Idioms

Welcome to English in a Minute from home! Some people are strong-willed and opinionated. Others may be this: Speaker A: Jonathan, how did your Zoom date with my cousin Frederika go?Speaker B: I thought it went great. But when I asked if she wanted to talk again next week, she was kind of wishy-washy.Speaker A: What did she say?Speaker B: She talked about how busy she was … [Read more...] about Wishy-Washy (Idioms)

Welcome to English in a Minute from home! A tone is a sound you hear in music or in someone's voice. And deaf means unable to hear. So, what could "tone deaf" mean as an idiom? Speaker A: Ugh. Jonathan, Cynthia is so tone deaf. She went to Duncan's party with peanut butter cookies and a big bag of peanuts.Speaker B: What?! Duncan is allergic to nuts. His party invitation … [Read more...] about Tone Deaf (Idioms)

Welcome to English in a Minute from Home! Things like this peanut butter lid screw on to the right and off to the left. To remember this, we have a little expression. Let's listen. Speaker A: Anna, how's the repair going?Speaker B: I'm trying to loosen this screw but it's stuck.Speaker A: Remember lefty loosey, righty tighty.Speaker B: I know, Jonathan.Speaker A: No, your … [Read more...] about Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty (Idioms)

Welcome to English in a Minute from Home! I tried to grow potatoes this year. They were extremely small. But do you know what "small potatoes" means as an idiom? Speaker A: Jonathan, last night's storm was crazy! My electricity kept shutting off.Speaker B: Losing power is small potatoes compared to what happened to my neighbor. A huge tree fell on her house and her car. … [Read more...] about Small Potatoes (Idioms)

Welcome to English in a Minute from home! Many animals have teeth and nails. But what does it mean to fight tooth and nail? Speaker A: Jonathan, did you see that email from Simone? She did not get the manager's position.Speaker B: What? She fought tooth and nail for that job!Speaker A: Well, she may have fought hard for it… but she didn't get it.Speaker B: Ouch! When … [Read more...] about Fight Tooth and Nail (Idioms)