10 English idioms, the value of which you will never guess

A cat in pajamas, wooden nickel and Uncle Bob - what do these Englishmen say? Experts from the online English school Skyeng have collected the weirdest idioms for you and even got to the bottom of their roots.

Go out on a limb - Risk

How to screw in the conversation: This is the right turn to emphasize your (or someone else's) dedication. If you want to say that by doing a service, you run the risk and generally strain yourself, feel free to say I go out on a limb. The idiom is also suitable for cases when you courageously express an unpopular opinion or a bold assumption that you cannot prove.

Example: I'm going to say that Sarah is pregnant. - I would venture to suggest that Sarah is pregnant.

Where did it come from: Remember how in childhood you climbed a tree and crawled along a branch until it began to bend dangerously? Go out on a limb - it just means “to climb a branch”, that is, to find yourself in an extremely shaky and precarious position, moreover, of free will.
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To cry the blues - to whine

How to screw in the conversation: Many people like to whimper, cry the blues, ask for pity or compliments. You know what to say when a model friend starts complaining about fat, and a friend gets better at complaining about how difficult it is today to park Lamborgini within Sadovoy.

Example: Stop crying the blues, put yourself together! - Stop whining, pull yourself together!

Where it came from: Obviously from blues. Blues is when a good person feels bad and he whines for a long time under a broken piano about how hard the working class lives. And many of these good people are millionaires, by the way.

Cat's pajamas - Terrific

How to screw in the conversation: Often you met a cat in pajamas? Cat's pajamas describes something unprecedentedly delightful, impressive and astounding. In general, something worth seeing.

Example: Cirque du Soleil show it! - Yesterday's Cirque du Soleil show was awesome!

Where it came from: In the 1920s, round-the-clock party-goers from jazz clubs loved to introduce new words and new styles into fashion. Women's pajamas were just such a novelty - before the Charleston era, girls slept in nightgowns. So the pajamas themselves were very trendy, and the cat pajamas were doubly trendy. Now we would say "cat lacutenes".

Don't take any wooden nickels - Do not believe lies

How to screw in the conversation: Remember this turn - useful for sellers miracle vacuum cleaners and pills for losing weight. Don't take any wooden nickels means “don't let yourself be fooled”. Something like ours “you won't catch a crush on me.” But now this phrase is often abandoned at parting, they say, "Take care of yourself."

Example: Hey, I’m not taking it. “He promises to pay me, but I am bound to believe lies.”

Where did it come from: Nickel is an American slang word for a 5-cent coin, which until 1964 was made from nickel. Not from the tree, mind you. To get a wooden coin can only just a fool, and we are not.



Low key

How to screw in the conversation: Low key means all quiet, secret and secret. Although a person can also be a low key - so they say about the person secretive and taciturn.

Example: Our first meeting was a low-key affair. - Our first meeting was a secret.

Where did it come from: Low key (“in the dark key”) - a term that came from painting to photography. Low key denotes an image in dark colors, when the details in the background are practically not visible.

Down to the wire - At the last moment

How to screw in the conversation: The British use this turn in situations where the outcome of the case is unclear until the very last minute, or when something ends at the last moment.

Example: We're just about to go down with this project. - We have almost no time to prepare this project.

Where it came from: Idiom comes from the slang of racing enthusiasts. In the 19th century, wire was drawn over the finish line so that the judges could see which of the horses came first.

Face the music - Keep answer

How to screw in the conversation: This expression was previously used in the sense of “clearing the mess”, that is, responsible for the consequences of their actions. However, today, speaking Face the music, the British often have in mind the need to bravely face any gangs of fate and be ready for the tests - especially if you asked for these tests yourself.

Example: I failed the project. I think i shouldn’t - I flunked the project. I think I should talk to the boss and answer for everything.

Where did it come from: The most popular version is theatrical. When they step on the stage, the actors gain courage (the public, after all, can boo) and literally turn their faces to the music - that is, to the orchestra pit (and to the hall). There is also a military version of the origin of idioms - in the American army of the early 19th century, guilty officers were denied the title to drumming.

It's raining cats and dogs

How to screw in the conversation: When we say "it rains", the British say It's raining cats and dogs.

Example: Take an umbrella! It's raining cats and dogs. - Take the umbrella. On the street pours!

Where did it come from: The origin of this idiom gloomy. Until the end of the 19th century, the drainage system in London was no good. The pipes quickly became clogged, and during heavy rains the water rose and carried everything that had accumulated in the sewers onto the pavements. Including dogs and cats that fell there. So on days when raining cats and dogs, little animals don't fall from the sky, but float down the street.



Break even - Neither plus nor negative

How to screw in the conversation: Break even is used to describe the zero buoyancy of a business when expenses are equal to income, that is, the entrepreneur does not earn, but does not suffer losses. However, the idiom is suitable for any situation where the budget barely converges.

Example: After paying for our rent, we barely broke even. - After paying the rent, we had almost no money left.

Where did it come from: The turnover was introduced by financiers at the beginning of the 20th century. It comes from the words Break (Breakthrough) and Even (equal) and originally meant a break-even level.

Bob's your uncle! - That's all, simple

How to screw in the conversation: Bob's your uncle! You can insert after any instructions to show that the case is quite simple, and the child can handle it. Something like "and voila!".

Example: Just call your uncle! - Just call her and ask for a date, that's all!

Where it came from: At the end of the 19th century, British Prime Minister Robert Cecil successfully pushed his nephew for the post of prime minister of Ireland. Of course, everything becomes simple when your uncle is Bob.



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Good luck!