Idiom of the Week: Fit as a Fiddle

Dr. Jones: You should really think about toning down your workouts, Mr. Laurence. You’re not as young as you used to be. Mr. Laurence: Nonsense! I’m as fit as a fiddle! A fiddle is a stringed instrument like a violin. It is not really any healthier than any other...

Idiom of the Week: Blah blah blah.

“When I talk to my dog, he only hears ‘blah blah blah walk!’” “Blah blah blah” is the sound of boring or unintelligible speech. If a teacher gives a very boring or confusing class, her students might say, “She was just going blah blah blah!” They don’t remember what...

Idiom of the Week: It’s on the house!

“How much do I owe you for the coffee, Bill?” “Don’t worry about it, Bob. It’s on the house.” If someone gives you something for free, it’s “on the house.” The “house” (the restaurant or café) pays for it for you. In the dialogue above, the Bob calls Bill by his first...

Idiom of the Week: He has a short fuse!

“Man! I asked Carl to show me how to fill in this form, and when I didn’t get it right away he just blew up!” “Yeah, he has a really short fuse.” If a bomb or a stick of dynamite has a long fuse, it will take a long time for the fuse to burn before the bomb explodes....

Modern English Idiom of the Week: Put a sock in it!

“And then I went to the beach again, and I brought-” “Put a sock in it, will you? I’m sick of hearing about your vacation.” “Put a sock in it!” is another way to say “Be quiet!” It is not very polite, similar to “shut up”....