Idiom of the Week: On my Father’s/Mother’s Side

執筆者 | 2014年06月11日 | Idioms

“Is that your father? You don’t look anything like him at all!” “Oh, I take after my mother. Everyone on my mother’s side of the family has this hair color.” If you draw a line through the middle of your family tree, one half will be your father’s side—your father,...

Idiom of the Week: Fall Flat on my Face

執筆者 | 2014年06月04日 | Idioms

“I’m so nervous about the violin recital tomorrow. I hope I don’t fall flat on my face.” You don’t have to walk around while playing a violin. You can play while sitting down. So why would you be afraid to fall down? Falling flat on your face here is not literal. It...

Idiom of the Week: Back to the Drawing Board

執筆者 | 2014年05月07日 | Idioms

“What happened here?” “I tried to launch my home-made rocket, but it just exploded. Oh well, back to the drawing board!” The drawing board is a special kind of desk for drawing out plans or designing inventions. If your plan or invention doesn’t work, you have to go...

Idiom of the Week: Jack of All Trades

執筆者 | 2014年04月23日 | Idioms

“Wow, you can program computers, too? I thought you were an art major.” “I’m something of a jack of all trades.” A jack of all trades is a person who can do many different kinds of things. However, he is not an expert at any one thing. The longer version of the phrase...

Idiom of the Week: Play Your Cards Right

執筆者 | 2014年04月16日 | Idioms

“I’m in the same group as Linda for the history project! If I play my cards right, I can ask her to the school dance.” In a card game, you are much more likely to win if you play your cards cleverly, to give yourself as much advantage as possible. We use cards as a...