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one door closes20/7/2020 This proverb means you shouldn't be discouraged by failure, as other opportunities will soon present themselves; in other words, don’t give up: One door closes, another opens at Nelson brewery The beer will continue to pour at McCashin’s Stoke brewery with a new taproom replacing the existing kitchen and bar. After five years of trading, McCashin’s Brewery Kitchen and Bar will be closing its doors this Saturday. The operation has run as a separate entity from the brewery since 2015 when Lincoln Womersley and Brigitta Young took over the former café space in the historic Rochdale Cider building on Main Rd Stoke. Young now runs the enterprise with business partner Tony Cropp. A post on the kitchen and bar’s Facebook page said the closure was not due to Covid-19 downturn but as a result of its lease being unexpectedly terminated by the brewery. [Stuff | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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easier said than done18/7/2020 Saying something [is easier said than done] means the subject is easier to talk about than put into practice: A friend is thinking about buying a new house with extra space for a home office. However, they are worried about finding the extra money. You say increase the mortgage, to which they reply: It’s easier said than done! Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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not looking for trouble16/7/2020 We use this informal expression to mean behave in a way that is likely to provoke an argument or fight. It is frequently used humorously when misunderstandings occur:For example:
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for love13/7/2020 When we say someone does something [for the love] of it, we refer to pleasure rather than money: This can be used in situations ranging from volunteering for a charity to supporting someone in their professional field. The key is that the act is done because the person wants to do it and not for payment Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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red tape10/7/2020 We use [red tape] to mean excessive bureaucracy or adherence to official rules and formalities: However, it’s not only used to talk about official bureaucracy but also when we feel rules and systems are slow to respond. This can be especially true when many people are involved in what seems to be a simple task or decision. Red tape takes its meaning from the early 18th century: so named because of the red or pink tape used to bind official documents. Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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glass houses8/7/2020 We use this proverb to mean you shouldn't criticise others when you have similar faults of your own: The expression is fixed and well known, so frequently the comment made to the person who is criticising could be people in glass houses or You know what they say about people who live in glass houses? or even Glass houses come to mind. The reference is clear but without the need to say the entire expression. Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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takes the biscuit6/7/2020 We say something [takes the biscuit] to mean the most remarkable or foolish of its kind: Why Lewisham’s plans for Millwall’s Den really take the biscuit [the article bemoans the Labour council’s approved plans for compulsory purchase of the land around the ground which could threaten the football club’s basic operations] These same qualities of resilience may be needed again after the decision this week by Lewisham’s Labour council to approve plans for compulsory purchase of land around the Den as part of a mass “regeneration” project. Millwall currently rent the land under threat, the loss of which could threaten the club’s basic operations. They offered to buy it at a higher price. Lewisham chose to go with the developer Renewal, which is ultimately controlled by offshore companies with mysterious owners and whose plan involves shoehorning in 2,400 homes, the huge majority for private sale, as part of Boris Johnson’s ramped-up “New Bermondsey” vision. References: [HITC | 09.09.16 | LINK] [The Guardian | 09.06.16 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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dead and buried4/7/2020 We use [dead and buried] to mean something is over or finished: It’s frequently used to express relief over something which has been stressful, difficult or unpleasant has now finished and is now in the past. Is the Iran nuclear deal dead and buried? In theory, the Iran nuclear deal is still in existence. But only just. The country has announced that it will no longer be bound by any of its restrictions in terms of the numbers or type of centrifuges that can be operated or the level of enrichment of uranium that it can pursue. [BBC | 06.01.20 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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she hit the roof2/7/2020 [Hit the roof] is used to say someone has suddenly become very angry or to rise exponentially: Vegetable prices hit the roof as incessant rains destroy crops Hyderabad: Heavy rains that battered Telangana consistently for the last two weeks has damaged vegetable crops in several districts and resulted in sharp increase in the prices of tomatoes, lady finger, brinjal, carrot, beans etc. [The Times of India 25.08.20 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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having your cake29/6/2020 We use the proverb [you can’t have your cake and eat it] to say you can't enjoy both of two desirable but mutually exclusive alternatives. You can't have your cake and eat it Overview The aroma of flavoured sponge cake is modified following storage in a glass container or paper and plastic packaging, say French scientists, who combined solid-phase microextraction with GC-olfactometry to compare the aroma barrier properties of the packaging materials. I have long maintained that a good chemist should also be a good cook. Chemical recipes tend to be quite precise about the quantities of reagents to add and to drift from the exact formula can have dire consequences on the yield of the final product. Conversely, you can get away with murder when you bake a cake. How much is a cup of sugar or a pinch of salt? Follow a reasonable approximation of the recipe and you can still produce a masterpiece. [Wiley Analytical Science | 01.04.07 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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popping over22/6/2020 We use [pop + adverb of direction] to mean go somewhere for a short time, often without notice.
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blind as a bat16/6/2020 We say someone is [as blind as a bat] to say they have very poor eyesight: Furthermore, poor eyesight could refer to someone who is inattentive, unobservant or has no interest in their immediate surrounding, when perhaps they should. Blind as a Bat: A Case of Mind vs. Body: Almost 40 years before the publication of “Mind and Cosmos,” the philosopher Thomas Nagel laid out the difficulties scientists face in trying to explain how the human brain gives rise to consciousness. His essay, as influential as any in the philosophy of mind, is called “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” By emitting “rapid, subtly modulated, high-frequency shrieks” and comparing them with the echoes, Dr. Nagel wrote, bats create a finely detailed, three-dimensional mental map of their world. But we humans are fundamentally incapable of imagining — and understanding — the animal’s inner life. Subjective experience, he concluded, is irreducible to physical terms. And so even the most precise theory of the brain can never fully account for the existence of mental phenomenon. [The New York Times | 21.07.14 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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taking my hat off8/6/2020 We use the (British) expression [take one’s hat off to] to state one's admiration for someone who has achieved something: Trump Pardons Former NFL Owner, Jerry Rice Says 'I Take My Hat Off to Donald Trump' Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice praised President Donald Trump for pardoning former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. on Tuesday. “So today’s a great day for him. I’m glad to be here and be a part of that, and it’s just something I’ll never forget. This man, he has done so much in the community, has done so much in NFL football, and today is a great day for him.” Rice added, “I take my hat off to Donald Trump for what he did.” [Western Journal | 18.02.20 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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a lot on my plate4/6/2020 We say [on one’s plate] to say something is occupying one's time or energy: The Dangers of Waiting Too Long to File Your Personal Injury Claim After an accident, the first thought is usually to get medical help and try to recover. Trying to balance between doctor appointments and the recovery process tends to put a lot on one’s plate. There is also the issue of trying to file for a personal injury suit to claim damages for injuries sustained. [Chiang Rai Times | 02.09.20 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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out of your tree30/5/2020 [You’re out of your tree] is informal and means someone is completely stupid, crazy or mad: It is not necessarily used to insult but to express surprise and disbelief with what has been said or done. Paul McCartney Does Not Hold Back With His Response to That Quincy Jones Diss In August, music legend Quincy Jones spent a portion of his wide-ranging interview with New York magazine’s Vulture bad-mouthing Sir Paul McCartney and the Beatles. In the interview, Jones called the Beatles “no-playing motherf—-rs” who were “the worst musicians in the world,” and seemingly reserved special ire for McCartney himself, calling him “the worst bass player I ever heard.” Now, in an interview of his own with GQ, McCartney laughed off the comments, saying that Jones is “totally out of his tree.” He then went on to say that Jones called him personally afterwards to both clear the air and deny ever saying the words. [Time | 11.09.18 | LINK] Our online courses and modules are designed with you in mind:
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