Make up your mind~!

Today I am going to talk about a really common basic idiom that I am a little surprised I haven't already covered. 

make up my/your mind

This simply means to decide, to choose something.

Al: Where do you want to eat?

Beb: I dunno, how about you?

Al: Anywhere is ok, how about Italian food?

Beb: No, I had Italian last night.

Al: Ok, where?

Beb: Thai? No, Chinese... no, no, I got it Morrocan... no.. how about...

Al: Hurry up and make up your mind, it's freezing outside and I'm hungry!

Beb: Ok, ok. Morrocan it is.

So in this case it is used to tell someone to pick a place to eat.

Helen: Have you decided where to go to college?

Glenn: I can't make up my mind. It's either Harvard or Oxford.

Here someone is using it to say they can't choose between 2 different schools.

Any questions?

Phil

Do you have a phone? vs. Do you have your phone?

Hey everyone, so today I was out with my wife and she asked me:

Do you have a phone?

What she meant to say was:

Do you have your phone?

Let's take a quick look at the difference between the two.

Do you have A phone?

Means simply if somewhere in the world there is a phone that belongs to you. In Japanese it would be something like:

携帯電話を持っていますか？

Whereas "Do you have your phone?" means "Did you bring your phone with you?". In Japanese it might be something like:

携帯電話を持ってきますか？

This just goes to show that using A can truly change the meaning of a sentence!

I ate some watermelon.

Meaning I ate a few pieces of watermelon.

I ate A watermelon.

Means that you ate a WHOLE watermelon by yourself!

Have a nice weekend,

Phil

I'm feeling a bit below par...

So cold & flu season is here and many people are feeling a bit sick. So I decided to  present a few useful expressions!

below par

This means that you are not feeling as good as usual or normal. We use it when we feel a little tired or sick.

Glen: Hey Jerry, how's it going?

Jerry: I'm feeling a bit below par.

Glen: Oh Really? Why's that?

Jerry: I think I've been working too much...

Glen: That's too bad.

under the weather

Here's a similar expression we also use when we feel a little sick.  

Helen: How's your husband doing these days?

Jen: He's been feeling under the weather lately, he caught a cold.

Helen: That's too bad. Tell him I hope he feels better soon.

I hope everyone got their flu shots, remember to wash your hands and take care of yourselves!

Phil

What are the odds!

When you run into someone by chance people often say:

What are the odds!

or 

What a coincidence!

(walking down the street)

Hal: Is that you Jill?

Jill: What are the odds! I haven't seen you in years.

Hal: Yeah, I'm in town visiting my folks.

Jill: If you have time later, let's grab a drink and catch up.

Hal: That sounds nice, I'll give you a call. Is it still the same number?

Jill: Yeah, it is.

Hal: Cool, see you soon.
 
Meaning I am surprised to see you here, it is a nice surprise. Folks is a casual word meaning parents.

(in a supermarket)

Ben: Hey, Jerry! What a coincidence!

Jerry: Oh, hi Ben. How's it going?

Ben: Pretty good, and you?

Jerry: Not bad, I'm just grocery shopping with my wife.

You might also hear a bit of an older saying when you see someone somewhere you don't expect to see them. It sounds a bit more formal.

Fancy meeting you here!

(at a party)

Greg: Maria, fancy meeting you here! I didn't know you knew Dan.

Maria: Dan? Oh, I don't know him so well. I'm here with my friend Chris. He works with Dan I think.

Greg: Well, it's a nice coincidence running into you here. How have you been?

Maria: Not bad. These days I'm...  

I just thought of a 4th related expression: "What a nice surprise!" you can use all 4 of these interchangeably. They have pretty much the same meaning. Any questions?

Have a nice week,

Phil  

He jumped the gun.

Have you guys ever heard this expression before? It come from track & field, when people start a race they usually fire a starter's pistol. So, if you jumped the gun it means you did something too soon.

I can't believe they've already moved in together. I think they jumped the gun...

It is often used in sports:

Cavileri jumped the gun so he was disqualified.

and in business:

Microsoft jumped the gun by releasing a tablet PC back in 2002. The technology just wasn't ready back then.

Any questions?

Phil 

 

She's got you wrapped around her little finger!

Have you guys ever heard that expression before? It is usually used to describe people dating when one controls the other.

Al: Tom, why did you cut your hair???

Tom: Oh, Lacy likes it better like this.

Al: Did she ask you to cut it?

Tom: No, but she said she'd like to see me with short hair.

Al: And you just cut your hair after growing it long for 6 years?!?! She really has you wrapped around her little finger!

According to thefreedictionary.com it means to manipulate or control someone. It means you are able to make someone do anything you want usually because they like you so much.

 You can find it on weblio here.

We usually use this to talk about other people, often to comment negatively on a relationship. Sometimes you might hear someone use it to talk about themselves but this sounds mean.

Don: Sam, did you go get the papers from the printers?

Sam: Not yet, I'll get Mary to do it.

Don: But you're supposed to do it.

Sam: Yeah, but she'll be happy to help me. She likes me.

Don: But you're not interested in her, you shouldn't lead her on.

Sam: He he he, yeah I've got her wrapped around my little finger.

Don: Seriously, don't be a jerk. You shouldn't manipulate people like that.    

To lead someone on means to make them think you are interested in dating them but you aren't.

After leading him on for a year, she finally told him she would never date him.  

 Hope you had a Happy New Year!

Phil