Category: Idioms

Idioms and Phrases around Spring

4/12/2022

by Jennie Parker

If you know Georgia, you know that this is when the dogwoods are blooming and pollen covers every surface. No better time to learn some English idioms and phrases around spring.

When my children complain about all the rain this month, I tell them, "April showers, bring May flowers."

April showers bring May flowers - the rain of April brings flowers in May. Often used to say that bad things can lead to good things. I know it's been dreary out, but April showers bring May flowers!
bright eyed and bushy tailed - full of energy or youth (sometimes used in a slightly derisive way). All of the new recruits are bright eyed and bushy tailed!
to chase rainbows - to try to achieve something that's not possible or practical. His family can't pay rent, while he's chasing rainbows, trying to make a career out of his music.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch - don't make plans or get your hopes up based on assumptions. Don't think about how you're going to spend your extra salary - you haven't even gotten the promotion yet. Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
March comes in like a lion, out like a lamb - describes volatile weather in early March and calm weather in late March. It's been so cold and dreary, but, remember, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.
no spring chicken - not young anymore. I don't know if I have it in me to hike for a week. I'm no spring chicken!
to rain cats and dogs - to rain hard. We're going to play inside today. It's raining cats and dogs.
social butterfly - a person who loves to be around other people and moves easily from person to person like a butterfly among flowers. My mother is always busy with her friends. She's a social butterfly.
spring cleaning - used to describe tidying and freshening up one's home after winter. Often involves the purging of unused clothing and housewares. Sometimes used figuratively to describe a fresh start on one's life (e.g., setting goals, purging bad habits or toxic relationships, etc.). Could you help me with some spring cleaning? We'll need powerwash the outside of the house and the porch, shake out the rugs, and touch up the paint.
spring fever - feeling of restlessness at the end of winter. It's difficult sitting in class when the weather starts to get warm. Everyone has spring fever.
spring fling - any event held in the spring. Alternatively, also refers to a brief romantic relationship. Our neighborhood hosts an annual spring fling festival every May.
spring in one's step - a cheerful attitude. Justin left the job fair with a spring in his step, looking forward to calls from recruiters.
Spring is in the air - literally, the first signs of spring are showing. Also used to suggest something exciting will happen soon. Look! The flowers are blooming, buds are on the trees...Spring is in the air!
to spring to life - to suddenly start moving or to become active. The playgrounds spring to life when the snow melts.
to take a rain check - often used to turn down an invitation but leave the door open for future invitations. I'm sorry I can't make it to dinner with you. Rain check?
tempest in a teapot - used when a big deal is made of a small problem. Once this tempest in a teapot passes, we can focus on more important issues.

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Idioms and Phrases around Winter

1/20/2022

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By Jennie Parker

This past weekend in Atlanta was one of the snowiest in years; we got around two inches! My kids, who are too young to remember playing in the snow a couple of years ago, donned their winter coats and mittens and attempted snowmen and snowball fights. It was nothing like the snowy Indiana winters I remember, but it was magical, nonetheless.

And it got me thinking about winter idioms. In the dead of winter, I'm often bundled up in a sweater and wool socks, cozying up by the fire with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and a book. Here are some more idioms and phrases to get you through winter:

blanket of snow - describes a layer of snow which hides what is underneath it. A blanket of snow covered the ground.
to break the ice - to do or say something to get a conversation going when people meet for the first time. On the first day of class, I told a joke to break the ice. (Sometimes, planned activities used to break the ice, such as conversation games, are called ice-breakers).
to bundle up - to dress warmly for cold weather. I bundled the children up before they went outside.
to chill out - to relax. I don't feel like going out tonight. Let's just chill out at home. Or, used as a command when someone is too hyper, anxious, or active, Chill out!
to give someone the cold shoulder - to intentionally ignore someone or treat the person unkindly. After the argument we'd had, Margie gave me the cold shoulder at school.
cold snap - a sudden, brief period of cold weather. After a mild winter, we had a cold snap in early spring.
cold turkey - refers to suddenly quitting something, usually a drug or alcohol, without medication or gradual reduction. On January 1, she quit smoking cold turkey.
to cozy up with - to feel snug, warm, or comfortable with something or someone. I'm going to cozy up with a book next to the fire.
dead of winter - the middle of winter, "when nature is without charm" (Washington Irving). They lost electricity in the dead of winter.
to put (something) on ice - to postpone or do nothing about an idea or plan for a period of time. She put her plans to open a new business on ice when the pandemic started.
snowball effect - describes a situation in which something that starts out small gets bigger and bigger. It could describe something that leads to either positive or negative consequences. The teachers' concerns had a snowball effect on the community, leading to large-scale protests and school cancellations.
snowball's chance in hell - extremely unlikely or impossible. Let's face it, we have a snowball's chance in hell of getting through security in time for our flight.
to be snowed in - unable to leave because of a large accumulation of snowfall. We were snowed in for a week because the city didn't have proper equipment to clear the roads.
tip of the iceberg - a small part of a problem or situation that is known or visible while the remaining, much larger part of of the problem is unknown or not seen. Customer complaints are just the tip of the iceberg. They reflect underlying problems with management at all levels of the company.
to walk (or skate) on thin ice - doing something risky that could lead to disaster or unpleasant consequences. You're skating on thin ice, Buddy. One more note home from school, and you're grounded for a week.
when hell freezes over - never. I'll apologize when hell freezes over.

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Idioms and Vocabulary around Health and COVID

8/25/2021

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by Jennie Parker

It’s been a rough 19 months and counting with the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, I thought I’d switch gears and provide some ready-to-use practical information on idioms and vocabulary related to health and COVID. All are words and phrases you might have heard more of over the past year and a half. If you have questions about these or other idioms related to health and COVID, please leave a comment below.

to be alive and kicking – something that is (still) functioning well, often something that is old. At 102, his grandfather is still alive and kicking.
asymptomatic – describes a person who carries a virus but does not show symptoms. Even if you’re asymptomatic, you can spread COVID-19.
to be back on one’s feet – to feel well again. Jane is back on her feet after that bout with the flu.
to feel burnt out – to be exhausted, usually due to too much work, worry, or activity. Health care workers are feeling burnt out during this second wave.
to get/have a clean bill of health – a medical assurance that someone is in good physical health. Johnny got a clean bill of health from the doctor.
to come down with (an illness) – to start feeling ill. I feel like I’m coming down with a cold.
coronavirus – a family of viruses that can cause the common cold, as well as serious illnesses such as SARS and MERS. SARS CoV-2 is the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
endemic – describes a disease regularly found in a community, such as the flu or common cold. Some fear COVID-19 will become endemic though it might pose less danger over time.
epidemic – sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease. At times, measles epidemics surface in the U.S.
flattening the curve – slowing the spread of a virus. Let’s wear masks to help flatten the curve.
incubation period – the time between when a person is infected with a virus and when symptoms develop. Since the incubation period is five days, let’s quarantine for a week.
isolation v. quarantine – isolation refers to keeping people with confirmed cases of a disease separate from those who are not sick, whereas quarantine refers to separating individuals who were exposed to a contagious disease. In everyday English among laypeople, however, these terms are often used interchangeably. Her class had to quarantine because there was a confirmed case. The student with the confirmed case had to isolate.
pandemic – an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents. COVID-19 became a pandemic in March 2020.
to pull through – to survive a life-threatening event or illness. Despite all odds, my uncle pulled through and fully recovered from the stroke.
to take a turn for the worse/better – to feel worse or better, often unexpectedly. I’m happy to say that my sister took a turn for the better last night, and she will be released from the hospital soon.
to feel/be under the weather – to feel ill. I can’t come into work today. I’m feeling under the weather.

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Idioms and Phrases around Spring

Idioms and Phrases around Winter

Idioms and Vocabulary around Health and COVID

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