Hey everyone.
I'm Teela with Deep English.
Thank you for joining me for another lesson today.
Today we'll be learning five idioms and their origins.
An idiom is an expression or a phrase
whose meaning isn't necessarily obvious.
And so even if you understand every single word
within the idiom, you may not understand the idiom itself.
And so it's really important to take some time
to learn and memorize these idioms
because they are frequently used
within the English language.
And so instead of translating word for word
which, what each one means,
and probably embarrassing yourself,
when you hear these idioms now
you'll automatically know what they mean.
So, let's get the ball rolling.
That's an idiom that means to get started.
So let's get started, let's do idiom number one,
to let the cat out of the bag.
To let the cat out of the bag, hmm.
If we were to translate this one literally,
we might think that it means
to open a bag and to let a cat out.
Imagine how embarrassing it would be
if you were in a conversation with an English speaker
and they said, okay, just let the cat out of the bag,
and you started looking around
for a bag with a cat in it (chuckles).
That would be hilarious, but also embarrassing.
So let's learn a little bit about
the origin of this idiom and then also what it means.
So this idiom probably came from the 1700s
when people would purchase a pig
and the pig would be in a bag,
and when they got home they would look in the bag
and there would be a cat in the bag instead.
So cats were less valuable than pigs,
so oftentimes people would replace a pig with a cat,
and by the time they got home and they looked
and they realized that they had been tricked,
it was too late and they had a cat instead of a pig.
I would hope that you would recognize
if your bag had a cat in it instead of a pig,
but apparently many people did not.
But it's also said that this phrase
may have come from somewhere else.
So the British Royal Navy had a whip
that they kept aboard the ship,
and the whip was called, cat o' nine tails.
And this whip would be used on people
who committed a crime on the ship.
The whip was kept in a bag, ooh, that one's scary.
So let's see if you can guess
what it means to let the cat out of the bag.
What might that mean when used in a conversation today?
To let the cat out of the bag,
I'll give you a moment (humming).
Okay so if you guessed that to let the cat out of the bag
meant to reveal a secret, then you're right.
So letting the cat out of the bag
means to reveal a secret or reveal a secret accidentally,
so you accidentally say a secret
that you weren't supposed to say.
So we might use this one in a sentence like,
I was so upset that he let the cat out of the bag
and told my family I was moving to South America
before I even had a chance to tell them.
Or, we might use it in a sentence like,
in my own life, my family knows
that I'm not a good secret keeper,
so when my brother-in-law wanted to ask my sister
to marry him, he didn't want me
to let the cat out of the bag,
and so he decided to tell me
at the very last second, just minutes before
he was going to propose, what he was doing
and that I needed to be there.
And so in this way, he prevented me
from letting the cat out of the bag,
and so he kept that proposal a secret.
To let the cat out of the bag.
Have you ever let the cat out of the bag before?
If so, feel free to comment below,
I know I would love to read about how
you've let a secret out accidentally
or maybe you tried to let the cat out of the bag.
Put below if you've let a cat out of the bag.
Alright so let's move on, our second idiom
is to fly off the handle.
To fly off the handle.
If we were to look at this one literally,
we might think of something that has a handle
like a coffee mug.
We might think that this meant the mug
flew away from the handle.
Of course that's not what this one means.
So let's take a closer look.
This one probably came from the 18th century
when poorly made axes would fly off the handle
when they were being used.
So how scary would that be,
the sharp part of the ax just flying away through the air,
so to fly off the handle.
This one is a little bit tricky,
let's see if you can guess what
to fly off the handle means when used today.
To fly off the handle, hmm.
Okay to fly off the handle means to
become suddenly angry.
So we might use this in a sentence like,
I didn't expect him to fly off the handle
and start yelling at me after I quit.
Or, she's usually a pretty calm person,
but she will fly off the handle
if you insult her dog.
So to fly off the handle, to become suddenly angry.
Do you know someone who frequently
flies off the handle, or maybe
you often fly off the handle (chuckles).
If so, feel free to share with us below,
I know I'd be interested in reading
what makes you fly off the handle.
Okay let's move onto our third idiom.
Our third idiom is to cost an arm and a leg.
To cost an arm and a leg.
If we were to translate this one literally,
we might think that it meant
to pay for something with our arm or our leg.
So imagine being at the grocery store
and instead of having to pay five dollars,
you have to pay your arm or your leg.
No one would pay with their arm or their leg.
So this one has to have a different meaning, and it does.
So let's take a look at the origin of this idiom.
To cost an arm and a leg probably
came from the 18th century,
when famous people would have their portrait painted.
They would often leave out their arms or their legs
because it was said to be very expensive
to include both of your arms
and your legs in the painting.
So to cost an arm and a leg, can you guess
what it means to cost an arm and a leg?
If you guessed to be extremely expensive, you're right.
This one means to be extremely expensive.
We might use it in a sentence like,
I really loved the beautiful sweater
but I wasn't going to pay an arm and a leg for it.
So when the saleslady said that I could get it
on a discount, I said yes, I'd love to have the sweater.
Or, he told me not to spend an arm and a leg
on his birthday present because he knew
I was saving money to take a trip.
So to cost an arm and a leg, to be extremely expensive.
Alright, let's move onto our fourth idiom.
And this one is, hands down.
Hands down.
Translated literally, this one just simply means,
to have hands, down.
So of course it has a different meaning
when used in conversation today.
So let's take a look at the origin of this one.
This one probably came from the 19th century,
during horse racing, when a jockey was very far ahead,
he would let go of the reins,
and he would put his hands down and win the race.
So he would win hands down.
So this one actually means,
to win something or accomplish something
with very little effort.
So not trying very hard and you're still able to win.
So we might use this in a sentence like,
her cake won the contest hands down,
it was so much more delicious than every other cake there.
Or, I prefer soup over salad, hands down.
And so, there is no contest between the two,
soup is clearly way better, in my opinion.
So hands down.
Alright, let's move onto our fifth and final idiom,
and this one is riding shotgun.
Riding shotgun.
So if we were to look at this literally,
we might think that it means to ride,
or take a ride on a shotgun.
Instead of riding a horse, you could ride a shotgun?
No, I don't think so, that is completely ridiculous.
So, let's look at what this one really means.
So, to ride shotgun, this one probably came
from the wild west.
So back in the day in the wild, wild west,
when someone was driving they would often have
someone beside them who had a shotgun.
And so if there was a thief that came up
and tried to steal things from the caravan,
the person who had the shotgun could protect the caravan.
So, that's probably where this one came from,
so can you guess what it means today to ride shotgun?
I'll give you a moment (humming).
Okay, to ride shotgun simply means,
to sit in the front seat next to the driver.
This is a really common phrase in American movies,
especially movies with teenagers in them,
you'll often hear one of the teenagers say, I call shotgun!
And that simply means to say aloud
that you are reserving the front seat for yourself.
Every single person I know would respect that reservation,
so if you are ever with a group of English-speaking people,
and you say, I call shotgun,
it's very likely that then you will be able
to sit in the front seat, and that people will respect
that you reserved that seat.
Of course, unless you are a child
then it's not appropriate for you to sit shotgun.
So shotgun is simply that front seat next to the driver.
Do you have a phrase in your language for calling shotgun?
If so, feel free to comment below,
I love to look at the similarities
and differences in different languages.
Alright, that does it for today's lesson,
thank you guys so much for tuning in,
it was an absolute pleasure, I had a lot of fun,
and I hope you did as well.
If you liked this video feel free
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click below for a free course in English.
Thank you guys so much,
and I'm looking forward to our next lesson together.
See you later.
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