September 8, 2011
the sharpest pencil in the pack
the sharpest pencil in the pack — the smartest
In a seminar, the speaker wasn’t impressed by the programming capability of some developers. He referred to them as “not the sharpest pencil the pack“.
June 7, 2011
have ducks in a row
have ducks in a row — to organize things well [thefreedict]
On a romantic comedy movie “A Lot Like Love”, Oliver (played by Aston Kutcher) bumped into a pretty girl Emily (by Amanda Peet) on the airplane to New York. When asked about his future plan, Oliver said: “I’m trying to have my ducks in a row — job, house, car, and a beautiful wife …”
March 8, 2011
buckle down
buckle down – to set to work with vigor; concentrate on one’s work [dict]
On the “Big bang theory”, Raj starts to work for Sheldon. To spice up a conversation, Raj tries to make some jokes. But Sheldon doesn’t like it and thinks that’s a waste of time. Raj rubs his hands and says: “OK. Let’s buckle down and work”.
March 6, 2011
drown one’s sorrows
drown one’s sorrows – Drink liquor to escape one’s unhappiness [dict]
A guy was disappointed by the Manchester United defeat to Liverpool today. He said: “I’m going home now to drown my sorrows“.
January 29, 2011
bust someone’s hump
bust someone’s hump – to work very hard on something [urbandict]
On the Armoured, one guy speaks of how his parents worked hard to support the family: “They busted their humps to make a living.”
January 9, 2011
also-ran
also-ran – to refer to a loser in a competition [answers]
As the European and USA universities are feeling the pinch from the government funding cut, Brazil is steadily increasing the investment on education and research. From the economist, “Brazil is no longer a scientific also-ran“. This phrase came from horse racing, and it refers to a horse that didn’t make it to the first three winning positions. The names of those horses are usually published alongside the winners, but in a block under the heading “Also Ran”.
January 8, 2011
Let the cat out of the bag
Let the cat out of bag – to disclose a secret [thefreedict]
Armoured (2009) is a rather boring movie. It is abut a group of security guards conspiring to jack a shield-armoured trunk loaded with 42 million dollars cash. But the plan goes wrong from moment one guard kills a homeless who witnesses the robbery. The rest movie is about them trying to cover it up and the whole thing getting more messed. After the homeless is killed, one guard shouts: “There is no way turning back. The cat’s out of the bag now.” By comparison, Takers (2010) is a much more entertaining movie on the similar theme of trunk robbery.
January 4, 2011
make one’s skin crawl
make one’s skin crawl – to cause goose bumps on the skin as response to fear or frightening [thefreedict]
On Two and a Half Men, Alan accidentally burned down his girlfriend Lindsay’s house . He tried to comfort her: “It’s not that bad. At least people are safe. And we still have each other”. Lindsay turned face and said: “You make my skin crawl.” This is another expression of giving someone “goose bumps“.
December 29, 2010
play chicken
play chicken - If children or young people play chicken, they do something that is dangerous in order to see who is frightened first. [Americanidioms]
On a TV program, an international affair expert commented on the current tense situation between North and South Korea: “They are playing chicken.” This is dangerous as playing chicken will eventually escalate to war! As I searched for this phrase, I found a related phrase called “play chicken in traffic“, which refers to several dangerous games on the road to test who is the most courageous. In one game, two cars speed toward each other and the one who first swerves is the looser. See this for more detail.
December 22, 2010
gelivable
gelivable – being cool and impressive, and “ungelivable” means the opposite [yahoo]
This is a newly invented Chinglish word, but is getting increasingly popular across Internet in China. This word is derived from “geili”, which is used in the dialect in the northern part of China and literally means to “give power”. Some “smart” person invented the “gelivable” adjective that combines the Chinese native “geili” and also the English “-able” suffix in a strange way. Suddenly, the word appears everywhere on Chinese websites.
I don’t think native English speakers can understand this. Even for me, it took me a while to figure out what’s going on. Whoever came up with this word has reasons to brag about his/her mastering Chinese and English. But, to me, the word looks rather silly – or maybe, that’s exactly why it becomes the vogue.
December 17, 2010
taterhead
taterhead - Someone who is either mentally handicapped or just plain dumb [urbandict]
On “Two and a Half Men”, Berta couldn’t believe Jake had a girlfriend: “That taterhead has a girlfriend?” It makes sense if you know that “tater” refers to “potato”.
December 16, 2010
stickler
stickler – a person who insists on something unyieldingly [dict]
On “Two and a Half Men”, Alan saw two girls sneaking out of Jake’s room. He was paranoid about Jake hosting an orgy. “Not to be a stickler,” Charlie tried to correct Alan, “It takes more than three to be an orgy.”
October 12, 2010
naff
naff - ( Brit) inferior; in poor taste [dict]
Someone bought a new piece of hardware from QNAP. But, after fiddling with the installation for two weeks, he still couldn’t get it running. “That QNAP company should re-brand itself to Q-naff“, he joked. If you know what “naff” means, you know it’s a pun.
September 6, 2010
mumbo jumbo
mumbo jumbo (or mumbo-jumbo) – meaningless or unnecessarily complicated language [dict][wiki]
A guy wasn’t impressed by the lengthy presentation by the Human Resource department. “It has over fifty slides”, he complained, “of which fifty percent repeat the same HR mumbo-jumbo.”
August 25, 2010
dumb as a butt
dumb as a butt — I didn’t find an on-line reference for this phrase, but the meaning is quite intuitive if you know that “butt” is a slang word for “buttocks” (see [answers])
Security and usability are two sometimes opposing concepts. Security people are keen to make the system as most secure as possible, and wouldn’t care much about usability. The X509 certificate in the browser is a classic example of failure in understanding usability. One opinion is that if the user clicks the wrong button to accept the rogue certificate, doesn’t read the certificate carefully or ignores the expiry warning, then he is the one to blame for the security breach. A colleague comments on this opinion as “dumb as a butt“. It’s an interesting expression.
May 17, 2010
pass muster
pass muster – to meet the required standard [UseEnglish]
From the book Cryptography Engineering, “In short, DES does not pass muster any more.” The DES is an out-dated encryption standard that had been serving the security world for nearly 20 years. Its design is simple and elegant, but the security strength is considered weak from today’s standard. The original meaning of “muster” refers to an assembly of troops ready for inspection. Naturally, “not passing muster” means failing to pass the inspection. We often say “muster the courage”, the use of the word “muster” can be traced to the same military root.
May 16, 2010
wrong-headed
wrongheaded – stubborn in adherence to wrong opinion or principles [W-M]. Can also be spelt as wrong-headed.
In an academic debate, I pointed out some problems of a cryptographic algorithm. Some people agree with me, but some don’t. One person described me as “wrong-headed” in my opinions. I found it funny because I never heard of this phrase before.
May 10, 2010
belt and braces
belt and braces – using more than one method to make sure that something is safe or sure to happen [thefreedict]
In the security industry, we learn to become paranoid. Several colleagues were discussing a software vulnerability and some countermeasures. They decided to implement all of them just to be safe. “Belt-and-braces may look silly”, as one of them explained, “It makes very sure that your trousers will not fall onto the floor.”
This is chiefly a British idiom. The American version is “belt and suspenders” (see [urbandict]). Look at these Google images, and you will know that if someone wear both belt and suspenders (or braces), that will look silly indeed.
April 23, 2010
sharpen up
sharpen up – to become sharp (see sharpen)
To sharpen up your skills is to improve the skills. Sometimes, this phrase is also used to prod someone to be smarter. This funny video clip tells a story about needing to “sharpen up“. I almost fell on the floor when watching it.
April 20, 2010
cash not ash
I like the English people’s sense of humour.
Earlier this year, the Iceland population held a referendum, which with overwhelming majority decided to refuse paying the England and Netherlands the loss of savings following the collapse of the IceSave bank. Some English reader commented on the recent volcano eruption in IceLand: “Dear Iceland, we asked you to send cash not ash.” I don’t know who first wrote this, but it has be widely circulated on the twitter.
April 19, 2010
be zapped of energy
be zapped of energy – be very tired (see zap)
Lately, I’ve been engaging in a boring project. I feel zapped of energy.
March 30, 2010
take stock of
take stock of – To make an estimate or appraisal, as of resources or of oneself [theefreedict]
To take stock of is to think about something carefully before making a decision. If you find your work boring, it’s perhaps the time to stand back and take stock of your career.
March 19, 2010
double talk
double talk – Deliberately ambiguous and evasive language [dict]
Sometimes, you ask someone a specific question, but he avoids to give you a straight answer. For example, he may say “well, yes and no …” In that case, he gives you double-talk. Considering “yes” and “no” as double answers can help memorize this phrase.
March 18, 2010
full of hot air
full of hot air – full of non-sense [dict]
Although he seems eloquent, he is full of hot air. This phrase reminds me of the steamer – it spouts hot air, but has nothing concrete in it.
March 17, 2010
power nap
power nap – a brief refreshing sleep, often during the workday [dict][wiki]
This is a short nap (typically 15 -30 min) before entering the deep sleep. Sometimes, people might think the longer it takes to nap at noon, the more refreshing one would feel when he wakes up. This is actually not true. If you enter the deep sleep and wake up in the middle, you may feel even more tired.
While I’m looking up this phrase on wikipedia, I learned another phrase “caffeine nap”. A study shows that one gets the best rest if he takes a cup of coffee, then followed by a power nap. Well, I am not sure that is true – never tried.
March 15, 2010
the ball is in your court
the ball is in your court – it’s up to you to decide or take the next step [UseEnglish]
If you play tennis with someone, and the ball is in your court, then it’s your turn to hit it back. That is of course the literary meaning of the idiom. If someone tells you “the ball is in your court“, it’s time for you to take action now.
in cahoots with
in cahoots with — Questionable collaboration; secret partnership [answers]
From the news, after gaining a moral high ground in defying search censorship against Chinese government, Google is now working in cahoots with the America’s spooks: National Security Agency.
August 27, 2009
spruce up
spruce up - to make neat and trime [dict]
From BBC, Shanghai finally decides to “spruce up its image”. It’s long been an international amusement to see many obscure English translations in China. I recall there was a newly opened shop painting “service not found” as the English translation for its Chinese name. Presumably, someone typed the Chinese characters into an on-line tanslation service and it happend that the webiste was down.
August 24, 2009
dry run
dry run – A trial exercise or rehearsal [dict]
On “two and a half men”, Alan was depressed after his wife Kandi deserted him. He curled up on bed, not speaking to anyone. When his son, Jake, came in, Alan mumbled that he was taking a nap. “I’m getting old, Jake,” Alan said, “Old people nap. It’s like a dry run for death.”
August 21, 2009
it takes a village to raise a child
it takes a village to raise a child - It takes many people to teach a child all that he or she should know [UseEnglish]
Many Americans learned this phrase from Hillary Clinton who chose it in the title of her book. This phrase is alleged to come from an African proverb. It highlights the importance of the social environement for a child’s growth and development. Interestingly, some people wrote an article to dispute this old wisdom by claiming that parents play more important roles in fostering a child. But I think he is only nit-picking and the arugment misses the point.
August 17, 2009
pull the wool over someone’s eyes
pull the wool over someone’s eyes – to deceive someone [answers]
“It is difficult to pull the wool over his eyes” is a jocular way to say “it is difficult to cheat him”. The word “wool” relates to the wig that the judge wears in court. Pulling the wool blinds the judge’s eyes so that he is unable to see the facts in a trial.
May 20, 2009
sink in
sink in – to penetrate the mind [dict]
This is an entertaining news from BBC. A woman didn’t feel well, but she went to see a doctor and was told she had been 20 weeks pregrant. Thirteen days later, she gave birth to twins. Of course, this is all good news (though surprising) to the family. “It took a while to sink in that I was pregnant in the first place”, she said during an interview, “and took a bit longer to sink in there was (were) two of them.”
April 21, 2009
too many chiefs and not enough Indians
too many chiefs and not enough Indians – too many bosses, and not enough people to do the work [thefreedict]
“In the old days,” someone said, “The HR recuritment policy in my company was flexible. I once hired a guy who didn’t even have a degree, but he was really good at programming. And he never complained doing the chore. Now, the company enforces a strict recruitment policy to ensure only recruiting very good people. But, the problem is that we end up with too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”
April 15, 2009
can’t have one’s cake and eat it
can’t have one’s cake and eat it – can’t have things both ways [thefreedict]
I discovered some useful shortcuts in Visual Studio and told a colleague. Unfortunately, the shortcuts didn’t work for him because they conflicted with the emacs program that he was using. “That’s pity,” he said, “But you can’t have butter and the money of the butter”. He is French so he was literally translating a French idiom. The English eqivalent is: You can’t have your cake and eat it.
There is also a similar saying in Chinese: you can’t have the fish and the bear palm paw at the same time (see here and here).
April 9, 2009
namby-pamby
namby-pamby – lacking in character, directness, or moral or emotional strength [dict]
Someone brought in some computer hardware that he used nearly 30 years ago. The hardware looks very bulky, by today’s standard. The memory controller is heavy enough to knock a person out. “It is real hardware,” he says, ” Very solid-built, not like the the namby-pamby stuff you guys are using today.”
April 8, 2009
wade through treacle
wade through treacle – to make one’s way slowly or laboriously. See [wade through] and [treacle]
A colleague used it as an example to explain English is such a tricky language. He was once talking to some non-native English speakers and used the expression “wade through treacle” , but found no one understood it. In fact, once you know what treacle is, the meaning of this phrase is very intuitive – Just think of yourself walking in syrup.
April 7, 2009
that ship has sailed
that ship has sailed – A particular opportunity has passed you by [UsingEnglish]
On the ‘two and a half men’, Alan is splitting up with Kandi. It seems Kandi has a better lawyer and will get everything, but Alan still fights to get at least the dog. Charlie, his brother, tries to enlighten him: “Just give her everything. When all of this is settled down, you get one thing that you value most and that you cannot put a price on…” “Dignity?” Alan asks. “Oh, stop it,” Charlies continues, “That ship has sailed… The thing you get is freedom!”
April 6, 2009
break wind
break wind – to expel intestinal gas (an euphemism for fart) [dict]
This is hilarious. A football player was given a yellow card for breaking wind while another player was taking the penalty (see BBC news). The referee explained that was “an ungentlemanly conduct”.
April 3, 2009
gaz factory
gaz factory – literally translaited from a French phrase “usine a gaz” which refers to a system or machine that is super-complex
Our software build system has a lot of external dependencies and is so complex that whoever works on it must get confused. A French colleague says there is a French term to descibe it - literally translated as “Gaz Factory“. I don’t speak French, but I like this expression. It is easy to picture such a factory where machines are messed around and with all the noise, gas, smoke in the background. However, he doesn’t know the English equivalent; neither do I (In fact, I don’t know if there is a Chinese equivalent that is as vivid as this). Does anyone know if there is a similar expression in English? Apparently, I’m not the first one who asks this question.
March 27, 2009
the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
the applet doesn’t fall far from the tree – children are like their parents [idiom][wikiAnswer]
On the “Two and a half men”, Judith is Alan’s ex-wife. On Christmas eve, Judith and her boyfriend dropped by at Charlie’s house. The moment Judith saw newly made eggnog, she instantly falled for the alcohol. Alan said to Judith’s boyfriend: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?” A similar idiom is “Like father, like son.”
March 26, 2009
whinge
whinge – to complain, especially in an annoying and persistent manner [dict]
A colleague was not happy with an arrangment, and he said: “I’ve whinged to the department, but so far no news.” This word is chiefly used in British English.
March 24, 2009
someone’s ass is on the line
someone’s ass is on the line – if someone’s ass in on the line, they will be blamed if things go wrong [freedict]
On “The X files”, Mulder was following a lead to investigate a chemical pollution. He pressed an old man, who was an old friend of Mulder’s father, for more information. The man yelled: “I cannot tell you more. My ass is on the line.”
March 23, 2009
faff about
faff about – To waste time on an unproductive activity [wiktionary][urbandict]
Designing a new product is all about balancing trade-offs – how to get the best out of the limited budget. Someone propoosed to add a feature to the product, but was objected by another: “It looks nice but is not essential. I don’t think it is worth one month time faffing about how to implment it.” This phrase is mainly used in the British English (according to wiki). So if you say it to an American, you may get a puzzled look.
March 19, 2009
OKie Dokie
Okie Dokie – a playful way to say OK [urban]
My British colleagues often like to say “Okie Dokie” instead of “OK”. Perhaps the word “OK” has been so commonly used that it becomes mundane. On the other hand, “OKie Dokie” sounds cheerful and crispy! Sometimes, you may hear “Okie Do” (where -kie is silenced).
March 17, 2009
live in sin
live in sin – Cohabit outside marriage [dict]
During a chitchat, someone mentioned that his mother died when he was young and his father was now living in sin with his girlfriend. Of course, it shouldn’t be interpreted as he hates his dad; this phrase is used in a jocular fashion here. Sometimes the same phrase could be used to mean something serious. The context is important. It also depends on how literal the local customs and views are.
March 15, 2009
love handles
love handles – excess fat around the waistline (often used in the plural) [dict]
I wonder why they are called “love handles“, maybe because they provide a soft place to rest one’s hand while one’s arm is around a person. Just maybe, don’t take it too seriously. It helps memorize.
One synonym is “spare tire”, whose meaning is intuitive though less vivid.
March 11, 2009
catch some z’s
catch some z’s – Take a nap; go to sleep [dict]
In comic strips, “zzz” is often used to say someone is sleeping or snoring. Here is one example:
A: Excuse me. I’ve to catch some z’s.
B: I thought you just woke up. You sleepy head.
There are alternative expressions: catch some Zs, cop some Zs and cut some Zs. (see thefreedict)
December 26, 2008
spill the beans
spill the beans – Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely [dict]
A basic principle in the cryptographic research is that unconditionally trusted third parties do not exist. In other words, no one is absolutely trustworthy – not even the law-enforcement authority. Here is an example from BBC. The UK police maintain a central criminal database which contains valuable information. However, one cop wanted to make money out of it. He abused his trusted role by contacting the convicted offenders and threatening to spill the beans on their crimes unless he was given “hush money“. Of course, he got what he derserved.
December 17, 2008
willy-nilly
willy-nilly – whether one wishes to or not; willingly or unwillingly [dict]
Modern computers have abundant memory such that programmers often write codes in whatever liked style without worrying about the memory usage. However, the case is different with programming smart cards where the available memory is extremely constrained. “When programming for the (Java) smart card,” someone warned, “Don’t create new objects willy-nilly.”
get feet wet
get feet wet – to experience something for the first time, especially something that involves taking a risk. [thefreedict]
This is a commonly used idiom. If you have never invested money in the stock market, you can get your feet wet by just buying a few shares.
December 16, 2008
fools rush in where angels fear to tread
fools rush in while where angels fear to tread - This idiom is used where people who are inexperienced or lack knowledge do something that more informed people would avoid. [UsingEnglish][wikipedia]
By the US federal law, a website cannot keep private data of users who are under 13 years old unless with the explicit consent from their parents. This creates a number of technical difficulities in the practical implmentation. (Sony was fined 1 million dollars for not doing it properly). To avoid the trouble, Facebook simply limits memberships to users who are older than 13.
According to Regsiter, there is this new social network website – dubbed Facebook for Kids – due to lauch in a few weeks time. This webiste targets users who are between 7 and 12. It might start off as a useful idea to create a network that brings together children and parents. But the design of the website is terrible with little regard to security and privacy protection. Security researchers found that anyone could can view the children’s private data on that website. Disappointed by the slack security design, they concuded their finding by a saying: “fools rush in while where angels fear to tread“.
December 11, 2008
ts and cs
ts and cs – terms and conditions
In a meeting, a manager talked about changing the “ts and cs” of our software product license. I was quite puzzled by that and didn’t find this phrase from the dictionary. After the meeting, a guy taught me that it was a common abbreviation for “terms and conditions”.
December 3, 2008
monkey see monkey do
monkey see monkey do – It refers to the learning of a process without an understanding of why it works [wiki]
Our team uses a fairly complex software build system, which often gives strange and confusing error messages. A new comer was assigned to investigate why a particular software package couldn’t be compiled. After struggling for a long time, he finally passed the compiling without errors. His manager, however, was not very impressed. “It works now,” he says, “but I suspect it’s the case of monkey see monkey do.”
December 1, 2008
big cheese
big cheese – a very important or influential person [dict]
A colleague passed me a paper and asked me: “do you know the second author of this paper?” He continued: “You should know him. He is a professor in Oxford, a big cheese in the field.”
August 27, 2008
What is good for goose is good for gander
What is good for goose is good for gander – The original meaning is that different sexes should be treated the same. The extended meaning is that there should be no doube-standard [UsingEnglish]
It comes from an earlier proverb (nowadays less commonly used): what is source for goose is source for gander [bartleby]. Here is an example (from BBC).
The news says that the current situation in South Ossetia sparks deep worries among western countries for a new cold war with Russia. While almost all western leaders have been condemning Russia, there is a different voice from the former British ambassador to Yugoslavia, Sir Iva Roberts.
He said: “Moscow has acted brutally in Georgia. But when the United States and Britain backed the independence of Kosovo without UN approval, they paved the way for Russia’s ‘defence’ of South Ossetia, and for the current Western humiliation.
“What is sauce for the Kosovo goose is sauce for the South Ossetian gander.”
April 14, 2008
knocked up
knocked up — pregnant [dict]
On the latest issue of Reader’s Digest, a woman tells a story from her experience — once during rush hour, she was accompanying her very pregnant colleague to cross the street. They dodged cars and ignored the hooting. Then they heard a furious driver shouting: “Hey! You can get knocked down too, you know!”
April 7, 2008
worth one’s salt
worth one’s salt – deserving of one’s wages or salary [dict]
On last night’s BBC TV program, The Real Hustle, Alexis demonstrated a scam in which he conned an unsuspecting girl into becoming an accomplice in a jewelery store robbery. Pretending not sure what jewelery to buy for his wife, Alexis asked a girl sitting outside a jewelery store for a big favor – to try on a necklace. Ready to help, the girl agreed and stepped into the store together with Alexis. Alexis asked for a $5000 necklace, and quickly switched it with a $5 one when no one was watching. He then set off the mobile phone ring, and excused to go outside the shop for better signal. The jeweler assumed the two were together, so she didn’t stop him. Once outside the shop, Alexis quickly drove off. “Any jewelers worth their salt will realize the switch straightway”, he explained in the program, “So you got to get out quickly”. This scam worked as the hustler exploited the dual relationship he had with a newly-met girl, and made the jeweler think they were together.
January 13, 2008
part and parcel
part and parcel of something — a necessary part which cannot be avoided [dict]
A lecturer must assume teaching responsibilities even though his real interests lie in doing research. Someone was assigned to teach two courses for the new semester. He said to me with a sigh: “That’s part and parcel of the job”.
October 18, 2007
crank it up a notch
crank it up a notch — increase or intensify a bit (See [crank up] and [notch])
On Friends, Joey envied Chandler and Monica being together. He thought that the two got along because they were friends first. So Joey attempted to hit on Rachel. He said to her: “Since we are friends, maybe you and I can crank it up a notch“. This phrase seems to come from a song called “crank it“.
October 16, 2007
Flattey is like chewing gum.
This is from the Reader’s Digest (Oct 2007): “Flattery is like chewing gum. Enjoy it, but don’t swallow it.“
October 14, 2007
attaboy
attaboy — (informal) from common pronunciation of “that’s the boy!”; used as a cheer of encouragement or approval. [dict]
On “Two and a half man”, this phrase is used frequently in conversations. For example, Charlie’s Mum tends to say “Attaboy” whenever Charlie does something that pleases her. I didn’t get the spelling of this word until today.
October 10, 2007
rake in something
rake in — earn large sums of money [dict]
This article explains a fast way to become rich in Turkey — get married! It says that as a custom in Turkey, if one is invited to a wedding, he/she should usually give $200 to the newlyweds. The president and prime minister of Turkey had taken advantage of this custom by inviting nearly 5000 people to their children’s weddings, “raking in literally $millions from distinguished and wealthy guests”.
September 26, 2007
vote with one’s feet
vote with one’s feet — to show that you do not support something, especially an organization or a product, by not using or not buying it any more [thefreedict]
In the area of security research, there are some standard security solutions that are secure in theory, but suffer from poor usability in practice. Someone commented: “De facto standards often emerge because people vote with their feet rather than following standards”. That is an interesting view.
September 18, 2007
Good good study, day day up
Good good study, day day up — Study hard, then you will improve day by day
This phrase — literally translated from Chinese — really cracks me up. It is the legendary saying left by the great leader Chairman Mao. In my childhood, the phrase was painted on campus walls, heard on radio, and said by teachers and parents all the time. Today, it evokes a familiar mint smell that drifts me back into the young and naive age …
September 12, 2007
have it out with someone
have it out with someone — settle or discuss something with someone angrily [idiomconnect]
If you organize a debate and call for participation, you may like to have an announcement starting with: “Burning to have it out with someone? Here is your chance … “
September 6, 2007
tap that ass
tab tap that ass — a vulgar slang for sex [urbandict].
One night, people in our research group went out to celebrate for someone passing the PhD viva. In the pub, an American guy wanted to make fun of a British chap, who seemed to really hit it off with a girl he just met. The American sent him a text message: “Tab Tap that“. After taking a mouthful of beer, he said to me: “I bet he won’t understand. He is British.” I heard this phrase on some American movies before.
August 24, 2007
bear out
bear out — To prove right or justified; confirm [thefreedict]
This is another way to say “confirm” — for example, the results bears out our claims.
August 22, 2007
not bat an eyelid
not bat an eyelid — not show any shock or surprise [thefreedict]
When talking about a new model of phone with a rich set of features, someone said: “I hardly bat an eyelid“. While technologies are advancing fast, so are people’s expectations — today we are no longer easily impressed by claimed “new” things.
June 18, 2007
shoot the breeze
shoot the breeze — to have a relaxed conversation [thefreedict] [answers]
On ‘Frasier’, Roz tells Frasier that she has been dumped by Roger. Pouring her a glass of wine, Frasier tries to comfort her: “Let’s sit down, and shoot the breeze for a while”.
June 15, 2007
son of a gun
son of a gun — a rascal; a scamp [answers]
On ‘Frasier’, Frasier meets Roz’s family, pretending to be her boyfriend, Roger. The family are delighted to meet “Roger” finally. One of Roz’s relatives greets Frasier: “Hey you, son of a gun.” In some dictionaries, the phrase “son of a gun” is defined as a euphemism for “son of a bitch” (see here). So don’t over use it 
June 14, 2007
have no beef with someone
have no beef with someone — have no quarrel with. “Beef” here has the meaning of “complaint” [answers]
On ‘Rambo: First Blood II’, Rambo found himself in a one man war against the whole police force of a town. From a hill, he jumped upon an army truck and took the driver by surprise. Just before being kicked out of the truck, the poor diver begged: “Please don’t do that. I have got no beef with you.”
June 12, 2007
buy off
buy off — to bribe [dict]
On “Frasier”, Frasier’s father ask Frasier and Niles to walk his dog since he has to go to work. Frasier hates dogs, so he asks Roz: “If you can walk the dog for me, I will pay you 100 dollars”. His brother, Niles, also says to Daphne: “If you do that, I will give you 100 dollars too. Wow, that’s 200 dollars!” Roz immediately slaps Frasier in his face: “I cannot believe you try to buy me off.” And Daphne also slaps Niles: “Me too”.
June 11, 2007
shoot off one’s mouth
shoot off one’s mouth — Speak indiscreetly; also, brag or boast [answers]
A guy doesn’t know much about computer security, but he tends to talk a lot to show off his knowledge on the subject. Someone commented: “He is always shooting off his mouth about it.”
June 8, 2007
give someone a nudge
nudge — a gentle push [dict]
I always bear high appreciation on how efficiently things work in universities. My office desks had recently been replaced with new ones. Bravo! But hold on …
After the contractors fixed up the new furniture, they didn’t bother to take away the junk. They simply stacked the old desks and deserted them in the center of the room. Perhaps, understandably, they had no idea where to throw. I contacted the department store man, who promised to collect those woods immediately. But despite the constant reminder, it has been nearly 3 weeks now — nothing changed. Someone noticed the funny desk “hill” in my office. He said: “I will give the store man a nudge.”
June 6, 2007
a dizzy spell
a dizzy spell — A period of physical or mental disorder or distress [answers]
On “Frasier”, Roz set Frasier up on a blind date. After introducing Frasier to a lovely lady, Roz excused herself: “Sorry. I have a dizzy spell. Let me take some rest in the room.”
May 31, 2007
throw someone in at the deep end
throw someone in at the deep end — to make someone do something difficult, especially a job, without preparing them for it or giving them any help [thefreedict]
My driving instructor is a nice and brave English old man. Though today was only the second session, he let me take the full control of the wheel on a busy road, and kept giving me instructions: “More gas please! Much faster!”. I dare not speed up as I could not help worrying we might hit someone. My body muscles tense, I tried to follow his instructions, fumbling for the clutch, brake, gas pedal, handbrake, and signal lights. Thanks, God. The instructor finally called for a break.
He handed me a sweet candy. ” You should smile while driving, ” he said to me with a grin, “My training method is to throw you in at the deep end. It’s like throwing you into the deep water so you can learn swimming quickly.” Suddenly, I had the thought: “Why should I be worried? He throws me into this crazy traffic. He should really be one who feels nervous on the seat.” I felt relaxed. Seeing me smile, the old man was excited: “Right! That is what I am talking about.”
May 25, 2007
know of
know of someone/something — to have information about someone or something [thefreedict]
On “Frasier”, Niles is chatting with a friend about a legendary connoisseur of wine tasting. When asked whether he knows the person, Niles replies: “I don’t know him. I just know of him.”
May 22, 2007
take the edge off
take the edge off — Ease or assuage, make less severe [dict]
On “Frasier”, Frasier is upset with something. His brother, Niles, tries to comfort him: “Have a beer. It really takes the edge off.” Suppose you are sitting just next to a sharp cutting instrument. How will you feel if those pointy edges are blunted or removed?
May 18, 2007
red herring
red herring — something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand; a misleading clue [dict]
The origin of this phrase comes from this story: a hunted fox throws off a hound by dragging a red herring along a wrong trail. The hound follows the strong smell of the herring, and hence loses the quarry. One use of this phrase is seen below (from Economist):
“The bilateral trade imbalance, the target of so many American politicians’ anger, is an economic red herring.”
May 8, 2007
call of nature
call of nature — A need to urinate or defecate [dict]
Sometimes, people may say someone has left to answer the call of nature — it is just an euphemistic way to say that he went to the toilet.
May 4, 2007
scooch
scooch — to move the buttocks over, around or up and down [ODE]
On ‘Friends’, Ross asks people sitting on a bench to move a bit to make a room for his ex-wife. He says: “People, scooch down please?” This is a word primarily used in America, and English people here generally claim that they never heard of this word. “In that situation,” an English lady explains, “we usually say: scoot over or move along.”
May 3, 2007
hold with
hold with — to approve of [dict]
On “Lord of the rings”, While eating Elvish biscuits, Sam says to Frodo: “I don’t usually hold with foreign food, but this Elvish stuff, it is good.”
May 2, 2007
butt out
butt out – to stop meddling in the affairs or intruding in the conversation of others [dict] , also see “butt in“.
On “Frasier”, Frasier desperately wants to make up the lost kinship with his son. He asks his son to play games together, but gets indifferent response. Frasier’s father says: “The boy has a life. You better butt out.”
May 1, 2007
give someone the boot
Give someone the boot – To fire/dump someone by force [idioms]
On Frasier, Niles wants to spend some lone moment with Daphne, but there is a guest in their house. When Daphne is preparing some wine in the kitchen, she asks Niles about the guest, and Niles replies: “I have given him the boot.”
April 27, 2007
skeletons in one’s cupboard
skeletons in one’s cupboard/closet — embarrassing secrets [dict]
On “Four weddings and a Funeral”, Charles is proposing a toast on his friend’s wedding. He starts his speech with: “To my best knowledge, my friend has no skeletons in his cupboard …”
April 26, 2007
squirm
squirm — To feel or exhibit signs of humiliation or embarrassment [dict]
The global warming is real. When I spent the winter holiday in China a few months ago, I felt it was apparently warmer than before. Something must be done, but the real question is “How”.
The “Kyoto protocol” is an attempt in that direction, but I fail to see that it will work. Leaders are elected by their people to act in the best interest of their nations. When it comes to the choice of doing good for the country or for the rest of the world, the former is just a natural choice. The incentives from rich/poor countries and environmentalists are misaligned — which is the inherent problem with the “Kyoto protocol”. There ought to be a better solution. I was not surprised when reading the below from Economist:
“America and others recognize that climate change is one of the world’s hottest topics, but still squirm when talking about doing something painful to tackle it.”
April 25, 2007
ticking bomb
ticking bomb — a problematic situation that will eventually become dangerous if not addressed [dict]
On ‘Dante’s peak’, a long-sleeping volcano is about to erupt. Harry refers to the volcano as a “ticking bomb” and urges immidate evacuation. This is indeed a vivid phrase to describe some situation dangerous. Interestingly, while I was looking up this phrase on Internet, I came across the dilemma of “a ticking time bomb scenario“: Is torture justified in the war on terrorism? Talk to your friends, and it will be a though-provoking debate.
April 24, 2007
make a pass at someone
make a pass at someone — to act toward someone in a way that shows a sexual interest in them [thefreedict]
On “When Harry met Sally”, Sally recalled the day when she first met Harry: “He tried to make a pass at me, and when I said no, he was going with a girlfriend of mine”.
April 19, 2007
cut it out
cut it out — to stop doing something [dict]
In a scary movie, the scary thing is usually something invisible. On “when a stranger calls”, a serial killer keeps calling a girl, but not speaking a word. After a few such “silent” calls, the girl is freaked out, and shouts over phone: “Whoever this is, it’s not funny. Cut it out.”
April 18, 2007
hop up
hop up — to excite; make enthusiastic [dict]
On a TV show, a group of friends are rehearsing a play. One guy is apparently excited to get a role. However, he doesn’t follow the script. Instead, he improvises his lines, imitates others’ speaking and makes funny noise. When his friends give him an angry look, he excuses himself: “Sorry, I am hopped up.”
April 16, 2007
TV dinner
TV dinner — a prepackaged and frozen meal that requires little preparation, also known as frozen dinner, microwave meal or ready meal [wiki]
On “Die Hard”, John McClane was creeping in a narrow tunnel to avoid being captured. He complained to himself: “Now I know what a TV dinner feels like.”
April 13, 2007
luck out
luck out — to gain success or something desirable through good fortune [dict]
On ‘Friends’, Joey went to audition for a role in “Mac and Cheese”. When Joey learned that the “Cheese” in the show title was actually an acronym for “Computerized Humanoid Electronically Enhanced Secret Enforcer,” he exclaimed in disbelief: “They really lucked out that the initials spell cheese.”
November 9, 2006
booby trap
booby trap — a hidden bomb or mine that could be set off by an unsuspecting person [dict]
Wikipedia is great; it allows anyone to edit the pages and contribute. Over the past few years, its popularity has been rising fast. However, what happens when someone inserts links in a page, leading to malicious virus downloads? From the article, “The message directed people to the booby-trapped page and the fake fix”.
November 8, 2006
catch out
catch out — trap; especially in an error or in a reprehensible act [dict]
Today, Michael Lynch, the founder and CEO of Autonomy, gave us an entertaining seminar. Near the end of the talk, he asked this question: there are three doors, with a Ferrari behind one and goats the other two. He asked one of the audience to pick up a door. Then he revealed that one of the other two doors had no Ferrari behind, and asked the same guy: “Do you want to stick to the original choice or change?”
To have a higher probability of winning the car, you should change. This problem, as a friend later told me, is called “The Monty Hall problem“. The essence of the problem is teaching people to adapt when there is new information. It took me a while to convince myself this was true; the usual intuition may tell you otherwise. “This is the kind of question you use to catch out people,” someone heard this problem before and said to me with a grin.
November 7, 2006
pull it off
pull off — to perform successfully, esp. something requiring courage, daring, or shrewdness [dict]
At the beginning of the ‘X Factor’ show, the host introduced the surviving contestants, and then sent her blessing: “Hope you pull it off tonight.”
October 30, 2006
from stem to stern
from stem to stern — from one end of something to the other [thefreedict]
On ‘Amdromeda’, Harper is a genius engineer, working on the warship Amdromeda. When asked how much he knows about the ship, he says: “From stem to stern.”
October 25, 2006
on the ball
on the ball — Alert, competent, or efficient [dict]
To praise someone who has done a good job, you could say: “you are really on the ball.“
October 24, 2006
brush up
brush up (on) — to revive, review, or resume (studies, a skill, etc.) [dict]
A guy is doing a project that requires using JavaScript. “I am now brushing up on JavaScript”, he said, “I learned it a long time ago.”
October 23, 2006
have a voice in
have a voice in — Also, have a say in. Have the right or power to influence or make a decision about something [answers]
Over lunch, a guy talked about a UK general criticizing the government’s Iraq policy. He said: “This general has a voice in this matter.”
October 20, 2006
psych up
psych up — get excited or stimulated [dict]
I attended a seminar on “how to gain a PhD”. The speaker gave very good advices on doing a PhD study, as well as pursuing a research career. He concluded his talk by urging the audience, many of whom were fresh PhD students: “Psych yourself up in the unique PhD experience.”
