h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So you are her age, that's great

Yeah, I'm a year older. Wait, is it a year? Yeah, she's in year 8. Yep, i'm a year older

I hope you'll be able to give her some comfort

Okay the aim of this is to see how much colloqial English you lot know (not you Chris).

What I want you to do, is explain what the idiom/phrase means, and then give a sentence including it.

For example if the phrase was "Have a gander"
I would say
-to have a quick look. Let's have a gander at that book.

Okay...here goes.

all right. (3 meanings I can think of)

at the eleventh hour.

antsy.

to be all ears.

to be broke.

beat about the bush.

bite off more than one can chew.

break someone's heart.

by the skin of one's teeth.

to bug someone.


That should do for the minute. Good luck.

That's an awful lot, so I'll just try the explanations, but not build any sentences
all right. (3 meanings I can think of) - adequate,acceptable, very well

at the eleventh hour.- shortly before everything's too late, maybe ?


antsy. - Never heard, no idea

to be all ears.- to listen intently,interested

to be broke.- bankrupt ?

beat about the bush.- to ask indirectly, avoid the point of issue

bite off more than one can chew.- not to be up to what you intended to do

break someone's heart.:-cause to grieve

by the skin of one's teeth.- Only just,with the very last effort

to bug someone.-to irritate, bother, or to conceal a microphone

all right: fair, not brilliant but not awful
"It's all right I suppose but I would prefer to do geography"

all right: agreement, but not eager agreement
"Yes all right, but you have to actually talk to them"

all right: unharmed, in working order
"Are you all right? You hit that bench really hard!"

at the eleventh hour: CORRECT

antsy: restless, anxious, impatient
"Even just thinking about the exam makes me antsy"

to be all ears: CORRECT (to be eager to hear something)
"Come on tell me what happened, I'm all ears"

to be broke: CORRECT (although bankrupt is a rather harsh term. That means that you have to sell your business, sell your home etc etc and broke just means you havent got any cash)
"Could you lend me a fiver? I'm completely broke"

beat about the bush: avoid ANSWERING a question directly, avoiding a subject.
"Stop beating about the bush, either you gave him the money or you didn't"

bite off more than you can chew: CORRECT (take on more responsibility than you can handle)
"He's really bitten off more than he can chew taking on this project as well as the Barclays one"

break someone's heart: CORRECT, although a bit severe! (make someone disappointed, upset, discouraged, sad)
"If I ever went into the army it would break my mother's heart".

By the skin of one's teeth: CORRECT
"I finished the essay by the skin of my teeth and only just handed it in"

to bug someone: CORRECT
"I'm trying to concentrate and Kate keeps bugging me!"


Well done B'elana.
Any questions or anything, then I'll set some more...a much shorter list this time so you can actually do sentences as well.

Katkat

It should be katkodl's turn next time, ok ?

I think shes very busy with essays, thesises etc etc currently. Im not sure when she'll be around.
Is it too hard/boring/daft for you? I can do other things if you like.

No, it's ok, you go on as you like, please, I only wanted to make sure that katkodl gets her say, too

okaaayyy flying in to give you your next set of stupid English idioms which nobody in their right mind cares about.

to call it a day.

chicken. (not the poultry clucking type)

cool it.

cost an arm and a leg.

couch potato.

to cram.

Okay there you go...

Katkat the very

And speaking of craming... *goes to do it*

Which version of craming are you talking about?

the kind that's spelt with two m's! cramming.

They can say any sort of cramming that they find. I have all definitions.

I'll give it a try

to call it a day. – When you decide that you’ve worked enough for the day you’d say “call it a day”. Then you’d probably do anything but working.
chicken. – coward. (I dreamed of a chicken last night! It was so cute - wanted to be my friend! )

cool it. – I suppose it means “calm down”.

cost an arm and a leg. – I suppose that you’d say that ironically as a reply when someone asks you for a (small) favor.

couch potato. – Someone who does nothing else but watching TV. Throughout the last years some couch potatoes turned into mouse potatoes… or they are half couch half mouse potato now.

to cram. – to study, to swot, to learn


katkodl

Well done. You going to demonstrate your wonderful knowledge and give us some sentences?

Just one correction

cost an arm and a leg: very expensive.
"Do you like my new car? It cost me an arm and a leg so I hope its good enough".

Sentences:

(at work) “I’m tired. I think I better go home and call it a day.”

“He’s such a chicken! He doesn’t even dare to call the girl he has a crush on!”

“Now cool it and start all over again.”

“He does nothing but watching TV – he’s obviously turned into a couch potato throughout the last three years.”

“I’m sorry, he won’t have time: he’s cramming for an exam.”


There is a mistake in your “cost an arm and a leg” sentence. You aren’t that fond of using apostrophes, are you?


katkodl

"Do you like my new car? It cost me an arm and a leg, so I hope its good enough".


*rolls eyes and retires to dungeons*

*walks in with glasses and flip chart*

Okay people gather round gather round....all three of you, where ever you've gone.

Do we think that now that I've actually got somet sort of stuff to present and test, that we ought to have an actual department? Or do people want to just carry on in this thread and feel that a department would cause needless threads and confusion?

I personally don't need a department, but perhaps others would find their way here easier if there was one ?

*keels over aand dies*

To be very honest, the changes that have taken place in the Language Thing, have caused quite a lot of complications, unnecessary pages, lists and odd bits. It's all rather....*throws hands in air*

Btw, we still learn to use the apostrophies if we're not using its as a possessive pronoun, but as an abbr. for 'it is'