These English Expressions Will Change Your Speaking

Hi and welcome to this English made simple course which teaches you excellent English expressions that you'll be able to use in your everyday conversation. Now, we learn these expressions because we want to sound more natural. And the way to really connect with people in English-speaking countries is to understand the subtle nuances, expressions, idioms, and so on that people are using in everyday life. Throughout the course, you will have questions designed to test your knowledge just so you can make sure that you're absorbing all of the new expressions. The lectures are really simple. We introduce the expression. We give you some real life examples to help you understand everything in context. And if you do have any problems, please just send me a message and I'll respond as soon as I can. In the meantime, I want to leave you now to continue and enjoy the course. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback. So, good luck and I really hope that when you finish, you'll be ready to use your new expressions. chalk and cheese. Let's have a look at these two people here. The girl likes classical music and the guy likes heavy metal. It's fair to say that that is not a good match. And this is what we use chalk and cheese for. We use chalk and cheese when two people are completely different from each other. Mary and James are like chalk and cheese. I can't believe they're brother and sister. I had a girlfriend for a few months, but we were like chalk and cheese. We just had nothing in common. Do you think we should introduce Marco to Anna? I don't think so. They're like chalk and cheese. He loves going to parties and she prefers to read books at home. My colleague and I are like chalk and cheese, but we have a good professional relationship. So, the expression is chalk and cheese. And we use chalk and cheese when two people are completely different from each other. Mary and James are like chalk and cheese. I can't believe they're brother and sister. I had a girlfriend for a few months, but we were like chalk and cheese. We just had nothing in common. Do you think we should introduce Marco to Anna? I don't think so. They're like chalk and cheese. He loves going to parties and she prefers to read books at home. My colleague and I are like chalk and cheese, but we have a good professional relationship. Okay, here's a depressing one, everyone. Down and out. Look at this guy. I've lost my job. I have no money. Ah, the poor guy. He looks so down and out. So, what does it mean? Well, when someone is down and out, they have no hope. We can use this in real life and in sporting events. Okay, so let's look at some examples together. Now, after his divorce and losing his job, Dave was completely down and out. Here's a sporting example. That goal makes the score Manchester United four, Liverpool nil. And Liverpool look completely down and out. In other words, Liverpool have no more fight left in them. They feel hopeless. I feel completely down and out. I don't know what to do. I know what it's like to feel down and out, Tom. I've lost my job before, but you'll recover. I'm going to stay with you through thick and thin. Now, thick and thin is a fantastic expression that you're going to learn later, but it basically means I'm going to stay with you through difficult times and good times. And here we have a nice positive example. Okay, we can reverse down and out. We can say down but not out. Okay, so James is down but not out. He lost everything but he's still got his positive attitude. So the expression is down and out. And when someone is down and out, they have no hope. And we can use this in real life and in sporting events. After his divorce and losing his job, Dave was completely down and out. That goal makes the score Manchester United four Liverpool nil. And Liverpool look completely down and out. I feel completely down and out. I don't know what to do. I know what it's like to feel down and out, Tom. I've lost my job before, but you'll recover. I'm going to stay with you through thick and thin, through good times and bad times. And the positive example, James is down, but not out. He lost everything, but he's still got his positive attitude. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I love a bit of hustle and bustle. Okay, have a look at this picture. There's a guy there. He's saying, "I love the hustle and bustle of London." He's holding bags of money. We've got another small guy next to him thinking, "Work work." And another guy thinking, "Business, business." And a woman thinking, "I'm busy. I'm always busy." So, what does hustle and bustle mean? Hustle and bustle refers to the busy movement, activity, and life of a city. Okay. So, let's take a look at some examples. I love living in New York. I'm addicted to the hustle and bustle of the city. My girlfriend hates the hustle and bustle of London. She wants to live in peace, like a nice quiet beach in South America. How's your sister? I think she's quite bored living at home with our parents. She wants to be somewhere with a bit of hustle and bustle. She should look for a job in Paris. She can speak excellent French. So the expression is hustle and bustle and hustle and bustle refers to the busy movement, activity and life of a city. I love living in New York. I'm addicted to the hustle and bustle of the city. My girlfriend hates the hustle and bustle of London. She wants to live in peace like a nice quiet beach in South America. How's your sister? I think she's quite bored living at home with our parents. She wants to be somewhere with a bit of hustle and bustle. She should look for a job in Paris. She can speak excellent French. Meet and greet. Hi, how are you? Hi, how are you? Hi, how are you? Hi, how are you? Hi. So, what does meet and greet mean? A meet and greet is a specific session used for introductions. Celebrities often attend a meet and greet. Business meetings may begin with a meet and greet. Let's look at some examples to help us understand. The networking event will begin with a meet and greet. Then we'll all sit down to listen to the first presentation. In other words, the event will begin with introductions. There's an exclusive meet and greet with Justin Bieber before his concert tonight. So, that means Justin Bieber is going to meet some of his lucky fans and talk to them a little bit. I love the meet and greet service they have in the casino. I know. It makes me feel so special and important. Now, in this example, Tom and Alice have paid money to go to a nice casino, and the staff that work there have met them at the entrance, made them feel important, made them feel like VIPs. On Saturday, there's an official meet and greet with the Barcelona football team. So, just like the Justin Bieber example, the Barcelona football team are going to spend some time saying hello to their fans. So, the expression is meet and greet. And a meet and greet is a specific session used for introductions. Maybe celebrities will use a meet and greet to say hi to their fans or business or networking events will begin with a meet and greet. In other words, formal introductions. The networking event will begin with a meet and greet. Then we'll all sit down to listen to the first presentation. There's an exclusive meet and greet with Justin Bieber before his concert tonight. I love the meet and greet service they have in the casino. I know. It makes me feel so special and important. On Saturday, there's an official meet and greet with the Barcelona football team. Name and shame. What does it mean to be named and shamed? Well, if you take a look at the headline here, English teacher Fred Williams guilty of tax fraud. And there's a huge picture of my face on the front of the paper, which is very embarrassing for me because it's public. The information is public. Everybody knows about my crime. If you name and shame someone, it means you publicly say that they have done something wrong. Now, this doesn't mean that it's only for newspapers. You can name and shame someone in your office. You can name and shame someone at school. You can name and shame someone in a tennis club. It means you publicly say that they have done something wrong. The Sunday Times named and shamed Fred Williams for committing tax fraud. I think schools should name and shame bullies. It's important to raise awareness of bad behavior such as bullying. Apparently, only 10% of directors in the finance industry are women. It's not right. I think these companies should be named and shamed for their sexist recruitment policy. So the expression is name and shame. And if you name and shame someone, it means you publicly say that they have done something wrong. The Sunday Times named and shamed Fred Williams for committing tax fraud. I think schools should name and shame bullies. It's important to raise awareness of bad behavior such as bullying. Apparently, only 10% of directors in the finance industry are women. It's not right. I think these companies should be named and shamed for their sexist recruitment policy. Here's a fun little expression. Out and about. I am out and about, darling. Out and about is a simple expression we use to say we are out and doing things. We are emphasizing the fact that we have left the house. We are walking around and we are doing general things. It could be shopping, having coffee with friends, looking for a new house and so on. Let's have a look at some examples. I spent my Sunday afternoon out and about in London. I went to the market, visited a museum. It's a beautiful city. I have no idea where Sarah is today. I think she must be out and about doing something. Maybe she's gone to meet her friends. How's your mother feeling? Much better now. She's out and about again, enjoying life in general. I've been out and about trying to find new clients today. Starting a business is hard work. So, the expression is out and about. Out and about is a simple expression. We use it to say we are out and doing things. We've left the house. We are busy. We are spending our time constructively. I spent my Sunday afternoon out and about in London. I went to the market, visited a museum. It's a beautiful city. I have no idea where Sarah is today. I think she must be out and about doing something. Maybe she's gone to meet her friends. How's your mother feeling? Much better now. She's out and about again, enjoying life in general. I've been out and about trying to find new clients today. Starting a business is hard work. Part and parcel. If you are a lawyer, reading law books is part and parcel of the job. Well, this lawyer looks very unhappy. He didn't realize he'd have to read so many books. And part and parcel refers to something that you can't avoid in a particular experience or job role. If you're a lawyer, then you have to accept that reading lots of law books is part and parcel of the job. Having difficult students is part and parcel of teaching. But remember, there are always some good students. This city is crazy. My train was absolutely full of people. Yes, the hustle and bustle is part and parcel of living in London. Feeling exhausted is part and parcel of being a mother to two young children. So the expression is part and parcel and part and parcel refers to something that you can't avoid in a particular experience or job role. If you're a lawyer, then you have to accept that reading lots of law books is part and parcel of the job. Having difficult students is part and parcel of teaching. But remember, there are always some good students. This city is crazy. My train was absolutely full of people. Yes, the hustle and bustle is part and parcel of living in London. Feeling exhausted is part and parcel of being a mother to two young children. Here's a really common expression. Peace and quiet. Peace and quiet. And peace and quiet means exactly that. It means peace and quiet. So, let's look at some examples. My baby was crying all night, but this morning she finally started sleeping. Finally, some peace and quiet. I like the hustle and bustle of London, but sometimes I just want a bit of peace and quiet. Our neighbor is still playing the drums. Why couldn't he learn the piano? I know. I'm desperate for some peace and quiet around here. I love Sunday mornings. My girlfriend goes out for brunch with her friends and I just stay at home enjoying the peace and quiet. So the expression is peace and quiet. And peace and quiet means exactly that. It means peace and quiet. My baby was crying all night, but this morning she finally started sleeping. Finally, some peace and quiet. I like the hustle and bustle of London, but sometimes I just want a bit of peace and quiet. Our neighbor is still playing the drums. Why couldn't he learn the piano? I know. I'm desperate for some peace and quiet around here. I love Sunday mornings. My girlfriend goes out for brunch with her friends and I just stay at home enjoying the peace and quiet. Pick and choose. Pick and choose. One, two, three, four guys, one girl. The girl says, "I want him." The guy says, "Yes, he's happy." It looks like she can pick and choose from the guys. Now, what exactly do we mean when we say pick and choose? To pick and choose means to carefully select something from a number of possibilities. However, the way we use this expression is a little bit more subtle than that. So, let's go through the examples together and make sure that we understand. Mary is the most beautiful girl in school. She can pick and choose a boyfriend at any time. Now, of course, what we mean by this is that Mary could have any boy she wants. That's how we're using the expression here. Mary is the most beautiful girl in school. She can pick and choose a boyfriend at any time. Here's another example that's different. Because of the bad economy, it's difficult to find a job in Italy. You can't just pick and choose. You have to accept what is offered. So in this example, you are vulnerable to the bad economy and the unstable job market. Therefore, you can't just pick and choose, which means you can't just pick a variety of different jobs. You can't decide one day to choose this job and then change your mind and choose a different job. You can't pick and choose. You have to accept what is offered. My brother is so annoying. I wish he would stop eating with his mouth open. We can't pick and choose our family, Tom. In other words, we can't select our family members. We are born into our family. We can't pick and choose our family. Lionel Messi is the best football player in the world. He can pick and choose the team he wants to play for. So Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, he can pick and choose any team he wants to play for because he's the best player. So the expression is pick and choose. And to pick and choose means to carefully select something from a number of possibilities. Mary is the most beautiful girl in school. She can pick and choose a boyfriend at any time. Because of the bad economy, it's difficult to find a job in Italy. You can't just pick and choose. You have to accept what is offered. My brother is so annoying. I wish he would stop eating with his mouth open. We can't pick and choose our family. Tom Lionel Messi is the best football player in the world. He can pick and choose the team he wants to play for. Okay, here's a good one. Rant and rave. Now, the guy there is ranting and raving. But what does it mean to rant and rave? To rant and rave means to be very annoyed about something and complain about it. In other words, you're shouting like a crazy person. You're ranting and raving. John was so annoyed when his football team lost. He's been ranting and raving about it all day. I can't believe it. I'm so angry. Blah blah. He's ranting and raving. Sometimes when you feel frustrated, it's good to sit with a friend and have a nice rant and rave. In other words, let your feelings out. I can't believe Alex lied about being sick. If he didn't want to come to our party, he should have just been honest. Listen, Tom, you've been ranting and raving about this all weekend. Just forgive him and forget about it, okay? My dad was ranting and raving about his experience with British Airways. He said his flight was delayed by 4 hours and they never explained why. So, the expression is rant and rave. And when we rant and rave, it means we're very annoyed about something and we're complaining about it. We are shouting like a crazy person, ranting and raving. John was so annoyed when his football team lost. He's been ranting and raving about it all day. Sometimes when you feel frustrated, it's good to sit with a friend and have a nice rant and rave. I can't believe Alex lied about being sick. If he didn't want to come to our party, he should have just been honest. Listen, Tom, you've been ranting and raving about this all weekend. Just forgive him and forget about it, okay? My dad was ranting and raving about his experience with British Airways. He said his flight was delayed by 4 hours and they never explained why. Here's a nice one to make you feel all warm and safe. And the expression is safe and sound. And it's very easy to remember this because safe and sound simply means to be safe. Now we often use this expression at the end of a journey like a car journey, train journey, plane journey, but we can use it at any time we want just to say that something or someone is safe. Here's some examples. It's been a long day, but now my baby is safe and sound in bed. My brother called me this evening to say he'd arrived safe and sound in Paris. And there you have the classic example when someone says they are safe and sound at the end of a journey. Have you arrived at the hotel yet? Yes, Tom. Mom and I arrived safe and sound an hour ago. Sorry, I forgot to call you. I was worried about my pet dog, but apparently he's safe and sound in my neighbor's house. So, the expression is safe and sound. Very easy. Safe and sound means to be safe. Don't forget that we usually use this expression at the end of a journey, but we can also use it at any other time. It's been a long day, but now my baby is safe and sound in bed. My brother called me this evening to say he'd arrived safe and sound in Paris. Have you arrived at the hotel yet? Yes, Tom. Mom and I arrived safe and sound an hour ago. Sorry, I forgot to call you. I was worried about my pet dog, but apparently he's safe and sound in my neighbor's house. and span. I finished cleaning and my house is and span. If something is and span, it is extremely clean and tidy. I finished cleaning and my house is and span. I need to make my office and span before the clients arrive today. Do I have to clean the kitchen tonight? Yes, Tom. I want it and span. My parents are coming for lunch tomorrow. My Airbnb room was beautiful. The bed was comfortable and it was and span. So, the expression is and span. And if something is and span, it is extremely clean and tidy. I've finished cleaning and my house is and span. I need to make my office and span before the clients arrive today. Do I have to clean the kitchen tonight? Yes, Tom. I want it and span. My parents are coming for lunch tomorrow. My Airbnb room was beautiful. The bed was comfortable and it was and span. Sick and tired. Wow. When your parents were angry with you, you must have heard this expression. I'm sick and tired of you eating all the time. I'm sick and tired of you making so much noise. I'm sick and tired of your bad behavior. If you are sick and tired of something, it means you are fed up. You've had enough. I'm sick and tired of you eating all the time. I'm sick and tired of the hustle and bustle of London. It's just too busy for me. I hate my boss. I hate my job. I'm sick and tired of it. And I'm sick and tired of you complaining all the time, Tom. Just quit your job if you hate it. I'm sick and tired of this terrible weather. So, the expression is sick and tired. And it's pretty easy to remember because if you are sick and tired of something, it means you are fed up. You've had enough. I'm sick and tired of you eating all the time. I'm sick and tired of the hustle and bustle of London. It's just too busy for me. I hate my boss. I hate my job. I'm sick and tired of it. And I am sick and tired of you complaining all the time, Tom. Just quit your job if you hate it. I'm sick and tired of this terrible weather. Thick and thin. Thick and thin. Sorry for the boring picture here, but I'm trying to show you that the word thick is thick and the word thin is thin. But as an expression, what does it mean? We use thick and thin to explain that we will stand by someone through good and bad times. In other words, we will support someone in good and bad times. Here's an example. If you decide to marry someone, you must be prepared to stand by them through thick and thin. So, you will have to be with them through the good times and the bad times. My best friend has always been there for me through thick and thin. Would you be my girlfriend if I lost my job, Alice? What a ridiculous question, Tom. You know I'll be with you through thick and thin. My brother is very annoying, but all my life he stood by me through thick and thin. So, the expression is thick and thin. And it's quite nice because it's it's quite positive. We use thick and thin to explain that we will stand by or support someone through the good times and the bad times. If you decide to marry someone, you must be prepared to stand by them through thick and thin. My best friend has always been there for me through thick and thin. Would you be my girlfriend if I lost my job, Alice? What a ridiculous question, Tom. You know, I'll be with you through thick and thin. My brother is very annoying, but all my life he stood by me through thick and thin. through the good times and the bad times. Touch and go. Touch and go. This one is a little bit complicated because it doesn't really mean what you think it means. So, this is the most simple explanation that I can think of. Okay. When something is very uncertain, it's touch and go. So, if that's not clear, I'm hoping that the examples will really help you understand. Let's jump into the examples now. My friend was in a serious car crash. We're not sure if he'll be okay. The doctor says it's touch and go at the moment. In other words, the friend could possibly die or the friend could recover, but it's very uncertain. It's touch and go. Will my friend be okay? Doctor, it's touch and go at the moment. It's uncertain. Apparently, my company is in a very bad financial situation and it's touch and go as to whether we will lose our jobs. This traffic is terrible. Do you think we'll arrive in time for the party? It's definitely touch and go at the moment. Hopefully, the traffic will clear soon. My brother had a serious operation in hospital. It was touch and go for a while, but he's fully recovered now. Now, you'll notice that's the second example I've used with hospitals, operations, and so on. And it is very common to talk about someone's physical condition by using touchandgo. When someone is in a risky situation in a hospital, in a in a dangerous uncertain situation, we often use touch and go. So, the expression is touch and go. And when something is very uncertain, it's touch and go. My friend was in a serious car crash. We're not sure if he'll be okay. The doctor says it's touch and go at the moment. Apparently, my company is in a very bad financial situation and it's touch and go as to whether we will lose our jobs. This traffic is terrible. Do you think we'll arrive in time for the party? It's definitely touch and go at the moment. Hopefully, the traffic will clear soon. My brother had a serious operation in hospital. It was touch and go for a while, but he's fully recovered now. Okay, everyone. One thing is absolutely certain in life, and that is that we will always have ups and downs. Apologies for this terrible picture. In fact, apologies for all of the terrible pictures in this course. Ups and downs simply refers to the good and bad times in life. Now, it's not quite the same as thick and thin, which we specifically use to say that we will support someone. We will support someone through thick and thin. We can also say that we will support someone through ups and downs, but it's not as good as saying that we will support them through thick and thin. So, let's have a look at how we use ups and downs. A lot of people waste time dreaming of a perfect job. There's no such thing. Any career you choose will have ups and downs. My football team has certainly had its ups and downs, but I will always support them. I can't believe we've been together for seven years. We've had our ups and downs, but our relationship is still strong. Life has its ups and downs, so you should always enjoy the good times. So, it's a nice simple expression, ups and downs, the good times and the bad times. A lot of people waste time dreaming of a perfect job. There's no such thing. Any career you choose will have ups and downs. My football team has certainly had its ups and downs, but I will always support them. I can't believe we've been together for seven years. We've had our ups and downs, but our relationship is still strong. Life has its ups and downs, so you should always enjoy the good times. Okay. To wine and dine. Wine and dine. Let's have a look at this couple here. We have a man on the left, a woman on the right. She thinks he's very handsome. He seems to be interested in her as well. Now, to whine and dine someone means to take them out for dinner and whine, of course, but you have a specific motive. Okay? So you take someone out for dinner, but there's a specific reason, a motive, and that motive is either romantic or business related. So let's look at some examples now. James has been whining and dining a girl from work. He's desperate to be her boyfriend. So in this example, it's obviously romantic. James is attracted to a girl from work, so he is taking her out for dinner and trying to win her affection. He's been whining and dining a girl from work. Here's a business example. My job is very social. I work in sales, so I spend a lot of time whining and dining potential clients. So, the whining and dining in business is really to help build relationships and therefore help things such as sales and business in general. Another romantic one. Do you remember our first date? Of course. You tried to whine and dine me by choosing the most expensive restaurant in London. Yes, I remember. Then you just wanted to go to a bar and dance. And finally, I'm whining and dining my new neighbor because he works for Manchester United and I want to go and watch them play. So, by taking the new neighbor out for dinner, the relationship is being built and hopefully there's going to be a chance of getting tickets to go and see Manchester United. So, the expression is wine and dine. And to whine and dine someone means to take them out for dinner, but you have a specific motive, a particular reason, which is either romantic or business related. James has been whining and dining a girl from work. He's desperate to be her boyfriend. My job is very social. I work in sales, so I spend a lot of time whining and dining potential clients. Do you remember our first date? Of course, you tried to whine and dine me by choosing the most expensive restaurant in London. Yes, I remember. And you just wanted to go to a bar and dance. I'm whining and dining my new neighbor because he works for Manchester United and I want to go and watch them play.