Ten Essential English Sayings

Earlier this week I was working on my computer when, for some unknown reason, I began thinking of all the sayings we have in the English language. You know me, mind like a butterfly, fluttering from one thing to the next! So I decided that I would like to share my top ten English sayings with you. As you can imagine English (like most languages) has many, many sayings, and these are only a tiny sample, but they are my favourites and I hope you will enjoy.       

1.    Not my cup of tea – This phrase can be used to describe a person or an object that you are not particularly drawn to or like very much. You may say something like “I met our new neighbour yesterday, I don’t know, but not really my cup of tea”. Alternatively it could be used to describe a song, some artwork, a building, an actor or actress, anything really that does not appeal to you.

2.    Clear as mud – For some reason this expression always makes me smile. It means that something is absolutely not clear at all! For example if you have attended a lecture and afterwards you still have no idea on the subject you may say that now it is as clear as mud!

3.     Dull as ditchwater – is a very old saying, dating back to the 1700’s. It is used to describe a person or object that is extremely boring. You could use it to describe a film that you have found tedious to watch, an acquaintance or an item of clothing. This saying is still used frequently, although a more modern take on it is “as dull as dishwater”, which it is believed came into use in the 1900’s.

4.    All singing, all dancing – If you have a piece of machinery, like a car or computer, which is all singing, all dancing, then you have the top of the range model with many impressive features. You may be surprised to learn that the origin of this saying is from the posters used to publicise the 1929 film “Broadway Melody”. This film, the first musical, was described as “all talking, all singing, all dancing”.      

5.    Chickens come home to roost – When chickens come home to roost it is payback time for the bad deeds someone has done in the past. This saying has been around in some form for about 700 years and suggests a similar idea to karma, that bad actions will come back to cause trouble for, or haunt a person.

6.    Economical with the truth – if someone is being economical with the truth, they are not usually actually telling lies, but more likely withholding some information to tell a story that supports their version of events. It is often used to describe politicians when talking about the economy (or anything else for that matter!).  

7.    Heard it through the grapevine – If you have heard something through the grapevine then you have heard it in an informal way, often gossip or rumour. The idea is that as a grapevine grows and spreads out quickly, in the same way gossip is passed from person to person. It should be pointed out that the “grapevine” is not always 100% correct and stories tend to be embellished as they are past from person to person.

8.    Jump on the bandwagon – to jump on the bandwagon is to support a movement or follow a fashion that has recently become popular. However, when using this expression there is often the underlying notion thought that a person has done this because in some way it will be advantageous for them.

9.    Chip off the old block – this describes a person who is very similar in character, looks or ways to one of their parents, usually but not exclusively their father. You could say something like “Look at George organising everyone, he’s just like his Dad, a real chip off the block”.  

10.    A red rag to a bull – if the mention of something is enough to enrage a person it is often said that it is like a red rag to a bull. For example you could say “Don’t mention the cuts in education to John; it’s like a red rag to a bull”. The person knows that even the mention of this will make John upset and angry. In recent times this saying has sometimes been abbreviated to like a red rag......everyone knows what this means.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my top ten favourite sayings. Please let me know some of yours, or if you have heard a saying and you are not sure of the meaning I will do my best to explain.  

Don’t forget, if you need help with correct written English, visit our website www.writtenenglishcorrected.com, and remember to follow us on facebook and Twitter.

New Year Resolutions

So here we are on the 2^nd January 2014, and I wonder how many of us have given up on our New Year’s resolutions already? I have to say I am still going strong and hope that I can at last beat the smoking habit, but I know it will be a bumpy road!

The tradition of making promises of self improvement has a long history. It is believed that the ancient Babylonians began the New Year by making promises to their gods that they would repay debts and return any borrowed items. Today they resolutions often focus on a person’s self improvement. It may be that an individual decides to lose weight, cut down on their consumption of alcohol or, like me, try and give up smoking. Alternatively, it may be that he or she resolves to do something positive to improve physical or mental health, such as join a yoga class or sports team, or learn a foreign language.  Others may decide to look at their finances and resolve to get a better paid job, start saving for a family holiday or pay off debts and start living within their budget. Others still may resolve to make regular donations to a charity they support or volunteer to help out in some way that will make a difference.

There will be a lot of us, millions (if not billions) across the world, who will have made a New Year’s resolution. Unfortunately, many people will fail. I have seen some statistics that suggest only between 8% - 12% of people actually achieve what they set out to do. Personally I think many of these who fail probably set their goals a little too high to begin with, you know “I want to be a size 8, have a fabulous, high paid job and travel the world,” may be just a bit too much to aim for in one year! If you really want to keep to your resolution best to set yourself small goals, for example if you want to lose weight look at losing 2-3lb a week, rather than stating I need to lose 4 stone by next year.  Set achievable targets that can be measured and slowly but surely you will start to see the effects you desire.

However, to me the failure rate of New Years resolutions is not really important, if we all achieved all our goals this year what would we do next year or the year after? No, what I think is important is that every year we feel optimistic about the start of a New Year. We plan and resolve to bring about changes to improve ourselves, our lives and the lives of others. That says to me that even in these days of unrest and discontentment that we are still hoping and planning for a better future -now that is something to celebrate!       

Please remember that if you need help with correct written English, you can visit our website www.writtenenglishcorrected.com, and follow us on facebook and Twitter.