To native English speakers (or not native but you use it frequently enough)

[Nhatduongg]

My English teacher keeps teaching the class about esoteric English structures (phrasal verbs and idioms are the main ones) and her tests are like I give you a word can you name at least 15 synonyms (must be HER synonyms, not mine). While yes, there are indeed a few structures that I've seen being actually used in conversations, there are also those that are uhh, yknow.

So I want to ask you guys what idioms/phrasal verbs you actually use in daily life (excluding the most obvious ones) to see if what she's teaching is actually true English or not.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Well, a question: what phrases your teacher always use in daily life?

My background: I'm a language teacher (though Filipino, I often translate words into English for some of my students) for six years.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

@RepresentingEnvy Will be helpful and might find this thread enteresting.

 

[LilRora]

Can you give a list of those you're learning or something for us to judge? I can list out some myself, but there's hundreds if not thousands of them so it feels like shooting in the dark.

 

[TASTYLEADPAINT]

Not sure if thease count but I do like to say.

"X is about as useful as tits on a fish"

"I feel like ive been dragged through the mud"

 

[Deleted member 84247]

Can you give a list of those you're learning or something for us to judge? I can list out some myself, but there's hundreds if not thousands of them so it feels like shooting in the dark.

This is what I was gonna say. Even though I think there is small value in learning esoteric words, phrases, and idioms. Learning even rare usage of them can strengthen the core idea. So it will be easier to spot them.

Though, there is a problem I find often with non-native speakers of any language. Usually, they will learn a more formal version. Well, it's not really a problem, but it means that conversational meaning can get lost.

 

[Daitengu]

The problem with idioms, slang synonyms, and what not is that they're rather generational.

Like, "The Power glove is so bad." In the 90's that ment it was amazing, but 'bad' lost that meaning.

Then there's "phat". In the 90's it meant "pretty hot and tempting". in the 2000's it changed from a descriptor of women to mmo loot. As in "phat loot". Now a days it's not used anymore.

"Cool Beans" is from the 1970s
"Cool cats" is the 1920s.
"Raining cats and dogs" is 1890's.
"pussy face" is 1950s.
"doll" is 1920s.

coppers was 1920s, cops was 1980s, pigs were the 1990, popo is 2010s. With all but 'coppers' sill in use.

"Now see here" was in use for centuries, but changed to "look here" in the 80s, the just "dude" or "bro" in in the 2020s.


On the other hand there's sexual euphemisms. like meat stick, trouser snake, boner, chub, hard-on, rod, stiffy, tent pole, wood, thobing member, full mast, salute, riser, pecker, johnson, family jewels. pecker, tool, dick.

Though I suppose, if you wanna "Rustle your teacher's Jimmies" use zoomer slang like gyatt, rizz, rizzler, meowing, skibidi.


So you won't really be able to gauge if you teacher is real, as much as place their age and power tripping stubbornness.

 

[BearlyAlive]

The problem with idioms, slang synonyms, and what not is that they're rather generational.

Though I suppose, if you wanna "Rustle your teacher's Jimmies" use zoomer slang like gyatt, rizz, rizzler, meowing, skibidi.

So you won't really be able to gauge if you teacher is real, as much as place their age and power tripping stubbornness.

Or even worse (better?)) switch and combine modern slang with ye olde english to create godless abominations even crafting-loving H.P. wouldn't dare to utter.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Can someone check out my book please here's the description or summary. Tell me how you'll like it!

"Sup everyone, it's your boy Hikaru Haikei, but just call me Hikaru - the world's gone to shit and things have gotten real weird, real fast around here," he grumbles, his words dripping with paranoia. "But you're gonna have to dig up the rest of my story in the book about how I survived the zombie apocalypse and got myself a gang." Hikaru lets out an unnerving chuckle. "Of course, this is just the setup, so keep on reading to get the whole fucked up picture. Anyways, peace out, my dudes."

Man, please don't hack into the topic. Not only it is in the rules of the forum, it is also disrespectful to the thread author.

You can create your own thread in which we can discuss your synopsis from there.

 

[melchi]

In the ye-olde days gin had a lot of them.

gins

gins in phrases and idioms by The Free Dictionary

idioms.thefreedictionary.com

 

[Boltha1]

Man, please don't hack into the topic. Not only it is in the rules of the forum, it is also disrespectful to the thread author.

You can create your own thread in which we can discuss your synopsis from there.

Oh shoot my apologies im new so i did not have no idea. I just clicked on this because it was on my home screen so i was confused i did not know how to work this so again my apologies.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Oh shoot my apologies im new so i did not have no idea. I just clicked on this because it was on my home screen so i was confused i did not know how to work this so again my apologies.

No worries, just be careful next time. ?

 

[Nhatduongg]

Well, a question: what phrases your teacher always use in daily life?

My background: I'm a language teacher (though Filipino, I often translate words into English for some of my students) for six years.

"Don't have two beans to rub together."
"Take up with somebody."
"As cool as a cucumber."
"Fly off the handle."
"Blow off one's stack/top."
"Go round the bend."
"Hit the roof."
"Sweep to victory."
"Into seventh heaven."
There's much more but I won't mention the ones that I've seen at least once before getting taught that.

 

[melchi]

Some of those are a bit random.

Also "Hit the roof" should be "hit the road."

Should "Don't have two beans to rub together" be "... two pennies to rub together."

Why is it super important to learn them?

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

"Don't have two beans to rub together."

I think this is a variant of the more popular 'don't have two coins to rub together' which means the speaker is poor.

"Take up with somebody."

Become friendly with someone.

"As cool as a cucumber."

To be real cool; very calm.

"Fly off the handle."

Lose patience; get extremely mad/outraged.

"Blow off one's stack/top."

Excite/outrage people.

"Go round the bend."

Going insane.

"Hit the roof."

Similar to 'fly off the handle', means that you're getting mad.

"Sweep to victory."

A decisive victory. Winning by a large number/distance.

"Into seventh heaven."

A variant of 'in seventh heaven', means in ecstasy/extreme pleasure.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

The problem with idioms, slang synonyms, and what not is that they're rather generational.

Like, "The Power glove is so bad." In the 90's that ment it was amazing, but 'bad' lost that meaning.

Heh - Huey Lewis and the News had a song about this kind of thing in the 80s - "Bad is Bad"

 

[Daitengu]

Nhatduongg said:


"Don't have two beans to rub together."

Def more use to hearing, "Don't got 2 cents to rub together", or "I ain't even got 2 pennies to rub together." Beans are all OLD slang. Like "Bean counter" is 1600s. Ain't no one usin Beans these days. similar would be, "dirt poor", "broke" "Penniless" "not got a dime to my name"

Nhatduongg said:


"Take up with somebody."

Where I came from that meant to have a "beef with someone", "Throw fists", "Take up issues with somemone."

Nhatduongg said:


"As cool as a cucumber."

Generally used to describe a person who acts nonchalant under heavy pressure situations.
Similar would be "rock steady", "smooth", "slick"

Nhatduongg said:


"Fly off the handle."

Got pissed, raged, angered, Blow one's top.

Nhatduongg said:


"Blow off one's stack/top."

Such an old slang. It's from the early 1900s.

Nhatduongg said:


"Go round the bend."

Where I'm from it means "go down the turn in the road." So bend is a nickname of a turn in a non straight road.
It's just "Round the bend, over the bridge, then turn left at the red barn."

Nhatduongg said:


"Hit the roof."

More getin mad? Meh, I pref grab a 40 n "Raise the roof!"

Nhatduongg said:


"Sweep to victory."

No one says that. It's "Sweeping victory" or just "a sweep". Usually used when a sports team wins without letting the opposing team score even a single point.

Nhatduongg said:


"Into seventh heaven."

Very old, and only used by Abrahamic religious people. So Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In that context it just means being ecstatically happy.

In the non kosher sense it means bringing someone to climax.

I truly only ever heard baby boomers and older 60+ use it either way.


Heh, those who know how I rephrased those idioms know I'm from the south lol.

 

[LilRora]

"Don't have two beans to rub together."
"Take up with somebody."
"As cool as a cucumber."
"Fly off the handle."
"Blow off one's stack/top."
"Go round the bend."
"Hit the roof."
"Sweep to victory."
"Into seventh heaven."
There's much more but I won't mention the ones that I've seen at least once before getting taught that.

I have heard of some of those, but I have only used 'go round the bend' in an actual conversation. A couple more in writing. I think you'll commonly hear some of them much more in individual places, depending on personal and local usage, but in general they're very rare. My opinion may be biased though, I'm not native.

 

[3guanoff]

"Don't have two beans to rub together."
"Take up with somebody."
"As cool as a cucumber."
"Fly off the handle."
"Blow off one's stack/top."
"Go round the bend."
"Hit the roof."
"Sweep to victory."
"Into seventh heaven."
There's much more but I won't mention the ones that I've seen at least once before getting taught that.

Never used that first one, but the others are familiar. I've personally used "as cool as a cucumber", "blow one's top", "hit the roof", and "into seventh heaven".

Some other uncommon phrases I quite enjoy are:

• Putting on the Ritz / Ritzing: getting all dressed up fancy in suit and tie
• Loose lips sink ships / Keep Mum: keep your mouth shut and think before you speak
• Chew the Fat: chit-chatting, idle talk
• Chew the Cud: carefully consider something over and over like a cow carefully chewing its meal again and again
• Go from Pillar to Post: go a long way, make a great effort (by running around frantically)
• Go Commando: to skip wearing underwear underneath your clothes or skip other crucial clothing
• Tell Tall Tales: talk bullshit

I think learning idioms is important. That's how you learn the culture of the language and gain a true understanding of it.

 

[miyoga]

Honestly, a lot of those are way outdated. Also teaching language, btw.

Idiomatic language is important, but it depends on context more than isolated phrases. Learning in isolation does nothing to explain the usage of them, but even when you have context it often ends up that the majority are only found in written texts (want an example, look up "mamahuhu" in Chinese as it literally translates to "horse horse, tiger tiger" as a way to say "so-so"). What I actually find more disturbing is that your teacher is limiting the knowledge to only what she knows.

If I give an assessment, of any kind, and say to give me 15 synonyms. Give me 15 synonyms that you know and be done with it, because 90% of the time it's going to be the same words over and over anyways. Better idea would be to reinvent the outdated/disused expressions for the modern era and explain why you made the change.