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  • Hi, guys!

  • Welcome back to the British Council's LearnEnglish Teens website and YouTube channel.

  • I don't know which platform you're watching this on, but today's video is going to be

  • some of the most common British idioms.

  • When you learn a new language and begin to speak with native people, you might realise

  • that they use these unusual or strange expressions, which don't make sense literally but somehow

  • still make sense!

  • So, I wanted to share some of the most popular British idioms, so that if you're speaking

  • with a British person and one of these pops up, you won't be completely confused.

  • Also, learning idioms and using them correctly is a great way to make yourself seem more

  • confident and natural when speaking a second language.

  • So, if you can use some of these and keep them 'up your sleeve', then that will

  • do wonders when you're speaking English with a native person, a native speaker or

  • a mother tongue.

  • So, without further ado, let's get started!

  • Probably the first-ever idiom that I ever heard in my whole life has been 'a penny

  • for your thoughts' and I remember hearing this when I was at primary school and not

  • understanding what it meant.

  • I was a bit confused as to whether someone was going to give me a penny to hear what

  • I was thinking, but basically what it means is, it's a way to ask someone what they're

  • thinking.

  • You don't actually have to give them a penny, so don't worry!

  • Next is saying that something costs 'an arm and a leg', and that might sound strange

  • but what it basically means is that something is very expensive.

  • For example, 'the new iPad costs an arm and a leg', 'my camera cost me an arm

  • and a leg'... it's a way to say that something is very expensive or valuable or just costs

  • a lot generally.

  • If any of you are sports players, you might be able to guess the next one.

  • 'The ball is in your court.'

  • Any ideas?

  • It's basically a way of saying that you have all the power.

  • 'The ball is in your court' means that you can make the next move.

  • 'Beating around the bush' means that you're avoiding speaking about a discussion openly

  • or you're speaking about something indirectly.

  • So, if someone tells you or if you say to someone 'stop beating around the bush',

  • it's a great way to say 'get to the point and stop dilly-dallying!', which is another

  • of my favourite words.

  • 'Dilly-dallying' means wasting time.

  • 'The best thing since sliced bread' is a way of saying that there's a very good

  • invention or idea.

  • And I'm not sure who set the standard of sliced bread being the best invention, but

  • there you go.

  • It's a way to say that this is a really great idea.

  • 'Oh, that's the best thing since sliced bread'– that's the best thing I've

  • heard in a very long time.

  • And last but not least, 'curiosity killed the cat'.

  • This is one of my favourite ones because there's a lesson to be learned in this idiom as well,

  • and that is that being too inquisitive can lead you to some unpleasant situationsnot

  • necessarily death, but there you go.

  • It's basically a way to say 'mind your business, don't go snooping about'.

  • That's all for today.

  • Comment below and let me know if you have any other British or American English idioms

  • that you know, and let me know if you do try out any of the ones I've mentioned.

  • Erm, that's it.

  • I hope you guys are having a wonderful day and I'll catch you later, alligator!

  • Bye!

Hi, guys!

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Six English idioms you should know

  • 22 1
    Elise Chuang 發佈於 2021 年 05 月 18 日
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