look at the verb in each one of the brackets and let's keep that tense when we use the idiom. Let's take a second. Okay, let's look at your answers. I definitely spilled the beans about the surprise party. So, this means I told someone accidentally or I told a secret accidentally. So, the person who is having the surprise party now knows about the surprise party. I want to meet someone who's funny and down to earth. This means honest, unpretentious. So, down to earth is the correct idiom here. Did you quit smoking cold turkey? So, this means completely and suddenly someone quit. Good for them. Stop beating around the bush and tell me. So, this means stop avoiding the main topic and just tell me. Maybe there is some secret that someone is trying to avoid. You're barking up the wrong tree if you think I'll go to a hockey game with you. So, this means asking someone who will say no. Maybe this person doesn't like hockey at all and the person asking them is barking up the wrong tree. Today's practice conversation will be going out with friends. So, we're going to practice the idioms we learned in this lesson. Let's fill in those blanks with the idioms that closely match the meanings in the brackets. So, find the idioms that match release stress, appeared suddenly, blamed me, losing an ability I had before, sounds familiar, and let things happen naturally. Now pay attention to the first verb and use that same tense. So appeared should be in the past tense when you select the idiom. Take a moment and fill in those blanks. Okay. Now let's take up the answers. I really need to blow off some steam. So this means release stress or release tension. Sounds good. But that kind of came out of left field. So came out of left field is appear suddenly and a topic that seems random. We lost a client at work and this guy totally threw me under the bus. So in this case this is blamed me publicly. So in front of a boss or a team. He said I was losing my touch. So in this case losing my touch means losing my ability or talent at work. usually for a specific item. It rings a bell. So, this means it sounds familiar. The name prohibition. Let's do that first and then just go with the flow. So, the last one means let things happen naturally. So, let's review this. Let's read this through. Let's go out tonight. I really need to blow off some steam. Sounds good, but that kind of came out of left field. Rough week. Yeah. We lost a client at work and this guy totally threw me under the bus. He said I was losing my touch. Whoa. We definitely need drinks then. Have you heard of the bar prohibition? Uh, it rings a bell. Uh, let's do that first and then just go with the flow. You're a natural. That's one more idiom that means you're very good at this naturally. I hope you feel a bit more confident using idioms in your everyday life from this lesson. And maybe the next time you are blowing off steam with friends, you can bring some up.