Idiom - Magic
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IDIOM-MAGIC西 洋 妙 語
The FUN and EASY way to learn a very complicated aspect of the English language. Educational Books
FUN WITH IDIOMS
Learning English idioms doesn't have to be a problem. These catagory idiom books show how learning can be easy - and fun! * Fun With Animal Idioms * Fun With Animal Related Idioms * The Colour Book Of Idioms * The Money Book Of Idioms * Fun With Words Of Love * Humour Without Frontiers FUN WITH PROVERBS
An entertaining and educational guide to many of the proverbs that have long enriched our language. |
Q & A Give it a try, and when you come across idioms and need help, ask me! Click and type in a question or comment What is play hooky? ON THE LAM? Apparently lam was used in Shakespeare’s time. It meant to leave. Today it’s pretty much confined to describing a criminal who is running away or in hiding from the police or similar authorities. “The thieves escaped and are still on the lam.” what does "got a bead on it" mean? Get a bead on something. This can be said as have a bead, get a bead, or draw a bead. They all mean the same thing: to have something or someone as one's objective. A bead is a small raised spot (it might even look like a bead) at the end of a gun barrel that is used when aiming. The person aims that bead at the target. But this idiom is used to indicate having something in one's sight. "I have a bead on that pretty girl in my class with the lovely eyes." "He drew a bead on a future in television even as a young boy. WE SPREAD OUR WINGS AS A NEW NATION what does that mean Judging from the number of times this question has been asked, I'm of the opinion that this remark appears on a test or in a text somewhere. Fortunately, my answer today is the same as it was before. And the answer is... > When baby birds reach a certain stage of development, they flap their wings as they think about flying. And then, finally spreading them, they jump from the nest. Wheeeee, they have gained the confidence to set out on their own and to be independent. They have shown a willingness to try new things and assert themselves. That's what is meant by spread one's wings, and it's but a small step (to mix metaphors) to imagine what is meant when a new nation spreads its wings. If you have the exact place where this appears, and in which phrase, we'd be happy if you'd share it with us. Thanks, jbs Why is it called a blue moon? About every three years there are two full moons in the same month, so it's a rare occasion when we have one. That's called a blue moon, and we experienced one last month. We aren't sure why it's called blue, though once upon a time the moon did appear to be blue after a volcano in Java erupted. This moon is used in an idiom, meaning ‘not very often’ or ‘rarely’. “Since Molly moved, I only see her once in a blue moon. “Once in a blue moon I have an urge to eat mango ice cream.” How come "Done to a turn?" What does 'test your metal' mean? Question: When would this mean to test one's courage, one's nerve, one's stamina? Answer: When it is spelled as mettle. Perhaps someone can give me an example in a sentence?? fit as a fiddle. This expression goes back to the time of Shakespeare. He didn't use it in his writings, but those around him probably did. It describes being in the best possible physical condition. Why a fiddle (a violin)? Because a fiddle wouldn't sound well if it was not in the best condition. Also, the words, fit and fiddle (both beginning with the letter F ) go nicely together. That's known as 'alliteration.' (That's a good word - go look it up!) "I was ill yesterday, but today I feel fit as a fiddle. What's The Whole Shebang about? Mark Twain used this expression often to indicate "everything, the whole, all of something." Shebang (or chebang) was originally an Irish slang term for a gambling house or a tavern, but somehow it came to mean "the entire thing." "Sure, you can have some apples from my tree. In fact, I don't care for apples so you can have the whole shebang." "Our tour took us to Europe where we visited France, Germany. Luxembourg, Belgium...you know, we saw the whole shebang. What does "spread our wings as a new nation" mean WE SPREAD OUR WINGS AS A NEW NATION what does that mean Judging from the number of times this question has been asked, I'm of the opinion that this remark appears on a test or in a text somewhere. Fortunately, my answer today is the same as it was before. And the answer is... > When baby birds reach a certain stage of development, they flap their wings as they think about flying. And then, finally spreading them, they jump from the nest. Wheeeee, they have gained the confidence to set out on their own and to be independent. They have shown a willingness to try new things and assert themselves. That's what is meant by spread one's wings, and it's but a small step (to mix metaphors) to imagine what is meant when a new nation spreads its wings. If you have the exact place where this appears, and in which phrase, we'd be happy if you'd share it with us. And you might scroll down to see how many times this has been asked. Thanks, jbs what does "sakes alive mean"? This is an exclamation used by an older generation to express just about any emotional feeling. It's the short form of land sakes alive, which means about the same as Gee Whiz!, Golly!, You don’t say!, or I’ll be darned!” It’s also expressed as Good land of mercy!, so the word “Land” it’s probably a euphemism for “Lord.” “Land sakes, all the hotels are full! Where will we sleep tonight?” “Look how tall that young fellow is!,” Grandfather said. “Land sakes alive, he’s nearly as tall as his father!” “Good land of mercy, will this rain never stop?” Why are they called dog days? Because of lots of dogs around? a fat lot of good that will do you. Why fat lot? What is the origin of the expression "bringing up the rear"? I don't know that anyone knows the origin of this, but, as you know, it means to be the last in a series, a line or a procession. "The parade passed by, the silly old clowns bringing up the rear. cream of de cream This describes something that's not just the best, but the very best. To say that something is the cream (of the class, of the crop, of the colleciton, etc.) is to say it's the best. This, taken from the French expression, la creme de la creme, means the cream of the cream...or the very, very best. "Of all the great and wonderful students who have passed through this school, this year's graduating class must surely be the cream of the cream. (la creme de la creme) a barn burner is a very low scoring and boring game like watching paint dry No, a barn burner is something that is really exciting. "Last night's football game was such an intense amd exciting barn burner that I'm still shaking with excitement!" You are right about boredom being the idea behind the expression like watching paint dry. "The slide show was absolutely dull, and for two hours I had to sit there trying to stay awake. It was about as interesting as sitting there watching paint dry. What is a plugged nickel? As long ago as the 17th century, damaged and counterfeit coins were referred to as “plugged,” meaning inferior. In the US, a nickel is a small coin valued at five cents. Perhaps because there were a number of bad or counterfeit five-cent coins around at a particular time, this expression became popular. Ever since, anything that is not worth a plugged nickel is of no value whatsoever. “The engine in my car is so bad that when I tried to trade it in the salesman said my car’s not worth a plugged nickel.” This expression can also be used humorously. “If I don’t pass my examinations, my career won’t be worth a plugged nickel!” paddle your own canoe? A canoe, of course, is a light, narrow boat, and to canoe (transitive verb) is to use a flat oar (a paddle) to move it along in the water. The phrase paddle your own canoe/ paddle one’s own canoe means to do something alone, or to be independent. This was a favourite saying of Abraham Lincoln, which may be why it became popular in the 1850s. “I’ll help you with your homework this one last time, but after today you’ll have to paddle you own canoe.” “I sometimes wish my parents would stop overseeing everything I do and every now and then trust me to paddle my own canoe!” Why is it called a Charlie horse? There are several theories about the origin of this, but none can be proved. The one that seems most interesting goes back to the 1880s. A large and important American baseball team had a workhorse named Charley, and Charlie was lame. He walked with a limp. Forever after ( so the tale goes) when anyone had a leg problem that caused him/her to limp, they had a Charlie (or Charley) Horse. I don't understand "drop a clinker." In the late 1600s, or just after the time of Shakespeare, a clinker was (in the speech of the time) a cunning person. That meaning lasted for about one hundred years when, in the 1700s, it came to mean (who knows how or why?) (1) a fine, excellent person; or (2) a thing of good quality without flaws. In some strange way, the word now seems to have reverted back to part of its original meaning for a clinker is now defined as a serious error or a mistake, though the word is hardly ever used to describe a person. The word sometimes follows dropped, laid, made. “The violinist sure dropped a clinker during today’s concert.” (Played the wrong note or played out of key or at the wrong time.) “Your test answers are perfect. I don’t find a single clinker anywhere in your paper,” the teacher smiled. "I made a clinker by forgetting to invite Marcie to my party. fit as a fiddle? What is the meaning of the idiom 'clever socks'? Sorry, I don't find this as an idiom, but t is a brand of socks manufactured in the UK, and it's also the name of a music group. If you could give me the context in which you found this, I may be able to find more information." Have you ever heard of someone's horns wearing off before they finished some task? I haven't heard this one, but maybe one of our readers has. Can someone help us with this? why is it called a hat trick? This means to score three times in succession, or to accomplish something three times in a row. It comes from the game of cricket. "Michael scored a hat trick yesterday by winning all three swimming events. hells bells? What's that mean? What is to boot To boot??? To boot is a way of saying "in addition to," or "also." It indicates something more is added. I have a notion it is used mostly in the U.S. Here are some examples: "For her birthday, Sally received a beautiful camera and a bicycle to boot." "I expect it to rain, and we'll probably have lightning to boot." What's in the clink mean? To be in the clink is to be in jail. This goes back a long, long way. To the year 1515, to be exact. It's probably due to the clinking sound made by closing the metal doors of a jail. Or maybe because of the clinking together of the jailor's keys. If you want to know what a clinking sound is like, think of several keys hitting together. Or think of the sound coming from a metal wind chime. You could described that as the clink, clink of keys, or the clink, clink of a wind chime in a breeze. No comment from the peanut gallery Peanut gallery??? It's not likely that you will find any of your friends referring to a peanut gallery these days, but somewhere in your reading you may see it. Or perhaps it will be mentioned in a film. The expression dates back to the mid-1800s when audiences went to large music halls and theatres to see stage productions and musical comedy events. The most expensive seats were up front and in the first rows of the balconies. The cheapest seats, like now, were far up and far back. That area was known as the gallery. In those days, shelled peanuts were the favoured snack of the peple in the gallery and occasionally – especially if those in the gallery didn’t like the play and wished to express their disapproval -- they would drop the peanut shells on the folks below. That area of cheap seats soon became known as the peanut gallery. The next time you can’t get good tickets to a concert or a play and find yourself way up in the rear, you can say you are in the peanut gallery. And please: Be careful of your peanut shells! searching for something without any idea searching for something without any idea What is shop talk? Is it the same as to talk shop? When someone talks about his job or his work, he or she is talking shop. And what they are talking is called shop talk. "Harry must love his job at the phone company. Even on holiday he's constantly talking shop." "Enough of that shop talk, Harrold! Whisper sweet nothings to me," his dear wife pleaded. fools gold? This is a term from the Gold Rush days in America (from 1849) when American's headed West by the thousands to hunt for gold. Some rocks have copper pyrites and iron that shines like gold, thus fooling many into thinking they had found gold and were rich. Smart prospectors weren't fooled by it, hence the term fool's gold. Today it can refer to something that deceives a person. "Those price cuts promised us are fool's gold because we're actually going to be charged more for services." Pony up? Don't know this one. This means to pay up. We're not sure about the origin of it, but it's probably British where in slang a small amount of money was a pony . And the origin of that is probably because a pony is a small horse. These are a lot of probables associated with this, so it's best to forget about the origins and concentrate on the definition: to pay up. "Hey, when are you going to pony up the ten dollars you borrowed from me?" "I paid the bill for our meal last week, so it's your turn to pony up today." What is a country hick? A person who lives in the country. A farmer. It's not bad to refer to someone this way, but it's not altogether good. Best not to, and here's an example that should show you why: "John isn't very sophisticated, is he?" "No, he isn't. He's actually something of a country hick, especially when it comes to understanding girls." "Going up a hill in my ford, I lost my transmission." What does this say? The Ford here is a car or truck, and the transmission (in a nutshell) is a box underneath containing the various gears that make it go. To say that it is "lost" means it is gone. This is one of those events that happens from time to time to those with cars: you are driving along and suddenly something in the car's working parts suddenly stops working. It breaks. And in everyday speech, we might say it is lost. Of course it hasn't gone anywhere, but it's ability to move the car sure has! In the hole?? In debt. Something on the mind of a lot of banks and insurance companies these days. And in the minds of a lot of stock brokers. And companies unable to get loans. And businesses that can't get a line of credit. And especially disturbing to the average citizen, that person often referred to as "the man on the street." A whole lot of them are finding themselves in the hole these days. barnburner? An exciting event. raining dogs and cats When it rains like this, it's raining heavily. The French would say it is raining a waterfall (catadoupe), and that may be where we got this expression because cata + doupe sounds like 'cat' and 'dog'. Here are a few other ways of saying the same thing: Rain pitchforks, rain buckets, rain trams and omnibuses (strictly British!), rain cataracts, rain basins. "We were enjoying our picnic when it began to thunder and the sky opened up and it started to rain cats and dogs." a slip of a girl To describe someone as a slip of a (boy/girl/person) is to say they are small and thin. Slip in this instance means just that: small and thin. It's from an Old English word, slippe. "Suzie's a cute little slip of a girl, isn't she?" swan's song Swans don't sing. In fact, they don't make any sound, apart from an occasional hiss. The ancient Greeks thought differently. They thought that at the moment of their deaths, swans let loose with a beautiful song. We don't know where they got that idea, but it was repeated continually for several centuries. Eventually, the final performance of someone in the theatre became known as his/her swan song. The same was said of a musician, a singer, and eventually anyone who performed a final deed before leaving the stage, stopping singing, or acting. "This episode of Fraser is the last one. Too bad. I guess you could say it's everyone's swan song." run into the ground? Knee high to a grass hopper? Someone this high is short. Usually quite short. This is an American expression used to describe children or someone quite young. "I'm a friend of your father. I met him years ago when you were still knee high to a grasshopper." spread our wings as a new nation Scroll down a couple of inches for the answer to this. It's a question that crops up very often, and I've discovered why. You, too, can find out about that if you scrool down to it. what is a greenhorn? This describes any inexperienced person. Someone just entering high school is a greenhorn. A police cadet or someone who has just entered the military service is a greenhorn. A person new to a job can be called a greenhorn. Why not try giving me some examples? I'll give you this one to get you started: "Does anyone know who that greenhorn is on our football team? I paid throug the nose. This is indeed a strange expression. It dates back to the 17th century when professional gamblers would "fix" a game of cards to cheat a player out of his money. They said they "bled" him. That is, they took all his money. From that, when "bleeding" a person, they would say they were "making his nose bleed." That expression eventually changed to paying through the nose. Today it means to cost a lot of money. "I paid through the nose to buy my new car." "If you want to purchase an apartment these days, you'll have to pay through the nose to get one." Try this, green with envy. This indicates being jealous. "Oh, what a handsome new boyfriend Charlene has! I'm green with envy." ChingYee: Our address is: Chi Yu: Got it. Address noted. Thanks. ...doing a land office business? In the early days of the United States, land in the far west of the country (west of the Mississippi River) was wild and unsettled. To encourage settlers, the U.S. government opened offices (called Land Offices) where folks could go to look at maps of the untamed areas and select parcels. The land was given away free, which meant that when the offices first opened there were throngs of people ready to accept the land and move west. From that, to do a land-office business came to mean to do a lot of business. “The Emporium has a sale this week and from the crowds outside they seem to be doing a land-office business.” To boot??? To boot is a way of saying "in addition to," or "also." It indicates something more is added. I have a notion it is used mostly in the U.S. Here are some examples: "For her birthday, Sally received a beautiful camera and a bicycle to boot." "I expect it to rain, and we'll probably have lightning to boot." A boozer (someone asked about it) is a pub or a tavern. It's British slang. In England, Canada or the US, one goes to a pub or a bar to drink alcoholic drinks, and in slang that's known as booze. In England, however, only beer and ale is called booze. At any rate, a tavern in the UK is known as a boozer . "Tom and Harry are down at the local boozer playing a game of darts." AND...as one of our loyal readers has remarked (below) a boozer can also be a person who often drinks too much. I saw something I don't understand. What means "Ye gads and little fishhooks?" This is just another oath. Ye gads is a variation of you gods. The part about little fishhooks is just something said to be silly. "Ye gads and little fishhooks, I'm late getting to work again!" "When Aunt Sadie heard the news about Shirley's wedding, she cried out,"Ye gads and little fishhooks, it's about time that girl got married!" "Can't cut the mustard" means "can't reach the expectation" or "doesn't measure up" Right you are! Thanks I don't know the origination of any of those, but do know the meaning. "Jimminy Christmas, sakes alive!" is an exclamation meaning "wow!". -A boozer is someone who drinks alchohol to the point of intoxication often/all the time. -"Can't cut the mustard" means you can't reach the expectation. "...we spread our wings as a new nation..." appears in an American homework page (for my daughter it is 4th grade work). Even though I knew the meaning, it was hard to explain what it meant to her. Thank you for your clear and concise definition. Has anyone ever heard the expression "Jiminy Christmas sakes alive"? And where the heck did it come from? What is a boozer? can't cut mustard? cutting the mustard? Is "There ia a time clock on a bill" an idiom? and if it is what does it mean? That isn't an idiom. It sounds odd. It reads as though someone purchased a time clock and found it listed on his/her bill or invoice. That's the best I can do deciphering this one!" where did stone-face originate? Someone with a stone face , or someone stone-faced would be a person who has an expressionless appearance. My Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary indicates that this (as an adjective) has been traced to about 1932. It’s defined there as “showing no emotion.” “The criminal sat in stone-faced silence as the jury read its verdict.” “Even when you are alone, it’s difficult to watch some of the cartoons on television with a stone face." Unfortunately, the dictionary (In my opinion, it's the best one around -- and it's especially good for anyone learning English) doesn't say where the expression originated. But it's a comparison, so it was probably used long, long before the 1930s. good gravy! Is this an exclamation? Good gravy! certainly is an exclamation. It’s on a par with good gracious! , gee whiz!, golly Ned!, Holy Cow!, Good Gosh! or my goodness!“Good gravy, look at the time! I’m late for work!” “When I asked Rose if she would marry me, she looked absolutely shocked. ‘Good gravy!,’ she exclaimed, ‘I thought you would never ask!’” Square with me, and On the square. in 1812 we hit a big snag whats the idiom hit a (big) snag. That's the idiom. It's explained below... WE SPREAD OUR WINGS AS A NEW NATION what does that mean Judging from the number of times this question has been asked, I'm of the opinion that this remark appears on a test or in a text somewhere. Fortunately, my answer today is the same as it was before. And the answer is... > When baby birds reach a certain stage of development, they flap their wings as they think about flying. And then, finally spreading them, they jump from the nest. Wheeeee, they have gained the confidence to set out on their own and to be independent. They have shown a willingness to try new things and assert themselves. That's what is meant by spread one's wings, and it's but a small step (to mix metaphors) to imagine what is meant when a new nation spreads its wings. If you have the exact place where this appears, and in which phrase, we'd be happy if you'd share it with us. Thanks, jbs I know that "to ride the night mare" means to have a nightmare but where does it come from and did the word "nightmare" evolve from it or was nightmare already in usage when the phrase developed? Here is what (in slang) is referred to as the straight skinny, and by that is meant "the direct and honest truth": NIGHTMARE c.1290, "an evil female spirit afflicting sleepers with a feeling of suffocation," compounded from night + mare = a "goblin that causes nightmares"; from Old English mare = incubus (which is defined as an evil spirit that lies on persons in their sleep); from mera, (or mære) , meaning "goblin." The meaning shifted mid-16c. from the incubus itself to the suffocating sensation it causes. Sense of "any bad dream" first recorded 1829; that of "very distressing experience" is from 1831. Authors (and Alfred Hitchcock) have added ride to indicate (I think) having a prolonged nightmare, or one that never ends. In other words, "to ride it out." Talk a blue streak. Why blue? What streak? In 1812 we hit a big snag what does the idiom " in 1812 we hit a big snag" mean It means in 1812 we hit a problem. That's what a snag means here. It's a hang-up. In 1812 Napoleon captured Moscow. His plan to conquer Russia hit a snag, however, when the freezing cold weather drove him back to France. Tolstoy (War And Peace) wrote of it: "Millions of people went from west to east and slaughtered each other to no purpose, all because one man told them to." That's beginning to sound all too familiar, don't you think! know what's what? How come two whats? What does Let's Turn the Tables on them. Suppose you are playing a game, and suppose you are losing. But suddenly you are doing better...and then you win. You have just turned the tables on your opponent. So the idiom can be defined like this: To turn the tables is to be in a position where your situation changes so that it becomes a winning one or a situation in your favour. What's it mean: to have a lead foot? As we know, lead is a heavy metal. There are times when a driver of a car applies his or her foot in a heavy way to the accelerator to go fast -- as though the foot was made of lead. Therefore, someone driving fast is said to have a lead foot. "I hate the way the minibus drivers speed along the highway to Sai Kung. They all seem to have a lead foot!" old as Methuselah? This old fellow was said to be the oldest man ever. Methuselah was the father of Noah, the guy that built the ark and loaded it up with all those animals. Apparently he neglected to count heads when he set sail because his father was left behind and died in the Great Flood. That was a shame because the Bible cites his age at the time of his death as 969 years old. From that, anyone said to be old as Methuselah is considered quite old. "Wow, is that guy still in films? I thought he had retired, he's old as Methuselah" Where is this quote from? The time has come the walrus said to think of many thing, of shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings. Answer: From Through The Looking Glass, the further tales of Alice (Alice In Wonderland) by Lewis Carroll. This quotation can be found in the poem The Walrus and the Carpenter in Chapter IV. It's a really funny poem. Read it and tell me what you think of it. Here are the opening lines: The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright-- And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night. Go here to read the entire poem: http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/bookid.127/sec.4/ Settle an old score. ? An old score is a debt, so this would mean to settle that debt by eliminating it. And the way that is done is to pay it off. "I've paid off an old score by giving Arnold the twenty dollars I borrowed from him last year." In another sense, this can mean to take vengeance or to get even with someone. "Millie was terribly hurt when Maggie didn't invite her to her party, but she paid off an old score by not inviting Maggie to her Halloween costume party. Hurt to the quick, by and large The 'quick' referred to here is a very sensitive spot of the body, such as under a fingernail. If you injure yourself there, it really and truly hurts! From that, the idiom hurt to the quick means to be deeply hurt, but mentally hurt, not physically hurt. It's the same as saying you are painfully hurt by something. "I was hurt to the quick when Sandra didn't invite me to her wedding." all get out, as in "fast as all get out" Fast as all get out is a way of saying very, very fast. "Those Formula One cars are fast as all get out!. "When the police were seen, the hawkers grabbed their wares and ran away as fast as all get out." A fat lot of good that will do you. Fat lot?? A fat lot of good = since about 1900, fat has been used in various expressions to mean little, slight, or not at all. Therefore “a fat lot of good that will do you” = little chance; slight chance; no chance at all. Sometimes a person will simply say, fat chance. “I’d like to go to the rock concert tomorrow, but I’d have a fat chance of getting a ticket.” “I think Marcie’s cool, but a fat lot of goodthat does me. She doesn’t even know I exist.” Jumping Jummy?? Jumping Jimmy – the expression is actually Jumping Jiminy. I can’t chase down the origin of this, but I know who Jiminy is. Remember that cute cricket in the Disney film Pinocchio, the one who consoles Pinocchio by singing When You Wish Upon A Star? That’s Jiminy Cricket. When the film was released in 1940, people began to express amazement or alarm or joy by shouting, “Jiminy Cricket!” Jumping Jiminy is just another way of expressing emotion. “ Jumping Jiminy, I must hurry or I’ll be late for work!” “Oh, Jumping Jiminy, that cool girl Marcie has agreed to go to the beach with me!” Burn the midnight oil? Burn the midnight oil: to work or study far into the night. Once upon a time we lit our homes with lamps that burned various kinds of oil. To read, compose or to see what one was doing, those who stayed up late burned lots of it. Though oil lamps are a thing of the past, this idiom has lingered on. “Cassandra looks tired. She’s been burning the midnight oil preparing for her examinations.” “There were many times when Mozart burned the midnight oil sitting at his piano working on a composition.” Fly off the handle? To fly off the handle is to get angry. In fact, to get very angry. “Don’t be late. If you do, the boss might fly off the handle and dismiss you!” “I nearly forgot to clean up our picnic site at the park and a policeman there flew off the handle and threatened to give me a ticket if I didn’t clean everything up immediately." What's a whipper snapper? Whipper-snapper: an inexperienced, cheeky young boy – though often just a title given to a youngster by an older person. “What do today’s whipper-snappers know about suffering? We oldtimers had it rough during the depression. We knew hunger and what it was to have nothing." betcha? ubetcha? What does it mean to ask "Do you follow my drift?" Do you follow my drift? = Do you understand what I am implying/saying? Let the cat out of the bag. What cat? No cat here, just a good old-fashioned idiom. Let the cat out of the bag. = To reveal a secret, generally accidentally and at the wrong moment. Jack be nimble This is a children's rhyme. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick. Jack jumped high, Jack jumped low, Jack jumped over and burned his toe. I find no other association for this. Perhaps you saw it used to described someone who was fast and agile. Such as like this: "The way Harry ran after the ball was really something to watch. Talk about Jack be nimble! Ring the changes?? Before the electronic age, at a time when the bells in a church tower were rung by people and not by someone putting on a recording, people pulled on long ropes to ring the bells. To them, change referred to a prescribed order or series in which the set of bells were rung. Going from one series to another (to produce particular sounds) was called ringing the changes. Wherever people ring church bells, they continue ringing changes. From that, ring the changes means to do something in a different way. “I usually drive to work, but I’ve decided to go green so I’m ringing the changes by taking the bus from now on.” mope around? Mope around is a verbal idiom. It refers to someone moving about in a slow and sad manner. He or she is obviously unhappy. “Everyone in school seems to be moping around like zombies after our basketball team lost the championship.” Grease my palms and grease lightning. What are these? The first of these, grease my palms (or palm) with silver goes back a long, long way, to the 1500s, in fact. It means to bribe someone or to give him/her a tip. The idea comes from putting grease on a wheel to make it move. Silver here refers to money. “I don’t know where your laptop is, but if you were to grease my palms with silver I might be persuaded to help you find it.” Greased lightning describes something that is very, very fast. Of course lightning is fast anyway, but to say it is covered with grease adds emphasis to the remark. “ I like watching Formula One racing. At the start of the races those beautiful cars are going into turn One like greased lightning!” what does the idiom " in 1812 we hit a big snag" mean It means in 1812 we hit a problem. That's what a snag means here. It's a hang-up. In 1812 Napoleon captured Moscow. His plan to conquer Russia hit a snag, however, when the freezing cold weather drove him back to France. Tolstoy (War And Peace) wrote of it: "Millions of people went from west to east and slaughtered each other to no purpose, all because one man told them to." That's beginning to sound all too familiar, don't you think! What is a idiom? The following, which has the definition of an idiom, can be found on our Fun With Idioms page. Have you ever had one of those days when you did something on the spur of the moment, played your cards right and came up smelling like a rose? Or maybe someone you know talks a blue streak, complains of dishpan hands -- yet lives the life of Riley. Things like this might tickle your funny bone or make you see red, for these are idioms, and the difference between knowing or not knowing them can mean the difference between understanding or not understanding English. They're the nuts and bolts of everyday conversation, the glue that binds us in our everyday speech - and there they are, at every turn! They constitute, in effect, a language within a language adding color and dimension to the way we speak and think, making our language more expressive and fun to use. Every language has idioms, but English has more, giving anyone learning the language one of their greatest challenges. A cock and bull story, get down to brass tacks, of the first water, an old chestnut, off the cuff, no strings attached, rain cats and dogs -- you either know what these word combinations mean or you don't. And you would find yourself tied in knots, worn to a frazzle and at your wit's end trying to guess their meanings. Yet as sure as God made little green apples, each and every one of these expressions is a common idiom known and understood by almost all native speakers of English, wherever they are in the world and whatever their occupation or level of education. In a word, an idiom is a combination of words in a phrase (like the examples here) where the meaning cannot be ascertained in that phrase. The meaning has to be learned elsewhere, such as learning those meanings as one grows up and learns his native language, or, for someone new to the language, by carefully studying them. And they have to be learned one by one, which is why reading Idiom-Magic is so extremely valuable. English idiom book with explanation for eg. Rome was not built in a day. Rome is a great and impressive city with many fine buildings. But it did not become great overnight: it took many centuries of work and planning and construction to become so. So whenever you are doing something, be patient. By being so, you will achieve your goal. By the way, this is considered a proverb. It first appeared sometime in the 12th Century in French, and in English in the 16th Century. The French like to say Paris n'a pas ete fait en un jour, which, of course means the same thing. The name of the city has been changed because...well, because Paris is also a truly beautiful city. what is hitting it off fine This means to get along well together. "From the moment they met, Ken and Barbie have been hitting it off fine together." the meaning of cat got your tongue see below when someone is not saying anything, why do we say has the cat got stuck in your mouth I think what we are looking for here is the question "Has the cat got your tongue"? It means Why are you silent? or Why don't you say something? I suppose if a cat actually had taken my tongue, I'd have trouble talking. Then you would say to me, " I asked you a question but you aren't answering me. What's the matter, has the cat got your tongue?" if you buy him a bike you'll be paying trough the noise This is indeed a strange expression. It dates back to the 17th century when professional gamblers would "fix" a game of cards to cheat a player out of his money. They said they "bled" him. That is, they took all his money. From that, when "bleeding" a person, they would say they were "making his nose bleed." That expression eventually changed to paying through the nose. Today it means to cost a lot of money. "I paid through the nose to buy my new car." "If you want to purchase an apartment these days, you'll have to pay through the nose to get one." what is jump the queue Here's the answer: JUMP THE QUEUE The word queue is actually a French word meaning `tail’. Perhaps that might explain why so many people are always leaping over it! When they do, they jump the queue. That is, they move to the front of a line or column of waiting people – and that’s naughty! “I think people who jump the queue are more than naughty. They are selfish and lack manners,” Toby said. The buck stops here.?? What is a buck? "we...spread our wings as anew nation" This has been answered. Scroll down, down, down..." Grass widow? Waht is that? There are a number of ideas about the origin and meaning of this, but the most common definition today seems to be of a woman whose husband spends all his spare time playing on the grass of a golf course. She is home alone, therefore thinks of herself as being a grass widow. “Ever since my husband retired I rarely see him. I have become a grass widow.” Green with envy Scroll down about 5 or 6 inches and you will find that William Shakespeare may have been thinking of his cat when he first used this term. Where did the phrase "up to snuff" come from. Something or someone up to snuff is satisfactory or comes up to a high standard. While we can’t put an exact date on the first time this was used, it seems to go back to the late 1600s when men began taking snuff, a powdered form of tobacco that is inhaled through the nose. They’ would sniff the powder and sneeze. Apparently good snuff was satisfactory while bad snuff was not up to snuff standards. As is the case with so many phrases, this was soon used to describe things and people. “The artist’s work is good, but I don’t think it’s up to snuff. His earlier work is better.” “I’ve been ill and I don’t think my work has been up to snuff this week. what is the meaning of the idiom, "He has cold feet"? This means he is afraid to commit himself to do something. "I would like to learn to how to dive, but ever time I get on the diving board I get cold feet and I can't jump!" "My brother's getting married next week. If he doesn't get cold feet and change his mind, that is!" Get a bead on something. Mai This can be said as have a bead, get a bead, or draw a bead. They all mean the same thing: to have something or someone as one's objective. A bead is a small raised spot (it might even look like a bead) at the end of a gun barrel that is used when aiming. The person aims that bead at the target. But this idiom is used to indicate having something in one's sight. "I have a bead on that pretty girl in my class with the lovely eyes." "He drew a bead on a future in television even as a young boy. what are the origons of green with envy ? An interesting question, and one that encouraged me to do a little research. Here’s what I discovered: Shakespeare was the first person to attribute the colour green to feelings of envy, and he did that in The Merchant of Venice when he wrote of green-eyed jealousy. He may have been thinking of a cat, but we aren’t certain. Later, in Othello, he used the term green-eyed monster when referring to feelings of jealousy. “Oh, beware my lord, of jealousy It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.” Clearly, to him green symbolized jealousy, leading to our expression, green with envy. “Cora is going to Singapore to study at university! I’m green with envy.” dead soldiers? For beer bottles.?? Jonathan Swift,the author of Gulliver's Travels, speaks of empty bottles of beer in a pub as dead men, and ever since then men have been calling the bottles they have consumed (usually at a party or with a group in a tavern) as dead men or dead soldiers. What does it mean "all the songs on my iPod went south?" This means to go down or to go away. "The moment after I bought shares in the GaGa Company the value of their shares went south!" This can also mean to disappear or to vanish. "No, Alex doesn't live here anymore, he's gone south, and no one knows where to find him." what does the idiom "we... spread our wings as a new nation" mean Scroll down about three inches, and then follow the directions there about spreading one's wings. All will then be revealed! what does to give up the ghost mean? This is found in the Bible. [Job 14:10] It refers to the soul or the spirit that is said to leave the body when a person dies. “Old Uncle Ben gave up the ghost on his 97th birthday.” The expression can also refer to objects and things that are broken and can no longer be used. “I liked my car, but it finally gave up the ghost and I had to get another one. Veronica asks: What's this, "like a swarm of quiet bees?" This would be a comparison. A swarm of bees is a large group of bees, and they would probably be actively doing something--and it is certain they would be making a lot of buzzing noise as they worked. This statement seems to compare a group (of people?) to those bees, and whatever they are doing, they are being quiet about it. So this would refer to a group (of people) doing something quietly. It's not an idiom, just someone's way of describing a scene or a situation. Higgledy-piggledy?? It means in a confused and disorderly way. "The toys were thrown higgledy-piggledy into the toy box." "The ancient streets of the village were laid out in a higgledy-piggledy way." We aren't sure of the origins of this, but it goes back to the days of William Shakespeare." I not too sure where do I find some of the Idiom words through website. I wanted to do self learning for the English. So how do I do it without looking for the idiom books? send me your email address at idiommagic@aol.com and I'll make some suggestions. John she can't see past herself .. what does this mean? A person who can’t see past himself/herself is self-absorbed. He or she thinks of themselves before thinking of others. It’s possible that they hardly ever think of anyone but themseves. In a word, they are selfish and inconsiderate. What is it to barnstorm? My information is that barnstorming was originally a term used by travelling theatrical groups in the Eastern part of the US in the early 1800s. Groups putting on plays would visit small communities, and instead of performing in theaters or halls (which many places didn’t have), they performed in country barns. Going from town to town (barn to barn) was called barnstorming. The storm part of the word refers to the way they hurried through one place before setting off for another. Today, to barnstorm means to hurry from place to place making quick stops. You might say of someone on a fifteen-day tour of the major cities of Europe that he/she barnstormed through Europe. i want to know how do the magikers make the human two pART ? Not sure I understand this! we spread our wings as a new nation The answer is below. Scroll down about three inches My question is, in the doldrums. What is that? Don't like paying for your ring tones? Want to know how to install your favourites for FREE? To learn how, go here >> http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/commentary/listeningpost/2006/02/70150 What does the idiom "spread our wings as a new nation" mean? When baby birds reach a certain stage of development they flap their wings as they think about flying, and then, finally spreading them, they jump from the nest. Wheeeee, they have gained the confidence to set out on their own, to be independent. They have shown a willingness to try new things and assert themselves. That's what is meant by spread one's wings, and it's but a small step (to mix metaphors) to imagine what is meant when a new nation spreads its wings. Wha't is cut a rug MEAN.? This means to dance. It's a bit old-fashioned, dating back to the 1920s-30s. People gathering at someone's house would dance in the living room, which generally had a rug on the floor. The implication is that the rug would get a little cut up from such activity. But while I'm talking about it and the music is playing, would you like to cut a rug? snake oil merchant! What's that! Many years ago in America, someone might put various ingredients together and then put the stuff into a bottle, give it a fancy name, and then tell people it was good for this or that pain, would help their failing eyesight, would improve their IQ, make them grow taller, help them lose weight, etc. Of course it wouldn’t do those things, but they never lacked for someone to purchase the liquid or the pills. Smarter people called the stuff snake-oil, and the person selling it was called a snake-oil merchant. I suspect there’s still stuff like that and people like that around today. What do you think? I read a fuddy-duddy. What is that? It said an old fuddy-duddy. A fuddy-duddy is someone who seems disinterested in anything new. He or she is therefore considered old-fashioned. In general, it’s someone who seems uninspired about doing anything. That’s why people tend to call them old. “I asked my brother if he wanted to go on the amusement park rides with me but the old fuddy-duddy said the rides bore him.” where did idioms originate You ask about the origin of idioms. If you think about it for a moment you will probably agree that you use idioms all the time. They are in every language, and new ones are added every minute of each day because idioms act as shortcuts, or they act as a private language we use with people like ourselves. Or perhaps we find it humorous to construct a sentence in a new way so we can make it more interesting. Also, we invent ways of making comparisons by using new words to describe old or everyday things. Put two or more people together for a little while and you can be certain they will create their own idioms. Then when they are apart or in another group, they will use them, thus passing their idioms on. In English, in Chinese, in French, in German, in Russian, in Spanish...in all languages and in all groups within each language – doctors, lawyers, students, thieves, teachers, sociologists, workers, farmers -- idioms are abstractions and synonyms that act as a language-within-a-language, making everyday language more interesting, more attractive, funnier, easier, and, perhaps, more exciting. So in reply to the question, there was no real origin of idioms because idioms have always been with us. jbs what is the meaning of the proverb"all the easy oil has been found" I don’t find it as a proverb, but rather I read it as a statement of fact that all the easy oil (on earth) has been found. One day there will be no more oil to be had anywhere, and that’s what has oilmen and governments worried. To postpone that day, they are searching high and low for it. But it’s getting harder to find any new fields of oil. To use your phrase, all the easy oil has been found. I want to know the meaning of the idiom expression in the pink. Apparently In the pink isn’t as old an expression as I thought it was. My reference books say that it was first recorded sometime in the early 1900s. I would have thought it had been used by the first northern European doctors because it is used to describe someone who is in the best of health. The reason is that when they are healthy and active, northern Europeans are somewhat pinkish in colour (compared to many other groups of people). When they are ill they may look pale and white. “Nelly was sick yesterday, but she’s certainly looking in the pink today.” what is a little green apple? Apart from being found under an apple tree, the only place I find these apples is in the expression as sure as God made little green apples, which is just a way of saying that something is an absolute certainty. You can find that illustrated on the opening page of this site. And oh, yes: green apples are also found in the lyrics of a contemporary song, and you can read them by going to the following site-- and you can download a ringtone of this and a thousand other songs for your cellphone here too-- but I see that you must PAY for the use of these melodies! If that's what you want (and can afford it!), click on the polyphonic instructions in red at the site: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Little-Green-Apples-lyrics-George-Morgan/34C074BA14CEB32E48256FB8002B7A7D Geni asks: I Was just wondering where the term smart aleck originated. I did a quick web search and didn't come up with anything. You came to mind and I decided to ask you. Aleck is the short form of the name Alexander, and the term smart aleck was first recorded in the 1870s, or about the time that Alexander Graham Bell was gaining recognition as a smart fellow with his many inventions. Whether he was the actual smart Aleck or not isn't known for certain, but I, as a distant relative (John Bell Smithback) would like to think he's the responsible party. Today the term is still used to describe a wise fellow...but most often it's used now in a negative way to describe someone who pretends to be smart but is annoying. Positive: "When it comes to getting good grades, Rose is the smart aleck in my nursing class. Negative: "Who's the smart aleck making so much noise this late at night? ****** Name is mud?? Why that? Sherry Many people think that his name is mud has something to do with Dr Alexander Mudd (1833-83), the physician who treated the broken leg of John Wilkes Boothe, the man who shot Abraham Lincoln. That’s not so. The expression was first recorded in England in 1823, which was years before Dr Mudd was born. So the mud here really does refer to wet, dirty earth – and as we know, mud is not considered a very pleasant thing. As an idiom, when someone’s name is mud the person is disliked or not favoured. Example: “I have a birthday on Tuesday. If Tony doesn’t remember to give me a gift, his name will be mud! Go here, Fran, and see if you can't find the sayings you're looking for..... http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/wisenewsayings1.htm I once found a list of proverbs/sayings that had been modernized... can you tell me where to find them again... ie; people who live in glass houses should not throw stones... was changed to 'inhabitants of transparent domiciles should refrain from hurling geometrical specimans'... I don't recall the others... Thanks, Fran Ventura I'm looking, Fran. I'll see what I can find... can you give me idioms that mean "very expensive"? Here are a few idioms to say something is very expensive: Something is dear/pricey It has a fancy price Would be a drain on the purse/pocket Cost the moon/the earth Cost heaven and earth Cost a pretty penny Cost an arm and a leg Will have to pay through the nose for it Too dear for one’s whistle Priced at a premium Not to be had at any price Not for love or (nor) money Priced beyond (all) reason Worth a king's ransom ... Below Which verbs? Identify them, please. J. I want to know about verbs 1,2,3,4? a la carte. Is this English? This is French, but it's a commonly used expression in English. In French it means from the bill or menu. It refers to a restaurant meal ordered plate by plate or item by item (instead of ordering a set meal at a set price). "At the restaurant, Teddy had the standard meal of the day, while Uncle Felix ordered several dishes of food a la carte." can you help me with the meaning for this saying He who laughs last laughs the best. Once upon a time two brothers who owned a bicycle repair shop in the United States thought that people might be able to fly. Everyone laughed at them, of course, saying such a thing was impossible. “Only birds fly,” they said. Well, one day the brothers built a funny-looking machine with wires and wings, and as the people laughed they flew into the air like a bird. The people became silent, but the brothers were very happy and they laughed and laughed with joy. The moral of this tale is that he or she who laughs last last best. what's the meaning of too-hard basket This isn't an idiom. Give me the sentence that you found this in and I'll try to figure it out... give me a sentence for the idiom bring up the rear a sentence for bring up the rear See this week's Idiom Of The Week a sentence for bring up the rear your left hand right This sounds to me like the expression, you don't know your left hand from your right,, which is a way of saying someone doesn't know what he/she is doing. Or it could be you don't know left from right, which has the same meaning. British equivalent of Drop me a line. Whether you are in London or New York, in Los Angeles or Liverpool, drop a line will always mean the same thing: to write a brief note. This idiom uses line in the sense of "a few words in writing," a usage first recorded in 1647. where did the expression "a piece of cake" originate? Probably because it's not difficult to eat a piece of cake. As you know, when something (a job, for instance)is a piece of cake it is very easy to do. But I'll be on the hunt to get further clarification and if something turns up, I'll make mention of it here. If I wasn't standing on church grounds, I would say something The only thing I can think of here is that this comes from a book, probably one written in the 1800s > early 1900s. That is, during a time when people seemed to have a greater regard for how they phrased things and the language they used. If I'm right, my interpretation is that the person who said this wanted to say something nasty, but being in a churchyard he did not wish to do so because he would offend God. Where is this quote from? Where is this quote from? The time has come the walrus said to think of many thing, of shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings. Go here, and all will be revealed >> http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/walrus.html I heard this on tv: none of your bees wax. ?? what is the exactly meaning of: "I will have his head"? This is from the rather gruesome manner of executing a person. That is, by taking off his/her head. I'm sure the instance you are referring to here, the idiomatic instance, simply means to have someone punished. Example: "Dad said I could use his car to go to the dance, but he said he would have my head if I damaged it! (See the Idiom Of The Week for an idiom with the same meaning.) park them in front of Probably an analogy to parking a car: To seat someone in front of someone/something. What are pearly whites? This is a slang term for one's teeth. "It's a wise person who thoroughly brushes his/her pearly whites after each meal. And if you want to keep your pearly whites in great condition, avoid eating things containing sugar!" What's the meaning of GET HIP? The (many) uses of HIP In the mid-1920s, hip was a jazz word, a word used by jazz musicians and jazz followers to indicate something was cool, great, groovy, far out, just plain wonderful. Hip, and the word hep, were used interchangeably until the middle of the 1940s, but today hep is gone and hip lives on. I knew jazz musicians who would use hip to mean “Yes,” or “I agree,” or “I understand.” Example: “The traffic today is terrible.” Answer: “I’m hip.” “I like hearing Monk play piano.” “I’m hip.” Etc. From that, to get hip is to become aware. To wise up. That brings us to a more immediate time when hip gave us hippie and hipster. These were mostly young people in the 1960s and early 70s who considered themselves cool, groovy, and in-the-know. And they were rebellious. They liked jazz and rock music and followed their own inclinations, refusing to think of themselves as part of “the Establishment.” They were following in the footsteps of the Bohemians of the 1920s and 30s and the Beat Generation of the 50s. You may note that the majority of those who thought of themselves as hip then eventually married, had offspring, left rebellion behind and became…well, they became joyful members of what they had once considered “the Establishment.” I wish my Book Of English Pop & Slang was still available. Maybe you can find it in your library. Hip, hippie, hipster and many other such words and terms are defined in it. John Feet of clay?? æÌè?Žq Hi! I wish to share a bit of my knowledge about the bouncing sheep. I was raised in N.Y.C. (the Bronx that is) and my family always went to church. Back in the 70's our pastor use to use the phrase, or idiom for that matter, "bouncing sheep" and always referred to members who bounce from one congregation to another, as we know people are often considerd to be sheep or lambs, speaking in THEOLOGICAL terms. Hope you can abide the term and consider it a religious idiom. I know lots more and wish to share some with you. By the way though I'm a New Yorker, I currently live in Colombia. I'm an English teacher and love to teach, and I have found your site to be very helpful and have given your e-address to my students. Thanks. Phillip Thanks to YOU, Phillip, and good luck with your teaching. If you or your students have any questions, feel free to write. I'll be glad to respond-- and if I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does! We enjoyed your story of the Bronx sheep bouncing from church to church. John What does it mean to have a foot in the door and a nose in the tent? BF Peanut gallery??? It's not likely that you will find any of your friends referring to a peanut gallery these days, but somewhere in your reading you may see it. Or perhaps it will be mentioned in a film. The expression dates back to the mid-1800s when audiences went to large music halls and theatres to see stage productions and musical comedy events. The most expensive seats were up front and in the first rows of the balconies. The cheapest seats, like now, were far up and far back. That area was known as the gallery. In those days, shelled peanuts were the favoured snack of the peple in the gallery and occasionally – especially if those in the gallery didn’t like the play and wished to express their disapproval -- they would drop the peanut shells on the folks below. That area of cheap seats soon became known as the peanut gallery. The next time you can’t get good tickets to a concert or a play and find yourself way up in the rear, you can say you are in the peanut gallery. And please: Be careful of your peanut shells! what is the origin of the idiom, drop like a hot potato? Scroll down a ways. The answer (and more) is there! which is the following idiom corect?: - as pretty as a painting - as pretty as a picture - as pretty as a flower - as pretty as a postcard. This is a very interesting question. I’ve been thinking about it, and the way I see it is this: a scenic view (such as a sunset or a view of the Grand Canyon) might be described as being as pretty as a postcard or as pretty as a picture but I doubt you would say a view would ever be as pretty as a flower. But looking at a sleeping child you might say he or she was as pretty as a flower. On the other hand, you might say a lovely view of the sea or of the snow-capped mountains was as pretty as a painting or a picture. To avoid risks, I think you should confine these descriptions to inanimate objects. The exception would be someone, a baby or a pretty girl, in which case it or she would be as pretty as a picture. what does to count noses mean Everything and everybody has a nose, so to count them is another way of saying to count people, individuals, children, adults...whatever form of human kind you are counting. You can also say count heads. They both mean the same thing. I woul like to know 200 idioms that are related to education? We could start with a diller, a dollar, a ten o'clock scholar. That's Number One, my contribution. Let's have a contest and see who can help provide the additional 199! 200 idioms that are related to education. 200 idioms that are related to education. I would like to know the origin of, "I have eyes behind my head." There is no recorded instance of when this expression might have been first used, but that’s not surprising when you think of what it means. It’s a way of saying someone is capable of seeing both to the front and to the back. It could have been said about Julius Caesar, for instance. “He would be here with us today if he had eyes in the back of his head,” a friend in the year 44 B.C. might have said. I would like to know the meaning of the following two American phrases/ idioms: 1)see a man about a dog 2)rolling stone gathers no moss Thanks a lot!:] See a man about a dog: to leave a place. This expression is usually used by a man when he wishes to tell someone he is going to the toilet, but it can be used almost anytime a man wishes to go somewhere without telling his destination. The female equivalent for going to the toilet is I’m going to go powder my nose. A rolling stone gathers no moss: apparently this proverb dates back to the 14th century when it meant that a person always on the move (travelling here and there without putting down roots and settling in one spot) would not get rich -- just as a stone that was always in motion wouldn’t get any moss on it. From that, became a person who did a lot of wandering – such as the rock group by this name. Help me with "causeway." I'm not sure I understand. Once I know what you are searching for, I'll give you a reply with the speed of lightning...! i need and idiom for causeway!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!! Someone is A Looker?? What is that? Colloquially speaking, a Looker is a beautiful girl or woman. This is a way  BEGGARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS
Since Fergus is usually in need, he is the ideal person to explain this saying. "It says someone in need should be grateful for what is given to him — even if it's not all he wants or expects," he said. "Once I found a purse. I returned it to its owner, of course, and was given a dollar. It wasn't much and I hoped for more, but when you are hungry, beggars can't be choosers." -- Please post your comments and feedback -- |
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