Expression Session

Sometimes I feel like I can write on my resume: I know how to put out fires. In some jobs, this is just standard practice, but should it be? Most times we are putting out fires because someone hasn’t done the necessary planning, but in some jobs there is no...

When it rains, it pours. This is an expression that has similar translations in other languages. And it is easy to guess it’s meaning WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS IT NEVER RAINS, BUT IT POURS Expressions in English Now that you have seen this post, take a look at our...

It’s Christmas season and so here is one of those expressions, Be there with bells on, that I tend to use in both a serious and sarcastic way… depending on the event! Remember, when being sarcastic, it’s important to use tone and intonation properly or people may not know that...

This is an excellent Polish saying that immigrated its way into English a long time ago. I was listening to the great TV show, Orange is the New Black, and in the midst of a riot, one of the characters said, ‘Not my circus, not my monkeys’. It was a...

Rub salt in someone’s wound. We all know someone who like’s to ‘hit you when you’re down’ – another greast expression with the same meaning! You are having a bad day… you made a mistake and here comes that person who tells reminds you of all the other mistakes you...

English Expression: Take a raincheck. A common expression that you will hear Amercians, British, Irish and Australians use – how is that possible? They say that ‘take a raincheck’ dates back to baseball in the 1800s when games were cancelled due to rain. People didn’t lose their money they paid...

English Expression: Bite the bullet. This expression is said to have come from the 1800s when people may have literally bit down on a bullet during sugery to handle the pain in a war situation. Today we use it in a much different context, but the image of someone biting...

Have a crack at something. This is a way of showing your enthusiasm to try to do something but making it clear that you don’t think you will be successfull. HAVE A CRACK AT SOMETHING Expression Session Now that you had a look at Have a crack at something, have...

English Expression: be worth it. In Spanish you say ‘vale la pena‘ and in English we say ‘it’s worth it’ The word ‘worth’ means having value. TO BE WORTH IT (SOMETHING) FORM Subject + to be + worth + object MEANING AND EXAMPLES TO BE WORTH IT (SOMEONE) FORM Subject...

English Expression: drop the ball. I have to admit, I love baseball expressions. It’s a sport I started playing at age 6. And I promise that it was never a good thing to ‘drop the ball’. That’s why it is such a good way of expressing how you feel about...

English Expression: Kill time. Another nice expression that translates perfectly into Spanish: matar tiempo. This makes it easy to remember and use so you can bump up your exam points or impress your boss. KILL (THE) TIME English Expressions Now that you have learned English Expression: Kill time, take a...

English Expressions: Waste of time. This is the perfect expression to say that something is ‘una perdida de tiempo’. It’s a perfect translation, which doesn’t happen very often. WASTE TIME A WASTE OF (SOMEONE’S) TIME (noun phrase) WASTE (SOMEONE’S) TIME (verb phrase) Cursos inglés En la Escuela de Idiomas de...

English Expression: It is what it is. There are those times when you need to say ‘es lo que hay’ and this is the phrase you will need to use in this case. IT IS WHAT IT IS Cursos de inglés Si estás buscando cursos de inglés, tenemos una oferta...

English Expression: turn over a new leaf. This seems like the perfect idiom for this time of year when the leaves on the trees are falling. Turning over a new leaf means starting fresh and changing your behavior. TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF Expression Session Now that you have seen...

English Expression: neither here nor there. Want a nice way to say ‘ what you are saying is irrelevant’? Here is your expression. Although, like so many expressions in Enlgish, be careful with your tone. NEITHER HERE NOR THERE English Expressions Now that you have seen English Expression: neither here...

English Expressions: Dodge the Bullet. As you can see in the photo, a bullet (una bala) is what comes out of a gun (pistola). To dodge something is to avoid something by jumping out of the way quickly. The expression comes from the idea that if you get out of...

English Expression: Catch someone’s eye. This expression has two meanings and eventhough they look similar, there are some important differences. CATCH SOMEONE’S EYE ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS Now that you have learned about English Expression: Catch someone’s eye, have a look at our other Expression Session posts: Expression Session: a ballpark figureExpression...

English expressions: let your hair down. We often associate someone with their hair tied back to be uptight (tenso/nerviosa) and someone who LET’S THEIR HAIR DOWN to be fun and flexible. Which one are you? LET YOUR HAIR DOWN English Expressions Now that you have learned English expressions: let your...

English expressions: back to back. Learning expressions in English is just as important as learning basic vocabulary. Maybe you won’t be using the expressions, but your native counterparts will! So, it’s important to know what they are referring to. This is a perfect example. This is how we say ‘seguido‘...

English Expressions: Shed light on something. Are you going around in circles in a meeting or with your family on a whatsapp group because the person who has all the answers in not responding or is going to arrive late? Stop the needless conversation and simply say, let’s wait for...

B2 C1 C2 English Expressions: Call it a day. Are you done? Are you out of energy? Have you worked all day and can’t do more? Have you had enough? This is your expression. Call it a day B2 C1 C2 English Expressions. Now that you have learned this B2...

English Expression: tie up loose ends. I am running to go somewhere, but before I do that I need to TIE UP LOOSE ENDS. Tie up loose ends English Expressions Now that you have seen English Expression: tie up loose ends, take a look at our other Expression Session posts:...

English Expressions: Shit hit the fan. OK, so this is one of my favorite expressions in English, I have to admit. It is so visual. The idea of $#!T actually hitting a fan and it spraying all over the place and leaving you with a huge mess. It’s awful and...

English Expressions: out of sight, out of mind. Unfortunately, more and more today this expression is relevant. We all talk about a hot topic issue that is on the news, but once it is no longer on the front page, we forget about it all together. Out of sight, out...

English Expressions: Out of the blue. Using expressions in English gives emphasis to what you want to say. This expression is used to show your surprise about a certain situation. So, instead of just saying, I was watching TV while a spider crawled on my leg, you can say, ‘out...

Learn this B2 C1 C2 English Expression: wrap your head around something. Have you ever heard something that you just can’t comprehend? You read about AI taking care of the elderly, mini brains being manufactured or simply your closest friends that have always been happy are now divorcing. In all...

B2 C1 C2 English Expressions: take a rain check. When someone invites you and you REALLY do want to go but you can’t, ask for a rain check. This not only shows that you are interested in attending but that you would like to set another date to meet. Take...

B2 C1 C2 English expressions: off the record. This is an American phrase that dates back to the 1930s. President Franklin Roosevelt used it to say that his words should not be attributed to him. So, today we use it in a similar manner. It means, don’t tell anyone I...

Expresiones en inglés: can’t put a finger on it. Have you ever had that feeling like something was wrong but you are not sure why you feel like that? We have the perfect expression for that feeling in English: I can’t put my finger on it. It can also be...

Expresiones en inglés: to be on track. If you are on track, then you are doing what you should be doing. In Spanish you may say we are on el buen camino. It’s a phrase that can be used casually among friends or family or at work. That means this...

B2 C1 C2 Vocabulario en inglés. Expressions in any language are a key part of expressing oneself. Not just that, but using expressions can really up your score on an exam. So, start using these expressions today and you will improve your English, your test score and impress your boss....

Learn B2 C1 C2 English Expressions: back to the salt mines. So, if you know an English speaker, you know that we like to exaggerate just a bit in English. Usually it’s our way of being funny or sarcastic. So, in this expression, we are doing just that. Salt mines...

B2 C1 C2 English Expressions. Swim in the deep end or thrown in the deep end are the focus of this week’s Expression Session. Deep end refers to the side of the pool that is so deep that you can’t stand so you have to swim. If you are in...

B2 C1 English Expressions: Hotter than hell. Today in Expression Session we are bringing you some expressions to talk about the heatwave we are having. Hotter than hell To say that it is really hot out I can’t handle this heat. It’s hotter than hell out there today. There’s no...